and think of your own beastly conduct." I didn't envy him; I don't think
much of Dora's looks myself, but apparently she pleases _someone_. In
the bouquet there was a poem and Dora got hold of it quickly before
Father had seen it. It was awfully pretty, and it was signed: One for
whom you have made Christmas beautiful! The heading is: "The Magic
Season." I think Dora's splendid not to give herself away; even to me
she declares she does not know who sent it; but of course that may be
all humbug. I think it really comes from young Perathoner, with whom
she's always skating.

December 28th. I've had absolutely no time to write. I got everything I
wanted. Aunt Dora gave both of us an opera glass in mother-of-pearl in
a plush case. We are going to all the school performances, Father's
arranged it; he has subscribed to _all_ the performances during the
school year 19-- to 19--. I am so delighted for Frau Doktor M. will come
too. I do hope I shall sit next to her.

December 31st. To-day I wanted to read through all I have written, but I
could not manage it but in the new year I really must write every day.

January 1st, 19--. I must write a few sentences at least. For the
afternoon we had been invited to the Rydberg's the Warths were there and
Edle von Wernhoff!! I was just the same as usual with Lisel but I would
not say a word to R. They left before us, and then Heddy asked me what
was wrong between me and R. He had said of me: Any one can have the
_black goose for me_. Then he said that any one could take me in. I was
so stupid that I would believe anything. I can't think what he meant,
for he never took me in about anything. Anyhow I would not let _him_
spoil new year's day for me. But Hella is quite right for if the
first person one meets on January 1st is a common person that's a bad
beginning. The first thing this morning when I went out I met our old
postman who's always so grumpy if he's kept waiting at the door.
I looked the other way directly and across the street a fine young
gentleman was passing, but it was no good for the common postman had
really been the first.

January 12th. I am so angry. _We_ mayn't go skating any more because
Inspee has begun to complain again of her silly old ears and Mother
imagines that she got her earache last year skating. It's all right to
keep _her_ at home; but why shouldn't _I_ go? How can _I_ help it when
_she_ gets a chill so easily? In most things Father is justice itself,
but I really can't understand him this time. It's simply absurd, only
it's too miserable to call it absurd. I'm in a perfect fury. Still, I
don't say anything.

February 12th. I have not written for a whole month, I've been working
so hard. To-day we got our reports. Although I've been working so
frightfully hard, again I only got a 2 in Diligence. Frau Doktor M. made
a splendid speech and said: As you sow, so you shall reap. But that's
not always true. In Natural History I did not know my lesson twice but
I got a 1, and in History I only did not know my lesson once and I got
Satisfactory. Anyhow Fraulein V. does not like me because of that time
when I did not bow to her in the tram. That is why in January, when
Mother asked about me, she said: "She does not really put her back
into her work." I overheard Father say: After all she's only a kid, but
to-day he made a frightful row about the 2 in Diligence. He might have
known why she gave me that. Dora, _so she says_, has only ones, but
she has not shown me the report. I don't believe what I don't see. And
Mother never gives her away to me.

February 15th. Father is furious because Oswald has an Unsatisfactory in
Greek. Greek is really no use; for no one uses Greek, except the people
who live in Greece and Oswald will never go there, if he is going to be
a judge like Father. _Of course_ Dora learns Latin; but not for me thank
you. Hella's report is not particularly good and her father was in a
_perfect fury!!!_ He says she ought to have a better report than any one
else. She does not bother much and says: One can't have everything. But
if she doesn't get nothing but ones in the summer term she is not
to stay at the high school and will have to go to the middle school.
That'll make her sit up. Father's awfully funny too: What have you got
history books for, if you don't read them? Yesterday when I was reading
my album of stories, Father came in and said: You like a story book
better than a history book, and shut the book up and took it away from
me. I was in such a temper that I went to bed at 7 o'clock without any
supper.

February 20th. I met the Gold Fairy to-day. She spoke to me and asked
why I did not come skating any more. The fancy dress Ice Carnival on the
24th was splendid she said. I said: Would you believe it, a year ago my
_sister_ had an earache, and _for that reason_ they won't allow
_either_ of us to skate this year. She laughed like anything and said so
exquisitely: Oh, what a wicked sister. She looked perfectly ravishing:
A red-brown coat and skirt trimmed with fur, sable I believe, and a huge
brown beaver hat with crepe-de-chine ribbons, lovely. And her eyes and
mouth. I believe she will marry the man who is always going about with
her. Next autumn, when we get new winter clothes, I shall have a fur
trimmed red-brown. We must not always be dressed alike. Hella and Lizzi
are never dressed alike.

March 8th. I shall never say another word to Berta Franker she's utterly
false. I've such a frightful headache because I cried all through
the lesson. She wrote to Hella and me in the arithmetic lesson: A
_Verhaltnis_ ** means something quite different. Just at that moment the
mistress looked across and said: To whom were you nodding? She said: To
Lainer. Because she laughed at the word "Verhaltnis." It was not true.
I had not thought about the word at all. It wasn't till I had read the
note that it occurred to Hella and me what _Verhaltnis_ means. After the
lesson Fraulein St. called us down into the teachers' room and told
Frau Doktor M. that Franke and I had laughed at the use of the word
"Verhaltnis." Frau Doktor said: What was there to laugh at? Why did you