no one will tell. To-day we could none of us attend to our lessons
especially when Sch. left the room at half past 11.

June 20th. In our closet the school servant found some beads on the
floor but since she did not know anything she threw them into the
dustbin. Was it really Sch.? It would be a dirty trick. Frl. St. is
frightfully upset because her betrothed gave her the vanity bag for a
birthday present and his photo was in it. But I'm really sorry for
Sch. Nobody will speak to her although nothing is proved yet. She is
frightfully pale and her eyes are always full of tears. Hella thinks too
that perhaps she didn't do it, for she is one of Frl. St.'s favourites
and she is very fond of her herself. She always carries the copybooks
home for her.

June 22nd. Our closet was stopped up and when the porter came to see
what was the matter he found the vanity bag. But what use is it to Frl.
now; she can't possibly use it any more. We giggled all through lessons
whenever we caught one another's eye and the staff was in a frightful
rage. Only Frau Doktor M. said: "Now please get through with your
laughing over this extremely unsavoury affair, and then have done with
it."

June 23rd. There was a frightful row to-day. Verbenowitsch was
collecting the German copybooks and when Sch. wanted to hand up her
copybook she said: Please give up your copybook yourself; I won't have
anything to do with (then there was a long pause) you. We were all
apalled and Sch. went as white as a sheet. At 10 o'clock she begged
permission to leave the room because she felt bad. I'm sure her mother
will come to speak about it to-morrow.

June 24th. Sch.'s mother did not come after all. Verbenowitsch said:
Of course not! Sch. did not come either. Hella says she couldn't stand
anything like that, she would rather drown herself. I don't know, one
wants _other_ reasons for drowning oneself. Still, I should tell Father
so that he could speak about it at school. Franke said: Yes, that's
all very well, because _you_ didn't do it; but _if_ one had done it one
would not dare to say anything at home. Besides, Sch.'s father is an
invalid, he's quite paralysed, has been bedridden for two years and
can't speak.

June 27th. To-day Hella and I walked home with Frau Doktor M. Really she
always goes home alone but Hella suddenly left me and went up to
Frau Doktor in the street and said: Please excuse me Frau Doktor for
bothering you in the street, we _must_ speak to you. She got quite red.
Then Frau Doktor said: "What's the matter?" And Hella said: "Isn't it
possible to find out who took the vanity bag? If it wasn't Sch. the
way the other girls treat her will make her quite ill, and if it was we
can't stand having her among us any longer." Hella was really splendid
and Frau Doktor M. made us tell her everything that had happened,
including about Verbenowitsch and the copybooks; and we saw quite
clearly she had tears in her eyes and she said: "The poor child!
Children I promise I will do what I can for her." We both kissed her
hand and my heart beat furiously. And Hella said: "You are an angel." I
could never have managed to say a thing like that.

June 28th. To-day Sch. was there again, but Frau Doktor M. did not
say anything. Hella and I kept on looking at her and Hella cleared her
throat three times and Frau Doktor said: Bruckner, do stop clearing your
throat; it will only make your sore throat worse: But it seemed to me
her eyes twinkled as she said it. So she hasn't forgotten. I wanted to
speak to Sch., but Hella said: Wait a bit, we must give the Frau Doktor
a chance. She's taken the matter in hand. To-morrow before 9 we'll walk
up and down in front of her house till she comes out.

June 30th. Unluckily yesterday was a holiday and to-day Frau Doktor's
first lesson began at 11. But she has already had a talk with Sch. only
we don't know when and where; certainly it was not in the interval and
she did not send for Sch. during lessons.

July 1st. To-day we walked to school with her She _is_ such a dear.
Children, she said, this is such a painful matter, and it is difficult
to find a way out. Sch. insists that she did not do it, and whether she
did it or not these days are burning themselves into her soul and Hella
asked: "Please, Frau Doktor advise us what to do, speak to her or not?"
Then she said: Children I think that after this affair she won't come
back to us next year; you will be doing a good work if you make these
last days bearable to her. You were never intimate with her, but to give
her a friendly word or two will do you no harm and may help her. You 2
have a high standing in the class; your example will do good. We walked
with her till we reached the school, and because we were there we could
not kiss her hand but Hella said out loud: How sweet you are! She must
have heard it. But Sch. was not at school. Father says he's glad that
the term is nearly over, for I have been quite crazy about this affair.
Still, he thinks that Hella and I should talk to Sch. So does Mother.
But Dora said: Yes that's all right but you must not go too far.

July 5th. Sch. was not at school to-day. To-morrow we are to get our
reports.

July 6th. We cried like anything I and Hella and Verbenowitsch because
we shan't see Frau Doktor M. any more for nearly 3 months. I only had 2
in History and Natural History, but 1 in everything else. Franke says:
Anyone who is not in Professor Igel-Nigl's good books can find out that
he's cranky and stupid and _he_ could never get a one. Father is quite
pleased. Of course Dora has got only ones and Hella has three twos.
Lizzi, I think, has 3 or 4. Father has given each of us a 2 crown piece,
we can blow it, he says and Mother has given us a lace collar.

July 9th. We are going to Hainfeld this summer, its jolly, I'm awfully
pleased; but not until the 20th because Father can't get away till