dangerous operation; it hurts frightfully and that's
why they are so cruel. It's done so that they can have
more children; but only little boys, not little girls.
It's horrid, and I should not like to marry a Jew.
Then we asked Mali whether it is true that it hurts
so frightfully and she laughed and said: It can't be
so bad as all that, for if it were you wouldn't find
everyone doing it. Then Hella asked her: But have
you done it already, you haven't got a husband? She
said: Go on, Miss! One mustn't ask such questions
it's not ladylike. We were in an awful funk, and
begged her not to tell Mother. She promised not to.

November 5th. Everything has come out through
that stupid waist band. Yesterday when I was tidying
my drawers Mali came in to make the beds and
saw my fringed waistband. "I say, she said, that is
pretty!" You can have it if you like, I said, for
I've given up wearing it. At dinner yesterday I
noticed that Mother was looking at Mali and I
blushed all over. After dinner Mother said, Gretel,
did you give Mali that waistband? Yes, I said, she
asked me for it. She came in at that moment to clear
away and said: "No, I never asked for it, Fraulein
Grete gave it to me herself." I don't know what
happened after that, I'd gone back to my room when
Mother came in and said: A fine lot of satisfaction
one gets out of one's children. Mali has told me the
sort of things you and Hella talk about. I ran
straight off to the kitchen and said to Mali: How
could you tell such tales of us? It was you who
chipped in when we were talking. It was frightfully
mean of you. In the evening _she_ must needs go and
complain of me to Father and he scolded me like anything
and said: You're a fine lot, you children, I
must say. You are not to see so much of Hella now,
do you understand?

November 6th. A fine thing this, that I'm a silly
fool now. When I gave Hella a nudge so that she
should not go on talking before Mali, she laughed
and said: What does it matter, Mali knows all about
it, probably a great deal more than we do. It was
only after that that Mali told us about the Jews.
Now, if you please, I am a silly fool. All right, now
that I know what I am, a silly fool. And that's what
one's best friend calls one!

November 7th. Hella and I are very stand-offish.
We walk together, but we only talk of everyday
things, school and lessons, nothing else. We went
skating to-day for the first time and we shall go
whenever we have time, which is not very often.
Mother is working at the table cloth. It's very hard
work but she has not got as much to do as we have.

November 8th. There was such a lovely young lady
skating to-day, and she skates so beautifully, inside
and outside edge and figures of 8. I skated along
behind her. When she went to the cloak room there
was such a lovely scent. I wonder if she is going to
be married soon and whether _she_ knows all about
everything. She is so lovely and she pushes back the
hair from her forehead so prettily. I wish I were as
pretty as she is. But I am dark and she is fair. I
wish I could find out her name and where she lives.
I must go skating again to-morrow; do my lessons
in the evening.

November 9th. I'm so upset; _she_ didn't come to
skate. I'm afraid she may be ill.

November 10th. She didn't come to-day either. I
waited two hours, but it was no good.

November 11th. She came to-day, at last! Oh
how pretty she is.

November 12th. She has spoken to me. I was
standing near the entrance gate and suddenly I heard
some one laughing behind me and I knew directly:
That is _she!_ So it was. She came up and said:
Shall we skate together? Please, if I may, said I,
and we went off together crossing arms. My heart
was beating furiously, and I wanted to say something,
but couldn't think of anything sensible to say. When
we came back to the entrance a gentleman stood there
and took off his hat and she bowed, and she said to
me: Till next time. I said quickly: When? Tomorrow?
Perhaps, she called back. . . . Only
perhaps, perhaps, oh I wish it were to-morrow already.

November 13th. Inspee declares that her name is
Anastasia Klastoschek. I'm sure it can't be true that
she has such a name, she might be called Eugenie or
Seraphine or Laura, but Anastasia, impossible. Why
are there such horrid names? Fancy if she is really
called that. Klastoschek, too, a Czech name, and she
is supposed to come from Moravia and to be 26 already;
26, absurd, she's 18 at most. I'm sure she's