it did not occur to Dora until
afterwards what she had said. It's really awfully stupid that every
ordinary word should have such a meaning. I shall be so frightfully
careful what I say now, so that I shan't use any word with two meanings.
Mad. says it's just the same in French. We don't know whether it is the
same in English and we could never dream of asking that awful fright,
Miss Lundy. Very likely she does not know the first thing about it
anyhow. I know a great deal more than Hella now, but I can't tell her
because of betraying Dora and Mad. Perhaps I can give her a hint to
be more careful in what she says, so as not to use any word with two
meanings. That is really my duty as a friend.

May 23rd. I quite forgot. Last week Oswald had his written matriculation
exam, he wrote a postcard every day and Mother was frightfully annoyed
because he made such silly jokes all the time that we could not really
tell how he got on. Dora and I are awfully excited because next Monday
we are going to the aerodome with Frau Richter and her niece who is at
the conservatoire. Lieutenant Streinz is going to fly too. Of course
we'll motor out because the railway is not convenient. Of course Viktor
will be there, but he is motoring over with some other officers. It's
a great pity, for it would have been lovely if he'd been in our car. By
the way, I saved the class to-day, the school inspector has been this
week and examined our class first in History and then in German, and I
was the only one who knew all that Frau Doktor M. had told us about the
Origin of Fable. The insp. was very complimentary and afterwards Frau
Doktor M. said: its quite true one can always depend upon Lainer; she's
got a trustworthy memory. When we were walking home she was awfully
nice: "Do you know, Lainer, I feel that I really must ask your pardon."
I was quite puzzled and Hella asked: But why? She said: "It seemed to me
this year that you were not taking quite so much interest in your German
lessons as you did last year; but now you've _reinstated_ yourself in my
good opinion." Afterwards Hella said: I say you know, Frau Doktor M. is
not so far wrong when I think of all that we used to read last year so
that we might know everything when the lesson came, and when I think of
what we do this year!!! You know very well -- -- -- --. Hella is quite
right, but still one can learn in spite of _those things_, one can't be
_always_ talking about them. And then it's quite