told me something very
interesting. Unmarried men have little books and with these they can go
to visit women "of a certain kind" in Graben and in the Karntnerstrasse.
There, Dora says, they have to pay 10 florins or 10 crowns. In Dora's
class there is a girl whose father is police surgeon, and they have all
to be examined every month to see if they are healthy, and if not they
can't visit these "ladies," and that's why the Preusses can never keep a
servant. In my bath yesterday I noticed that I had a certain line, so
I must be fr--. But I shan't have more than 1 or 2 children at most for
the line is very faint. When I'm studying I often think of such things,
and then I read a whole page and turn over and have not the remotest
idea what I've been reading. It's very tiresome, for soon the other
school insp. for maths. and the other subjects is coming, and I should
not like to make a fool of myself; especially not because perhaps the
inspectors talk us over with one another about who is clever and who
stupid.

May 30th. The concert was glorious. When I hear such grand music I
always have to keep myself well in hand for I fear I should cry. It's
very stupid, of course, but at such times I can only think of sad
things, even if it's just a small piece. Dora can play Brahms' Hungarian
Dances, too, but that never makes me want to cry. I only get annoyed
because I can't play them myself. I could all right, but I have not got
patience to practice long enough. I never tell anyone that I want to
cry when I am listening to music, not even Hella, though I tell her
everything, except of course about Mad. Yesterday I made a fool of
myself; at least so Dora says. I don't know how it happened, we were
talking about books at supper, and I said: "What's the use of books,
one can't learn anything out of them; everything is quite different from
what they say in books." Then Father got in a wax and said: "You little
duffer, you can thank your stars there are books from which you can
learn something. Anyone who can't understand a book always says it is no
good." Dora gave me a look, but I didn't know what she meant, and I
went on: "Yes, but there's an awful lot that the encyclopedia puts all
wrong." "What have you been ferreting in the encyclopedia for; we shall
have to keep the key of the bookcase in a safer place." Thank goodness
Dora came to my help and said: "Gretel wanted to look up something
about the age of elephants and mammoths, but