On the Night of the Seventh Moon

“That sounds excellent.”

We went into the schoolroom quite a large room with several embrasures in which were windows looking down on the town and across to the royal castle. The view from the windows was breathtaking.

There was a long table, rather scratched on its surface, and the legs were kicked-I guessed many generations of children had sat at that table. In the embrasures were window-seats on which lay books.

I remarked that it was a very pleasant room in which to work.

Frau Graben glanced at the watch pinned to her blouse.

“They will be here very soon,” she said.

“I do hope they are not going to be too difficult.”

There was a knock on the door and one of the maids entered; she was holding a little girl by the hand and behind her came two boys.

“This is Dagobert and Fritz and here is Liesel,” said Frau Graben.

Dagobert clicked his heels and bowed from the waist; Fritz, watching him, did the same; Liesel dropped a curtsey.

“This is Miss Trant who has come to teach you English.”

“Good morning,” said Dagobert in guttural English.

“Good morning,” I replied. Dagobert looked at his brother and sister as though expecting applause.

I smiled at them.

“We shall soon have you all speaking English,” I said in German.

“Is it easy?”

“When you`’ve mastered it,” I assured them.

Shall I speak it? ” asked Liesel.

“You will all speak it.”

Frau Graben said: “I will leave you with the children and then you can get to know them more easily. Perhaps they could show you the castle.

That would be a good way of getting friendly. “

I thanked her. She was tactful, and I was sure that I could come to terms with my new pupils more easily on my own.

Liesel ran to the door as it shut on Frau Graben. I said:

“Come back, Liesel, and make my acquaintance.”

Liesel turned and put her tongue out at me.

Dagobert said: “She’s only a seamstress’s daughter. She doesn’`t know how to behave.”

Liesel began to scream: “I do. My papa is the Count. He will beat you.

My papa loves me. “

“Our father would not have you forget your manners,” said Dagobert.

“So although you have the misfortune to be the daughter of a common seamstress, you have a noble father and you should not disgrace him.”

“You disgrace him,” said Liesel.

Dagobert turned to me: Take no notice of her, Fraulein Trant,” he said; but his eyes as they swept over me were contemptuous and it struck me that I should have more trouble with him than with the wayward Liesel.

Fritz-Frau Graben’s Fritzi-had not spoken. He was regarding me with solemn dark eyes. It occurred to me that he might be the more difficult to understand. I had already decided that Dagobert was a young braggart, Liesel a spoilt child, but I had yet to form an opinion of Fritz.

“So you are Fritz,” I said.

He nodded.

“You’re not to nod,” said Dagobert.

“Papa said so. You have to speak and say yes or no.”

I said: “You are going to learn English. Do you know any yet?”

“I know Good afternoon, Mr.”

“Good afternoon, Mrs,” chanted Liesel.

Dagobert crowned it with: “Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen!” and watched me for applause.

“That is all very well,” I said, ‘but will not get you very far. What else do you know? “

“God save the Queen!” said Dagobert.

“We shouted it when the Queen of England came here. We all had flags and had to wave them.” He waved an imaginary flag; then he started to run round the room shouting: “God save the Queen.”

I said: “Please be quiet now, Dagobert. The Queen is not here so it is not necessary. You have shown me how you shouted for her when she was here, so I know.”

Dagobert paused.

“But I want to shout for the Queen.”

“The rest of us might not want to hear.”

The children all looked expectant and Dagobert said craftily: “But you`’ve just come to teach us English, not to tell us when we can’t shout for the Queen.”

The other two looked at Dagobert in admiration. I could imagine the state of affairs. He was Cock of the Nursery and as they looked up to him, I could imagine his spreading rebellion. He had too high an opinion of himself. That, I decided, must be deflated as soon as possible.

I said: “If I am going to teach you I must have some authority. It is not a very admirable or clever thing to do to run round a room calling out a catch phrase even though it does show a hospitable sentiment towards the Queen of England. As I wanted to talk to you about your lessons, I would prefer you not to continue, Dagobert. “

Dagobert was astonished. I knew at once that he was not correctly disciplined and that he needed a firm hand more than the others. I could certainly look for trouble from Dagobert.

“My father went to Saxe-Coburg to see the Queen,” Fritz told me shyly.

“That was a long time ago,” said Dagobert scornfully.

“Prince Albert is dead and the Queen is a widow. God save the Queen. God!

“Not again Dagobert,” I said.

But if I want to I will. “

“In your own company then,” I said.

“I am going to ask Fritz and Liesel to show me the schloss, and I shall tell them about our English lessons.”

Dagobert looked at me coldly defiant; his legs apart, his head flung back, his blue eyes flashing.

I turned away and said: “Come, Fritz, Liesel.

Dagobert said: “No. You’re not to.”

I felt my future authority depended on the next few seconds so I took Liesel’s hand. She tried to draw it away but I held it firmly. Her big blue eyes surveyed me with a kind of scared wonder. It was Fritz who decided.

“I’ll show you, Fraulein,” he said.

“Thank you, Fritz.”

His eyes were large and expressive. I knew that he had scarcely stopped looking at me since they had come into the room. I smiled at him and he smiled shyly back.

Dagobert started to run round the room shouting “God Save the Queen’ but I shut the door firmly on him and said:

“In English we don’t say Fraulein, Fritz. We say Miss. I’m Miss Trant, you see.”

“Miss,” said Fritz.

I nodded.

“Come on, Liesel. You say it too.”

“Miss,” said Liesel, and laughed.

“We shall have a short lesson every day,” I told them, ‘and when we are together we will speak in English. We will surprise your father with your progress. Now you will tell me about the schloss. It is castle in English. Can you say castle? “

They both said it to my satisfaction and their own intense delight. I contemplated that it would have been easy without Dagobert.

They showed me the rooms in the fortress-all with their embrasures in which were the long narrow windows. They took me up to the tower and Fritz told me that the tower was called the Katzenturm, the Cats’ Tower, because the falling missiles which they used to throw down on the invading forces sounded like the screeching of cats. We stood up there looking down on the town and across the mountains and Fritz pointed out the Duke’s castle high on the slope. Could I see the long buildings on the eastern side? They were the barracks and there the Duke’s Guards lived. It was fun to see them standing there.

“They guard it all the time,” said Fritz.

“Don’t they, Liesel?”

Liesel nodded.

“They have blue coats.”

“Dark blue coats, with gold on their sleeves and they have shining helmets. Sometimes they have feathers in them. They stand so still you think they’re not real.”

“I should like to see them.”

“We’ll show you, won’t we, Liesel?”