Moritz drummed his fingers anxiously against his desk. He chewed on his lip, breaking through the skin again. He ignored the pain and put his concentration into the last question of his exam. The passage was very familliar to him. Did the class study it before?
It was by Homer. That he knew quite well. His eyes sped over the words once, then twice, then a third time. The words started to become familiar to him. He smiled widely as he wrote down the translation. There. He felt completely confident he had gotten at least ninety-five percent of his exam correct. His eyes reviewed the answers until he was content. He stood up confidently and walked over to Herr Sonnenstitch. He bowed, handed in the exam, and returned to his desk.
Melchior looked up at the footsteps. He was surprised to see Moritz hand in his exam and return to his desk with a smile. Usually Moritz was quivering in his shoes with a cold sweat as he handed in the test, absolutely sure he had failed. The new, shining confidence in his friend was a relief to see. Moritz had been so stressed up until December.
When he met Elise, he thought.
The last hour of the test passed slowly Melchior had finished the test after Moritz, followed quickly by Hanschen and Georg. Bobby Maler finished and stormed out of the classroom, unable to look at anyone. Hanschen glared at Bobby as he walked away. Otto handed in his test and Ernst meekly gave the stack of papers to Herr Sonnenstitch. The teacher stood up. "Gentlemen, I will be grading your exams and giving them back to you one month from today. Will one of you tell Herr Maler I would like to see him. Now."
No one moved. Georg sighed and went to fetch the angry boy. "You are now dismissed. Good day."
The group of young men moved to the hallway, chattering amongst themselves. "How do you think you did, Moritz," asked Melchior. Mortiz breathed a sigh of relief. "I am glad it is over, but I think I did decently. The studying with Elise really helped." He added the last part quietly, as Hanschen was visibly interested in the conversation the two boys were having.
"M-Moritz, how is your mother feeling?"
Ernst pulled his coat close around his body as he faced Moritz. The Stiefel boy smiled easily at Ernst. "She is doing a lot better! Thank you for bringing over the soup, Ernst. I did not know you were Frau Schindler's nephew!" "Y-Yes. She is my mother's sister." Moritz put a hand on Ernst's shoulder. "Well she is a very kind lady. I appreciate all she has done for my family." Ernst blushed. "I-I will tell her you said this," he stammered.
"Ernst, we must go. My mother says you can only stay and study for a short while," interrupted Hanschen. He pulled Ernst towards the doorway. "G-Goodbye, Moritz!"
"What is with Hanschen," Melchior asked out loud with a grunt. "H-He still dislikes me for seeing his s-sister," Moritz told his friend. Melchior followed Moritz out the door and onto the road to the girl's school. "Are we going to see Elise?" "Y-Yes. I want to tell her about the exams! She's been worried about it, especially the Latin portion." Melchior nudged Moritz with a mischevious smile. "How is your relationship?" "G-Good." Moritz crossed his arms as he walked.
"You two spend much time together. Both at the Rilow residence 'studying' and after classes." "A-As if you and Wendla do not do the same?"
Melchior froze in his tracks, the smile fading from his lips. He hadn't been expecting such a forward response from Moritz. The messy-headed boy turned back with a worried expression. "Melchi? M-Melchi, I'm sorry. I-I shouldn't have said that. I-I-It is not my place," Moritz apologized. "No. Don't worry about it," Melchior said emotionlessly. He had indeed been spending much more time with Wendla lately. He had noticed her after all these years of indulging himself into schoolwork and philosophical studies of his own. He was amazed by her matured physique and her growing intelligence. She sympathized with some of his beliefs, though they were based off of some of his skeptisism and atheistic beliefs.
He didn't know how to feel about her. Something inside him still saw her as a young girl of 7 who was always the beautiful damsel in distress he saved oh so constantly. Another, larger, part of him desired her. That part desired her beauty and budding intelligence. There was something about her naivety that intrigued him. Melchior wondered if she were at the school today.
"A-Are you sure?" Melchior nodded, putting a hand on Moritz's shoulder. "Yes. Come, let us go see the girls."
Elise rubbed the silver cross between her fingers as she stared out the window. Moritz was suppose to be escorting her home since Hanschen was still angry at her for secretly seeing the boy. She did not care about what Hanschen said. She would prefer to be escorted home by Moritz in any case.
Her heart swelled whe she thought of Moritz. She adored him, she truly did. He was imperfect, what with his nervous stutter, slightly disheveled appearance, and awkward behavior. But those imperfections interested her. Elise identified with him as well. She was not the perfect child her parents had dreamed of. She was more free-spirited than Hanschen, who was like a little soldier. All Elise desired was to live in a place where she could run about and not get in trouble.
Her mind wandered to thoughts of the future. What would happen to her in the future? She'd most likely be married in a few years and living in a large house. She would most likely have children and servants. Her husband would be the son of a wealthy businessman, like her Papa was. It wasn't an exciting future to look forward to.
Elise then tried to imagine herself married to Moritz. She pictured a small little house in a small town. Moritz would be a worker in some kind of business. She would be a music teacher just like Frau Grossenbustenhalter. She would sing in the church and teach the choir of Sunday school children. Each evening, Moritz would come home and kiss her with passion. They would spend time together cooking dinner and reading stories during the night. Before they retired to sleep, they would kiss each other and thank God they had each other. Elise smiled to herself. That was a future she would look forward to.
"Elise? Elise!"
Wendla scurried over to her friend and shook her shoulders. "What is it?" Wendla's eyes were wide and excited."Melchi and Moritz are here!" Elise jumped out of her seat excitedly. "Moritz! Moritz!"
She ran out of the door and threw herself into her beloved's arms. Moritz laughed at her excitement. "Well hello to you too!" He brushed back her blonde braid before kissing her lips chastly. "I missed you. How was your mother's birthday," he asked. Elise grinned widely allowing Moritz to take her hand in his. "Oh it went wonderfully! She nearly started crying when she saw the dress! It turned out to be a beautiful, light blue with the cloth square as the pocket. Oh, Oma would have loved it."
Moritz squeezed her hand with a large grin. Melchior greeted Elise. "Hello, Lise! I am glad to hear your mother enjoyed her present." At her curious look, Melchior added, "Moritz informed me."
"Why, hello Melchior!"
Wendla walked over to the group, hugging herself in order to keep warm. Melchior fell silent. "W-Wendla," he greeted quietly. "You look lovely today." Indeed she did. Wendla wore a beautiful dark blue dress that made her look very mature. Wendla's cheeks turned red as Melchior kissed her hand in a polite greeting. "T-Thank you, Melchi."
Elise gave Moritz a knowing smile, nudging his arm with a giggle. Melchior turned back to them with a glare. "Shouldn't you be walking Elise home, Moritz?" "And shouldn't you be walking Wendla," shot back Elise before Moritz could speak. Wendla giggled at her friend's quick reaction.
"Lise," Moritz whispered with a little tap to her arm. Elise rolled her eyes and tugged her paramour away from Melchior and Wendla. "Come. Mama wants me home right away. Are you coming, Wendla?" "Yes, coming!" Wendla turned to Melchior. "Will you walk me? Mama does not want me to walk alone." Melchior nodded and took her arm. They caught up to Moritz and Elise who were speaking excitedly to each other.
"How were your middle terms? Oh, how was the Latin and mathematics parts?"
Moritz wrapped his hand around Elise's. "I think I did well," he admitted to her in a hushed tone. Elise squealed and threw her arms around Moritz in a hug. "Oh, I am so happy for you! When will you be getting the results back?" "In a month." The blonde frowned.
"Why a month? That is too long a time to keep the scores from you." Moritz nodded and took Elise's hand back in his. "I know. I-I'm already anxious," he stammered. Elise's lips curled into a teasing smile. "I can tell." Moritz opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by Melchior's call. "Wendla's house is at this turn! I'll walk her to the door!" "Have we really walked that far?" "It seems like it," Moritz replied. The couple stopped and waited for Melchior to return.
When he did, the three teenagers set off for the Rilow residence. Moritz placed his jacket around Elise's shoulders as the wind began to blow. "You have to take it off before we reach the house," Elise told him. "Hanschen would be absolutely angry with both you and I if he saw me with your coat." Moritz nodded his head. "H-Has h-he said anything about the cross?" "No," Elise replied, touching the silver cross. "It is easily hidden under my collar. I always hide it under my nightgown before I go to sleep. Mama hasn't seen it yet and neither has Hanschen." Moritz breathed a sigh of relief.
The group reached the large Rilow household in mere minutes. Moritz tugged his jacket off of Elise and placed it back on his own body. "Thank you, Moritz," Elise said, kissing his cheek. "I pray the results of your exam are high." Moritz smiled sheepishly and grasped her hand. Giving it a gentle squeeze Moritz bid her goodbye. "I shall see you soon," he promised.
Elise giggled and waved to Melchior, who stood far from the couple. She entered the house and gently shut the door.
"Fraulein Rilow, there you are!"
Elise turned and saw Gretchen dash over to her, face red and flustered. "Gretchen?" "Your mother has been worried sick. Herr Rilow came home without you and did not know where you were!" Elise motioned at Gretchen to move closer. "Moritz walked me home," she whispered.
Gretchen moaned. "Please, child, do not keep telling me these secrets you are keeping from your family! Oh, I will surely be fired if this is discovered." "It shall not be, because you want me to be happy," Elise retorted, her eyes begging the older woman. Gretchen sighed and straightened out Elise's dress. "Child must you always wrinkle your dress before coming home?" Elise rolled her eyes and took off her coat. She folded it in her arms and held it against her stomach.
"I don't mean to. It just happens to be windswept and wrinkled slightly. It is not a big deal." "With your mother, a small wrinkle means the coming of the End of Days," Gretchen told the teenager. Elise handed Gretched her coat and followed her to the sitting room. "When I have a child, a girl, I will not care if her dress is wrinkled. She may do whatever she wishes."
Gretchen's cheeks tinged red. "Goodness, Fraulein Rilow, first marriage and now children! What is with your innocent little mind lately?" She turned to the girl. "Is it this cavorting with Moritz Stiefel doing something to your mind?" Elise stomped her foot childishly. "No! Hush, Gretchen! It is not your place to speak like that." The servant sighed. "Yes, Elise. But I do worry about the boy. He is always so skittish and nervous around this place." "It is Hanschen's intimidating prescence that spooks him." The blonde fifteen year old brushed her braid over her shoulder before continuing down the hall.
"Your brother is also acting quite oddly lately. I wonder if it is the changing weather."
Hanschen had indeed been acting strangely all week. He was quiet and always retreated up to his study or bedroom when he had time on his hands. Elise shook it off. "No matter. I will go to my mother, now." Elise smoothed out her dress and prepared herself for a long hour or so of tea and conversation. Throughout the hour and a half, she was scolded and then forced to listen to her mother and Frau Zirschnitz converse about nonsense. Elise looked down at her lap and daydreamed about Moritz. It was the only thing that made the time pass.
Moritz returned home with a bright smile on his face. He loved spending time with Elise, no matter the length. He entered the cold house and instantly bounded up the stairs to his room. He was about to close the door until a booming voice called him.
"Moritz! Come to my study, now!"
His insides turned to rubber. He felt stomach sick as he made his way down the hall to his father's study. Oh God, what have I done, he asked himself. Moritz's pale hand opened the door to his father's warm study. The heat smacked him in the face, momentarily shocking him. Frederick Stiefel, a balding man of nearly 50, sat in his chair writing out bank notices. He placed the papers aside to look at his son. "Your examinations were today?" Moritz nodded.
"Y-Yes, sir."
"And how do you believe you did on them?"
"...Well, Father."
Herr Stiefel nodded and returned back to his notices. Moritz stood still for a few uncomfortable minutes. He turned to leave when his father's warning tone stopped him.
"You had better do well, Moritz," the older man said harshly, scratching out something on the paper. Mortiz gulped. He knew the threat in his father's voice. "Ja, Father." He closed the door to the study and went back to his room, careful not to wake his sleeping mother. His poor Mama was finally getting over an illness. She had not slept well in days.
Moritz knew what it was like to not sleep. The dreams. The sticky dreams had plagued him so often up until a few months ago. He had not been able to concentrate on anything, much less function as a human being. Since he had starting seeing Elise, the dreams stopped. He was able to rest peacefully during the night, only waking a few times. The nightmares of his father's hand across his face frightened him from sleep.
He hated being hit. It made him feel like less than a person. It was as if he were a dog being hit because he stole scraps off of the table. Moritz was not a dog. He did not understand why his father had to resort to physical pain to get his son to pass school. Sure, Moritz needed encouragement. But the encouragement he needed was a positive kind.
He fell onto his bed and stared out the window. The sun was setting over the mid-February horizon. It was a beautiful sunset. Moritz smiled and imagined sitting by the pond with Elise seeing the sun set. He imagined slipping his hand in hers, holding it comfortingly. He let out a pleasant sigh. How he adored her. She was a beautiful girl. Her physical appearence was appealing to him as well as her personality. She was so free-spirited and daring. Her insistance to do the insane or impossible amused him.
Moritz began to think about where he would be without Elise. For one thing, he would probably be stuck in the dark hole of confusion and pain he had been living in for years. Moritz's mind was a dark place to be. He constantly thought about the reasons why he was failing. To Moritz, he had not been failing school but life as well. It seemed as if everything he touched was destroyed and that whenever he attempted to do a good deed, he would end up paying for it later.
What would he have done without Elise coming into his life?
Moritz laughed darkly before sitting up. He stared at his hands. The fingers all curled in, except for the pointer and thumb. He tipped his hand to the side, as if holding a gun.
"Well for one thing," he said aloud. "I probably would have shot myself."
February passed rather quickly. Soon, it had nearly been a month since the middle terms. Moritz was getting anxious. The results would be returned in four days. Four agonizing days. He didn't think he could take that long. Sleeping was becoming more difficult. Moritz desperately wanted to find out if he passed.
"If you want to know your result, why don't you break into the headmaster's office and look at your results," Hanschen asked him one day, after both Moritz and Ernst voiced their concerns on their results. Moritz glanced at Melchior. The older boy placed down his book slowly and covered his face with his palm. "Hanschen, stop yourself. You're giving Moritz ideas." "Well, it is Moritz's choice whether he follows through or not. It is not my problem if he gets caught," retorted Hanschen, leaning back in his chair.
"Melchi, maybe I should go see what the result is. Just to assuage m-my fears," voiced Moritz once he and Melchior had left Otto's home. The boys were studying for yet another Latin test. Melchior and Moritz headed for the Gabor household. Melchior shook his head, cracking his knuckles habitually. "Moritz, I have to say that this is not one of your finest ideas. Why are you listening to Hanschen anyway?" "Perhaps Hanschen is right. I should take a chance if I can't wait any longer."
Melchior sighed. "Don't get upset when you get caught and expelled." Moritz looked away from his frustrated friend and focused on the ground. He wondered how exactly he would be able to do this without getting expelled. With his luck, Herr Sonennstitch would probably expel him just because he looked at the door.
Moritz let these thoughts consume him until much later, when Melchior's mother's voice broke into his mind.
"Herr Stiefel? Are you alright?"
He flinched at the adult woman's touch. "O-Oh, y-yes. T-Thank you, Frau Gabor." The woman smiled warmly at him before setting down a tea set. "Well, here is some tea to calm yourselves before studying." Melchior placed down his copy of Faust and picked up the cup to drink. Frau Gabor sighed. "You are still on Faust, Melchior?"
"Mother, please," Melchior begged. "I am not complaining, just stating a fact." The woman exited the room. "Your mother is still upset about reading Faust? I thought that matter was clarified months ago," Moritz commented. Melchior put down the book and picked up The Illiad. "Yes. I still cannot believe the outrage about the story. Why can't people get past the illegitimancy of the child and realize that this story is absolutely beautiful in every way?" The Gabor boy's eyes flashed with fire and determination. "One day the rules will change. Things that were once taboo will no longer be. Everyone will be able to speak freely of what they wish and do whatever they wish."
He looked to Moritz and gave him a grin. "People can love freely and live without fear because of who they love."
Moritz took a sip of the tea before asking,"...And how do you know this?"
Melchior frowned slightly. His fingers glided over the cover of his book. "It will happen. You watch it, Moritz. I'll make it happen. Just watch me."
The boys commenced studying their Homer, Plato, and Virgil for hours. Around five o'clock, it was time for Moritz to leave. The boy took to the road and journeyed home. The evening grew cold. Moritz could not wait until he was able to sleep underneath his warm covers. His happy thoughts were stripped away at the sound of crying. It was close, very close. Who could be out and crying this late in the evening?
Moritz cautiously made his way over to the sound of the crying. Leaning against the side of the old Neumann barn was a blonde girl. Moritz realized that it was Elise. He broke into a run towards his crying girl. "Elise! ELISE!"
Elise turned at the sound of her name. She quickly began to wipe the liquid from her face. "W-Who is i-it?" Arms engulfed her and her head fell into the space between untidy brown hair and a schoolboy jacket. Her fingers gripped onto the fabric. "M-Moritz-z!" "Lise, why are you so upset? W-Who h-hurt you?" Elise sniffed and held him tighter. "N-No o-one. N-No one's hurt me. I-It's just.. O-Oh, Moritz, I-I'm frightened. I-I'm s-s-scared for her."
"W-Who, Lise?" W-Who a-are you frightened for," he asked in a scared voice. He felt the girl shake her head quickly. "I-I can't. I p-promised.." Moritz made her look at him. His dark eyes bore into her bright blue ones. "Yo-You can tell me, Lise. Trust me. You trust me," he said to her. Elise sniffed and placed a hand on his cheek. Moritz captured her lips in a soft, comforting kiss. "Tell me what happened," he begged her. Their noses touched. Elise nodded slowly in agreement. "A-Alright. B-But promise me not to t-tell anyone. Not even Melchior." Moritz pressed her to him in a hug. "I-I promise," he confirmed.
Elise told him of the secret Martha had divulged to her earlier that day. Her body shuddered at the memory of the welts and bruises on the girl's skin. This explained so much and yet so little. It explained the ear that flashed across the girl's face when she let Elise have her favorite blanket on that cold December day. All those times Martha had arrived late at school and left early a few times.. Was her father beating her that often? The blonde girl couldn't imagine the slap of a belt across her skin or a hand smacking her face.
Moritz was pale. He grew stomach sick. So, he was not the only one in this town who was hit around. It comforted and scared him. "Gott," he breathed. He didn't know what to say. Elise hugged herself as tears fell down her face. "H-How could a f-f-ather d-do-o th-that to his daughter? W-Why woud he-?" Elise covered her mouth with her hand and broke down into sobs.
The Stiefel boy took Elise into his arms again. He held her tightly and whispered comfortingly into her ear. "I-It's going to be alright," he told her. "M-Martha is strong. She'll be a-alright." Elise didn't question her beloved. She hiccupped a sob and calmed down finally.
After a few minutes, she was okay again. Moritz kissed her forehead and took her hand. "N-Now, I should get you h-home."
The couple walked to Elise's home and spoke of other things. Moritz did not tell Elise of his plan to see his results early. Moritz bid Elise a good night and returned to his home, thinking of how he would accomplish this task without punishment.
Monday passed by dreadfully slow for Elise. Her body did not want to function at all today. All she wanted to do was lie on the grass and stare up at the sky. Most of all, she wanted Moritz. She wanted to spend an entire day with him. It did not matter what they did or where they went. All Elise wanted to do was be in his arms and talk for hours about everything and anything. All day, during all lessons, Elise fantasized about a day spent with Moritz. They would walk around the town freely with no boundaries or curfews. They'd eat sweets and perhaps even go swimming in the cool pond!
When school was at last over, Elise noticed that Martha had not been in classes. Her heart broke and she wanted to cry. How foolish of her not to notice her best friend missing all day. She'd been wrapped up in her own selfish thoughts when poor Martha was probably being beaten by her Papa!
Wendla, Thea, and Anna were not with Martha and Elise when the secret was told. They were, instead, staying after classes to work on their sewing. Martha had her sleeves rolled up and Elise noticed the bruising and welts. When the girl called her friend out on it, she was shocked to hear the whole truth.
"You must tell someone, Martha! A-Anyone!"
"N-No, please! Papa will beat me again or..." Martha trailed off, frightened of what the 'or' could mean. Elise covered her eyes with her hand and started to whimper. "Martha, please. I-I want to help y-you." "Elise if you want to help me then you will keep this quiet. Please?" The taller girl put a hand on Elise's shoulder. Elise shook her head. "I-It's w-wrong." "If it were wrong, why would he do it? Papa knows best," Martha said in a tone that told Elise she didn't truly believe what she was saying.
"I would like to walk with you to your home, but my Mama said I have to get home right away," Thea told Elise with regret. "Oh. No, that's fine," Elise told her friend, disappointed. "Alright. See you in class tomorrow!" Elise continued down the road and decided to go to the pond. She had plenty on her mind that bothered her. She needed a place to think and relax before returning to the stress at home.
Venturing down the the pond, a loud whoop of joy came to her ear. "Who on Earth," Elise wondered aloud.
The four figures dashed down the hill to the large oak by the pond. By the uniforms, Elise guessed it was Hanschen and his friends. Curiosity got the best of her and she decided to follow them down.
"So? Did you get caught?"
Hanschen's voice sounded eager and hopeful to Moritz as he met his friends down at the large oak. He didn't care though. Joy was coursing through his veins. He wanted to burst from happiness. "No thank God!" Moritz threw his arms up in the air triumphantly. Ernst tipped his head to the side and walked over to Moritz. "Why are you trembling?" "For joy!" The boy threw his arms around Ernst in an embrace. "For pure and certain joy!" His arms tightened around the meek boy's back. Moritz was bursting to the seams with happiness. He wanted to scream, cry, and laugh all at once.
Georg was shocked. "Cross your heart?" Moritz patted the musician's arm with a laugh. "Twice so, man!" He shared a rousing laugh with the others. Hanschen crossed his arms and sat on a log next to Otto. Ernst went to sit down next to him. Georg nodded his head to the log to sit as well. Elise inched closer but kept herself hidden behind a tree.
What could Moritz have gotten caught doing?
A gust of wind blew past her. Elise squeaked with surprise then relaxed when she saw it was only Melchior Gabor.
"Moritz, I've been looking for you-"
Georg jumped up. "He snuck into the headmaster's office!" Melchior's face fell. "Moritz what were you thinking?" Moritz held his hands behind his back and stamped his foot on the ground excitedly. "I had to, Melchi! I just had to! And the good news is.. I PASSED!"
Moritz danced a short jig. He was excited and didn't care about what the others boys thought. Elise, from her position at the tree, gasped in shock and excitement. He passed? Did he mean the middle terms?
"The middle terms, that is," Hanschen interpreted glumly. He'd hoped Moritz would have failed, thus ensuring a spot for Ernst in the upper class. It angered him to know that his own sister had helped Stiefel pass.
"Yes. Now everything will be determined by the final exams. But still!"
Moritz went to his friends and squeezed their shoulders. Each boy looked back with a smile to congratulate him. He did skip over Hanschen, though. Not that it surprised anyone there. Moritz threw his arm around Ernst, giving him a half-hug from the back. "But still I know I've passed!" Ernst gave him a half-smile. He was happy for Moritz. He truly was. But this worried him. How would he advance to the next level of classes with Moritz competing with him? He wanted to continue on to the next class. But there was only room for 60 boys in total..
Moritz turned his attention to Melchior. His old friend was smiling widely. "Oh truly, Heaven must feel like this!" Moritz and Melchior met in an embrace. Melchior could feel his friend shaking excitedly. "I'm proud of you, Moritz," Melchior told him after the other boys had gone. Moritz looked at his shaking hands.
"I cannot wait to tell my father and mother! They'll be so proud of-!"
"Well tell them on Wednesday when you actually get the results back. Your father would murder you if he found out you snuck into the headmaster's office." Moritz paled slightly. "True." Melchior put his hand on Moritz's shoulder. "I think you should go and tell Elise." "Oh, I don't think I'm welcome at the R-Rilow h-household," Moritz stammered nervously. Melchior gave Moritz a wink and turned him to the side. His finger pointed ahead. "I don't think you'll have to worry about that."
Moritz looked ahead and his spirits rose even more. "Lise?"
Said girl broke into a run towards Moritz and nearly brought them both to the ground. Melchior burst into laughter. Elise jumped up and down in Moritz's arms. "You passed! You passed! Oh my goodness, I am so proud of you!" She kissed him joyfully and giggled. "Oh, I knew you could do it! I prayed all night that you would pass and you did!" Moritz smiled at her and rested his chin on her shoulder.
"I still can't believe you didn't get caught," voiced Melchior. Elise pulled away from the hug and took Moritz's hands. "Oh, don't let it bother him! I would probably do the same thing myself." Moritz laughed at her bold statement. "Come on, we must celebrate! Let us go buy some sweets. I'll pay." In the distance, the church bell rung three o'clock. "It is that late already? I must be going home," said a disappointed Elise. She kissed Moritz's cheek and bid Melchior goodbye. "I will walk you home tomorrow," promised Moritz. Elise nodded at him before darting up the hill.
Melchior saw a pink dusting of blush on Moritz's cheeks. The Stiefel boy looked positively happy right now. It was the most content Melchior had seen the boy in weeks. "Come on, Moritz," he told his friend. "Let us go home."
"We are faced with a certain dillema," said the gruff voice of Herr Knochenbruch to Fraulein Knuppledick. He threw down Moritz Stiefel's middle term angrily. He could not believe he lived to see the day that this imbecile passed a middle term! They had made it as difficult as they could. But somehow, even that idiot had passed.
"Ah."
"The upper grade, as you know, can hold only sixty. I hardly think we can promote sixty-one."
"Hardly, Herr Konchenbruch. But let us look to the finals ahead." The woman turned to the headmaster and gave him a look. "..Yes?" "Remember, it is I who shall be marking them." The woman smiled evily at Herr Knochenbruch. The older man smiled back at her.
"Then I am sure the good name of our school is secure."