Only in one single room did the greatest cleanliness and order prevail. While in the others isolated articles of the wardrobe, both those which were destined for the brilliance of publicity as well as many for the comfort of cosy negligé, had fled from the cupboards to various nails upon the walls, no such deserter was bunched out here on door and wall, barring the passage; slippers stood side by side as if united in holy bonds, only select classics occupied the book-shelves, no forbidden wares were littered upon those tables.
Lori was annoyed at orderliness with which she could find no fault, and only regained her composure upon hearing Fräulein Sohle's explanation that this was her own private room.
The class and schoolrooms were next visited. In the first one the German essays were given back; a moustachioed master, who belonged to that dubious class of so-called handsome men, praised the patriotic spirit with which the pupils had executed the somewhat whimsical theme, "A Maiden's Thoughts on seeing a Hussar Officer."
Iduna especially had entered into the subject with her wonted intensity of feeling, and sketched a life-like picture of Theodore Körner.
Upon this the tutor cast a friendly glance at Iduna, which she reciprocated with glowing enthusiasm.
Lori could not perceive anything particularly intellectual in Iduna, a tall maiden with large features. She said to Reising that she should consider the girl more likely to display the talent of an Odaliske than of a Sappho.
Meanwhile the teacher poured out all the vials of his wrath upon a nice little girl, who listened to the lecture with tears in her eyes.
Sophie had totally misinterpreted the theme. No thoughts had filled her mind at the sight of that lieutenant whom the master had depicted as a marked out enemy, in order to exercise his pupils in manœuvring; she had only described his cloak, his entire uniform with sword and carbine; for the rest of the portrait the tutor himself had sat, and she had not neglected to expatiate upon the warlike fire that flashed in the eye of the officer and his imposing moustache.
Sophie was sharply reprimanded on account of that unseemly representation! she had gained no elevating ideas from the Lieutenant, and, besides, had described him in very clumsy style. It was, said the master, a veritable hurdle-race, over fences and ditches, in which the German language must break its legs and arms.
The master pleased Lori. She should not dismiss him on any account. By means of this very fanciful theme that he had selected, he would bring the pupils to a clear consciousness of a feeling of propriety.