按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
r by being pushy！〃 and turning to me； he added； 〃dont be modest and retiring； anne。 it will get you nowhere。鈥�
mother agreed pletely with this viewpoint。 but； as usual； mrs。 van daan had to add her two cents。 this time； however； instead of addressing me directly； she turned to my parents and said； 〃you must have a strange outlook on life to be able to say that to anne。 things were different when i was growing up。 though they probably havent changed much since then； except in your modern household！鈥�
this was a direct hit at mothers modern child…rearing methods； which shes defended on many occasions。 mrs。 van daan was so upset her face turned bright red。 people who flush easily bee even more agitated when they feel themselves getting hot under the collar； and they quickly lose to their opponents。
the nonflushed mother； who now wanted to have the matter over and done with as quickly as possible； paused for a moment to think before she replied。 〃well； mrs。 van daan； i agree that its much better if a person isnt overmodest。 my husband； margot and peter are all exceptionally modest。 your husband； anne and i； though not exactly the opposite； dont let ourselves be pushed around。鈥�
mrs。 van daan： 〃oh； but mrs。 frank； i dont understand what you mean！ honestly； im extremely modest and retiring。 how can you say that im pushy？鈥�
mother： 〃i didnt say you were pushy； but no one would describe you as having a retiring disposition。鈥�
mrs。 van d。： 〃id like to know in what way im pushy！ if i didnt look out for myself here； no one else would； and id soon starve； but that doesnt mean im not as modest and retiring as your husband。鈥�
mother had no choice but to laugh at this ridiculous self…defense； which irritated mrs。
van daan。 not exactly a born debater； she continued her magnificent account in a mixture of german and dutch； until she got so tangled up in her own words that she finally rose from her chair and was just about to leave the room when her eye fell on me。 you should have seen her！ as luck would have it； the moment mrs。 van d。 turned around i was shaking my head in a bination of passion and irony。 i wasnt doing it on purpose； but id followed her tirade so intently that my reaction was pletely involuntary。 mrs。 van d。 wheeled around and gave me a tongue…lashing：
hard； germanic； mean and vulgar； exactly like some fat； red…faced fishwife。 it was a joy to behold。 if i could draw； id like to have sketched her as she was then。 she struck me as so ical； that silly little scatterbrain！ ive learned one thing： you only really get to know a person after a fight。 only then can you judge their true character！
yours； anne tuesday； september 29； 1942
dearest kitty；
the strangest things happen to you when youre in hiding！ try to picture this。
because we dont have a bathtub； we wash ourselves in a washtub； and because theres only hot water in the office （by which i mean the entire lower floor）； the seven of us take turns making the most of this great opportunity。 but since none of us are alike and are all plagued by varying degrees of modesty； each member of the
family has selected a different place to wash。 peter takes a bath in the office kitchen； even though it has a glass door。 when its time for his bath； he goes around to each of us in turn and announces that we shouldnt walk past the kitchen for the next half hour。 he considers this measure to be sufficient。 mr。 van d。 takes his bath upstairs； figuring that the safety of his own room outweighs the difficulty of having to carry the hot water up all those stairs。 mrs。 van d。 has yet to take a bath； shes waiting to see which is the best place。 father bathes in the private office and mother in the kitchen behind a fire screen； while margot and i have declared the front office to be our bathing grounds。 since the curtains are drawn on saturday afternoon； we scrub ourselves in the dark； while the one who isnt in the bath looks out the window through a chink in the curtains and gazes in wonder at the endlessly amusing people。
a week ago i decided i didnt like this spot and have been on the lookout for more fortable bathing quarters。 it was peter who gave me the idea of setting my washtub in the spacious office bathroom。 i can sit down； turn on the light； lock the door； pour out the water without anyones help； and all without the fear of being seen。
i used my lovely bathroom for the first time on sunday and； strange as it may seem； i like it better than any other place。
the plumber was at work downstairs on wednesday； moving the water pipes and drains from the office bathroom to the hallway so the pipes wont freeze during a cold winter。 the plumbers visit was far from pleasant。 not only were we not allowed to run water during the day； but the bathroom was also off…limits。 ill tell you how we handled this problem； you may find it unseemly of me to bring it up； but im not so prudish about matters of this kind。 on the day of our arrival； father and i improvised a chamber pot； sacrificing a canning jar for this purpose。 for the duration of the plumbers visit； canning jars were put into service during the daytime to hold our calls of nature。 as far as i was concerned； this wasnt half as difficult as having to sit still all day and not say a word。 you can imagine how hard that was for miss quack； quack； quack。 on ordinary days we have to speak in a whisper； not being able to talk or move at all is ten times worse。
after three days of constant sitting； my backside was stiff and sore。 nightly calisthenics helped。
yours； anne
OCTOBER； 1942
锛佸皬锛犺锛僼xt锛勫ぉ锛惧爞锛�
wednesday； september 2； 1942
dearest kitty；
mr。 and mrs。 van daan have had a terrible fight。 ive never seen anything like it； since mother and father wouldnt dream of shouting at each other like that。 the argument was based on something so trivial it didnt seem worth wasting a single word on it。
oh well； to each his own。
of course； its very difficult for peter； who gets caught in the middle； but no one takes peter seriously anymore； since hes hypersensitive and lazy。 yesterday he was beside himself with worry because his tongue was blue instead of pink。 this rare phenomenon disappeared as quickly as it came。 today hes walking around with a heavy scarf on because hes got a stiff neck。 his highness has been plaining of lumbago too。 aches and pains in his heart； kidneys and lungs are also par for the course。 hes an absolute hypochondriac！ （thats the right word； isnt it？）
mother and mrs。 van daan arent getting along very well。 there are enough reasons for the friction。 to give you one small example； mrs。 van d。 has removed all but three of her sheets from our munal linen closet。 shes assuming that mothers can be used for both families。 shell be in for a nasty surprise when she discovers that mother has followed her lead。
furthermore； mrs。 van d。 is ticked off because were using her china instead of ours。
shes still trying to find out what weve done with our plates； theyre a lot closer than she thinks； since theyre packed in cardboard boxes in the attic； behind a load of opekta advertising material。 as long as were in hiding； the plates will remain out of her reach。 since im always having accidents； its just as well！ yesterday i broke one of mrs。 van d。s soup bowls。
〃oh！〃 she angrily exclaimed。 〃cant you be more careful？ that was my last one。鈥�
please bear in mind； kitty； that the two ladies speak abominable dutch （i dont dare ment on the gentlemen： theyd be highly insulted）。 if you were to hear their bungled attempts； youd laugh your head off。 weve given up pointing out their errors； since correcting them doesnt help anyway。 whenever i quote mother or mrs。 van daan； ill write proper dutch instead of trying to duplicate their speech。
last week there was a brief interruption in our monotonous routine。 this was provided by peter and a book about women。 i should explain that margot and peter are allowed to read nearly all the books mr。 kleiman lends us。 but the adults preferred to keep this special book to themselves。 this immediately piqued peters curiosity。 what forbidden fruit did it contain？ he snuck off with it when his mother was downstairs talk