MORITZ--The leaves whisper so eagerly. It’s as if I were hearing dead Grandmother tell the story of the Queen without a Head. She was a perfectly beautiful queen, fair as the sun, lovelier than all the maidens in the land,--only she had come into the world, alas! without a head. She couldn’t eat nor drink nor see nor laugh nor kiss either. She could only make herself understood to her court thru her supple little hand. With her dainty feet she tossed off declarations of war and death-sentences. Then one day she was conquered by a king who happened to have two heads that were always at outs with each other--quarreled the whole year long so hard that neither let the other speak a word. So the chief court conjurer took the smaller of the two heads and set it on the queen; and lo and behold, it was mighty becoming to her; so then the king married the queen and the two were no longer at loggerheads but kissed each other on the forehead and the cheeks and the mouth, and lived for a long, long time after in happiness and joy.... Confounded rot! Since vacation I haven’t been able to get the Headless Queen out of my head! If I see a beautiful girl, I see her without a head,--and then all of a sudden I appear as the Headless Queen--myself!... Well, it’s possible that one will be set on my shoulders yet. [MRS. GABOR _enters with a tray of steaming tea, which she sets down on the table after moving the lamp a little, and then shakes hands with_ MORITZ.] MRS. GABOR--Here, children! Fall to!--Good evening, Moritz Stiefel. How are you? MORITZ--[_Standing._] Well, thank you, Mrs. Gabor.--I’m listening to the roundelays down there. MRS. GABOR--But you’re not looking a bit well.--Don’t you feel quite right? MORITZ--It’s nothing to speak of. I’ve been rather late getting to bed the last few nights. MELCHIOR--Think of it--he’s been studying all night! MRS. GABOR--You shouldn’t do that kind of thing, Master Stiefel! You should take care of yourself. Look out for your health. School can’t take the place of health in your life. Take frequent long walks in the fresh air! That is worth more to you at your age than correct Middle High German! MORITZ--I will go walking oftener. You’re right. One can work, too, while one is walking. Why didn’t I think of that myself!--The written lessons I should have to do at home just the same. MELCHIOR--You’ll do the written work here with me. That way it’ll be easier for both of us.--You know, Mama, Max von Trenk has been down with brain-fever. Well, this noon Hansy Rilow came from Trenk’s death-bed to inform Mr. Sonnenstich that Trenk had just died in his presence. “Is that so?” says Sonnenstich. “Haven’t you still got two hours’ work to make up from last week? Here’s the note to the proctor. See that the thing is cleared up at last. The entire class will attend the interment.”--Hansy was simply paralyzed. MRS. GABOR--What is that book you have there, Melchior? MELCHIOR--“Faust.” MRS. GABOR--Have you read it all yet?