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imply barbaric。 ive been astonished； time and again； at such rudeness and most of all。 。 。 at such stupidity （mrs。 van daan）。 but as soon as ive gotten used to the idea； and that shouldnt take long； ill give them a taste of their own medicine； and then theyll change their tune！
am i really as bad…mannered； headstrong； stubborn； pushy； stupid； lazy； etc。； etc。； as the van daans say i am？ no； of course not。 i know i have my faults and shortings； but they blow them all out of proportion！ if you only knew； kitty； how i seethe when they scold and mock me。 it wont take long before i explode with pent…up rage。
but enough of that。 ive bored you long enough with my quarrels； and yet i cant resist adding a highly interesting dinner conversation。
somehow we landed on the subject of pims extreme diffidence。 his modesty is a well…known fact； which even the stupidest person wouldnt dream of questioning。 all of a sudden mrs。 van daan； who feels the need to bring herself into every conversation； remarked； 〃im very modest and retiring too； much more so than my husband！”
have you ever heard anything so ridiculous？ this sentence clearly illustrates that shes not exactly what youd call modest！
mr。 van daan； who felt obliged to explain the 〃much more so than my husband；”
answered calmly； 〃i have no desire to be modest and retiring。 in my experience； you get a lot further by being pushy！〃 and turning to me； he added； 〃dont be modest and retiring； anne。 it will get you nowhere。”
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！”
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。”
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？”
mother： 〃i didnt say you were pushy； but no one would describe you as having a retiring disposition。”
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。”
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 w