THE OPPERMANNS teaeher, Dr. Heinzius, had been killed, some days ago, in a motor-ear accident, and the headmaster of the sehool, Rector Francois, was temporarily instrueting the Lower Sixth in the dead man's subjeets, German and History. These were Ber- thold's favourites. He loved sport and books, like his uncle Gustav, and he had got on uncommonly weIl with Dr, Hein- zius. The point now was that Dr, Heinzius had given him a partieularly diffieult subjeet for the leeture whieh every mem- her of ehe Lower Sixth had to deliver once a year. It was "Hu- manism and the Twentieth Century." Would he be allowed now, after the death of his beloved teaeher, to deli ver this talk? And would he be able to manage the idea of "Human- ism" without the help of the kindly Dr. Heinzius? Reetor Franccis had told him that he personally had nothing against the subjeet, but that he did not want to antieipate the decision of a new class-teaeher, who was to begin his duties next week. "1 certainly have undertaken a lot," observed Berthold. "Hu- manism is a devilishly hard problem," he assured them gravely. "Suppose you choose a less abstract subject," sug- gested Martin. "Something about a modern author," Liselotte proposed, ßashing her son an encouraging look out of her greYJ almond-shaped eyes. Martin was astonished. Talking of modern literature at school would be a ticklish business, wouldn't it? Fundamentally Martin and Liselotte were usually of the same opinion. But she, the Christian, the daughter of the old Prussian civil-serviee family of the Ranzows, often took a more liberal view of things. Martin ehanged the subjeet. He told them he was expecting Jaques Lavendel after lunch. The news at onee took Berthold's mind off "Humanism." Perhaps he could use the car now? His father was a busy industrialist and drove sbout the whole day. It was very seldom that Berthold eould get hold of the car for himself. He must not let the opportunity slip, For in- stance, he eould drive out to the ball-field on the Saehsen-