Philip?
Not Philip. Someone.
Someone who? Who someone?
Puppchen didnât know.
Well, Miss Metal knew. Miss Metal knew there was no such someone. There had been no one but Hanno Dietrich. If Milly had had a decent love affair with a young fellow ⦠If Milly had been decently in love, she would have told Miss Metal about it. Miss Metal would have understood such a thing. She was not so narrow-minded. Milly didnât tell. Milly had kept it from Miss Metal (not like Milly at all) because she had sold herself to Hanno Dietrich and Milly knew what Miss Metal would have thought about that ! No better than a prostitute, Miss Metal would have said, and Milly knew it.
Puppchen had not been able to convince Miss Metal. Anni had not been able to convince Miss Metal. No amount of faith in him, Puppchenâs faith and (yes!) Anniâs faith, had been able to convince Miss Metal.
Puppchen would have to have proof to convince Miss Metal. And then she got the proof. It was the wool.
âThe wool?â he asked Anni. âWhat do you mean âthe woolâ?â
Puppchen had been, remember, working at Miss Mildredâs desk. Miss Mildredâs desk had been left just as Miss Mildred left it. Miss Metal hadnât been able to bring herself to touch it, and when Puppchen had opened Miss Mildredâs desk drawer, she had seen the wool there. She had seen what remained of Miss Mildredâs wool, what had been left over from the sweater Miss Mildred had knitted and which Puppchen had seen Miss Mildred knitting. There it was in the drawer: little balls of wool, the needles and the printed directions for making the sweater.
(Do you think I havenât seen you stuffing away your guilty knitting in that drawer?
Oh, itâs finished. I finished it . And Miss Mildred had told him how she had given it to the boy that evening, and how it had fitted so well and how handsome he had looked in it.) Then he remembered Puppchen once asking him how he liked the pattern of that sweater. She, too, had seen Miss Mildred knitting ⦠before that night, oh, long before that night.
So Puppchen, having seen the wool in the drawer, asked Miss Metal who Miss Mildred had knitted that sweater for if not for some man. Perhaps this man was Miss Mildredâs lover.
Perhaps. Perhaps.
Did Miss Metal believe that Miss Mildred had knitted that sweater for Hanno Dietrich?
No. Yes, Miss Metal had also seen the sweater being knitted. Perhaps, Miss Metal said, it had been for Millyâs father, she had no brother. Yes, Miss Metal had asked Milly whom she was knitting the sweater for, but Milly wouldnât tell her, had teased her, âWouldnât you like to know? Wouldnât you like to know?â Miss Metal had been sensitive about being thought nosy, so she had dropped her questions; it had been Millyâs business, of course, whom she knitted sweaters for ⦠but why not simply for Millyâs father?
So Puppchen and Anni had asked Miss Metal to telephone Miss Mildredâs father from the office. Miss Metal hadnât wanted to call Millyâs father. She felt responsible in a way for Millyâs death. It had been she who had brought Milly to Bradley. Her fault, too! But Puppchen and Anni had made her see that it wasnât fair to make the accusation she had made and not try to clear it up.
So Miss Metal had telephoned Miss Mildredâs father, and the sweater had not been made for him; at least Milly hadnât said she was knitting for him; at least he had never received any sweater.
Miss Metal had agreed to go to Millyâs room and try to find the sweater among Millyâs things. (Still in the suitcase she had left behind?) No sweater there.
Miss Metal recalled that Milly had finished the sweater on November 15. She remembered because she had helped Milly block it. (Miss Metal had taught Milly to knit. She had taught Milly to knit back in Clifton, Idaho, when Milly was just a kid and
Not Philip. Someone.
Someone who? Who someone?
Puppchen didnât know.
Well, Miss Metal knew. Miss Metal knew there was no such someone. There had been no one but Hanno Dietrich. If Milly had had a decent love affair with a young fellow ⦠If Milly had been decently in love, she would have told Miss Metal about it. Miss Metal would have understood such a thing. She was not so narrow-minded. Milly didnât tell. Milly had kept it from Miss Metal (not like Milly at all) because she had sold herself to Hanno Dietrich and Milly knew what Miss Metal would have thought about that ! No better than a prostitute, Miss Metal would have said, and Milly knew it.
Puppchen had not been able to convince Miss Metal. Anni had not been able to convince Miss Metal. No amount of faith in him, Puppchenâs faith and (yes!) Anniâs faith, had been able to convince Miss Metal.
Puppchen would have to have proof to convince Miss Metal. And then she got the proof. It was the wool.
âThe wool?â he asked Anni. âWhat do you mean âthe woolâ?â
Puppchen had been, remember, working at Miss Mildredâs desk. Miss Mildredâs desk had been left just as Miss Mildred left it. Miss Metal hadnât been able to bring herself to touch it, and when Puppchen had opened Miss Mildredâs desk drawer, she had seen the wool there. She had seen what remained of Miss Mildredâs wool, what had been left over from the sweater Miss Mildred had knitted and which Puppchen had seen Miss Mildred knitting. There it was in the drawer: little balls of wool, the needles and the printed directions for making the sweater.
(Do you think I havenât seen you stuffing away your guilty knitting in that drawer?
Oh, itâs finished. I finished it . And Miss Mildred had told him how she had given it to the boy that evening, and how it had fitted so well and how handsome he had looked in it.) Then he remembered Puppchen once asking him how he liked the pattern of that sweater. She, too, had seen Miss Mildred knitting ⦠before that night, oh, long before that night.
So Puppchen, having seen the wool in the drawer, asked Miss Metal who Miss Mildred had knitted that sweater for if not for some man. Perhaps this man was Miss Mildredâs lover.
Perhaps. Perhaps.
Did Miss Metal believe that Miss Mildred had knitted that sweater for Hanno Dietrich?
No. Yes, Miss Metal had also seen the sweater being knitted. Perhaps, Miss Metal said, it had been for Millyâs father, she had no brother. Yes, Miss Metal had asked Milly whom she was knitting the sweater for, but Milly wouldnât tell her, had teased her, âWouldnât you like to know? Wouldnât you like to know?â Miss Metal had been sensitive about being thought nosy, so she had dropped her questions; it had been Millyâs business, of course, whom she knitted sweaters for ⦠but why not simply for Millyâs father?
So Puppchen and Anni had asked Miss Metal to telephone Miss Mildredâs father from the office. Miss Metal hadnât wanted to call Millyâs father. She felt responsible in a way for Millyâs death. It had been she who had brought Milly to Bradley. Her fault, too! But Puppchen and Anni had made her see that it wasnât fair to make the accusation she had made and not try to clear it up.
So Miss Metal had telephoned Miss Mildredâs father, and the sweater had not been made for him; at least Milly hadnât said she was knitting for him; at least he had never received any sweater.
Miss Metal had agreed to go to Millyâs room and try to find the sweater among Millyâs things. (Still in the suitcase she had left behind?) No sweater there.
Miss Metal recalled that Milly had finished the sweater on November 15. She remembered because she had helped Milly block it. (Miss Metal had taught Milly to knit. She had taught Milly to knit back in Clifton, Idaho, when Milly was just a kid and
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