About midday
There were no neighbours , and they did not like forests . The princess hardly showed herself ; Anna was English , besides being more or less of a lunatic -- the combination , when you came to think of it , was alarming , -- and they soon wearied of pouring into each other 's highly sceptical ears descriptions of the splendours of their prosperous days . The visits of the parson had at first been a welcome change , for they were both religious women who loved to impress a new listener with the amount of their faith and resignation ; but when they knew him a little better , and had said the same things several times , and found that as soon as they paused he began to expatiate on the advantages and joys of their present mode of life with Miss Estcourt , of which no one had been talking , they were bored , and left off being pleased to see him , and fell back for amusement on their own bickerings , and the probing of Fräulein Kuhräuber 's tender places . About midday Anna , who had been writing German letters all the morning helped by the princess , letters of inquiry concerning a new teacher for Letty , came round by the path outside the drawing-room window looking for the Chosen , and prepared to talk to them of concord . The window was shut , and she knocked on the pane , trying to see into the shady room . It was a broiling day , and she had no hat ; therefore she knocked again , and held her hands above her head , for the sun was intolerable . She wore one of her last summer 's dresses , a lilac muslin that in spite of its age seemed in Kleinwalde to be quite absurdly pretty .