“My father，“ I whispered.
“My father's dead，“ he said quite simply.
I did not know what to say. The gate was closed， letting out a pitiable screech. Some of the children burst into tears. The bell rang. A lady came along， followed by a group of men. The men began sorting us into ranks. We were formed into an intricate pattern in the great courtyard surrounded on three sides by high buildings of several floors; from each floor we were overlooked by a long balcony roofed in wood.
“This is your new home，“ said the woman.“Here too there are mothers and fathers. Here there is everything that is enjoyable and beneficial to knowledge and religion. Dry your tears and face life joyfully.“
We submitted to the facts， and this submission brought a sort of contentment Living beings were drawn to other living beings， and from the first moments my heart made friends with such boys as were to be my friends and fell in love with such girls， as I was to be in love with， so that it seemed my
misgivings had had no basis. I had never imagined school would have this rich variety. We played all sorts of different games: swings， the vaulting horse， ball games. In the music room we chanted our first songs. We also had our first introduction to language. We saw a globe of the Earth， which revolved and showed the various continents and countries. We started learning the numbers. The story of the Creator of the universe was read to us， we were told of His present world and of His Hereafter， and we heard examples of what He said. We ate delicious food， took a little nap， and woke up to go on with friendship and love， play and learning.
As our path revealed itself to us， however， we did not find it as totally sweet and unclouded as we had presumed. Dust-laden winds and unexpected accidents came about suddenly， so we had to be watchful， at the ready， and very patient. It was not all a matter of playing and fooling around. Rivalries could bring about pain and hatred or give rise to fighting. And while the lady would sometimes smile， she would often scowl and scold. Even more frequently she would resort to physical punishment.
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