All hesitation disappeared. The girl got up at once.

–Ok! If there is no one else, then I will go.

After passing by the attentive and decent disciples divided into numerous groups, she resolutely made her way to the bench at the entrance.

"Here, my friends," said the headmaster, "I present to you your teacher. Won't you behave like well-mannered people?

The girl took the place of the teacher, inwardly asking God to bless this first step of her work. Six pairs of sly and cheerful eyes stared at her in silent expectation.

– Can you repeat the verse given to you? She asked kindly.

"We can't do it today!" Bob Turner, who always answered first, replied.

"We don't learn poetry at all," his neighbor explained, "and we only come here when it's too hot outside and we can't fish or pick nuts."

"But Tip came in only because he was too lazy to go any further," added a third, pushing his neighbor in the side.

–Untruth! Tip shouted. "I came because it was very hot at home, and I couldn't stay there any longer!"

At this remark, all three laughed loudly.

"It's very good that you came!" The teacher said. – You probably like to listen to stories? Do you want me to tell you something?

The guys agreed.

"I'll tell you what happened to one of my acquaintances one day.

His name is Heinrich. At that time, he, like you, was thirteen years old.

Once he was walking slowly along the main street of his village...

"Where was it?" Bob Turner interrupted.

"In a village a few miles away," the teacher explained patiently. "That day Heinrich felt miserable: he was bored, he did not know what to do. When he reached a place where the roads diverged in different directions, he stopped and began to lazily reason: what to do? Go home and laze around, waiting for the time to go to bed, or go for a walk along the riverbank?

Life at home was bad for Henry - his mother died, and his father drank, paying little attention to his son.

As he stood, thus thinking, he was called out by a friend who was passing by.

"Where are you going, Henry, home?"