“Nothing could give me more pleasure than to comply with your request, and thereby recall some of the happy days and incidents of my childhood and youth, spent under the roof of my godly teachers, Mr. and Mrs. Whiting.  I ought to remember them as far back as at the baptismal font, for I heard afterwards that they were both present on the occasion, which took place in Malta, where I was born.  But as my memory does not carry me back so far, I must date my recollections from the time I was five years of age, when I came to live in their family.  I can distinctly recollect the first texts of Scripture and verses of hymns that dear Mrs. Whiting taught my young lips to repeat, and my little prayer which I used to say at her knees on going to bed, I still repeat to this day, “Now I lay me,” etc.  One incident which happened about a year later, was so deeply impressed on my memory, and had such an effect upon me at the time, that I must mention it.  It was this.  Mrs. Whiting had given us girls (we were five in number, my sister Salome, and Hannie, Dr. Wortabet’s sister, and Sada and Rufka Gregory) some raisins to pick over preparatory to making cake.  I stole an opportunity after a while, to slip about a dozen of these raisins into my pocket.  No one saw me do it but from the moment I had done it, I began to feel very unhappy, and repented the deed.  My companions went out to play, but I could not join in their sports.  My heart was too heavy.  I sat mourning over my sin, and could eat no supper, and had no rest until I had made a full confession to Mrs. Whiting at bed-time.  She prayed and wept over me, and somehow I was comforted and went to my little bed much happier.

“I remember nothing more until a much later period, when I was about the age of twelve.  About this time, there was a great awakening among the young girls in some of the Mission families.  Mr. Calhoun’s prayers and advice were very much solicited and sought, in guiding and praying with the young inquirers.  One Sunday as I was reading the little tract “The Blacksmith’s wife,” (which I have kept to this day,) I felt a great weight and sense of sin.  I trace my conversion to the reading of this tract.  It was not long before I found peace.  I have often since longed for those days and hours of sweet communion with my Saviour.  I joined the Church a very short time after this, and at this early age was given charge of a Bible class in Abeih.

“Now I must pass over a few more years, when I went to Hasbeiya, to spend a little time with my sister Salome, now wife of Dr. John Wortabet, who was appointed pastor of the little Protestant Church there.  I spent one year of my life here, during which time I took charge of a little day school for girls in my sister’s house.  Dr. Wortabet’s sister Hannie had opened this school some years before I came.  I do not remember the number of pupils, but there were five little Moslem princesses, grandchildren of the great Emir “Saad-ed-Deen,” who was