Finally, my mother, tired of seeing my sister waste her time coming to call me and taking my place with the sheep, decided to sell the lot. She talked things over with my aunt, and they agreed to send us off to school. At playtime, Jacinta loved to make a visit to the Blessed Sacrament.
“They seem to guess,” she complained. “We are no sooner inside the church then a crowd of people come asking us questions! I wanted so much to be alone for a long time with the Hidden Jesus to talk to Him, but they never let us.”
It was true, the simple country folk never left us alone. With the utmost simplicity, they told us all about their needs and their troubles. Jacinta showed the greatest compassion, especially when it concerned some sinner, saying: “We must pray and offer sacrifices to Our Lord, so that he will be converted and not go to hell, poor man!”
In this connection, it might be good to relate here an incident which shows to what extent Jacinta sought to escape from the people who came looking for her. We were on our way to Fatima one day and approaching the main road when we noticed a group of ladies and gentlemen getting out of a car. We knew without the slightest doubt that they were looking for us. Escape was impossible, for they would see us. We continued on our way, hoping to be passed by without being recognized.
On reaching us the ladies asked if we knew the little shepherds to whom Our Lady had appeared. We said we did. “Do you know where they live?” We gave them precise directions, and ran off to hide in the fields among the brambles.
Jacinta was so delighted with her little stratagem that she exclaimed: “We must do this always when they don’t know us by sight.”