Children—while clothed, fed, and educated—were given little more than the basics, and often found themselves hungry, cold, or abused for not learning their lessons properly. Josefina wished she would grow older quickly and couldn’t wait for the day she’d be able to escape the home forever. She’d been brought to Peakie’s when she was three years old. She had hazy memories of a woman, Fina, clutching her, and she anxiously awaited Fina’s return. But as the months turned into years, the child finally realized no one would be coming back for her. When Josefina turned seven, she summoned up the courage to question the matron in charge of her ward. “Why am I here?” Josefina knew there was life outside of Peakie’s; wisps of it survived in her memory. The matron waved her away, but the child would not be deterred. Every day she asked the same question. Weeks passed before the matron brought her to see the headmaster. He nodded toward two straight-back chairs in front of his desk, and the matron and child sat down.
