On 5 November 1962, my father, a retired naval commander, wrote to my headmistress.
Dear Mother Shanley,
I am disturbed at Elisa’s continued bad conduct. I have no doubt that you are justified in stopping her going out, but it does not seem to have much effect. She writes that she is to be fined £5 for climbing on a roof. I really don’t see the point of this punishment: it means that her parents will have to pay, and in my view it is the responsibility of the convent to devise a suitable punishment to deter the child from breaking the rules.
