I knew how to dodge and cringe and dissemble before I knew the names of the seasons.

And I had plenty of time to ponder on these things, because I was so idle.

If they had let me go to school, now--But of course they didn't.
There was no free school for girls, and even if your parents were rich enough to send you to a private school, you could not go very far.

At the high school, which was under government control, Jewish children were admitted in limited numbers,--only ten to every hundred,--and even if you were among the lucky ones, you had your troubles.

The tutor who prepared you talked all the time about the examinations you would have to pass, till you were scared.