In his recollections of those early years one of the Bahá'ís
has written that one day Shoghi Effendi entered the Master's room, took up His
pen and tried to write. 'Abdu'l-Bahá drew him to His side, tapped him gently on
the shoulder and said "Now is not the time to write, now is the time to
play, you will write a lot in the future." Nevertheless the desire of the
child to learn led to the formation of classes in the Master's household for
the children, taught by an old Persian believer. I know that at one time in his
childhood, most likely while he was still living in 'Akká, Shoghi Effendi and
other grandchildren were taught by an Italian, who acted as governess or
teacher; a grey-haired elderly lady, she came to call shortly after I was married.
(Ruhiyyih Khanum, 'The Priceless Pearl')
