From her First Communion, Therese goes on retreat again in preparation for Confirmation, about which she writes, "There was no rushing wind, as on the first Pentecosts, but just the gentle breeze which murmured on Mount Hoheb to Elias."

Returning to day boarding school, Therese happily watched others play, "while I thought about serious things..." She also discovered the fickleness of human love there. She nurtured the memory of a friend who left school for several months. When she returned, the friend acted indifferent toward Therese and her show of pleasure about her return. Experiencing the bitterness of human affection, Therese pondered, "How can a heart that is taken up in human love be fully united to God? Our Lord knew that I was far too weak to face temptation..." She reflects on God's infinite providence in loving her first, "...that I might love Him in return even unto folly."