Chapter 6 6. Angel of love

West Heath Girls' School pays attention to the quality cultivation of students and encourages them to visit the elderly, sick and mentally handicapped.One week, Diana and another girl saw an elderly woman sitting in an oak park in a daze.They chatted with her, had tea together, and helped her clean the house and do the shopping.Every week thereafter.Meanwhile, local volunteer service groups visited patients at a large psychiatric hospital in Dartford.On Tuesday nights, Diana and a dozen girl volunteers took a bus to the hospital to dance with the mentally ill and disabled. Some girls feel anxious and overwhelmed because trying to make a sick person smile is very difficult, and they need help from other children.Muriel Stephens, who helped organize the visits, said: "This is where Diana learned to touch the sick on her stomach, because to do so she had to crawl and talk with them." Students have a phobia of psychopaths, but Diana finds herself quite good at the job.She has developed close relationships with many of her patients.The work she does boosts her self-esteem and makes her feel rewarded.

At Christmas, Diana decides to give one of her presents to a bad-tempered night watchman.The man had a reputation for being irascible, but Diana instinctively thought he was just lonely.She and her younger brother went to see him, and the old man was moved to tears.This is the earliest expression of her consideration for others.She has great empathy and understands the needs of others. In 1977, during her final term at school, the Headmistress, Miss Larch, presented her with the Miss Cleck Lawrence Award for outstanding service to the school and the community. Diana's love played a key role in her future destiny.At a barbecue, Diana and Charles talked about the death of the Earl of Mountbatten and the funeral at Westminster Abbey. She said to Charles: "When you go to the altar at the funeral, you look very sad. That's what I saw. I felt so sorry for you. I thought: 'It's so pathetic. You're lonely. Someone should be with you and take care of you.'" She later recalled the conversation to friends.It was these words that touched Charles' heartstrings and made him look at this understanding little girl with new eyes.