ys from distant quarters of the town.
The two brothers Shakoor devoted much of their time to the
superintendence of the school, and taught all the higher branches, being
assisted in writing, spelling, &c., by several native teachers. The
girls' school advanced less rapidly, because of the early marriages,
which usually withdrew the pupils about the age of twelve, and because
girls were more wanted at home than boys. In 1870 there were about a
hundred names on the roll, with an average attendance of seventy
or eighty.

It was long Miss Whately's desire to acquire a piece of land on which to
build suitable school premises. Her desire was gratified when in 1869
the Khedive, Ismail Pasha, at the kind suggestion of the Prince of
Wales, made her a grant of the freehold of nearly an acre of land, just
outside the old wall of Cairo, the only condition being that the
building erected on it should have a handsome front, as it would face a
main road. Considerable delay was experienced in getting the necessary
papers for making the possession secure, and it was not till 1871 that
the building was erected. Mansoor Shakoor, who had considerable
knowledge of architecture, designed it, and superintended all the
details of its erection. By its side, and separated from it only by a
garden, Miss Whately put up a house for herself, that she might be
always close to her work. About one fourth of the cost was contributed
by those who in Cairo and in England took an interest in the work of the
school, but Miss Whately herself contributed the remainder of the
outlay, amounting to about four thousand pounds.[1]

[Footnote: 1 Letter from Mary L. Whately, _The Christian_, June 15,
1882.]

In consequence of the extension of the work, and because this large
outlay had seriously diminished her resources, Miss Whately depended
largely on the gifts of others for means to carry on her work. After the
addition of a medical mission in 1879, the expenses of the work amounted
to some L1200 or L1300 a year, a sum which, of course, it was quite out
of her power personally to provide. L200 of this was derived from an
annual grant from the Egyptian, Government, and about L150 from paying
pupils, while occasionally grants were received from several English
societies. The new schools soon became one of the "sights" of Cairo, and
the English and American tourists who visited them contributed
considerably to the funds, while the rest of the money required was