Most of the noise came from the parents sitting at the side of the room, watching the proceedings closely. Every once in a while, they took out a trinket to fiddle with or whispered to the person next them. Meanwhile, a tall stern lady walked between the children and the birds, vigorously imposing silence on both.

 

The silence unnerved Adler. He was the youngest of six children and he was used to noise. Looking around, he saw that he was not the only one uneasy. Many parents were uneasy too. Spotting his parents, he waved at them and they waved back.