Locus initially resembles a school because of the amount of children, but the children do not attend classes, and instead pick stones in the 'picking fields'.

"That she should be careful that the Pharisees not hear her ravings or we'd be picking stones for her punishment."

One time I was taken at 4 o'clock in the morning to pick stones in New Jersey.

He was very tired, for he had picked stones all the afternoon since early morning; and he was hungry.

He picked stones until milking-time, his back aching as well as his heart.

I was picking stones out of my back for days!

"We even made kids pick stones out of the road to see how hard it was to work."

Well, I could pick stones and scare birds off newly scattered seed, but I couldn't do proper work.

"But it will be necessary to pick, dig and remove the earth, and split stones; you don't intend doing this work yourself, monsieur, do you?"

There was no sign of Michael, who surely must be in France now, and all of the figures picking stones in the field were female.