on his very first day in another continent , three thousand miles from middletown ( at last on his own ) , he 'd found himself totally dependent on this plain thin girl whose name he did n't even know and who in the space of an hour had guided him out of the wrong classroom into the right one , had maintained order in that right one , had supplied chalk , had cleaned the blackboard , had saved his life , had comforted him and had paid for his snack .