Adam Bede Chapter 21 - The Night-School and the Schoolmaster - Part i

In which Adam revisits the humble night-school of Bartle Massey, observing with quiet sympathy the earnest struggles of grown men striving to master reading and arithmetic under the watchful eye of their somewhat irascible but kindly schoolmaster. Amidst this scene of patient labour and domestic simplicity, the evening unfolds with gentle humour and a touch of rustic melancholy, as Bartle’s sharp discipline softens before the tender needs of his small, blind puppies and their faithful mother.