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

In which the earthy common life is illuminated by the rough but candid conversation between Adam Bede and the irascible schoolmaster Bartle Massey, whose grumbles about women and domestic order reveal both his humour and hardened experience. Meanwhile, talk turns to local affairs and whispered hopes for better stewardship of the woods, as Adam contemplates his own prospects and the delicate balance between pride and prudence in a world reluctant to welcome change.