Mr. Rivers came up as, having seen the classes, now numbering sixty girls, file out before me, and locked the door, I stood with the key in my hand, exchanging a few words of special farewell with some half-dozen of my best scholars: as decent, respectable, modest, and well-informed young women as could be found in the ranks of the British peasantry. And that is saying a great deal; for after all, the British peasantry are the best taught, best mannered, most self-respecting of any in Europe: since those days I have seen paysannes and Bauerinnen; and the best of them seemed to me ignorant, coarse, and besotted, compared with my Morton girls.
Il signor Rivers giunse nel momento che avevo chiuso la porta e facevo sfilare davanti a me le scolare, il cui numero era giunto a sessanta; stavo ritta, con la chiave in mano pronta a fare addii particolari a una mezza dozzina delle migliori tra le mie alunne. Sarebbe stato difficile di trovare presso nessun contadino inglese ragazze più composte e educate di quelle.