“About fifty.”
“Are they mostly boys?”
“There are about thirty boys--rather more than half.”
“How do they vary in age?”
“From ten to eighteen. I have three boys, or young men I might almost call them, of eighteen, two of seventeen, and three girls of sixteen and upwards.”
“Are they hard to manage?”
“The older ones? No; the most troublesome age is from thirteen to fifteen. Those who are older generally come to school for improvement, and are inclined to obey the rules of the school.”
This was reassuring. Walter knew that, in case he should be accepted as a teacher, he could not hope to cope with those two or three years older than himself. But if he could rely on the co-operation of the older pupils, he might get along.
“Mr. Barclay,” said he, after a moment’s thought, “do you think I would be too young to undertake the school?”
“You look pretty young,” answered the teacher. “You are not yet seventeen, I suppose?”