Come!' said Squeers, 'Let's go to the schoolroom. He picked up his cane and led the door at way to a the back of the house. There,' said the schoolmaster as they stepped in together: this is it Nickleby!' It was a bare and dirty room, with a couple of windows. It was impossible to tell whether the walls had ever been painted. There were a couple of long old, wooden desks and two other desks for Sauers and his assistant. But worse than that, as he looked at the pupils, any ideas that Nicholas might do them some good disappeared from his mind. They were children who looked like old men. There were little faces which should have been handsome. There were vicious-looking boys and there were lonely young pupils. This place was Hell! He could see how silent and sad the boys were. There was none of the noise of a schoolroom, none of the play or joy of learning. The boys took their places and their books although there was only one for eight learners. Now. said Squeers, hitting the desk with his cane, which made half the little boys nearly jump out of their boots The Immediately, there was a deathlike silenc lesson began.