The old womans complaint, or, The Greek alphabet [graphic]

"An elderly schoolmaster sits by a writing-table, in profile to the right, addressing an old countrywoman who faces him, making a slight curtsey. Behind her (right) are four little boys, two with bags of books slung from the shoulder. The schoolmaster, who wears night-cap, slippers, and buttoned overcoat or dressing-gown, says: "Good woman you are always making complaints against my Scholars, what have they done to offend you now?" She answers: "Please your Honors Worship they followd me up and down--and said one to another--At her!--beat her! damn her!--pelt her!-- and a great deal more that I do not recollect". The leader of the boys, bowing, cap in hand, says: "Indeed Sir, we were only repeating our Greek Alphabet, in order to get quite perfect--what the Old Woman heard was only Alpha--Beta-- Gamma--Delta--and so on to the conclusion". The boys' expressions indicate a successful conspiracy."--British Museum online catalogue, description of an earlier state