Section 83 The Power of Beauty
In one of the worst parts of London there is1 an institution2 which I visited. In one room I found about3 thirty-five men listening (S. 16, N. 4) to the teaching4 of the daughter of a small shopkeeper5 in6 the neighbourhood. She was one of the prettiest women (S. 16, N. 10) I ever saw7 in my life. I noticed that the young girl was quite alone with those rough8 men, and said to the superintendent9: “Are10 you not afraid to leave the pretty young girl alone with all those men?” He replied: “I11 am.” “Then, why don’t you go to her?” “You mistake12 my fear. I13 am not afraid of their doing her any harm. They love her so much that they would lick14 the ground on which15 she walks, but I am afraid16 that some17 person may step in, who, not18 knowing the manner of the place, may19 say something impertinent20 to her; and if he21 did, he would not leave the place22 alive23.”—Lord Shaftesbury.
Notes
1 Render ‘there is’ by the Pres. of bestehen.
2 Anstalt, f.
3 ungefähr.
4 Unterricht, m.
5 Krämer.
6 aus.
7 saw = have seen. The auxiliary may be omitted, according to S. 52, N. 8.
8 roh.
9 This noun may be used in its unaltered form.
10 Furcht haben.
11 Ja, doch, which place before the words ‘he replied’.
12 mistake = misunderstand.
13 I — harm = I fear not that they will do her any harm (etwas zuleide thun).
14 ‘to lick’, here = to kiss.
15 worauf.
16 befürchten.
17 Say ‘a stranger’ could (Impf. Subj.) come in.
18 not — place, unbekannt mit den Sitten dieser Anstalt.
19 Impf. Subj.
20 Ungehöriges.
21 Supply here the object ‘das’.
22 Haus.
23 lebendig, before which supply the adverb ‘wieder’.