'
Poor Milly's blubbered face expanded into a smile in spite of herself; but
she shook her head, looking down.
'Noa, noa, Maud, I fear 'twon't be.' And indeed it seemed I had proposed to
myself a labour of Hercules.
But Milly was really a clever creature, could see quickly, and when her
ungainly dialect was mastered, describe very pleasantly; and if only she
would endure the restraint and possessed the industry requisite, I did not
despair, and was resolved at least to do my part.
Poor Milly! she was really very grateful, and entered into the project of
her education with great zeal, and with a strange mixture of humility and
insubordination.
Milly was in favour of again attacking 'Beauty's' position on her return,
and forcing a passage from this side; but I insisted on following the route
by which we had arrived, and so we got round the paling by the river, and
were treated to a provoking grin of defiance by 'Beauty,' who was talking
across the gate to a slim young man, arrayed in fustian, and with an
odd-looking cap of rabbit-skin on his head, which, on seeing us, he pulled
sheepishly to the side of his face next to us, as he lounged, with his arm
under his chin, on the top bar of the gate.
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