"Oh no, I never will again, Father

never." Mr. Tulliver spoke his mind strongly at home that evening; and the effect was seen in the remarkable fact that Maggie never heard one re5proach from her mother, or one taunt from Tom, about this foolish business of her running away to the gypsies. Maggie was rather impressed by this unusual treatment, and sometimes thought her conduct had been too wicked to be mentioned. GEORGE ELIOT: The Mill on the Floss (ADAPTED).

arter (arʼter): after
desperate (des'per at): strong
escorted (es kort'ed): went with
immediately (im mē’di āt ly): at once
Mr. Greatheart (mist'er grat’härt) :
a good man in Bunyan's Pil-
grim's Progress, one of the books
Maggie had read over and over

remarkable (rē mark' a bl): unusual
reproach (rē prōch'): blame
St. George (sant jôrj): an imaginary
English hero and saint
summoning calling up
tremor (trē'môr): fright, fear
treble (treb'l): high-pitched, shrill
what'ud (whot'd): what would

HELPS TO STUDY

I. 1. How did Maggie like the gypsies? 2. What reason did she give for coming? 3. What things did they do that she didn't like so well? 4. How did she like their food?

II. 1. What made Maggie begin to feel afraid? 2. Tell about her starting for home and meeting her father. 3. What did she learn by her adventure? 4. Why was she not scolded for her running away?

The strong and kindly man in this story is Jean Valjean (pronounced Zhon Val'zhón) whose own life had been very unhappy, and who was still in hiding from the officers of the law.

I

It was Christmas Eve, and Cosette was in her usual place, seated on the crossbar of the kitchen table, near the fireplace. She was nearly eight years old, but she was so thin and pale that she seemed to be barely six. She was dressed in 5

rags; her bare feet were in wooden shoes; and by the light of the fire she was knitting woolen stockings for her mistress's little girls. In the next room could be heard the voices of the two 5 children laughing and prattling.

On this Christmas Eve several men were seated at the table in a low bare room of the Thénardiers' Inn. Four new travelers had just arrived. Cosette was thinking sadly that it was evening 10 and very dark, and that the pitchers in the rooms must be filled, and that there was no more water in the tank. From time to time one of the travelers would look out into the street and say, "It is as black as an oven outside!" or, "One would have to be a cat to go along the streets to-night without a lantern," and Cosette trembled with fear.

15

Suddenly a man came in from the yard and said in a harsh voice, "My horse has not been 20 watered."

Cosette came out from under the table. "Oh, yes, sir!" she said, "the horse did have water. He drank a lot from the bucket. It was I who

carried the water to him and talked to him." This was not true, but Cosette was afraid, so she told a lie.

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“Here is a girl as big as my fist who can tell a lie as big as a house," said the man. say that 5 my horse has not had a bit of water."

Cosette crept back under the table, but Madame Thénardier called angrily to her, "Come out of there!" and when Cosette crawled out she said, throwing open the door of the house, Here, go, 10

and take some water to that horse."

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"But Madame," said the child, timidly, "there is no water."

"Go and get some, then, there is plenty in the spring;" and as the landlady went back to the 15 stove she continued, "She is the laziest girl that ever was." Then turning to Cosette she said: "On the way back you are to get a loaf of bread at the baker's. Here is the money."

Cosette went over to the fireplace for an empty 20 bucket that stood there. The bucket was so large that she could have sat in it very easily. The child had a small pocket in the side of her apron.

She took the money without saying a word, and dropped it into her pocket. But she did not seem to see the open door. "Get along with you!" cried Madame Thénardier. Cosette went out, and 5 the door closed behind her.

Just opposite the inn was a toyshop all gay with Christmas toys. In the window was a large doll, nearly two feet high, dressed in a pink dress and with real hair and blue eyes. Cosette called 10 it "the lady." All day this wonderful doll had stood there, for it seemed as if no mother was rich enough to buy it for her child. As Cosette went out into the street, very miserable and frightened, she could not help looking over toward this won15 derful doll and saying to herself, "One would have to be a queen or at least a princess to have a doll like that!" She was not able to turn her eyes away. She forgot everything, even even the errand on which she had been sent. Suddenly 20 she heard a harsh voice screaming, "Haven't you gone yet? Be off with you!" Cosette fled with her bucket, running as fast as she could.

The poor child now found herself alone in the