Bertrand said no more; but he cast an angry glance at the little milkmaid, and lashed Bébelle, who soon left Auguste far behind. II THE FALL The damsel went her way, with a branch of walnut in her hand, driving her ass before her, apparently oblivious of the fact that the young man had alighted from his cabriolet. She did not look back, but contented herself with calling out from time to time: "Go on there, White Jean;" and White Jean went none the faster. Auguste soon overtook the milkmaid. He walked behind her a few moments, to examine her; she was well-built, so far as one could judge of her shape beneath the thick wrapper in which she was muffled; her foot was certainly small, although encased in heavy shoes, and her woolen stockings covered a shapely leg, which he could examine at his leisure, for a milkmaid wears very short skirts. Auguste stepped forward; the girl looked up and seemed surprised to see the young man of the cabriolet walking by her side. But she turned her head away, with another "go on!" to her ass, in which there was no touch of romance. Our young exquisite gazed closely at the girl, who wore a cap perched on top of her head, which concealed none of her features. "She is very pretty," he said to himself; "fine eyes, a pretty mouth, a complexion like the rose; but nothing extraordinary, after all. Her freshness is the freshness of a village girl; she's a mere country beauty, and I should have done as well to stay in the carriage. However, as I have alighted, I may as well try to gain something by it." And the young man continued to stare at the milkmaid, with a smile on his face; but she, apparently annoyed by the fine gentleman's scrutiny, said to him sharply: "Shall you soon be through looking at me?" "Isn't it within the law to admire you?" "No, I don't like to have anyone eye me like that." "If you weren't so pretty, people would look at you less." "If this is the way you talk to your ladies in Paris, you must have lots of faces in your head! When you look at a body so close, you'll know her again; but here among us, we don't call it decent; and you'd better not come here to play monkey tricks like this!" "I made a mistake in leaving the cabriolet," thought Auguste. However, he continued to walk beside the girl, and said to her after a moment: "Are you a milkmaid?" "Pardi! anyone can see that. Have you just guessed it?" "Will you sell me some milk?" "I haven't got any." "Do you carry it to Paris?" "I don't go so far as that." "Where do you come from?" "You're very inquisitive." The girl's tone was not encouraging, and Auguste looked along the road to see whether he could still see his cabriolet; but it had disappeared, for White Jean stopped very often to eat leaves or grass, despite the blows with the switch which his mistress bestowed on him. "Do you know," said Auguste, "you are not very agreeable, my lovely child? You are so pretty that I thought you would be gentler, less savage."