A good few courted her, but she had no eye for 'em, though civil to all;
but now a desperate man was in the market, and he showed such a lot of
determination over her and was so cruel set upon Milly that folk said he'd
be bound to have his way--and why not?

'Twas Farmer Bewes--his son Richard--who wanted afore all else to have
Milly to wife, and it looked right and reasonable, because he was the
handsomest man in Little Silver, or ten miles round for that matter; and
folk agreed they would make a mighty fine pair. Dicky was a flaxen chap,
too, and shaved clean and had a beautiful face without a doubt. He stood
six feet two inches, and was finely put together. But there was a black
mark against him where the women were concerned, and he'd done a few
things he didn't ought; because girls went silly over him.

An only child was Richard, and the apple of his father's eye, and spoilt
from his cradlehood by both parents; and so, when he wanted Milly Boon,
they didn't see why not, though she was a pauper, because his father felt
that it might be a good thing for Dick to wed a wife and settle down.

But it takes two to a job of that sort, and Milly hung fire, much to the
misery of young Bewes. He spared no pains in his courting, and told her
how she was making an old man of him before his time and robbing him of
his sleep, and his appetite, and his wish to live and so on; but she knew
very well indeed he'd said all that and a lot more to other maidens, and
she felt, deep down in her nature, he wasn't the right one for her,
despite his fine appearance and education. For he was a clever man and had
been taught knowledge at a Secondary School.

So things stood when Mary Cobley broke her sad tale to her son, while he