Maggie Cuts her Hair

In the old days, when people needed to make bread,

1
they took their wheat to a mill to grind wheat into flour
The mills were driven by water power' as there were no steam
engines or electric motors in those days. So mills were set up
near rivers and streans.

Mr Tulliver is a miller; he and his family lives at the Mill

beside the river Floss. He has two children, Tom and Maggie.

Maggie is oftenscolded because her hair is untidy. When the

story begins, some ofthe children's uncles and aunts have just
arrived to have dinner at the Mill.

to her side
"Maggie," said Mrs Tulliver, calling her
hair!
and whispering in her ear, "go and tidy your
I told you not to come in without doing it first.
You know
I did!"

1om, come me," whispered Maggie, pullingS

out with
followed
her brother's sleeve as she passed him. Tom
willingly.
 whispered when they
"Come upstairs with me, Tom,"she
I want to do
were outside the door. "There is something
before dinner
"There is no tinme to play at anything before dinner,"
said Tom, who was not interested now in anything but
his dinmer.
Oh yes, there is time for this. Do come, Tom."

Tom followed Maggie upstairs into her mother's room

and saw her go at once to a drawer, from which she took
out a large pair of scissors.

What are they for, Maggie?" said Tom.

Maggie answered by seizing her front hair and cutting
it straight across the middle of her forehead.

Oh my buttons, Maggie, you'll catch it!" said Tom. "You

had better not cut any more off"
2
Snip! went the great scissors again while Tom was
speaking. He couldn't help feeling it was rather good fun.
Here, Tom, you might cut it behind for me," said Maggie,
anxious to finish the deed.
You'll catch it, you know" said Tom again, and, hesitating
a little, he took the scissors.
"Never mind-hurry up!" said Maggie, giving a little
stamp with her foot. Her cheeks were quite red.
The black hair was so thick! Nothing could be more
pleasing to a lad who had already enjoyed the forbidden

seizing: taking by force

Oh my buttons: an expression of
catch it: get into trouble surprise or excitement
hesifafing: pausing; You hesitate when you do not want
to or are atraid fo
d
something.
forbidden: something that one has been ordered not to do
pieasure of cuting the horae's nane There in a nlrange
cut through n
saustaction in making pair of neiNAOrn
mass of har
another, and
he dehghtlal I p , andl then anothor and
tood,
hair foll heavily on the flor And Muggie
pieces of HenO
nner, but willh
her har cut short in an
uneven

from wood into the

of freedom, a s if he
had come out

open plan
round her and
"Oh MagRie!" said
Tom, jumping
yourself in Lhe
buttona! Look at
"Oh my
laughinK
lass"
pain. She hnd thouyhl
Maggie felt unexpected
an
her annoying
beforehand chiefly herown freedon fromand something
of
remarks about it,
hair and the annoying mother
she would have o v e r her
also of the triumph didn't want
this bold action. She
and her aunts by very
that was out of the question.
her hair to look protty
little girl
wanted to think her a clever
people
She only
when'Tom began to laugh
and not to scold her. But now,
a different allair.
She looked in
at her, it became quite
and elapped his hands.
the glass, and still Tom lauglhed
cheeks began to grow pale
and her lips began
Maggie's
to tremble a little.
down to dinner directly,"
"Oh, Maggie, you'l| have to go
said Tom, "Oh my!
into tears
"Don't laugh at me,Tom!"said Maggie, bursting
and giving him a push.

"Now then, spitfire!" said Tom. "Of course, you look

mane: 1he long hair on the barkol a horso's e

uneven: nol mofh or lidy
g dlleroul olloin: (illoenl mollo
diredly: ol onco
pitire: sonmeone who gels ivilalorl or n y vory (quickly
 ha
have thought of thal
fiunny
You
should

smell the dinner,going n ,"

befor I
all
down. I can in "

He hurried downstairs and left poor Mayyi t he

She could see clearly enough, now
misery.
done, that it was
that. th
foolish of
very
think more abouther. Non,
was
thing
would have to hear and
she her hair
t h a n ever.

Tom n e v e r did
the same sort of foolish as things Maysgi,
nd so it happened that, though was much more
he
wilad
than Maggie, his mother hardly ever called him naughty
Rut Maggie, she stood erying before the
as
glass, felt it
imnassible that she should go down to dinner and endure
the severe words of her aunts. All the while, Tom and
Lucy and Martha (who waited at table) and, perhaps.
her father and her uncles would laugh at her. For, ifTom
laughed at her, of course everyone else would; and if she
had let her hair alone, she could have sat with Tom and
5
Lucy and had the sweet pudding!
What could she do but weep? She sat on the floor helpless
and despairing among her black hair.
"Miss Maggie, you are to come down this moment," said
Kezia, the room hurriedly. "Gracious! What have
entering
you been doing? I never saw such a fright!"
Don't, Kezia," said Maggie angrily. "Go away
minute.
But I tell you, you're to come down, Miss, this
and
Your mother says so," said Kezia, going up to Maggie
the floor
aking her by the hand to raise her from

gong in: being taken in, ready to be served

wilful: stubborn
endure: bear patiently; put up with
waited helped Bo serve
at:
despairing: losing hope and courage
a
fright: an awful sight
 dinner," said Maggio
Get away, Kezia. I don't want any
shan't come.
pulling away her arm. "I
to wait at dinner," said
"Oh well, I can't stay. I've got
Kezia. going out agam.
into the room
Maggie. you little silly!" said Tom, coming
ten minutes after. "Why don't you come and have your
dinner? There are lots of sweets, and Mother says you
are to come. What are you crying for, you little baby?"

Oh, it was dreadful! Tom was so hard and unconcerned.

If he had been crying on the floor, Maggie would have
cried too. And there was the dinner, so nice, and she was
so hungry. It was very bitter.
But Tom was not altogether hard. He did not feel like
erying, and Maggie's sorrow did not spoil his enjoyment
of the sweets he was looking forward to. But he went and
put his head near her, and said in a low, comforting voice,
6
"Won't you come then, Maggie? Shall I bring you a bit of
pudding when I've had mine?"
Ye-e-es," said Maggie, beginning to feel a little more
cheerful.
"Very well," said Tom, going away. But he turned again
at the door and said, "But
you had better come. There's
fruit, you know, and nuts."
Maggie's tears had ceased and she
began to think,
as Tom left her. His good nature had
taken away the
worst of her suffering, and nuts and
have their proper influence pudding began to
upon her. Slowly, she rose
from among her scattered
hair, and slowly she made
dreadful: terrible
unconcerned: not interested or worried
bitter: here, difficult to bear
influence: ettect
 her way downstairs Then she stood, leaning with one
shoulder against the frame ot the dining room door.
looking in through an opening. She saw Tom and Lucy
with an empty chair between them, and there were th
sweets on a side table. It was too much. She entered
quietly and went towards the empty chair But no sooner
had she sat down than she felt sorry and wished herself
back again upstars.
Mrs Tulliver gave a little scream as she saw her, and
dropped the large spoon into the dish, with serious
results to the table cloth. For Kezia had not told them
why Maggie refused to come down, and Mrs Tulliver had
thought that it was nothing very unusual.
Mrs Tulliver's cry made all eyes turn towards the same
point as her own, and Maggie's cheeks and ears began
to burn, while Uncle Glegg, a kind-looking, white-haired,
old gentleman, said, "What little girl's this? Why, I don't
7
know her. Is it some little girl you have picked up on the
road, Kezia?"

Why, she has gone and cut her hair herself!" said
Mr Tulliver in a low voice to Mr Deane, laughing with
much enjoyment.
Why, little miss, you've made yourself look very funny,"
said Uncle Pullet.
For shame!" said Aunt Glegg, in her loudest, severest
tone of voice. "Little girls who cut their own hair should
be whipped and fed on bread and water-not conme and
sit down with their auntS and uncles."
"Yes," said Uncle Glegg, meaning to make a joke out of his
wife's cruel words, "she must be sent to prison, I think,
where they'll cut the rest of her hair off and make it all
even."
burn: here, feel hot with shame or guilt
 "She is a naughty child and will break her mother's
heart," said Mrs Tulliver,with tears in her eyes.
Maggie seemed to be listening to all this quite calmly
At first she felt angry, and this made her brave enough
to bear their laughter for a time, and Tom thought she
was helped by the appearance of the pudding to bear
everything.
He whispered, "Oh my! Maggie, I told you you'd catch it"
He meant to be friendly, but Maggie thought he too was
laughing at her. Her poor powers of endurance broke
down, and getting up from her chair, she ran to her
father, hid her face on his shoulder, and burst out into
loud weeping.
Come, come, my child" said her father, gently, putting
his arm around her, "never mind, you were in the right
to cut it off if it troubled you. Stop crying, Father will
8
take your part."
Delightful words of tenderness! Maggie never forgot any
of these moments when her father took her part'. She
kept them in her heart and thought of them long years
after when everyone said that her father had done very
ill by his children.

George Eliot

To know more about Maggie and Tom and find out if they get
into more trouble, read the book The Mill on the Floss.

endurance: ability to bear pain or suffering

were) in the right: had good reoson
take your part: be on your side
tenderness: comfort
done very ill by his children: not looked after them (the children) well