276 OUR HUMBLE HELPERS 



do if led thus through the turmoil and confusion of 

 a populous town? It would take fright and run 

 away, and in its foolish terror it would get crushed 

 under the wheels of passing vehicles. The goat is 

 not alarmed at anything. Throngs of people, the 

 noise of traffic, the barking of quarrelsome dogs, to 

 all this it is quite indifferent. The horned company, 

 its approach heralded by the tinkling of little bells, 

 moves with a confident and familiar air in the midst 

 of all this hustle and bustle, as if in the perfect soli- 

 tude of the mountains. With graceful coquetry it 

 looks at its reflection in the large shop-windows and 

 strikes the flag-stones of the pavement with ringing 

 hoof. At the customers' doors, which the flock 

 never fails to remember, it comes to a halt. Each' 

 goat in its turn is taken in hand by the milkmaid, and 

 the warm milk spurts foaming from the udder into 

 the tin measure. They go on through the crowd to 

 another customer, and so it continues, a measure of 

 milk at a time, until the flock has exhausted its day's 

 supply." 



"Is there anything gained by leading the goats 

 from door to door?" asked Jules. 



" Unquestionably : the buyer cannot doubt the 

 freshness and purity of the milk when he sees it 

 drawn under his eyes ; and the milkmaid finds in the 

 confidence of her customers remuneration for her 

 extra trouble." 



"That 's so. No one can say the milk is watered 

 if it comes fresh from the udder." 



"Goat's milk is light and very nourishing; it 



