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1. What reaction by the Milkmaid causes the Student to become surprised at the beginning of the play and why?

When the Student approaches the public drinking fountain, there is a Milkmaid standing nearby, having just finished rearranging her hair and wiping her brow. The Student asks the Milkmaid if he may borrow the cup and when the Milkmaid reacts with silence and a look of abject horror, the Student is perplexed. He makes guesses about the source of her horror, telling her that perhaps she thinks he looks disheveled because he has been out all night "carousing," "drinking whiskey," and "making a time of it" (2). Throughout their encounter, the Milkmaid never speaks, adding to the Student's surprise and confusion.

2. What explanation does the Student eventually give to the Milkmaid about his disheveled appearance?

The Student tells the Milkmaid that he had been at the scene of the collapsed house the previous night. He tells her, "All night I was bandaging wounds and tending to injured people" (2). The Student is thus shown to be a selfless person, despite his youth. He is also a man concerned with others' impressions of his character.

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