the - Po oh ▁character . ▁ ▁Mil ne ▁spoke ▁self - de prec ating ly ▁of ▁his ▁own ▁intellect , ▁" I ▁may ▁have ▁been ▁on ▁the ▁dim ▁side ", ▁or ▁" not ▁very ▁bright ". ▁He ▁also ▁described ▁himself ▁as ▁being ▁" good ▁with ▁his ▁hands ", ▁and ▁possess ing ▁a ▁Me cc ano ▁set . ▁His ▁self - des cri ptions ▁included ▁" g ir lish ", ▁since ▁he ▁had ▁long ▁hair ▁and ▁wore ▁" g ir lish ▁clothes ", ▁and ▁being ▁" very ▁sh y ▁and ▁' un - self - poss essed ' ". ▁ ▁An ▁early ▁child hood ▁friend ▁was ▁Anne ▁Dar ling ton , ▁also ▁an ▁only ▁child , ▁who ▁as ▁Mil ne ▁described ▁it , ▁was ▁for ▁his ▁parents ▁" the ▁Ros em ary ▁that ▁I ▁wasn ' t ." ▁In ▁fact ▁Mil ne ' s ▁mother ▁hoped ▁they ▁would ▁marry ▁one ▁day , ▁hopes ▁she ▁abandoned ▁when ▁Mil ne ▁turned ▁ 2 5 . ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 9 2 5 , ▁Mil ne ' s ▁father ▁bought ▁Cot ch ford ▁Farm , ▁near ▁Ash down ▁Forest ▁in ▁East ▁Sus sex . ▁Though ▁still ▁living ▁in ▁London , ▁the ▁family ▁would ▁spend ▁week ends , ▁E aster , ▁and ▁summer ▁hol id ays ▁there . ▁As ▁Mil ne ▁described ▁it , ▁" So ▁there ▁we ▁were ▁in ▁ 1 9 2 5 ▁with ▁a ▁c ott age , ▁a ▁little ▁bit ▁of ▁garden , ▁a ▁lot ▁of ▁j ung le , ▁two ▁fields ,