The others gathered round him, their heads together, looking and wondering what he would bring forth.
So they stood, all with their heads close together gazing down into the sack.

But while he pretended to be searching for the money, the Miller gathered two great handfuls of meal.

"Ha," quoth he, "here they are, the beauties." Then, as the others leaned still more forward to see what he had, he suddenly cast the meal into their faces, filling their eyes and noses and mouths with the flour, blinding and half choking them.

Arthur a Bland was worse off than any, for his mouth was open, agape with wonder of what was to come, so that a great cloud of flour flew down his throat, setting him a-coughing till he could scarcely stand.
Then, while all four stumbled about, roaring with the smart of the meal in their eyeballs, and while they rubbed their eyes till the tears made great channels on their faces through the meal, the Miller seized another handful of flour and another and another, throwing it in their faces, so that even had they had a glimmering of light before they were now as blind as ever a beggar in Nottinghamshire, while their hair and beards and clothes were as white as snow.
Then catching up his great crabstaff, the Miller began laying about him as though he were clean gone mad.

This way and that skipped the four, like peas on a drumhead, but they could see neither to defend themselves nor to run away.