All 8 Uses of

brief

in

The Mill on the Floss

Uses with a very common or rare meaning:

In her early letters to Tom she had always sent her love to Philip, and asked many questions about him, which were answered by brief sentences about Tom's toothache, and a turf-house which he was helping to build in the garden, with other items of that kind.†
Chpt 2.7

Mrs. Pullet entered crying, as a compendious mode, at all times, of expressing what were her views of life in general, and what, in brief, were the opinions she held concerning the particular case before her.†
Chpt 3.3

As for Maggie, she was peculiarly depressed this morning; she had been called up, after brief rest, at three o'clock, and had that strange dreamy weariness which comes from watching in a sick-room through the chill hours of early twilight and breaking day,—in which the outside day-light life seems to have no importance, and to be a mere margin to the hours in the darkened chamber.†
Chpt 3.3

…and his cheek flushed with the consciousness that he was about to make an honorable figure once more, he looked more like the proud, confident, warm-hearted, and warm-tempered Tulliver of old times than might have seemed possible to any one who had met him a week before, riding along as had been his wont for the last four years since the sense of failure and debt had been upon him,—with his head hanging down, casting brief, unwilling looks on those who forced themselves on his notice.†
Chpt 5.7

Dr. Kenn's ear and eye took in all the signs that this brief confidence of Maggie's was charged with meaning.†
Chpt 6.9 *

He wrote a brief note to Stephen, and sent it early by the servant, saying that he was not well enough to fulfil his engagement to Miss Deane.†
Chpt 6.13

In rather broken sentences, and with some effort at first, but soon with the greater ease that came from a sense of relief in the confidence, Maggie told the brief story of a struggle that must be the beginning of a long sorrow.†
Chpt 7.2

Definitions:

(meaning too common or rare to warrant focus)
Brief is most commonly encountered as an adjective meaning "of short duration." Other meanings derive from the idea of short--as when making a long story short by summarizing it, or when wearing briefs (underwear).

(brief as in: briefed her)
to give a summary of important information to someone