—the dyke raised to prevent the waters of
the broad from inundating the neighbouring
lands, many of which are beneath the level
of its surface, and even of its bed.

Preliminaries were soon arranged to our
entire mutual satisfaction. While returning
by the path running along the top of this
artificial mound, which was based with large
rough flints against which the wavelets from
the vast sheet of water were breaking with
a sort of affectation of playing the part of
real waves of the sea, I had an admirable
view of the country, and a capital opportunity
of getting acquainted with its physical
geography. Reed-beds, marshes—covered
some with rank coarse vegetation, some with
fine rich pasture—  and the interminable
expanse of the broad, stretched away for
miles and miles. At one part of the panoramic
circle were uplands, with the village,
the scattered houses, the occasional larger
mansions grey with age; and at one extremity
the church, as if it were running away from
its congregation, at the other a windmill of
unusual altitude.

"That's a fine mill," said I to my conductor
Rudd; " we don't see many so lofty as
that."

"It is a good height, sir," he replied, drily;—
"especially when you're on the top of one
of the sails. But what would be a greater
novelty to you are the little low marsh-mills,
like that we are now coming to, which drain
the country, by pumping up the water out of
the ditches into the broad."

It was blowing a fresh breeze, and the
marsh-mills were whirling their sails round,
as if trying which could spin the quickest.
Before we reached the one indicated, a squall
came on with a heavy shower. "We
approached the mill, and it certainly was
"delivering " the drainage-waters at a most
efficient rate. The sails were revolving with
a rapidity which affected the eye in the same
way as carriage- wheels going at full, speed;
and they were so low, they worked so near
to the ground, that any animal, a donkey or
a pig, straying within their reach, would have
been dashed in pieces, or whirled up into the
air by their force. Still there was plenty of
room, between the plane of their motion and
the mill itself, to enter it with perfect safety,
due caution being exercised; and as the
door stood invitingly open, I was about to
take shelter there till the squall was over,
and have a gossip with the water-grinder
within.

Rudd perceived my intention, and arrested
me by the arm. " Not there, sir, if you please,"
said he.

"I shall take good care to avoid the sails,"
I replied. " We may as well avoid this
shower; it will be over in three minutes."

"Not there, sir, if you please," he persisted.
"I have my reasons. You had better get wet
through and through, than make any
acquaintance with the Bammants."

Of course I acquiesced, as he spoke so
decidedly; he knew the neighbourhood better
than I did. Just as we were proceeding on our
walk, a pretty little girl, six or seven years
old, well cloaked and bonnetted, stepped out of
the mill, tripped fearlessly behind the rushing
mill-sails, and was making for our path on
the bank, when a man looked out from the
mill-door, and shouted to her not to stop at
the village, but to get back again without
losing a minute. He perceived us; a black
look came over his face at the sight of Rudd,
and I thought that he had to try hard before
he could fix a steady stare upon us. He succeeded
for a few moments, and then withdrew
to the inside of the mill. That was all I ever
saw of him, or heard of his voice; but the
effect was most unprepossessing. You do
sometimes take an instantaneous dislike to
people whom you meet; and you are often
right in doing so. There certainly exists a
sort of mesmeric repulsion, as well as an
attraction, between individuals. This man's
countenance, not naturally bad-looking,
exhibited that peculiar blasted and lightning-
struck expression, that we should imagine
belonged to fiends, who have known good
and rejected it, who have preferred evil and
gloated in it.

The little girl ran on before us, to do her
errand in the village; that was the last I
ever saw of her, but I well remember her
bright blue eyes, and her rosy cheeks, and a
thoughtful, puzzled look that overshadowed
her face. We soon reached the Blue Boar,
and in a few minutes a good fire, and a
hearty meal of fish, wild-fowl, bacon and
eggs, put all other earthly considerations to
flight.

Rudd's house was built on the simplest of
architectural plans, numerous examples of
which are still to be found in the district. It
was merely a parallelogram two stories high,
divided into a series of rooms by partition-
walls running across it. There was not a
passage in the whole building. The apartments
communicated by doors leading from
one to another, which could be hooked and
bolted on either side. Almost every room on
the ground floor had a door leading into the
open air, and a staircase up to the room above
it; so that it was easy to divide the house
into several distinct and separate habitations,
all under one roof, but having exactly as
much or as little connection with each other, as
the respective inhabitants of the compartments
chose to maintain.

One end contained the parlour and the best
bed-room; at the other extremity were the
dairy, scullery, and " bac'us," which etymologists
are yet undetermined whether to interpret
" bake-house," or " back-house." In the
middle was the room which served as kitchen,
bar, club-room, and living-room for the
family.

Of course I was installed in the parlour
end—  a room below and a room above. The