human
You seem astonished, she said, just after we had passed a mill {2} which spanned all the stream save the water-way for traffic, but which was as beautiful in its way as a Gothic cathedral--
gpt
You seem astonished at this being so pleasant to look at.
human
Yes, I said,
gpt
Ah! she said, looking at me admiringly, yet with a lurking smile in her face,
human
she said, as her eye caught mine,
gpt
Lived in she was going to say; but correcting herself, said--
human
They _mis_managed it, quoth I.
gpt
Up to the first half of the nineteenth century, when it was still more or less of a highway for the country people, some care was taken of the river and its banks; and though I don't suppose anyone troubled himself about its aspect, yet it was trim and beautiful. But when the railways--of which no doubt you have heard--came into power, they would not allow the people of the country to use either the natural or artificial waterways, of which latter there were a great many. I suppose when we get higher up we shall see one of these; a very important one, which one of these railways entirely closed to the public, so that they might force people to send their goods by their private road, and so tax them as heavily as they could.
human
Well, she said,
gpt
It is both short and stupid enough, said I.
human
The river having lost its practical or commercial value--that is, being of no use to make money of--
gpt
I understand what that queer phrase means, said she.
human
Go on!
gpt
Well, it was utterly neglected, till at last it became a nuisance--
human
Yes, quoth Ellen,
gpt
I understand: like the railways and the robber knights. Yes?
human
So then they turned the makeshift business on to it, and handed it over to a body up in London, who from time to time, in order to show that they had something to do, did some damage here and there,--cut down trees, destroying the banks thereby; dredged the river (where it was not needed always), and threw the dredgings on the fields so as to spoil them; and so forth. But for the most part they practised 'masterly inactivity,' as it was then called--that is, they drew their salaries, and let things alone.
gpt
Drew their salaries, she said.
human
I know that means that they were allowed to take an extra lot of other people's goods for doing nothing. And if that had been all, it really might have been worth while to let them do so, if you couldn't find any other way of keeping them quiet; but it seems to me that being so paid, they could not help doing something, and that something was bound to be mischief,--because, said she, kindling with sudden anger,
gpt
Yes, said I,
human
Why do you sigh? she said, kindly and somewhat anxiously.
gpt
You seem to think that it will not last?
human
It will last for you,
gpt
But why not for you? said she.
human
Surely it is for all the world; and if your country is somewhat backward, it will come into line before long. Or, she said quickly,
gpt
Then she smiled on me, and said:
human
Do you know, I begin to suspect you of wanting to nurse a sham sorrow, like the ridiculous characters in some of those queer old novels that I have come across now and then.