at trough at
the hither end stood, or lay, the calm old village.

Forsaken as it was by the river, this village stuck to its ancient site
and home, and instead of migrating, contracted itself, and cast off
needless members. Shrunken Bruntsea clung about the oldest of its
churches, while the four others fell to rack and ruin, and settled into
cow-yards and barns, and places where old men might sit and sigh. But
Bruntsea distinctly and trenchantly kept the old town's division into
east and west.

East Bruntsea was wholly in the Major's manor, which had a special
charter; and most of the houses belonged to him. This ownership hitherto
had meant only that the landlord should do all the tumble-down repairs
(when the agent reported that they must be done), but never must enter
the door for his rent. The borough had been disfranchised, though the
snuggest of the snug for generations; and the freemen, thus being
robbed of their rights, had no power to discharge their duties. And to
complicate matters yet further, for the few who wished to simplify them,
the custom of "borough-English" prevailed, and governed the descent of
dilapidations, making nice niceties for clever men of law.

"You see a fine property here, Miss Wood," Major Hockin said to me,
as we sat, on the day after I was allowed to come, enjoying the fresh
breeze from the sea and the newness of the February air, and looking
abroad very generally: "a very fine property, but neglected--shamefully,
horribly, atrociously neglected--but capable of noble things, of grand
things, of magnificent, with a trifle of judicious outlay."

"Oh, please not to talk of outlay, my dear," said good Mrs. Hockin,
gently; "it is such an odious word; and where in the world is it to come
from?"

"Leave that to me. When I was a boy my favorite copy in my copy-book
was, 'Where there's a will there's a way.' Miss Wood, what is your
opinion? But wait, you must have time to understand the subject. First
we bring a railway--always the first step; why, the line is already made
for it by the course of the old river, and the distance from Newport
three miles and a half. It ought not to cost quite 200 pounds a
mile--the mere outlay for rails and sleepers. The land is all mine,
and--and of course other landed proprietors'. Very well: these would all
unite, of course; so that not a farthing need be paid for land, which is
the best half of the battle. We have the station here--not too near my
house