It chanced that over this valley there lay a pass into a neighbouring kingdom; so that, quiet and rural as it was, the road that ran along beside the river was a high thoroughfare between two splendid and powerful societies.

All through the summer, travelling-carriages came crawling up, or went plunging briskly downwards past the mill; and as it happened that the other side was very much easier of ascent, the path was not much frequented, except by people going in one direction; and of all the carriages that Will saw go by, five-sixths were plunging briskly downwards and only one-sixth crawling up.

Much more was this the case with foot-passengers.

All the light- footed tourists, all the pedlars laden with strange wares, were tending downward like the river that accompanied their path.

Nor was this all; for when Will was yet a child a disastrous war arose over a great part of the world.