GOLDEN VALLEY 49 



farm-hands, he was wise in the lore of the 

 countryside ; and with knowledge came con- 

 fidence, which led to his wandering 'farther and 

 farther afield. He roamed as far as three miles 

 from the seat, to which he nevertheless continued 

 to return, until he happened on a wild bottom 

 which the country folk have named Golden 

 Valley. 



It was a beautiful starlight night when he 

 came to the brow overlooking it, and sat down 

 to gaze at the mill, the pool above it, and the 

 glimpses of stream showing in the gorse like 

 silver stitched on black velvet. A will o' the 

 wisp was flitting to and fro near the bend 

 of the valley, and a white owl was searching 

 the stubble before the miller's cottage ; otherwise 

 nothing stirred ; so presently the leveret made 

 his way down and down the rugged hillside to 

 the stream. This he followed as far as the 

 mill-pool ; then, after glancing round the rushy 

 margin, he retraced his steps and crossed the 

 stream below the mill. Sometimes along the 

 bank, sometimes within a stone's throw as the 

 bushes allowed, he held on to the swampy ground 

 where the weird light still floated hither and 

 thither and, passing between patches of iris and 

 watermint, came to some mounds carpeted with 

 thyme, on which he remained to feed. From 



