a narrow valley must always be.

He cast no envious glances at his neighbour's property. The Youle
was a boundary which none could dispute, and which could only be
conveniently crossed by the ferry, for the nearest bridge was seven
miles distant, at Brawnton, the old post-town.

From Brawnton the coach still ran once a week for the benefit of the
outlying villages, and the single line of rail which threaded the
valley of the Youle in the year 1900 was still a novelty to the
inhabitants of this unfrequented part of Devon.

Sir Timothy sometimes expressed a majestic pity for Colonel Hewel,
because the railway ran through some of his neighbour's best fields;
and also because Hewelscourt was on the wrong side of the river--faced
due north--and was almost buried in timber. But Colonel Hewel was
perfectly satisfied with his own situation, though sorry for Sir
Timothy, who lived within full view of the railway, but was obliged
to drive many miles round by Brawnton Bridge in order to reach the
station.

The two gentlemen seldom met. They lived in different parishes, and
administered justice in different directions. Sir Timothy's dignity
did not permit him to make use of the ferry, and he rarely drove
further than Brawnton, or rode much beyond the boundaries of his own
estate. He cared only for farming, whilst Colonel Hewel was devoted to
sport.

The Crewys family had been Squires of Barracombe, cultivating their
own lands and living upon them contentedly, for centuries before the