Dick laughed. "My dear friend," said he, "as long as water has the
clumsy habit of running down hill, I fear we must humour it by going
up-stairs when we have our faces turned from the sea. And really I
don't see why you should fall foul of Maple-Durham lock, which I
think a very pretty place."

There was no doubt about the latter assertion, I thought, as I looked
up at the overhanging boughs of the great trees, with the sun coming
glittering through the leaves, and listened to the song of the summer
blackbirds as it mingled with the sound of the backwater near us. So
not being able to say why I wanted the locks away--which, indeed, I
didn't do at all--I held my peace. But Walter said -

"You see, guest, this is not an age of inventions. The last epoch
did all that for us, and we are now content to use such of its
inventions as we find handy, and leaving those alone which we don't
want. I believe, as a matter of fact, that some time ago (I can't
give you a date) some elaborate machinery was used for the locks,
though people did not go so far as try to make the water run up hill.
However, it was troublesome, I suppose, and the simple hatches, and
the gates, with a big counterpoising beam, were found to answer every
purpose, and were easily mended when wanted with material always to
hand: so here they are, as you see."

"Besides," said Dick, "this kind of lock is pretty, as you can see;
and I can't help thinking that your machine-lock, winding up like a
watch, would have been ugly and would have spoiled the look of the
river: and that is surely reason enough for keeping such locks as
these. Good-bye, old fellow!" said he to the lock, as he pushed us