hidden places, which had been mysterious mines for exploration in leafy summer, now exposed themselves and their secrets pathetically, - Kenneth Grahame

What is the meaning of this gross outrage?

The Mole was bewitched, entranced, fascinated. By the side of the river he trotted as one trots, when very small, by the side of a man who holds one spellbound by exciting stories; and when tired at last, he sat on the bank, while the river still chattered on to him, a babbling procession of the best stories in the world, sent from the heart of the earth to be told at last to the insatiable sea.

stopped rowing as the liquid run of that glad piping broke on him like a wave, caught him up, and possessed him utterly.