\"Whatlanguagedotheyspeak?\"
\"English,sir;theypridethemselvesonspeakinggoodEnglish,thatistotheWelsh。AmongstthemselvestheydiscourseintheirownPaddyGwyddel。\"
\"HavetheynoWelsh?\"
\"Onlyafewwords,sir;IneverheardoneofthemspeakingWelsh,saveayounggirl—shefellsickbytheroadsideasshewaswanderingbyherself—somepeopleatafarmhousetookherin,andtendedhertillshewaswell。Duringhersicknessshetookafancytotheirquietwayoflife,andwhenshewasrecoveredshebeggedtostaywiththemandservethem。Theyconsented;shebecameaverygoodservant,andhearingnothingbutWelshspoken,soonpickedupthetongue。\"
\"Doyouknowwhatbecameofher?\"
\"Ido,sir;herownpeoplefoundherout,andwishedtotakeherawaywiththem,butsherefusedtoletthem,forbythattimeshewasperfectlyreclaimed,hadbeentochapel,renouncedherheathencrefydd,andformedanacquaintancewithayoungMethodistwhohadagreatgiftofprayer,whomsheafterwardsmarried—sheandherhusbandliveatpresentnotfarfromMineira。\"
\"Ialmostwonderthatherownpeopledidnotkillher。\"
\"Theythreatenedtodoso,sir,andwoulddoubtlesshaveputtheirthreatintoexecution,hadtheynotbeenpreventedbytheManonHigh。\"
Andheremyguidepointedwithhisfingerreverentlyupward。
\"IsitalongtimesinceyouhaveseenanyoftheseGwyddeliaid?\"
\"Abouttwomonths,sir,andthenaterriblefrighttheycausedme。\"
\"Howwasthat?\"
\"Iwilltellyou,sir;IhadbeenacrosstheBerwyntocarryhomeapieceofweavingworktoapersonwhoemploysme。ItwasnightasIreturned,andwhenIwasabouthalfwaydownthehill,ataplacewhichiscalledAlltPaddy,becausetheGwyddelodareinthehabitoftakinguptheirquartersthere,Icameuponagangofthem,whohadcomethereandcampedandlightedtheirfire,whilstIwasontheothersideofthehill。Therewerenearlytwentyofthem,menandwomen,andamongsttherestwasamanstandingnakedinatubofwaterwithtwowomenstrokinghimdownwithclouts。Hewasalargefierce—lookingfellowandhisbody,onwhichtheflameofthefireglittered,wasnearlycoveredwithredhair。Ineversawsuchasight。AsIpassedtheyglaredatmeandtalkedviolentlyintheirPaddyGwyddel,butdidnotoffertomolestme。Ihasteneddownthehill,andrightgladIwaswhenIfoundmyselfsafeandsoundatmyhouseinLlangollen,withmymoneyinmypocket,forI
hadseveralshillingsthere,whichthemanacrossthehillhadpaidmefortheworkwhichIhaddone。\"
CHAPTERXV
TheTurfTavern—Don’tUnderstand—TheBestWelsh—TheMaidsofMerion—OldandNew—Ruthyn—TheAshYggdrasill。
WEnowemergedfromtheroughandnarrowwaywhichwehadfollowedforsomemiles,upononemuchwider,andmorecommodious,whichmyguidetoldmewasthecoachroadfromWrexhamtoRuthyn,andgoingonalittlefartherwecametoanavenueoftreeswhichshadedtheroad。Itwaschieflycomposedofash,sycamoreandbirch,andlookeddelightfullycoolandshady。Iaskedmyguideifitbelongedtoanygentleman’shouse。Hetoldmethatitdidnot,buttoapublic—house,calledTafarnTywarch,whichstoodneartheend,alittlewayofftheroad。\"WhyisitcalledTafarnTywarch?\"
saidI,struckbythenamewhichsignifies\"thetavernofturf。\"
\"Itwascalledso,sir,\"saidJohn,\"becauseitwasoriginallymerelyaturfhovel,thoughatpresentitconsistsofgoodbrickandmortar。\"
\"Canwebreakfastthere,\"saidI,\"forIfeelbothhungryandthirsty?\"
\"Ohyes,sir,\"saidJohn,\"Ihaveheardthereisgoodcheeseandcwrwthere。\"
Weturnedofftothe\"tafarn,\"whichwasadecentpublic—houseofratheranantiquatedappearance。Weenteredasandedkitchen,andsatdownbyalargeoakentable。\"Pleasetobringussomebread,cheeseandale,\"saidIinWelshtoanelderlywoman,whowasmovingabout。
\"Sar?\"saidshe。
\"Bringussomebread,cheeseandale,\"IrepeatedinWelsh。
\"Idonotunderstandyou,sar,\"saidsheinEnglish。
\"AreyouWelsh?\"saidIinEnglish。
\"Yes,IamWelsh!\"
\"AndcanyouspeakWelsh?\"
\"Ohyes,andthebest。\"
\"ThenwhydidyounotbringwhatIaskedfor?\"
\"BecauseIdidnotunderstandyou。\"
\"Tellher,\"saidItoJohnJones,\"tobringussomebread,cheeseandale。\"
\"Come,aunt,\"saidJohn,\"bringusbreadandcheeseandaquartofthebestale。\"
Thewomanlookedasifshewasgoingtoreplyinthetongueinwhichheaddressedher,thenfaltered,andatlastsaidinEnglishthatshedidnotunderstand。
\"Now,\"saidI,\"youarefairlycaught:thismanisaWelshman,andmoreoverunderstandsnolanguagebutWelsh。\"
\"Thenhowcanheunderstandyou?\"saidshe。
\"BecauseIspeakWelsh,\"saidI。
\"ThenyouareaWelshman?\"saidshe。
\"NoIamnot,\"saidI,\"IamEnglish。\"
\"SoIthought,\"saidshe,\"andonthataccountIcouldnotunderstandyou。\"
\"Youmeanthatyouwouldnot,\"saidI。\"Nowdoyouchoosetobringwhatyouarebidden?\"
\"Come,aunt,\"saidJohn,\"don’tbesillyandcenfigenus,butbringthebreakfast。\"
Thewomanstoodstillforamomentortwo,andthenbitingherlipswentaway。
\"Whatmadethewomanbehaveinthismanner?\"saidItomycompanion。
\"Oh,shewascenfigenus,sir,\"hereplied;\"shedidnotlikethatanEnglishgentlemanshouldunderstandWelsh;shewasenvious;youwillfindadozenortwolikeherinWales;butletushopenotmore。\"
Presentlythewomanreturnedwiththebread,cheeseandale,whichsheplacedonthetable。
\"Oh,\"saidI,\"youhavebroughtwhatwasbidden,thoughitwasnevermentionedtoyouinEnglish,whichshowsthatyourpretendingnottounderstandwasallasham。Whatmadeyoubehaveso?\"
\"WhyIthought,\"saidthewoman,\"thatnoEnglishmancouldspeakWelsh,thathistonguewastooshort。\"
\"Yourhavingthoughtso,\"saidI,\"shouldnothavemadeyoutellafalsehood,sayingthatyoudidnotunderstand,whenyouknewthatyouunderstoodverywell。Seewhatadisgracefulfigureyoucut。\"
\"Icutnodisgracedfigure,\"saidthewoman:\"afterall,whatrighthavetheEnglishtocomeherespeakingWelsh,whichbelongstotheWelshalone,whoinfactaretheonlypeoplethatunderstandit。\"
\"AreyousurethatyouunderstandWelsh?\"saidI。
\"Ishouldthinkso,\"saidthewoman,\"forIcomefromtheValeofClwyd,wheretheyspeakthebestWelshintheworld,theWelshoftheBible。\"
\"WhatdotheycallasalmonintheValeofClwyd?\"saidI。
\"Whatdotheycallasalmon?\"saidthewoman。\"Yes,\"saidI,\"whentheyspeakWelsh。\"
\"Theycallit—theycallit—whyasalmon。\"
\"PrettyWelsh!\"saidI。\"IthoughtyoudidnotunderstandWelsh。\"
\"Well,whatdoyoucallit?\"saidthewoman。
\"Eawg,\"saidI,\"thatisthewordforasalmoningeneral—buttherearewordsalsotoshowthesex—whenyouspeakofamalesalmonyoushouldsaycemyw,whenofafemalehwyfell。\"
\"Ineverheardthewordsbefore,\"saidthewoman,\"nordoIbelievethemtobeWelsh。\"
\"Yousayso,\"saidI,\"becauseyoudonotunderstandWelsh。\"
\"InotunderstandWelsh!\"saidshe。\"I’llsoonshowyouthatIdo。
Come,youhaveaskedmethewordforsalmoninWelsh,Iwillnowaskyouthewordforsalmon—trout。Nowtellmethat,andIwillsayyouknowsomethingofthematter。\"
\"Atinkerofmycountrycantellyouthat,\"saidI。\"Thewordforsalmon—troutisgleisiad。\"
Thecountenanceofthewomanfell。
\"Iseeyouknowsomethingaboutthematter,\"saidshe;\"thereareveryfewhereabouts,thoughsoneartotheValeofClwyd,whoknowthewordforsalmon—troutinWelsh,Ishouldn’thaveknownthewordmyself,butforthesongwhichsays:
Glanyw’rgleisiadynyllyn。\"
\"Andwhowrotethatsong?\"saidI。
\"Idon’tknow,\"saidthewoman。
\"ButIdo,\"saidI;\"oneLewisMorriswroteit。’
\"Oh,\"saidshe,\"IhaveheardallaboutHuwMorris。\"
\"IwasnottalkingofHuwMorris,\"saidI,\"butLewisMorris,wholivedlongafterHuwMorris。HewasanativeofAnglesea,butresidedforsometimeinMerionethshire,andwhilsttherecomposedasongabouttheMorwynionbroMeirionyddorthelassesofCountyMerionofagreatmanystanzas,inoneofwhichthegleisiadismentioned。HereitisinEnglish:
\"’Fullfairthegleisiadintheflood,Whichsparkles’neaththesummer’ssun,AndfairthethrushingreenabodeSpreadinghiswingsinsportivefun,Butfairerlookiftruthbespoke,ThemaidsofCountyMerion。’\"
Thewomanwasabouttoreply,butIinterruptedher。
\"There,\"saidI,\"prayleaveustoourbreakfast,andthenexttimeyoufeelinclinedtotalknonsenseaboutnoEnglishman’sunderstandingWelsh,orknowinganythingofWelshmatters,rememberthatitwasanEnglishmanwhotoldyoutheWelshwordforsalmon,andlikewisethenameoftheWelshmanwhowrotethesonginwhichthegleisiadismentioned。\"
Thealewasverygoodandsowerethebreadandcheese。ThealeindeedwassogoodthatIorderedasecondjug。Observingalargeantiqueportraitoverthemantel—pieceIgotuptoexamineit。Itwasthatofagentlemaninalongwig,andunderneathitwaspaintedinredletters\"SirWatkinWynn:1742。\"ItwasdoubtlesstheportraitoftheSirWatkinwho,in1745wascommittedtothetowerundersuspicionofbeingsuspectedofholdingJacobiteopinions,andfavouringthePretender。Theportraitwasaverypoordaub,butIlookedatitlongandattentivelyasamemorialofWalesatacriticalandlongpasttime。
Whenwehaddispatchedthesecondjugofale,andIhadpaidthereckoning,wedepartedandsooncametowherestoodaturnpikehouseatajunctionoftworoads,toeachofwhichwasagate。
\"Now,sir,\"saidJohnJones,\"thewaystraightforwardisthefforddnewydd,andtheoneonourrighthandisthehenffordd。
Whichshallwefollow,thenewortheold?\"
\"ThereisaproverbintheGerniweg,\"saidI,\"whichwasthelanguageofmyforefathers,saying,’ne’erleavetheoldwayforthenew,’wewillthereforegobythehenffordd。\"
\"Verygood,sir,\"saidmyguide,\"thatisthepathIalwaysgo,foritistheshortest。\"Soweturnedtotherightandfollowedtheoldroad。Perhaps,however,itwouldhavebeenwellhadwegonebythenew,forthehenfforddwasaverydullanduninterestingroad,whereasthefforddnewydd,asIlongsubsequentlyfound,isoneofthegrandestpassesinWales。Afterwehadwalkedashortdistancemyguidesaid,\"Now,sir,ifyouwillturnalittlewaytothelefthandIwillshowyouahouse,builtintheoldstyle,suchahouse,sir,asIdaresaytheoriginalturftavernwas。\"Thenleadingmealittlewayfromtheroadheshowedme,underahollowbank,asmallcottagecoveredwithflags。
\"Thatisahouse,sir,builtynyrhendullintheoldfashion,ofearth,flagsandwattlesandinonenight。Itwasthecustomofoldwhenahousewastobebuilt,forthepeopletoassemble,andtobuilditinonenightofcommonmaterials,closeathand。Thecustomisnotquitedead。Iwasatthebuildingofthismyself,andamerrybuildingitwas。Thecwrwdapassedquicklyaboutamongthebuilders,Iassureyou。\"Wereturnedtotheroad,andwhenwehadascendedahill,mycompaniontoldmethatifIlookedtotheleftIshouldseetheValeofClwyd。
Ilookedandperceivedanextensivevalleypleasantlydottedwithtreesandfarm—houses,andboundedonthewestbyarangeofhills。
\"Itisafinevalley,sir,\"saidmyguide,\"fourmileswideandtwentylong,andcontainstherichestlandinallWales。Cheesemadeinthatvalley,sir,fetchesapennyapoundmorethancheesemadeinanyothervalley。\"
\"Andwhoownsit?\"saidI。
\"Variousarethepeoplewhoownit,sir,butSirWatkinownsthegreaterpart。\"
Wewenton,passedbyavillagecalledCraigVychan,wherewesawanumberofwomenwashingatafountain,andbyagentledescentsoonreachedtheValeofClwyd。
Afterwalkingaboutamilewelefttheroadandproceededbyafootpathacrosssomemeadows。Themeadowsweregreenanddelightfulandwereintersectedbyabeautifulstream。Treesinabundanceweregrowingabout,someofwhichwereoaks。Wepassedbyalittlewhitechapelwithasmallgraveyardbeforeit,whichmyguidetoldmebelongedtotheBaptists,andshortlyafterwardsreachedRuthyn。
WewenttoaninncalledtheCrossedFoxes,wherewerefreshedourselveswithale。Wethensalliedforthtolookabout,afterI
hadorderedaducktobegotreadyfordinner,atthreeo’clock。
RuthynstandsonahillabovetheClwyd,whichinthesummerisamerebrook,butinthewinteraconsiderablestream,beingthenfedwiththewaterytributeofahundredhills。Aboutthreemilestothenorthisarangeofloftymountains,dividingtheshireofDenbighfromthatofFlint,amongstwhich,almostparallelwiththetown,andliftingitsheadhighabovetherest,isthemightyMoelVamagh,themotherheap,whichIhadseenfromChester。Ruthynisadulltown,butitpossessedplentyofinteresttome,forasI
strolledwithmyguideaboutthestreetsIrememberedthatIwastreadingthegroundwhichthewildbandsofGlendowerhadtrod,andwherethegreatstrugglecommenced,whichforfourteenyearsconvulsedWales,andforsometimeshookEnglandtoitscentre。
AfterIhadsatisfiedmyselfwithwanderingaboutthetownweproceededtothecastle。
Theoriginalcastlesufferedterriblyinthecivilwars;itwasheldforwretchedCharles,andwasnearlydemolishedbythecannonofCromwell,whichwereplantedonahillabouthalfamiledistant。Thepresentcastleispartlymodernandpartlyancient。
ItbelongstoafamilyofthenameofW—whoresideinthemodernpart,andwhohavethecharacterofbeingkind,hospitableandintellectualpeople。Weonlyvisitedtheancientpart,overwhichwewereshownbyawoman,whohearingusspeakingWelsh,spokeWelshherselfduringthewholetimeshewasshowingusabout。Sheshowedusdarkpassages,agloomyapartmentinwhichWelshkingsandgreatpeoplehadbeenoccasionallyconfined,thatstrangememorialofthegoodoldtimes,adrowningpit,andalargeprisonroom,inthemiddleofwhichstoodasingular—lookingcolumn,scrawledwithoddcharacters,whichhadofyorebeenusedforawhipping—post,anothermemorialofthegoodoldbaronialtimes,sodeartoromancereadersandmindsofsensibility。Amongstotherthingswhichourconductorshoweduswasanimmenseonenorash;itstoodinoneofthecourtsandmeasured,asshesaid,pedwaryhaneroladdyneigwmpas,orfouryardsandahalfingirth。AsI
gazedonthemightytreeIthoughtoftheAshYggdrasillmentionedintheVoluspa,orprophecyofVola,thatvenerablepoemwhichcontainssomuchrelatingtothemythologyoftheancientNorse。
Wereturnedtotheinnanddined。Theduckwascapital,andI
askedJohnJonesifhehadevertastedabetter。\"Never,sir,\"
saidhe,\"fortotellyouthetruth,Inevertastedaduckbefore。\"
\"Rathersingular,\"saidI。\"What,thatIshouldnothavetastedduck?Oh,sir,thesingularityis,thatIshouldnowbetastingduck。DuckinWales,sir,isnotfareforpoorweavers。ThisisthefirstduckIevertasted,andthoughInevertasteanother,asIprobablynevershall,Imayconsidermyselfafortunateweaver,forIcannowsayIhavetastedduckonceinmylife。FewweaversinWalesareeverabletosayasmuch。\"
CHAPTERXVI
BaptistTomb—Stone—TheToll—Bar—Rebecca—TheGuitar。
THEsunwasfastdecliningasweleftRuthyn。Weretracedourstepsacrossthefields。WhenwecametotheBaptistChapelIgotoverthewallofthelittleyardtolookatthegrave—stones。
Therewereonlythree。TheinscriptionsuponthemwereallinWelsh。ThefollowingstanzawasonthestoneofJane,thedaughterofElizabethWilliams,whodiedonthesecondofMay,1843:
\"Ermyn’di’roerllydanneddDrosdymherhiriorwedd,Cwydi’rlano’rgwelybriddAchyfrydfyddeihagwedd。\"
whichis\"ThoughthouartgonetodwellingcoldTolieinmouldformanyayear,Thoushalt,atlength,fromearthybed,Upliftthyheadtoblissfulsphere。\"
AswewentalongIstoppedtogazeatasingular—lookinghillformingpartofthemountainrangeontheeast。IaskedJohnJoneswhatitsnamewas,buthedidnotknow。Aswewerestandingtalkingaboutit,aladycameupfromthedirectioninwhichourcourselay。JohnJones,touchinghishattoher,said:
\"Madam,thisgwrboneddigwishestoknowthenameofthatmoel,perhapsyoucantellhim。\"
\"ItsnameisMoelAgrik,\"saidthelady,addressingmeinEnglish。
\"DoesthatmeanAgricola’shill?\"saidI。
\"Itdoes,\"saidshe,\"andthereisatraditionthattheRomanGeneralAgricola,whenheinvadedtheseparts,pitchedhiscamponthatmoel。ThehillisspokenofbyPennant。\"
\"Thankyou,madam,\"saidI;\"perhapsyoucantellmethenameofthedelightfulgroundsinwhichwestand,supposingtheyhaveaname?\"
\"TheyarecalledOaklands,\"saidthelady。
\"Averypropername,\"saidI,\"forthereisplentyofoaksgrowingabout。ButwhyaretheycalledbyaSaxonname,forOaklandsisSaxon?\"
\"Because,\"saidthelady,\"whenthegroundswerefirstplantedwithtreestheybelongedtoanEnglishfamily。\"
\"Thankyou,\"saidI,and,takingoffmyhat,Idepartedwithmyguide。Iaskedhimhername,buthecouldnottellme。Beforeshewasoutofsight,however,wemetalabourerofwhomJohnJonesenquiredhername。
\"HernameisW—s,\"saidtheman,\"andagoodladysheis。\"
\"IssheWelsh?\"saidI。
\"PureWelsh,master,\"saidtheman。\"PurerWelshfleshandbloodneednotbe。\"
Nothingfartherworthrelatingoccurredtillwereachedthetoll—
barattheheadofthehenffordd,bywhichtimethesunwasalmostgonedown。Wefoundthemasterofthegate,hiswifeandsonseatedonabenchbeforethedoor。Thewomanhadalargebookonherlap,inwhichshewasreadingbythelastlightofthedepartingorb。IgavethegrouptheseleoftheeveninginEnglish,whichtheyallreturned,thewomanlookingupfromherbook。
\"IsthatvolumetheBible?\"saidI。
\"Itis,sir,\"saidthewoman。
\"MayIlookatit?\"saidI。
\"Certainly,\"saidthewoman,andplacedthebookinmyhand。ItwasamagnificentWelshBible,butwithoutthetitle—page。
\"Thatbookmustbeagreatcomforttoyou,\"saidItoher。
\"Verygreat,\"saidshe。\"Iknownotwhatweshoulddowithoutitinthelongwinterevenings。\"
\"Ofwhatfaithareyou?\"saidI。
\"WeareMethodists,\"shereplied。
\"Thenyouareofthesamefaithasmyfriendhere,\"saidI。
\"Yes,yes,\"saidshe,\"weareawareofthat。WeallknowhonestJohnJones。\"
AfterwehadleftthegateIaskedJohnJoneswhetherhehadeverheardofRebeccaofthetoll—gates。
\"Oh,yes,\"saidhe;\"Ihaveheardofthatchieftainess。\"
\"Andwhowasshe?\"saidI。
\"Icannotsay,sir;Ineversawher,noranyonewhohadseenher。
SomesaythattherewereahundredRebeccas,andallofthemmendressedinwomen’sclothes,whowentaboutatnight,attheheadofbandstobreakthegates。Ah,sir,somethingofthekindwasalmostnecessaryatthattime。Iamafriendofpeace,sir,nohead—breaker,house—breaker,norgate—breaker,butIcanhardlyblamewhatwasdoneatthattime,underthenameofRebecca。YouhavenoideahowthepoorWelshwereoppressedbythosegates,aye,andtherichtoo。Thelittlepeopleandfarmerscouldnotcarrytheirproducetomarketowingtotheexactionsatthegates,whichdevouredalltheprofitandsometimesmore。Sothatthemarketswerenothalfsupplied,andpeoplewithmoneycouldfrequentlynotgetwhattheywanted。Complaintsweremadetogovernment,whichnotbeingattendedto,Rebeccaandherbyddinionmadetheirappearanceatnight,andbrokethegatestopieceswithsledge—
hammers,andeverybodysaiditwasgallantwork,everybodysavethekeepersofthegatesandtheproprietors。Notonlythepoorbuttherich,saidso。Aye,andIhaveheardthatmanyafineyounggentlemanhadahandinthework,andwentaboutatnightattheheadofabanddressedasRebecca。Well,sir,thosebreakingswereactsofviolence,Idon’tdeny,buttheydidgood,forthesystemisaltered;suchimpositionsarenolongerpractisedatgatesaswerebeforethetimeofRebecca。\"
\"Wereanypeopleevertakenupandpunishedforthosenocturnalbreakings?\"saidI。
\"No,sir;andIhaveheardsaythatnobody’sbeingtakenupwasaproofthattherichapprovedoftheworkandhadahandinit。\"
Nighthadcomeonbythetimewereachedthefootofthehugehillswehadcrossedinthemorning。Wetoileduptheascent,andaftercrossingthelevelgroundonthetop,plungeddownthebwlchbetweenwalkingandrunning,occasionallystumbling,forwewerenearlyincompletedarkness,andthebwlchwassteepandstony。Wemorethanoncepassedpeoplewhogaveusthen’sda,thehissingnightsalutationoftheWelsh。AtlengthIsawtheAbbeyloomingamidstthedarkness,andJohnJonessaidthat,wewerejustabovethefountain。Wedescended,andputtingmyheaddownIdrankgreedilyofthedwrsantaidd,myguidefollowingmyexample。Wethenproceededonourway,andinabouthalf—an—hourreachedLlangollen。ItookJohnJoneshomewithme。Wehadacheerfulcupoftea。Henriettaplayedontheguitar,andsangaSpanishsong,tothegreatdelightofJohnJones,whoataboutteno’clockdepartedcontentedandhappytohisowndwelling。
CHAPTERXVII
JohnJonesandhisBundle—AGoodLady—TheIrishman’sDingle—
AbGwilymandtheMist—TheKitchen—TheTwoIndividuals—TheHorse—Dealer—Icanmanagehim—TheMistAgain。
THEfollowingdaywasgloomy。IntheeveningJohnJonesmadehisappearancewithabundleunderhisarm,andanumbrellainhishand。
\"Sir,\"saidhe,\"Iamgoingacrossthemountainwithitpieceofweavingwork,forthemanontheotherside,whoemploysme。
Perhapsyouwouldliketogowithme,asyouarefondofwalking。\"
\"Isuppose,\"saidI,\"youwishtohavemycompanyforfearofmeetingGwyddeliansonthehill。\"
Johnsmiled。
\"Well,sir,\"saidhe,\"ifIdomeetthemIwouldsoonerbewithcompanythanwithout。ButIdareventurebymyself,trustingintheManonHigh,andperhapsIdowrongtoaskyoutogo,asyoumustbetiredwithyourwalkofyesterday。\"
\"Hardlymorethanyourself,\"saidI。\"Come;Ishallbegladtogo。
WhatIsaidabouttheGwyddelianswasonlyinjest。\"
AswewereabouttodepartJohnsaid:
\"Itdoesnotrainatpresent,sir,butIthinkitwill。Youhadbettertakeanumbrella。\"
Ididso,andawaywewent。Wepassedoverthebridge,andturningtotherightwentbythebackofthetownthroughafield。AswepassedbythePlasNewyddJohnJonessaid:
\"Noonelivestherenow,sir;alldarkanddreary;verydifferentfromthestateofthingswhentheladieslivedthere—allgaythenandcheerful。Iremembertheladies,sir,particularlythelast,wholivedbyherselfafterhercompaniondied。Shewasagoodlady,andverykindtothepoor;whentheycametohergatetheywereneversentawaywithoutsomethingtocheerthem。Shewasagrandladytoo—keptgrandcompany,andusedtobedrawnaboutinacoachbyfourhorses。Butshetooisgone,andthehouseiscoldandempty;nofireinit,sir;nofurniture。Therewasanauctionafterherdeath;andagrandauctionitwasandlastedfourdays。
Oh,whatathrongofpeopletherewas,someofwhomcamefromagreatdistancetobuythecuriousthings,ofwhichtherewereplenty。\"