\"Tut,tut,\"saidthemaningrey。
\"Ispeakthetruthandcarefornoone,\"saidheofthetatteredhat。\"Isaythegreatestprydydd。IfanyonewishestogainsaymelethimshowhisfaceandMynDiawl—\"
Thelandlordbroughttheale,placeditonthetable,andthenstoodasifwaitingforsomething。
\"Isupposeyouarewaitingtobepaid,\"saidI;\"whatisyourdemand?\"
\"Sixpenceforthisjug,andsixpencefortheother,\"saidthelandlord。
Itookoutashillingandsaid:\"ItisbutrightthatIshouldpayhalfofthereckoning,andasthewholeaffairismerelyashillingmatter,Ishouldfeelobligedinbeingpermittedtopaythewhole,so,landlord,taketheshillingandrememberyouarepaid。\"Ithendeliveredtheshillingtothelandlord,buthadnosoonerdonesothanthemaningrey,startingupinviolentagitation,wrestedthemoneyfromtheother,andflungitdownonthetablebeforemesaying:—
\"No,no,thatwillneverdo。Iinvitedyouinheretodrink,andnowyouwouldpayfortheliquorwhichIordered。YouEnglisharefreewithyourmoney,butyouaresometimesfreewithitattheexpenseofpeople’sfeelings。IamaWelshman,andIknowEnglishmenconsiderallWelshmenhogs。Butwearenothogs,mindyou!forwehavelittlefeelingswhichhogshavenot。Moreover,I
wouldhaveyouknowthatwehavemoney,thoughperhapsnotsomuchastheSaxon。\"Thenputtinghishandintohispocket,hepulledoutashilling,andgivingittothelandlord,saidinWelsh:\"Nowthouartpaid,andmaystgothywaystillthouartagaincalledfor。Idonotknowwhythoudidststayafterthouhadstputdowntheale。Thoudidstknowenoughofmetoknowthatthoudidstrunnoriskofnotbeingpaid。\"
\"But,\"saidI,afterthelandlordhaddeparted,\"Imustinsistonbeingmyshare。DidyounothearmesaythatIwouldgiveaquartofaletoseeapoet?\"
\"Apoet’sface,\"saidthemaningrey,\"shouldbecommontoall,evenlikethatofthesun。Heisnotruepoet,whowouldkeephisfacefromtheworld。\"
\"But,\"saidI,\"thesunfrequentlyhideshisheadfromtheworld,behindacloud。\"
\"Notso,\"saidthemaningrey。\"Thesundoesnothidehisface,itisthecloudthathidesit。Thesunisalwaysgladenoughtobeseen,andsoisthepoet。Ifbothareoccasionallyhid,trustmeitisnofaultoftheirs。Bearthatinmind;andnowpraytakeupyourmoney。\"
\"Themanisagentleman,\"thoughtItomyself,\"whetherapoetornot;butIreallybelievehimtobeapoet;werehenothecouldhardlytalkinthemannerIhavejustheardhim。\"
Themaningreynowfilledmyglass,hisown,andthatofhiscompanion。Thelatteremptiedhisinaminute,notforgettingfirsttosay\"thebestprydyddinalltheworld!\"themaningreywasalsonotslowtoemptyhisown。Thejugnowpassedrapidlybetweenmytwofriends,forthepoetseemeddeterminedtohavehisfullshareofthebeverage。Iallowedthealeinmyglasstoremainuntasted,andbegantotalkaboutthebards,andtoquotefromtheirworks。Isoonfoundthatthemaningreyknewquiteasmuchoftheoldbardsandtheirworksasmyself。Inoneinstanceheconvictedmeofamistake。
Ihadquotedthoseremarkablelinesinwhichanoldbard,doubtlessseeingtheMenaiBridgebymeansofsecondsight,says:—\"IwillpasstothelandofMonanotwithstandingthewatersoftheMenai,withoutwaitingfortheebb\"—andwasfeelingnotalittleproudofmyerudition,whenthemaningreyafterlookingatmeforamomentfixedly,askedmethenameofthebardwhocomposedthem。
\"SionTudor,\"Ireplied。
\"Thereyouarewrong,\"saidthemaningrey;\"hisnamewasnotSionTudorbutRobertVychan,inEnglish,LittleBob。SionTudorwroteanenglynontheSkerrieswhirlpoolintheMenai;butitwasLittleBobwhowrotethestanzainwhichthefuturebridgeovertheMenaiishintedat。\"
\"Youareright,\"saidI,\"youareright。Well,IamgladthatallsongandlearningarenotdeadinYnisFon。\"
\"Dead,\"saidthemaningrey,whosefeaturesbegantoberatherflushed,\"theyareneitherdeadnoreverwillbe。ThereareplentyofpoetsinAnglesey—why,Icanmentiontwelve,andamongstthemandnottheleast—pooh,whatwasIgoingtosay?twelvethereare,genuineAngleseypoets,bornthere,andlivingthereforthelovetheybeartheirnativeland。WhenIsaytheyallliveinAnglesey,perhapsIamnotquiteaccurate,foroneofthedozendoesnotexactlyliveinAnglesey,butjustoverthebridge。Heisanelderlyman,buthisawen,Iassureyou,isasyoungandvigorousasever。\"
\"Ishouldn’tbeatallsurprised,\"saidI,\"ifhewasacertainancientgentleman,fromwhomIobtainedinformationyesterday,withrespecttothebirth—placeofGronwyOwen。\"
\"Verylikely,\"saidthemaningrey;\"well,ifyouhaveseenhimconsideryourselffortunate,forheisagenuinebard,andagenuinesonofAnglesey,notwithstandinghelivesacrossthewater。\"
\"IfheisthepersonIalludeto,\"saidI,\"Iamdoublyfortunate,forIhaveseentwobardsofAnglesey。\"
\"Sir,\"saidthemaningrey,\"Iconsidermyselfquiteasfortunate,inhavingmetsuchaSaxonasyourself,asitispossibleforyoutodo,inhavingseentwobardsofYnisFon。\"
\"Isupposeyoufollowsomepursuitbesidesbardism?\"saidI;\"I
supposeyoufarm?\"
\"Idonotfarm,\"saidthemaningrey,\"Ikeepaninn。\"
\"Keepaninn?\"saidI。
\"Yes,\"saidthemaningrey。\"The—ArmsatL—。\"
\"Sure,\"saidI,\"inn—keepingandbardismarenotverycognatepursuits?\"
\"Youarewrong,\"saidthemaningrey;\"Ibelievetheawen,orinspiration,isquiteasmuchathomeinthebarasinthebarn,perhapsmore。ItisthatbeliefwhichmakesmetolerablysatisfiedwithmypositionandpreventsmefromaskingSirRichardtogivemeafarminsteadofaninn。\"
\"Isuppose,\"saidI,\"thatSirRichardisyourlandlord?\"
\"Heis,\"saidthemaningrey,\"andarightnoblelandlordtoo。\"
\"Isuppose,\"saidI,’thatheisrightproudofhistenant?\"
\"Heis,\"saidthemaningrey,\"andIamproudofmylandlord,andwillheredrinkhishealth。IhaveoftensaidthatifIwerenotwhatIam,IshouldwishtobeSirRichard。\"
\"Youconsideryourselfhissuperior?\"saidI。
\"Ofcourse,\"saidthemaningrey—\"abaronetisabaronet;butabard,isabardyouknow—IneverforgetwhatIam,andtherespectduetomysublimecalling。AboutamonthagoIwasseatedinanupperapartmentinafitofrapture。Therewasapeninmyhand,andpaperbeforemeonthetable,andlikewiseajugofgoodale,forIalwaysfindthattheawenismostprodigalofherfavourswhenajugofgoodaleisbeforeme。Allofasuddenmywifecamerunningup,andtoldmethatSirRichardwasbelow,andwantedtospeaktome。’Tellhimtowalkup,’saidI。’Areyoumad?’saidmywife。’Don’tyouknowwhoSirRichardis?’’Ido,’
saidI,’abaronetisabaronet,butabardisabard。Tellhimtowalkup。’Well,mywifewentandtoldSirRichardthatIwaswriting,andcouldnotcomedown,andthatshehopedhewouldnotobjecttowalkup。’Certainlynot;certainlynot,’saidSirRichard。’Ishallbeonlytoohappytoascendtoageniusonhishill。Youmaybeproudofsuchahusband,MrsW。’AndhereitwillbeaswelltotellyouthatmynameisW。—J。W。of—。SirRichardthencameup,andIreceivedhimwithgravityandpoliteness。Ididnotriseofcourse,forIneverforgetmyselfamoment,butItoldhimtositdown,andadded,thatafterIhadfinishedthepennillIwasengagedupon,Iwouldspeaktohim。
Well,SirRichardsmiledandsatdown,andbeggedmenottohurrymyself,forthathecouldwait。SoIfinishedthepennill,deliberately,mindyou,forIdidnotforgetwhoIwas,andthenturningtoSirRichardentereduponbusinesswithhim。\"
\"IsupposeSirRichardisaverygood—temperedman?\"saidI。
\"Idon’tknow,\"saidthemaningrey。\"IhaveseenSirRichardinadevilofapassion,butneverwithme—no,no!TrustSirRichardfornotridingthehighhorsewithme—abaronetisabaronet,butabardisabard;andthatSirRichardknows。\"
\"Thegreatestprydydd,\"saidthemanofthetatteredhat,emptyingthelastcontentsofthejugintohisglass,\"thegreatestprydyddthat—\"
\"Well,\"saidI,\"youappeartoenjoyverygreatconsideration,andyetyouweretalkingjustnowofbeingill—used。\"
\"SoIhavebeen,\"saidthemaningrey,\"Ihavebeenkeptoutoftheeisteddfoddau—andthen—whatdoyouthink?Thatfellow,theeditoroftheTIMES—\"
\"Oh,\"saidI,\"ifyouhaveanythingtodowiththeeditoroftheTIMESyoumay,ofcourse,expectnothingbutshabbytreatment,butwhatbusinesscouldyouhavewithhim?\"
\"WhyIsenthimsomepennillionforinsertion,andhedidnotinsertthem。\"
\"WeretheyinWelshorEnglish?\"
\"InWelsh,ofcourse。\"
\"Well,thenthemanhadsomeexcusefordisregardingthem—becauseyouknowtheTIMESiswritteninEnglish。\"
\"Oh,youmeantheLondonTIMES,\"saidthemaningrey。\"Pooh!I
didnotalludetothattrumperyjournal,buttheLiverpoolTIMES,theAmserau。Isentsomepennilliontotheeditorforinsertionandhedidnotinsertthem。PethaclwircenfigenynSaesneg?\"
\"WecallcenfigeninEnglishenvy,\"saidI;\"butasItoldyoubefore,envywillnotalwaysprevail。\"
\"YoucannotimaginehowpleasedIamwithyourcompany,\"saidthemaningrey。\"Landlord,landlord!\"
\"Thegreatestprydydd,\"saidthemanofthetatteredhat,\"thegreatestprydydd。\"
\"Praydon’torderanymoreonmyaccount,\"saidI,\"asyouseemyglassisstillfull。IamabouttostartforCaerGybi。Pray,whereareyouboundfor?\"
\"ForBangor,\"saidthemaningrey。\"Iamgoingtothemarket。\"
\"ThenIwouldadviseyoutolosenotime,\"saidI,\"oryouwillinfalliblybetoolate;itmustnowbeoneo’clock。\"
\"Thereisnomarketto—day,\"saidthemaningrey,\"themarketisto—morrow,whichisSaturday。Iliketotakethingsleisurely,onwhichaccount,whenIgotomarket,Igenerallysetoutthedaybefore,inorderthatImayenjoymyselfupontheroad。IfeelmyselfsohappyherethatIshallnotstirtilltheevening。Nowpraystaywithmeandmyfriendtillthen。\"
\"Icannot,\"saidI,\"ifIstaylongerhereIshallneverreachCaerGybito—night。ButallowmetoaskwhetheryourbusinessatL—
willnotsufferbyyourspendingsomuchtimeontheroadtomarket?\"
\"MywifetakescareofthebusinesswhilstIamaway,\"saidthemaningrey,\"soitwon’tsuffermuch。Indeeditisshewhochieflyconductsthebusinessoftheinn。Ispendagooddealoftimefromhome,forbesidesbeingabardandinn—keeper,ImusttellyouIamahorse—dealerandajobber,andifIgotoBangoritisinthehopeofpurchasingahorseorpigworththemoney。\"
\"Andisyourfriendgoingtomarkettoo?\"saidI。
\"Myfriendgoeswithmetoassistmeandbearmecompany。IfIbuyapighewillhelpmetodriveithome;ifahorse,hewillgetupuponitsbackbehindme。Imightperhapsdowithouthim,butI
enjoyhiscompanyhighly。Heissometimesratherindiscreet,butI
doassureyouheisexceedinglyclever。\"
\"Thegreatestprydydd,\"saidthemanofthebulgedshoe,\"thegreatestprydyddintheworld。\"
\"Oh,Ihavenodoubtofhiscleverness,\"saidI,\"fromwhatIhaveobservedofhim。NowbeforeIgoallowmetopayforyournextjugofale。\"
\"Iwilldonosuchthing,\"saidthemaningrey。\"Nofarthingdoyoupayhereformeormyfriendeither。ButIwilltellyouwhatyoumaydo。Iam,asIhavetoldyou,aninn—keeperaswellasabard。BythetimeyougettoL—youwillbehotandhungryandinneedofrefreshment,andifyouthinkpropertopatronisemyhouse,the—Arms,bytakingyourchopandpintthere,youwillobligeme。
Landlord,somemoreale。\"
\"Thegreatestprydydd,\"saidheofthebulgedshoe,\"thegreatestprydydd—\"
\"Iwillmostcertainlypatroniseyourhouse,\"saidItothemaningrey,andshakinghimheartilybythehandIdeparted。
CHAPTERXXXVIII
InnatL—TheHandmaid—TheDecanter—ReligiousGentleman—
TrulyDistressing—Sententiousness—WaytoPayBills。
IPROCEEDEDonmywayinhighspiritsindeed,havingnowseennotonlythetomboftheTudors,butoneofthosesoberpoetsforwhichAngleseyhasalwaysbeensofamous。Thecountrywaspretty,withhereandthereahill,aharvest—field,aclumpoftreesoragrove。
IsoonreachedL—,asmallbutneattown。\"Whereisthe—Arms?\"
saidItoamanwhomImet。
\"Yonder,sir,yonder,\"saidhe,pointingtoamagnificentstructureontheleft。
Iwentinandfoundmyselfinaspacioushall。Agood—lookingyoungwomaninawhitedresswithaprofusionofpinkribbonsconfrontedmewithacurtsey。\"Apintandachop!\"Iexclaimed,withaflourishofmyhandandatthetopofmyvoice。Thedamselgaveakindofstart,andthen,withsomethinglikeatossofthehead,ledthewayintoaverylargeroom,ontheleft,inwhichweremanytables,coveredwithsnowy—whitecloths,onwhichwereplates,knivesandforks,thelatterseeminglyofsilver,tumblers,andwine—glasses。
\"Ithinkyouaskedforapintandachop,sir?\"saidthedamsel,motioningmetositdownatoneofthetables。
\"Idid,\"saidI,asIsatdown,\"letthembebroughtwithallconvenientspeed,forIaminsomethingofahurry。\"
\"Verywell,sir,\"saidthedamsel,andthenwithanotherkindoftossofthehead,shewentaway,notforgettingtoturnhalfround,totakeafurtiveglanceatme,beforeshewentoutofthedoor。
\"Well,\"saidI,asIlookedatthetables,withtheirsnowy—whitecloths,tumblers,wine—glassesandwhatnot,andatthewallsoftheroomglitteringwithmirrors,\"surelyapoetneverkeptsomagnificentaninnbefore;theremustbesomethinginthisfellowbesidestheawen,orhishousewouldneverexhibitsuchmarksofprosperityandgoodtaste—theremustbesomethinginthisfellow;
thoughhepretendstobeawilderraticsonofParnassus,hemusthaveaneyetothemainchance,ageniusforturningthepenny,orratherthesovereign,fortheaccommodationhereisnopennyaccommodation,asIshallprobablyfind。Perhaps,however,likemyself,hehasanexceedinglycleverwifewho,whilstheismakingverses,orrunningaboutthecountryswiggingalewithpeopleinbulgedshoes,orbuyingpigsorglanderedhorses,looksaftermattersathome,drivesaswingingtrade,andkeepsnotonlyherself,buthimrespectable—buteveninthateventhemusthaveagooddealofcommon—senseinhim,evenlikemyself,whoalwaysallowsmywifetobuyandsell,carrymoneytothebank,drawcheques,inspectandpaytradesmen’sbills,andtransactallmyrealbusiness,whilstImyselfporeoveroldbooks,walkaboutshires,discoursingwithgypsies,underhedgerows,orwithsoberbards—inhedgeale—houses。\"Icontinuedmusinginthismanneruntilthehandmaidmadeherappearancewithatray,onwhichwerecoversandadecanter,whichsheplacedbeforeme。\"Whatisthat?\"
saidI,pointingtoadecanter。
\"Onlyapintofsherry,sir,\"saidsheofthewhitedressandribbons。
\"Dearme,\"saidI,\"Iorderednosherry,Iwantedsomeale—apintofale。\"
\"Youcalledforapint,sir,\"saidthehandmaid,\"butyoumentionednoale,andInaturallysupposedthatagentlemanofyourappearance\"—heresheglancedatmydustycoat—\"andspeakinginthetoneyoudid,wouldnotcondescendtodrinkalewithhischop;
however,asitseemsIhavebeenmistaken,Icantakeawaythesherryandbringyoutheale。\"
\"Well,well,\"saidI,\"youcanletthesherryremain;Idonotlikesherry,andamveryfondofale,butyoucanletthewineremain;
uponthewholeIamgladyoubroughtit—indeedImerelycametodoagoodturntothemasterofthehouse。\"
\"Thankyou,sir,\"saidthehandmaid。
\"Areyouhisdaughter?\"saidI。
\"Ohno,sir,\"saidthehandmaidreverently;\"onlyhiswaiter。\"
\"Youmaybeproudtowaitonhim,\"saidI。
\"Iam,sir,\"saidthehandmaid,castingdownhereyes。
\"Isupposeheismuchrespectedintheneighbourhood?\"saidI。
\"Verymuchso,sir,\"saidthedamsel,\"especiallyamidsttheconnection。\"
\"Theconnection,\"saidI。\"Ah,Isee,hehasextensiveconsanguinity,mostWelshhave。But,\"Icontinued,\"thereissuchathingasenvyintheworld,andthereareagreatmanymaliciouspeopleintheworld,whospeakagainsthim。\"
\"Agreatmany,sir,butwetakewhattheysayfromwhenceitcomes。\"
\"Youdoquiteright,\"saidI。\"Hasyourmasterwrittenanypoetrylately?\"
\"Sir!\"saidthedamselstaringatme。
\"Anypoetry,\"saidI,\"anypennillion?\"
\"No,sir,\"saidthedamsel;\"mymasterisarespectableman,andwouldscorntodoanythingofthekind。\"
\"Why,\"saidI,\"isnotyourmasterabardaswellasaninnkeeper?\"
\"Mymaster,sir,isaninnkeeper,\"saidthedamsel;\"butasfortheother,Idon’tknowwhatyoumean。\"
\"Abard,\"saidI,\"isaprydydd,apersonwhomakesverses—
pennillion;doesnotyourmastermakethem?\"
\"Mymastermakethem?No,sir;mymasterisareligiousgentleman,andwouldscorntomakesuchprofanestuff。\"
\"Well,\"saidI,\"hetoldmehedidwithinthelasttwohours。I
methimatDyffrinGaint,alongwithanotherman,andhetookmeintothepublic—house,wherewehadadealofdiscourse。\"
\"YoumetmymasteratDyffrynGaint?\"saidthedamsel。
\"Yes,\"saidI,\"andhetreatedmewithale,toldmethathewasapoet,andthathewasgoingtoBangortobuyahorseorapig。\"
\"Idon’tseehowthatcouldbe,sir,\"saidthedamsel;\"mymasterisatpresentinthehouse,ratherunwell,andhasnotbeenoutforthelastthreedays—theremustbesomemistake。\"
\"Mistake,\"saidI。\"Isn’tthisthe—Arms?\"
\"Yes,sir,itis。\"
\"Andisn’tyourmaster’snameW—?\"
\"No,sir,mymaster’snameisH—,andamorerespectableman—\"
\"Well,\"saidIinterruptingher—\"allIcansayisthatImetamaninDyffrynGaint,whotreatedmewithale,toldmethathisnamewasW—,thathewasaprydyddandkeptthe—ArmsatL—。\"
\"Well,\"saidthedamsel,\"nowIremember,thereisapersonofthatnameinL—,andhealsokeepsahousewhichhecallsthe—Arms,butitisonlyapublic—house。\"
\"But,\"saidI,\"ishenotaprydydd,anillustriouspoet;doeshenotwritepennillionwhicheverybodyadmires?\"
\"Well,\"saidthedamsel,\"Ibelievehedoeswritethingswhichhecallspennillions,buteverybodylaughsatthem。\"
\"Come,come,\"saidI,\"Iwillnotheartheproductionsofamanwhotreatedmewithale,spokenofwithdisrespect。Iamafraidthatyouareoneofhisenviousmaligners,ofwhichhegavemetounderstandthathehadagreatmany。\"
\"Envious,sir!notIindeed;andifIweredisposedtobeenviousofanybodyitwouldnotbeofhim;ohdear,whyheis—\"
\"AbardofAnglesey,\"saidI,interruptingher,\"suchapersonasGronwyOwendescribesinthefollowinglines,whichby—the—byewerewrittenuponhimself:—
\"’Where’erhegoeshe’ssuretofindRespectfullooksandgreetingskind。’
\"ItellyouthatitwasoutofrespecttothatmanthatIcametothishouse。HadInotthoughtthathekeptit,Ishouldnothaveentereditandcalledforapintandchop—howdistressing!howtrulydistressing!\"
\"Well,sir,\"saidthedamsel,\"ifthereisanythingdistressingyouhaveonlytothankyouracquaintancewhochoosestocallhismug—
housebythenameofarespectablehotel,forIwouldhaveyouknowthatthisisanhotel,andkeptbyarespectableandareligiousman,andnotkeptby—However,Iscorntosaymore,especiallyasImightbemisinterpreted。Sir,there’syourpintandchop,andifyouwishforanythingelseyoucanring。Envious,indeed,ofsuch—Marrycomeup!\"andwithatossofherhead,higherthananyshehadhithertogiven,shebouncedoutoftheroom。
Herewasaprettyaffair!IhadenteredthehouseandorderedthechopandpintinthebeliefthatbysodoingIwaspatronisingthepoet,andlo,Iwasnotinthepoet’shouse,andmyorderwouldbenefitapersonforwhom,howeverrespectableandreligious,I
carednotonerush。Moreover,thepintwhichIhadorderedappearedintheguisenotofale,whichIamfondof,butofsherry,forwhichIhavealwaysentertainedasovereigncontempt,asasilly,sicklycompound,theuseofwhichwilltransformanation,howeverboldandwarlikebynature,intoaraceofsketchers,scribblers,andpunsters,infactintowhatEnglishmenareatthepresentday。Butwhowastoblame?Why,whobutthepoetandmyself?ThepoetoughttohavetoldmethatthereweretwohousesinL—bearingthesignofthe—Arms,andthatImustfightshyofthehotelandsteerforthepot—house,andwhenIgavetheorderIcertainlyoughttohavebeenalittlemoreexplicit;
whenIsaidapintIoughttohaveadded—ofale。Sententiousnessisafinethingsometimes,butnotalways。Bybeingsententioushere,Igotsherry,whichIdislike,insteadofalewhichIlike,andshouldhavetopaymoreforwhatwasdisagreeable,thanI
shouldhavehadtopayforwhatwasagreeable。YetIhadmerelyechoedthepoet’swordsincallingforapintandchop,soafterallthepoetwastoblameforbothmistakes。ButperhapshemeantthatIshoulddrinksherryathishouse,andwhenheadvisedmetocallforapint,hemeantapintofsherry。Butthemaidhadsaidhekeptapot—house,andnopot—houseshavewine—licences;butthemaidafterallmightbeanenviousbaggage,andnobetterthansheshouldbe。Butwhatwasnowtobedone?Why,clearlymakethebestofthematter,eatthechopandleavethesherry。SoI
commencedeatingthechop,whichwasbythistimenearlycold。
AftereatingafewmorselsIlookedatthesherry:\"Imayaswelltakeaglass,\"saidI。SowithawryfaceIpouredmyselfoutaglass。
\"Whatdetestablestuff!\"saidI,afterIhaddrunkit。\"However,asIshallhavetopayforitImayaswellgothroughwithit。\"
SoIpouredmyselfoutanotherglass,andbythetimeIhadfinishedthechopIhadfinishedthesherryalso。
AndnowwhatwasItodonext?Why,mybestadviceseemedtobetopaymybillanddepart。ButIhadpromisedthepoettopatronizehishouse,andhadbymistakeorderedanddespatchedapintandchopinahousewhichwasnotthepoet’s。ShouldInowgotohishouseandorderapintandchopthere?Decidedlynot!IhadpatronisedahousewhichIbelievedtobethepoet’s;ifI
patronisedthewrongone,thefaultwashis,notmine—heshouldhavebeenmoreexplicit。Ihadperformedmypromise,atleastinintention。
PerfectlysatisfiedwiththeconclusionIhadcometo,Irangthebell。\"Thebill?\"saidItothehandmaid。
\"Hereitis!\"saidshe,placingastripofpaperinmyhand。
Ilookedatthebill,and,whethermoderateorimmoderate,paiditwithasmilingcountenance,commandedtheentertainmenthighly,andgavethedamselsomethinghandsomeforhertroubleinwaitingonme。
Reader,pleasetobearinmindthatasallbillsmustbepaid,itismuchmorecomfortabletopaythemwithasmilethanwithafrown,andthatitismuchbetterbygivingsixpence,orashillingtoapoorservant,whichyouwillnevermissattheyear’send,tobefollowedfromthedoorofaninnbygoodwishes,thanbygivingnothingtobepursuedbycuttingsilence,ortheyetmorecuttingHm!
\"Sir,\"saidthegood—looking,well—ribboneddamsel,\"Iwishyouapleasantjourney,andwheneveryoupleaseagaintohonourourestablishmentwithyourpresence,bothmymasterandmyselfshallbeinfinitelyobligedtoyou。\"
CHAPTERXXXIX
OatsandMethodism—TheLittleGirl—TyGwyn—BirdoftheRoof—
PurestEnglish—Railroads—Inconsistency—TheBoots。
ITmightbeaboutfourintheafternoonwhenIleftL—boundforPenCaerGybi,orHolyhead,seventeenmilesdistant。Ireachedthetopofthehillonthewestofthelittletown,andthenwalkedbrisklyforward。Thecountrylookedpoorandmean—onmyrightwasafieldofoats,onmyleftaMethodistchapel—oatsandMethodism!whatbettersymbolsofpovertyandmeanness?
Iwentonwardalongway,theweatherwasbroilinghot,andIfeltthirsty。Onthetopofalongascentstoodahousebytheroadside。Iwenttothedoorandknocked—noanswer—\"Oesnebynyty?\"saidI。
\"Oes!\"saidaninfantinevoice。