第30章
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  dustysurlycountenance。IaskedhiminWelshifIwasintherightdirectionforWrexham,heansweredinasurlymannerinEnglish,thatIwas。IagainspoketohiminWelsh,makingsomeindifferentobservationontheweather,andheansweredinEnglishyetmoregrufflythanbefore。ForthethirdtimeIspoketohiminWelsh,whereuponlookingatmewithagrinofsavagecontempt,andshowingasetofteethlikethoseofamastiff,hesaid,\"How’sthis?whyyouhaven’tawordofEnglish?Aprettyfellowyou,withalongcoatonyourbackandnoEnglishonyourtongue,an’tyouashamedofyourself?Why,hereamIinashortcoat,yetI’dhaveyoutoknowthatIcanspeakEnglishaswellasWelsh,ayeandagooddealbetter。\"\"Allpeoplearenotequallyclebber,\"saidI,stillspeakingWelsh。\"Clebber,\"saidhe,\"clebber!whatisclebber?whycan’tyousayclever!Why,Ineversawsuchalow,illiteratefellowinmylife;\"andwiththesewordsheturnedawaywitheverymarkofdisdain,andenteredacottagenearathand。

  \"HereIhavehad,\"saidItomyself,asIproceededonmyway,\"topayfortheover—praisewhichIlatelyreceived。Thefarmerontheothersideofthemountaincalledmeapersonofgreatintelligence,whichIneverpretendedtobe,andnowthiscolliercallsmealow,illiteratefellow,whichIreallydon’tthinkIam。

  ThereiscertainlyaNemesismixedupwiththeaffairsofthisworld;everygoodthingwhichyouget,beyondwhatisstrictlyyourdue,issuretoberequiredfromyouwithavengeance。Alittleover—praisebyagreatdealofunderrating—agleamofgoodfortunebyanightofmisery。\"

  InowsawWrexhamChurchataboutthedistanceofthreemiles,andpresentlyenteredalanewhichledgentlydownfromthehills,whichwerethesameheightsIhadseenonmyrighthand,somemonthspreviously,onmywayfromWrexhamtoRhiwabon。Thescenerynowbecameverypretty—hedge—rowswereoneitherside,aluxurianceoftreesandplentyofgreenfields。Ireachedthebottomofthelane,beyondwhichIsawastrange—lookinghouseuponaslopeontherighthand。Itwasverylarge,ruinous,andseeminglydeserted。Alittlebeyonditwasafarm—house,connectedwithwhichwasalongrowoffarmingbuildingsalongtheroad—side。

  Seeingawomanseatedknittingatthedoorofalittlecottage,I

  askedherinEnglishthenameoftheold,ruinoushouse?

  \"CadoganHall,sir,\"shereplied。

  \"Andwhomdoesitbelongto?\"saidI。

  \"Idon’tknowexactly,\"repliedthewoman,\"butMrMorrisatthefarmholdsit,andstowshisthingsinit。\"

  \"Canyoutellmeanythingaboutit?\"saidI。

  \"Nothingfarther,\"saidthewoman,\"thanthatitissaidtobehaunted,andtohavebeenabarrackmanyyearsago。\"

  \"CanyouspeakWelsh?\"saidI。

  \"No,\"saidthewoman,\"IareWelshbuthavenoWelshlanguage。\"

  LeavingthewomanIputonmybestspeedandinabouthalfanhourreachedWrexham。

  ThefirstthingIdidonmyarrivalwastogotothebookshopandpurchasetheWelshMethodisticbook。Itcostmesevenshillings,andwasathick,bulkyoctavowithacut—and—come—againexpressionaboutit,whichwasanythingbutdisagreeabletome,forIhateyourflimsypublications。Theeveningwasnowbeginningtosetin,andfeelingsomewhathungryIhurriedofftotheWynstayArmsthroughstreetscrowdedwithmarketpeople。OnarrivingattheinnIenteredthegrandroomandordereddinner。Thewaiters,observingmesplashedwithmudfromheadtofoot,lookedatmedubiously;seeing,however,therespectable—lookingvolumewhichI

  boreinmyhand—noneofyourrailroadstuff—theybecamemoreassured,andIpresentlyheardonesaytotheother,\"It’sallright—that’sMrSo—and—So,thegreatBaptistpreacher。Hehasbeenpreachingamongstthehills—don’tyouseehisBible?\"

  SeatingmyselfatatableIinspectedthevolume。AndhereperhapsthereaderexpectsthatIshallregalehimwithananalysisoftheMethodisticalvolumeatleastaslongasthatofthelifeofTomO’

  theDingle。Inthatcase,however,hewillbedisappointed;allthatIshallatpresentsayofitis,thatitcontainedahistoryofMethodisminWales,withthelivesoftheprincipalWelshMethodists。Thatitwasfraughtwithcuriousandoriginalmatter,waswritteninastraightforward,Methodicalstyle,andthatIhavenodoubtitwillsomedayorotherbeextensivelyknownandhighlyprized。

  AfterdinnerIcalledforhalfapintofwine。WhilstIwastriflingoverit,acommercialtravellerenteredintoconversationwithme。AftersometimeheaskedmeifIwasgoingfurtherthatnight。

  \"ToLlangollen,\"saidI。

  \"Bytheteno’clocktrain?\"saidhe。

  \"No,\"Ireplied,\"I’mgoingonfoot。\"

  \"Onfoot!\"saidhe;\"Iwouldnotgoonfoottherethisnightforfiftypounds。\"

  \"Whynot?\"saidI。

  \"Forfearofbeingknockeddownbythecolliers,whowillbealloutanddrunk。\"

  \"Ifnotmorethantwoattackme,\"saidI,\"Ishan’tmuchmind。

  WiththisbookIamsureIcanknockdownone,andIthinkIcanfindplayfortheotherwithmyfists。\"

  Thecommercialtravellerlookedatme。\"AstrangekindofBaptistminister,\"IthoughtIheardhimsay。

  CHAPTERLXII

  RhiwabonRoad—ThePublic—houseKeeper—NoWelsh—TheWrongRoad—TheGoodWife。

  IPAIDmyreckoningandstarted。Thenightwasnowrapidlyclosingin。Ipassedthetoll—gateandhurriedalongtheRhiwabonroad,overtakingcompaniesofWelshgoinghome,amongstwhomweremanyindividuals,whom,fromtheirthickandconfusedspeech,aswellasfromtheirstaggeringgait,Ijudgedtobeintoxicated。AsI

  passedaredpublic—houseonmyrighthand,atthedoorofwhichstoodseveralcarts,ascreamofWelshissuedfromit。

  \"LetanySaxon,\"saidI,\"whoisfondoffightingandwishesforabloodynosegointhere。\"

  ComingtothesmallvillageaboutamilefromRhiwabon,Ifeltthirsty,andseeingapublic—house,inwhichallseemedtobequiet,Iwentin。Athick—setmanwithapipeinhismouthsatinthetap—room,andalsoawoman。

  \"Whereisthelandlord?\"saidI。

  \"Iamthelandlord,\"saidtheman,huskily。\"Whatdoyouwant?\"

  \"Apintofale,\"saidI。

  Themangotupandwithhispipeinhismouthwentstaggeringoutoftheroom。Inaboutaminutehereturnedholdingamuginhishand,whichheputdownonatablebeforeme,spillingnoslightquantityoftheliquorashedidso。Iputdownthree—penceonthetable。Hetookthemoneyupslowlypiecebypiece,lookedatitandappearedtoconsider,thentakingthepipeoutofhismouthhedashedittosevenpiecesagainstthetable,thenstaggeredoutoftheroomintothepassage,andfromthenceapparentlyoutofthehouse。Itastedthealewhichwasverygood,thenturningtothewomanwhoseemedaboutthree—and—twentyandwasrathergood—

  looking,IspoketoherinWelsh。

  \"IhavenoWelsh,sir,\"saidshe。

  \"Howisthat?\"saidI;\"thisvillageisIthinkintheWelshery。\"

  \"Itis,\"saidshe,\"butIamfromShropshire。\"

  \"Areyouthemistressofthehouse?\"saidI。

  \"No,\"saidshe,\"Iammarriedtoacollier;\"thengettingupshesaid,\"Imustgoandseeaftermyhusband。\"

  \"Won’tyoutakeaglassofalefirst?\"saidI,offeringtofillaglasswhichstoodonthetable。

  \"No,\"saidshe;\"Iamtheworstintheworldforaglassofale;\"

  andwithoutsayinganythingmoreshedeparted。

  \"Iwonderwhetheryourhusbandisanythinglikeyouwithrespecttoaglassofale,\"saidItomyself;thenfinishingmyaleIgotupandleftthehouse,whichwhenIdepartedappearedtobeentirelydeserted。

  Itwasnowquitenight,anditwouldhavebeenpitchy—darkbutfortheglareofforges。Therewasanimmenseglaretothesouth—west,whichIconceivedproceededfromthoseofCefnMawr。Itlightedupthesouth—westernsky;thenthereweretwootherglaresnearertome,seeminglydividedbyalumpofsomething,perhapsagroveoftrees。

  WalkingveryfastIsoonovertookaman。Iknewhimatoncebyhisstaggeringgait。

  \"Ah,landlord!\"saidI;\"whitherbound?\"

  \"ToRhiwabon,\"saidhe,huskily,\"forapint。\"

  \"IsthealesogoodatRhiwabon,\"saidI,\"thatyouleavehomeforit?\"

  \"No,\"saidhe,rathershortly,\"there’snotaglassofgoodaleinRhiwabon。\"

  \"Thenwhydoyougothither?\"saidI。

  \"Becauseapintofbadliquorabroadisbetterthanaquartofgoodathome,\"saidthelandlord,reelingagainstthehedge。

  \"Therearemanyinahigherstationthanyouwhoactuponthatprinciple,\"thoughtItomyselfasIpassedon。

  IsoonreachedRhiwabon。Therewasaprodigiousnoiseinthepublic—housesasIpassedthroughit。\"Collierscarousing,\"saidI。\"Well,Ishallnotgoamongstthemtopreachtemperance,thoughperhapsinstrictdutyIought。\"Attheendofthetown,insteadoftakingtheroadontheleftsideofthechurch,Itookthatontheright。ItwasnottillIhadproceedednearlyamilethatI

  begantobeapprehensivethatIhadmistakentheway。HearingsomepeoplecomingtowardsmeontheroadIwaitedtilltheycameup;

  theyprovedtobeamanandawoman。OnmyinquiringwhetherIwasrightforLlangollen,theformertoldmethatIwasnot,andinordertogetthereitwasnecessarythatIshouldreturntoRhiwabon。Iinstantlyturnedround。Abouthalf—waybackImetamanwhoaskedmeinEnglishwhereIwashurryingto。IsaidtoRhiwabon,inordertogettoLlangollen。\"Well,then,\"saidhe,\"youneednotreturntoRhiwabon—yonderisashortcutacrossthefields,\"andhepointedtoagate。Ithankedhim,andsaidIwouldgobyit;beforeleavinghimIaskedtowhatplacetheroadledwhichIhadbeenfollowing。

  \"ToPentreCastren,\"hereplied。Istruckacrossthefieldsandshouldprobablyhavetumbledhalf—a—dozentimesoverpalesandthelike,butforthelightoftheCefnfurnacesbeforemewhichcasttheirredglowuponmypath。IdebauchedupontheLlangollenroadneartothetramwayleadingtothecollieries。Twoenormoussheetsofflameshotuphighintotheairfromovens,illuminingtwospectralchimneysashighassteeples,alsosmokybuildings,andgrimyfiguresmovingabout。Therewasaclangingofengines,anoiseofshovelsandafallingofcoalstrulyhorrible。TheglarewassogreatthatIcoulddistinctlyseetheminutestlinesuponmyhand。AdvancingalongthetramwayIobtainedanearerviewofthehellishbuildings,thechimneys,andthedemoniacfigures。ItwasjustsuchasceneasoneofthosedescribedbyEllisWynninhisVisionofHell。FeelingmyeyesscorchingIturnedaway,andproceededtowardsLlangollen,sometimesonthemuddyroad,sometimesonthedangerouscauseway。ForthreemilesatleastI

  metnobody。NearLlangollen,asIwaswalkingonthecauseway,threemencameswiftlytowardsme。Ikeptthehedge,whichwasmyright;thetwofirstbrushedroughlypastme,thethirdcamefulluponmeandwastumbledintotheroad。Therewasalaughfromthetwofirstandaloudcursefromthelastashesprawledinthemire。Imerelysaid\"NosDa’ki,\"andpassedon,andinaboutaquarterofanhourreachedhome,whereIfoundmywifeawaitingmealone,Henriettahavinggonetobedbeingslightlyindisposed。Mywifereceivedmewithacheerfulsmile。IlookedatherandthegoodwifeoftheTriadcametomymind。

  \"Sheismodest,voidofdeceit,andobedient。

  \"Pureofconscience,graciousoftongue,andtruetoherhusband。

  \"Herheartnotproud,hermannersaffable,andherbosomfullofcompassionforthepoor。

  \"Labouringtobetidy,skilfulofhand,andfondofprayingtoGod。

  \"Herconversationamiable,herdressdecent,andherhouseorderly。

  \"Quickofhand,quickofeye,andquickofunderstanding。

  \"Herpersonshapely,hermannersagreeable,andherheartinnocent。

  \"Herfacebenignant,herheadintelligent,andprovident。

  \"Neighbourly,gentle,andofaliberalwayofthinking。

  \"Ableindirecting,providingwhatiswanting,andagoodmothertoherchildren。

  \"Lovingherhusband,lovingpeace,andlovingGod。

  \"Happytheman,\"addstheTriad,\"whopossessessuchawife。\"Verytrue,OTriad,alwaysprovidedheisinsomedegreeworthyofher;

  butmanyamanleavesaninnocentwifeathomeforanimpureJezebelabroad,evenasmanyaoneprefersapintofhog’swashabroadtoatankardofgenerousliquorathome。

  CHAPTERLXIII

  PreparationsforDeparture—Catprovidedfor—APleasantParty—

  LastNightatLlangollen。

  IWASawakenedearlyontheSundaymorningbythehowlingofwind。

  Therewasaconsiderablestormthroughouttheday,butunaccompaniedbyrain。Iwenttochurchbothinthemorningandtheevening。Thenextdaytherewasagreatdealofrain。ItwasnowthelatterendofOctober;winterwascomingon,andmywifeanddaughterwereanxioustoreturnhome。AftersomeconsultationitwasagreedthattheyshoulddepartforLondon,andthatIshouldjointhemthereaftermakingapedestriantourinSouthWales。

  IshouldhavebeenlothtoquitWaleswithoutvisitingtheDeheubarthorSouthernRegion,alanddifferingwidely,asIhadheard,bothinlanguageandcustomsfromGwyneddortheNorthern,alandwhichhadgivenbirthtotheillustriousAbGwilym,andwherethegreatRycefamilyhadflourished,whichverymuchdistinguisheditselfintheWarsoftheRoses—amemberofwhichRyceapThomasplacedHenrytheSeventhonthethroneofBritain—afamilyofroyalextraction,andwhichafterthedeathofRoderictheGreatforalongtimeenjoyedthesovereigntyofthesouth。

  Wesetaboutmakingthenecessarypreparationsforourrespectivejourneys。Thoseformineweresoonmade。Iboughtasmallleathersatchelwithalockandkey,inwhichIplacedawhitelinenshirt,apairofworstedstockings,arazorandaprayer—book。AlongwithitIboughtaleatherstrapwithwhichtoslingitovermyshoulder:Igotmybootsnewsoled,myumbrella,whichwasratherdilapidated,mended;puttwentysovereignsintomypurse,andthensaidIamallrightfortheDeheubarth。

  AsmywifeanddaughterrequiredmuchmoretimeinmakingpreparationsfortheirjourneythanIformine,andasIshouldonlybeintheirwaywhilsttheywereemployed,itwasdeterminedthatIshoulddepartonmyexpeditiononThursday,andthattheyshouldremainatLlangollentilltheSaturday。

  Wewereatfirstinsomeperplexitywithrespecttothedisposaloftheecclesiasticalcat;itwouldofcoursenotdotoleaveitinthegardentothetendermerciesoftheCalvinisticMethodistsoftheneighbourhood,moreespeciallythoseoftheflannelmanufactory,andmywifeanddaughtercouldhardlycarryitwiththem。Atlengthwethoughtofapplyingtoayoungwomanofsoundchurchprinciples,whowaslatelymarriedandlivedoverthewateronthewaytotherailroadstation,withwhomwewereslightlyacquainted,totakechargeoftheanimal,andsheonthefirstintimationofourwish,willinglyaccededtoit。Sowithherpoorpusswasleftalongwithatrifleforitsmilk—money,andwithher,aswesubsequentlylearned,itcontinuedinpeaceandcomforttillonemorningitsprangsuddenlyfromthehearthintotheair,gaveamew,anddied。Somuchfortheecclesiasticalcat!

  ThemorningofTuesdaywasratherfine,andMrEbenezerE—,whohadheardofourintendeddeparture,cametoinviteustospendtheeveningattheVicarage。HisfatherhadleftLlangollenthedaybeforeforChester,whereheexpectedtobedetainedsomedays。I

  toldhimweshouldbemosthappytocome。Hethenaskedmetotakeawalk。Iagreedwithpleasure,andwesetout,intendingtogotoLlansilioatthewesternendofthevalleyandlookatthechurch。

  Thechurchwasanancientbuilding。Ithadnospire,buthadthelittleerectiononitsroof,sousualtoWelshchurches,forholdingabell。

  InthechurchyardisatombinwhichanoldsquireofthenameofJoneswasburiedaboutthemiddleofthelastcentury。Thereisatraditionaboutthissquireandtombtothefollowingeffect。

  Afterthesquire’sdeaththerewasalawsuitabouthisproperty,inconsequenceofnowillhavingbeenfound。Itwassaidthathiswillhadbeenburiedwithhiminthetomb,whichaftersometimewasopened,butwithwhatsuccessthetraditionsayethnot。

  IntheeveningwewenttotheVicarage。BesidesthefamilyandourselvestherewasMrR—andoneortwomore。Wehadaverypleasantparty;andasmostofthosepresentwishedtohearsomethingconnectedwithSpain,Italkedmuchaboutthatcountry,sangsongsofGermania,andrelatedinanabridgedformLopedeVega’sghoststory,whichisdecidedlythebestghoststoryintheworld。

  IntheafternoonofWednesdayIwentandtookleaveofcertainfriendsinthetown;amongstothersofoldMrJones。OnmytellinghimthatIwasabouttoleaveLlangollen,heexpressedconsiderableregret,butsaidthatitwasnaturalformetowishtoreturntomynativecountry。ItoldhimthatbeforereturningtoEnglandI

  intendedtomakeapedestriantourinSouthWales。Hesaidthatheshoulddiewithoutseeingthesouth;thathehadhadseveralopportunitiesofvisitingitwhenhewasyoung,whichhehadneglected,andthathewasnowtoooldtowanderfarfromhome。HethenaskedmewhichroadIintendedtotake。ItoldhimthatI

  intendedtostrikeacrosstheBerwyntoLlanRhyadr,thenvisitSycharth,oncetheseatofOwainGlendower,lyingtotheeastofLlanRhyadr,thenreturntothatplace,andafterseeingthecelebratedcataractacrossthemountainstoBala—whenceIshouldproceedduesouth。IthenaskedhimwhetherhehadeverseenSycharthandtheRhyadr;hetoldmethathehadnevervisitedSycharth,buthadseentheRhyadrmorethanonce。HethensmiledandsaidthattherewasaludicrousanecdoteconnectedwiththeRhyadr,whichhewouldrelatetome。\"AtravelleroncewenttoseetheRhyadr,andwhilstgazingatitacalfwhichhadfallenintothestreamabove,whilstgrazingupontherocks,cametumblingdownthecataract。’Wonderful!’saidthetraveller,andgoingawayreportedthatitwasnotonlyafallofwater,butofcalves,andwasverymuchdisappointed,onvisitingthewaterfallonanotheroccasion,toseenocalfcometumblingdown。\"Itookleaveofthekindoldgentlemanwithregret,neverexpectingtoseehimagain,ashewasinhiseighty—fourthyear—hewasatrulyexcellentcharacter,andmightberankedamongstthevenerableornamentsofhisnativeplace。

  Abouthalf—pasteighto’clockatnightJohnJonescametobidmefarewell。Ibadehimsitdown,andsentforapintofaletoregalehimwith。Notwithstandingtheale,hewasverymelancholyatthethoughtthatIwasabouttoleaveLlangollen,probablynevertoreturn。ToenlivenhimIgavehimanaccountofmylateexpeditiontoWrexham,whichmadehimsmilemorethanonce。WhenI

  hadconcludedheaskedmewhetherIknewthemeaningofthewordWrexham:ItoldhimIbelievedIdid,andgavehimthederivationwhichthereaderwillfindinanearlychapterofthiswork。Hetoldmethatwithallduesubmission,hethoughthecouldgivemeabetter,whichhehadheardfromaverycleverman,gwrdeallusiawn,wholivedabouttwomilesfromLlangollenontheCorwenroad。

  IntheoldtimeamanofthenameofSamkeptagwestfa,orinn,attheplacewhereWrexhamflowstands;whenhediedheleftittohiswife,whokeptitafterhim,onwhichaccountthehousewasfirstcalledTywraigSam,thehouseofSam’swife,andthenforshortnessWraigSam,andatownarisingaboutitbydegrees,thetowntoowascalledWraigSam,whichtheSaxonscorruptedintoWrexham。

  IwasmuchdivertedwiththisWelshderivationofWrexham,whichI

  didnotattempttocontrovert。AfterwehadhadsomefurtherdiscourseJohnJonesgotup,shookmebythehand,gaveasigh,wishedmea\"taithhyfryd,\"anddeparted。ThusterminatedmylastdayatLlangollen。

  CHAPTERLXIV

  DepartureforSouthWales—Tregeiriog—PleasingScene—TryingtoRead—GarmonandLupus—TheCrackedVoice—EffectofaCompliment—LlanRhyadr。

  THEmorningofthe21stofOctoberwasfineandcold;therewasarimefrostontheground。Atabouteleveno’clockIstartedonmyjourneyforSouthWales,intendingthatmyfirststageshouldbeLlanRhyadr。MywifeanddaughteraccompaniedmeasfarasPlasNewydd。AswepassedthroughthetownIshookhandswithhonestA—

  ,whomIsawstandingatthedoorofashop,withakindofSpanishhatonhishead,andalsowithmyvenerablefriendoldMrJones,whomIencounteredclosebesidehisowndomicile。AtthePlasNewyddItookanaffectionatefarewellofmytwolovedones,andproceededtoascendtheBerwyn。NearthetopIturnedroundtotakeafinallookatthespotwhereIhadlatelypassedmanyahappyhour。TherelayLlangollenfarbelowme,withitschimneysplacidlysmoking,itsprettychurchrisinginitscentre,itsblueriverdividingitintotwonearlyequalparts,andthemightyhillofBrennusoverhangingitfromthenorth。

  Isighed,andrepeatingEinionDu’sverse\"TangnefeddiLlangollen!\"

  turnedaway。

  Iwentoverthetopofthehillandthenbegantodescenditssouthernside,obtainingadistantviewoftheplainsofShropshireontheeast。Isoonreachedthebottomofthehill,passedthroughLlansanfraid,andthreadingthevaleoftheCeiriogatlengthfoundmyselfatPontyMeibioninfrontofthehouseofHuwMorris,orratherofthatwhichisbuiltonthesiteofthedwellingofthepoet。IstoppedandremainedbeforethehousethinkingofthemightyHuw,tillthedooropened,andoutcamethedark—featuredman,thepoet’sdescendant,whomIsawwhenvisitingtheplaceincompanywithhonestJohnJones—hehadnowaspadeinhishandandwasdoubtlessgoingtohislabour。AsIknewhimtobeofarathersullenunsocialdisposition,Isaidnothingtohim,butproceededonmyway。AsIadvancedthevalleywidened,thehillsonthewestrecedingtosomedistancefromtheriver。CametoTregeiriogasmallvillage,whichtakesitsnamefromthebrook;TregeiriogsignifyingthehamletorvillageontheCeiriog。Seeingabridgewhichcrossedtherivuletataslightdistancefromtheroad,alittlebeyondthevillage,Iturnedasidetolookatit。ThepropercourseoftheCeiriogisfromsouthtonorth;whereitiscrossedbythebridge,however,itrunsfromwesttoeast,returningtoitsusualcourse,alittlewaybelowthebridge。Thebridgewassmallandpresentednothingremarkableinitself:I

  obtained,however,asIlookedoveritsparapettowardsthewestaviewofascene,notofwildgrandeur,butofsomethingwhichI

  likebetter,whichrichlycompensatedmefortheslighttroubleI

  hadtakeninsteppingasidetovisitthelittlebridge。Aboutahundredyardsdistantwasasmallwater—mill,builtovertherivulet,thewheelgoingslowly,slowlyround;largequantitiesofpigs,thegeneralityofthembrindled,wereeitherbrowsingonthebanksorlyingclosetothesideshalfimmersedinthewater;oneimmensewhitehog,themonarchseeminglyoftheherd,wasstandinginthemiddleofthecurrent。SuchwasthescenewhichIsawfromthebridge,asceneofquietrurallifewellsuitedtothebrushesoftwoorthreeoftheoldDutchpainters,ortothoseofmenscarcelyinferiortothemintheirownstyle,Gainsborough,Moreland,andCrome。Mymindforthelasthalf—hourhadbeeninahighlyexcitedstate;IhadbeenrepeatingversesofoldHuwMorris,broughttomyrecollectionbythesightofhisdwelling—

  place;theywererantingroaringverses,againsttheRoundheads。I

  admiredthevigourbutdislikedtheprincipleswhichtheydisplayed;andadmirationontheonehandanddisapprovalontheother,bredacommotioninmymindlikethatraisedontheseawhentiderunsonewayandwindblowsanother。Thequietscenefromthebridge,however,producedasedativeeffectonmymind,andwhenI

  resumedmyjourneyIhadforgottenHuw,hisverses,andallaboutRoundheadsandCavaliers。

  IreachedLlanarmon,anothersmallvillage,situatedinavalleythroughwhichtheCeiriogorariververysimilartoitflows。Itishalf—waybetweenLlangollenandLlanRhyadr,beingtenmilesfromeach。Iwenttoasmallinnorpublic—house,satdownandcalledforale。Awaggonerwasseatedatalargetablewithanewspaperbeforehimonwhichhewasintentlystaring。

  \"Whatnews?\"saidIinEnglish。

  \"IwishIcouldtellyou,\"saidheinverybrokenEnglish,\"butI

  cannotread。\"

  \"Thenwhyareyoulookingatthepaper?\"saidI。

  \"Because,\"saidhe,\"bylookingatthelettersIhopeintimetomakethemout。\"

  \"Youmaylookatthem,\"saidI,\"forfiftyyearswithoutbeingabletomakeoutone。Youshouldgotoaneveningschool。\"

  \"Iamtooold,\"saidhe,\"todosonow;ifIdidthechildrenwouldlaughatme。\"

  \"Nevermindtheirlaughingatyou,\"saidI,\"providedyoulearntoread;letthemlaughwhowin!\"

  \"Yougivegoodadvice,mester,\"saidhe,\"IthinkIshallfollowit。\"

  \"Letmelookatthepaper,\"saidI。

  Hehandedittome。ItwasaWelshpaper,andfullofdismalaccountsfromtheseatofwar。

  \"Whatnews,mester?\"saidthewaggoner。

  \"Nothingbutbad,\"saidI;\"theRussiansarebeatingusandtheFrenchtoo。\"

  \"IftheRusiaidbeatus,\"saidthewaggoner,\"itisbecausetheFrancodarewithus。Weshouldhavegonealone。\"

  \"Perhapsyouareright,\"saidI;\"atanyratewecouldnothavefaredworsethanwearefaringnow。\"

  IpresentlypaidforwhatIhadhad,inquiredthewaytoLlanRhyadr,anddeparted。

  ThevillageofLlanarmontakesitsnamefromitschurch,whichisdedicatedtoGarmon,anArmoricanbishop,whowithanothercalledLupuscameoverintoBritaininordertopreachagainsttheheresyofPelagius。HeandhiscolleagueresidedforsometimeinFlintshire,andwhilstthereenabledinaremarkablemannertheBritonstoachieveavictoryoverthosemysteriouspeoplethePicts,whowereravagingthecountryfarandwide。HearingthattheenemywereadvancingtowardsMold,thetwobishopsgatheredtogetheranumberoftheBritons,andplacedtheminambushinadarkvalleythroughwhichitwasnecessaryforthePictstopassinordertoreachMold,strictlyenjoiningthemtoremainquiettillalltheirenemiesshouldhaveenteredthevalleyandthendowhatevertheyshouldseethem,thetwobishops,do。ThePictsarrived,andwhentheywereabouthalf—waythroughthevalleythetwobishopssteppedforwardfromathicketandbegancryingaloud,\"Alleluia!\"TheBritonsfollowedtheirexample,andthewoodedvalleyresoundedwithcriesof\"Alleluia!Alleluia!\"TheshoutsandtheunexpectedappearanceofthousandsofmencausedsuchterrortothePictsthattheytooktoflightinthegreatestconfusion;hundredsweretrampledtodeathbytheircompanions,andnotafewweredrownedintheriverAlan(8)whichrunsthroughthevalley。

  ThereareseveralchurchesdedicatedtoGarmoninWales,butwhetherthereareanydedicatedtoLupusIamunabletosay。AfterleavingLlanarmonIfoundmyselfamongstlumpyhillsthroughwhichtheroadledinthedirectionofthesouth。ArrivingwhereseveralroadsmetIfollowedoneandbecamebewilderedamidsthillsandravines。AtlastIsawasmallhouseclosebyanantordingle,andturnedtowardsitforthepurposeofinquiringmyway。Onmyknockingatthedoorawomanmadeherappearance,ofwhomIaskedinWelshwhetherIwasintheroadtoLlanRhyadr。ShesaidthatI

  wasoutofit,butthatifIwenttowardsthesouthIshouldseeapathonmyleftwhichwouldbringmetoit。IaskedherhowfaritwastoLlanRhyadr。

  \"Fourlongmiles,\"shereplied。

  \"Andwhatisthenameoftheplacewherewearenow?\"saidI。

  \"CaeHir\"(thelonginclosure),saidshe。

  \"Areyoualoneinthehouse?\"saidI。

  \"Quitealone,\"saidshe;\"butmyhusbandandpeoplewillsoonbehomefromthefield,foritisgettingdusk。\"

  \"HaveyouanySaxon?\"saidI。

  \"Notaword,\"saidshe,\"haveIoftheiaithdieithr,norhasmyhusband,noranyoneofmypeople。\"

  Ibadeherfarewell,andsoonreachedtheroad,whichledsouthandnorth。AsIwasboundforthesouthIstrodeforwardbrisklyinthatdirection。Theroadwasbetweenromantichills;heardWelshsongsproceedingfromthehillfieldsonmyright,andthemurmurofabrookrushingdownadeepnantonmyleft。IwentontillI

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