第46章
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  Behindtheboxoutoftheforepartofthecaravanpeeredtwoorthreeblackchildren’sheads。Aprettylittlefoalaboutfourmonthsoldcamefriskingandgambollingnowbeforenowbesidethehorses,whilstacoltofsomesixteenmonthsfollowedmoreleisurelybehind。WhenthecaravanwasabouttenyardsdistantI

  stopped,andraisingmylefthandwiththelittlefingerpointedaloft,Iexclaimed:

  \"Shoon,Kaulomengro,shoon!InDibbel’snav,wheremaytubejawingto?\"

  Stoppinghiscaravanwithconsiderabledifficultythesmallblackmanglaredatmeforamomentlikeawildcat,andthensaidinavoicepartlysnappish,partlykind:

  \"Savoshantu?AreyouoneoftheIngrines?\"

  \"IamthechapwhatcertainfolkscallstheRomanyRye。\"

  \"Well,I’llbejiggeredifIwasn’tthinkingsoandifIwasn’tpenningsotomyjuwaaswewerewellingdownthechong。\"

  \"Itisalongtimesincewelastmet,CaptainBosvile,forI

  supposeImaycallyouCaptainnow?\"

  \"Yes!theoldmanhasbeendeadandburiedthismanyayear,andhissticksandtitlesarenowmine。Poorsoul,Ihopeheishappy;

  indeedIknowheis,forheliesinCockleshellchurchyard,theplacehewasalwayssofondof,andhashisSundaywaistcoatonhimwiththefinegoldbuttons,whichhewasalwayssoproudof。Ah,youmaywellcallitalongtimesincewemet—why,itcan’tbelessthanthirtyyear。\"

  \"Somethingaboutthat—youwereaboythenofaboutfifteen。\"

  \"SoIwas,andyouatallyoungslipofabouttwenty;well,howdidyoucometojinmande?\"

  \"Why,Iknewyoubyyourfightingmug—thereain’tsuchanothermuginEngland。\"

  \"Nomoretherean’t—myoldfatheralwaysusedtosayitwasofnousehittingitforitalwaysbrokehisknuckles。Well,itwaskindofyoutojinmandeaftersomanyyears。ThelasttimeIthinkI

  sawyouwasnearBrummagem,whenyouweretravellingaboutwithJasperPetulengroand—Isay,what’sbecomeoftheyoungwomanyouusedtokeepcompanywith?\"

  \"Idon’tknow。\"

  \"Youdon’t?Well,shewasafineyoungwomanandavartuous。I

  rememberherknockingdownandgivingablackeyetomyoldmother,whowaswonderfullydeepinRomany,formakingabitofagillieaboutyouandshe。Whatwasthesong?Lord,howmymemoryfailsme!Oh,hereitis:—

  \"’AndoberkhoRyecanoOtehpivotehkhavoTulerasqueandoberkhopiraneeTehcorbatchaporpico。’\"

  \"HaveyouseenJasperPetulengrolately?\"saidI。

  \"Yes,Ihaveseenhim,butitwasataveryconsiderabledistance。

  JasperPetulengrodoesn’tcomenearthelikesofwenow。Lord!youcan’tthinkwhatgrandfolksheandhiswifehavebecomeoflateyears,andallalongofatrumperylilwhichsomebodyhaswrittenaboutthem。Why,theyarehandandglovewiththeQueenandPrince,andfolkssaythathiswifeisgoingtobemadedameofhonour,andJasperJusticeofthePeaceandDeputyRangerofWindsorPark。\"

  \"Onlythink,\"saidI。\"Andnowtellme,whatbroughtyouintoWales?\"

  \"WhatbroughtmeintoWales?I’lltellyou;myownfool’shead。I

  wasdoingnicelyintheKauloGavandtheneighbourhood,whenI

  mustneedspackupandcomeintothesepartswithbagandbaggage,wifeandchilder。IthoughtthatWaleswaswhatitwassomethirtyyearsagonewhenourfokyusedtosay—forIwasneverherebefore—thattherewassomethingtobedoneinit;butIwasnevermoremistakeninmylife。ThecountryisoverrunwithHinditymescrey,woildIrish,withwhomtheRomanyfokystandnochance。Thefellowsunderworkmeattinkering,andthewomenoutscreammywifeattellingfortunes—moreover,theysaythecountryistheirsandnotintendedforniggerslikewe,andastheyaregenerallyinvastnumberswhatcanapoorlittleRomanfamilydobutfleeawaybeforethem?AprettyjourneyIhavemadeintoWales。HadInotcontrivedtopassoffapoggadobavengro—abroken—windedhorse—

  atafair,Iatthismomentshouldbewithoutatringoruscheepieceinmypocket。IamnowmakingthebestofmywaybacktoBrummagem,andifeverIcomeagaintothisHinditycountrymayCalcraftnashme。\"

  \"Iwonderyoudidn’ttrytoservesomeoftheIrishout,\"saidI。

  \"Iservedoneout,brother;andmywifeandchilderhelpedtowipeoffalittleofthescore。Wehadstoppedonanicegreen,nearavillageoverthehillsinGlamorganshire,whenupcomesaHindityfamily,andbidsustakeourselvesoff。Nowitsohappenedthattherewasbutonemanandawomanandsomechilder,soIlaughed,andtoldthemtodriveusoff。Well,brother,withoutmanywords,therewasaregularscrimmage。TheHinditymushcameatme,theHinditymushiatymyjuwa,andtheHinditychavesatmychai。Itdidn’tlastlong,brother。InlessthanthreeminutesIhadhittheHinditymush,whowasaplagueybigfellow,butcouldn’tfight,justunderthepointofthechin,andsenthimtothegroundwithallhissensesgone。MyjuwahadalmostscratchedaneyeoutoftheHinditymushi,andmychaihadsenttheHinditychilderscamperingoverthegreen。’Whohasgottoquitnow?’saidItotheHinditymushafterhehadgotonhislegs,lookinglikeamanwhohasbeencutdownafterhangingjustaminuteandahalf。’Whohasgotnoticetoquit,now,Iwonder?’Well,brother,hedidn’tsayanything,nordidanyofthem,butafteralittletimetheyalltookthemselvesoff,withacarttheyhad,tothesouth。Justastheygottotheedgeofthegreen,however,theyturnedroundandgaveayellwhichmadeallourbloodruncold。Iknewwhatitmeant,andsaid,’Thisisnoplaceforus。’Sowegoteverythingtogetherandcameawayand,thoughthehorsesweretired,neverstoppedtillwehadgottenmilesfromtheplace;andwellitwasweactedaswedid,for,hadwestayed,IhavenodoubtthatawholeHindityclanwouldhavebeendownuponusbeforemorningandcutourthroats。\"

  \"Well,\"saidI,\"farewell。Ican’tstayanylonger。Asitis,I

  shallbelateatGutterVawr。\"

  \"Farewell,brother!\"saidCaptainBosvile;and,givingacry,hecracked,hiswhipandsethishorsesinmotion。

  \"Won’tyougiveussixpencetodrink?\"criedMrsBosvile,witharathershrillvoice。

  \"Holdyourtongue,youshe—dog,\"saidCaptainBosvile。\"Isthatthewayinwhichyoutakeleaveofanoldfriend?Holdyourtongue,andlettheIngrinegentlemanjawonhisway。\"

  IproceededonmywayasfastasIcould,forthedaywasnowclosingin。Myprogress,however,wasnotverygreat;fortheroadwassteep,andwascontinuallybecomingmoreso。Inabouthalf—an—

  hourIcametoalittlevillage,consistingofthreeorfourhouses;oneofthem,atthedoorofwhichseveralcartswerestanding,borethesignofatavern。

  \"Whatisthenameofthisplace?\"saidItoamanwhowasbreakingstonesontheroad。

  \"CapelGwynfa,\"saidhe。

  Rathersurprisedatthename,whichsignifiesinEnglishtheChapeloftheplaceofbliss,Iaskedthemanwhyitwascalledso。

  \"Idon’tknow,\"saidtheman。

  \"Wasthereeverachapelhere?\"saidI。

  \"Idon’tknow,sir;thereisnonenow。\"

  \"Idaresaytherewasintheoldtime,\"saidItomyself,asIwenton,\"inwhichsomeholyhermitprayedandtoldhisbeads,andoccasionallyreceivedbenightedstrangers。WhatapoeticalwordthatGwynfa,placeofbliss,is。OwenPughusesitinhistranslationof’ParadiseLost’toexpressParadise,forhehasrenderedthewordsParadiseLostbyColGwynfa—thelossoftheplaceofbliss。Iwonderwhethertheoldscholarpickedupthewordhere。Notunlikely。StrangefellowthatOwenPugh。WishI

  hadseenhim。Nohopeofseeinghimnow,exceptintheheavenlyGwynfa。Wonderwhetherthereissuchaplace。TomPaynethinksthere’snot。StrangefellowthatTomPayne。Norfolkman。WishI

  hadneverreadhim。\"

  PresentlyIcametoalittlecottagewithatoll—bar。Seeingawomanstandingatthedoor,Iinquiredofherthenameofthegate。

  \"CowslipGate,sir。\"

  \"HasitanyWelshname?\"

  \"NonethatIknowof,sir。\"

  Thisplacewasataconsiderablealtitude,andcommandedanextensiveviewtothesouth,west,andnorth。Heightsuponheightsrosebehindittotheeast。Fromheretheroadrantothesouthforalittlewaynearlylevel,thenturnedabruptlytotheeast,andwasmoresteepthanever。Aftertheturn,Ihadahugechalkclifftoweringovermeontheright,andachalkprecipiceonmyleft。Nightwasnowcomingonfast,and,rathertomyuneasiness,massesofmistbegantopourdownthesidesofthemountain。I

  hurriedon,theroadmakingfrequentturnings。Presentlythemistsweptdownuponme,andwassothickthatIcouldonlyseeafewyardsbeforeme。Iwasnowobligedtoslackenmypace,andtoadvancewithsomedegreeofcaution。Imovedoninthiswayforsometime,whensuddenlyIheardanoise,asifanumberofcartswerecomingrapidlydownthehill。Istopped,andstoodwithmybackcloseagainstthehighbank。Thenoisedrewnearer,andinaminuteIsawdistinctlythroughthemist,horses,carts,andformsofmenpassing。Inoneortwocasesthewheelsappearedtobewithinafewinchesofmyfeet。Iletthetraingoby,andthencriedoutinEnglish,\"AmIrightforGutterVawr?\"

  \"Hey?\"saidavoice,afteramomentaryinterval。

  \"AmIrightforGutterVawr?\"Ishoutedyetlouder。

  \"Yessure!\"saidavoice,probablythesame。

  Theninstantlyamuchroughervoicecried,\"WhotheDevilareyou?\"

  Imadenoanswer,butwenton,whilstthetraincontinueditswayrumblingdownthemountain。AtlengthIgainedthetop,wheretheroadturnedandleddownasteepdescenttowardsthesouth—west。

  Itwasnowquitenight,andthemistwasofthethickestkind。I

  couldjustseethattherewasafrightfulprecipiceonmyleft,soIkepttotheright,huggingthesideofthehill。AsIdescendedIheardeverynowandthenloudnoisesinthevale,probablyproceedingfromstonequarries。Iwasdrenchedtotheskin,nay,throughtheskin,bythemist,whichIverilybelievewasmorepenetratingthanthatdescribedbyAbGwilym。WhenIhadproceededaboutamileIsawblazesdownbelow,resemblingthoseoffurnaces,andsoonaftercametothefootofthehill。Itwasherepouringwithrain,butIdidnotputupmyumbrella,asitwasimpossibleformetobemoredrenchedthanIwas。Crossingabridgeoverakindoftorrent,Ifoundmyselfamongstsomehouses。Ienteredoneofthemfromwhichablazeoflightandaroarofvoicesproceeded,and,oninquiringofanoldwomanwhoconfrontedmeinthepassage,IfoundthatIhadreachedmymuchneededhavenofrest,thetavernofGutterVawrinthecountyofGlamorgan。

  CHAPTERXCIX

  InnatGutterVawr—TheHurly—burly—BarayCaws—ChangeofManner—WelshMistrust—WondersofRussia—TheEmperor—TheGrandGhostStory。

  THEoldwomanwhoconfrontedmeinthepassageoftheinnturnedouttobethelandlady。OnlearningthatIintendedtopassthenightatherhouse,sheconductedmeintoasmallroomontheright—handsideofthepassage,whichprovedtobetheparlour。Itwascoldandcomfortless,fortherewasnofireinthegrate。Shetoldme,however,thatoneshouldbelighted,andgoingout,presentlyreturnedwithacoupleofbuxomwenches,whoIsoonfoundwereherdaughters。ThegoodladyhadlittleornoEnglish;thegirls,however,hadplenty,andofagoodkindtoo。Theysoonlightedafire,andthenthemotherinquiredifIwishedforanysupper。

  \"Certainly,\"saidI,\"forIhavenoteatenanythingsinceIleftLlandovery。WhatcanIhave?\"

  \"Wehavevealandbacon,\"saidshe。

  \"Thatwilldo,\"saidI;\"frymesomevealandbacon,andIshan’tcomplain。ButpraytellwhatprodigiousnoiseisthatwhichIhearontheothersideofthepassage?\"

  \"Itisonlytheminersandthecartersinthekitchenmakingmerry,\"saidoneofthegirls。

  \"Isthereagoodfirethere?\"saidI。

  \"Ohyes,\"saidthegirl,\"wehavealwaysagoodfireinthekitchen。\"

  \"Wellthen,\"saidI,\"Ishallgotheretillsupperisready,forI

  amwettotheskin,andthisfirecastsverylittleheat。\"

  \"Youwillfindthemaroughsetinthekitchen,\"saidthegirl。

  \"Idon’tcareifIdo\"saidI;\"whenpeopleareroughIamcivil,andIhavealwaysfoundthatcivilitybeatsroughnessinthelongrun。\"ThengoingoutIcrossedthepassageandenteredthekitchen。

  Itwasnearlyfilledwithroughunkemptfellows,smoking,drinking,whistling,singing,shoutingorjabbering,someinastanding,someinasitting,posture。Myentranceseemedatoncetobringeverythingtoadeadstop;thesmokersceasedtosmoke,thehandthatwasconveyingtheglassorthemugtothemouthwasarrestedinair,thehurly—burlyceasedandeveryeyewasturneduponmewithastrangeinquiringstare。WithoutallowingmyselftobedisconcertedIadvancedtothefire,spreadoutmyhandsbeforeitforaminute,gavetwoorthreedeep\"ahs\"ofcomfort,andthenturningroundsaid:\"Ratheradampnight,gentlemen—firecheeringtoonewhohascomethewholewayfromLlandovery—TakingabitofawalkinWales,toseethesceneryandtoobservethemannersandcustomsoftheinhabitants—Finecountry,gentlemen,nobleprospects,hillanddale—Finepeopletoo—open—heartedandgenerous;nowonder!descendantsoftheAncientBritons—HopeI

  don’tintrude—otherroomrathercoldandsmoking—IfIdo,willretireatonce—don’twishtointerruptanygentlemanintheiravocationsordeliberations—scorntodoanythingungenteelorcalculatedtogiveoffence—hopeIknowhowtobehavemyself—

  oughttodoso—learntgrammarattheHighSchoolatEdinburgh。\"

  \"Offence,intrusion!\"criedtwentyvoices。\"Godblessyourhonour!

  nointrusionandnooffenceatall;sitdown—sithere—won’tyoudrink?\"

  \"Pleasetosithere,sir,\"saidanoldgrimy—lookingman,gettingupfromaseatinthechimney—corner—\"thisisnoseatformewhilstyouarehere,itbelongstoyou—sitdowninit,\"andlayingholdofmehecompelledmetositdowninthechairofdignity,whilsthalf—a—dozenhandspushedmugsofbeertowardsmyface;these,however,IdeclinedtopartakeofontheverysatisfactorygroundthatIhadnottakensupper,andthatitwasabadthingtodrinkbeforeeating,moreespeciallyaftercomingoutofamist。

  \"Haveyouanynewstotellofthewar,sir?\"saidalargetoughfellow,whowassmokingapipe。

  \"ThelastnewsthatIheardofthewar,\"saidI,\"wasthatthesnowwastwofeetdeepatSebastopol。\"

  \"Iheardthree,\"saidtheman;\"however,iftherebebuttwoitmustbebadworkforthepoorsoldiers。IsupposeyouthinkthatweshallbeattheRussiansintheend。\"

  \"No,Idon’t,\"saidI;\"theRussiansareayoungnationandweareanold;theyarecomingonandwearegoingoff;everydoghasitsday。\"

  \"That’strue,\"saidtheman,\"butIamsorrythatyouthinkweshallnotbeattheRussians,fortheRussiansareabadset。\"

  \"CanyouspeakWelsh?\"saidadarkishmanwithblack,bristlyhairandasmallinquisitiveeye。

  \"Oh,IknowtwowordsinWelsh,\"saidI;\"baraycaws。\"

  \"That’sbreadandcheese,\"saidtheman,thenturningtoaneighbourofhishesaidinWelsh:\"HeknowsnothingofCumraeg,onlytwowords;wemaysayanythingweplease;hecan’tunderstandus。Whatalongnosehehas!\"

  \"Mindthathean’tnosingus,\"saidhisneighbour。\"Ishouldbelothtowagerthathedoesn’tunderstandWelsh;and,afterall,hedidn’tsaythathedidnot,butgotoffbysayingheunderstoodthosetwowords。\"

  \"No,hedoesn’tunderstandWelsh,\"saidtheother;\"noSaisunderstandsWelsh,andthisisaSais。Nowwithregardtothatpieceofjob—workwhichyouandIundertook。\"Andforthwithheandtheotherenteredintoadisquisitionaboutthejob—work。

  Thecompanysoongotintoitsoldtrain,drinkingandsmokingandmakingamostterrifichullabaloo。Nobodytookanyfarthernoticeofme。Isatsnuginthechimney—corner,tryingtodrymywetthings,andastheheatwasverygreat,partiallysucceeded。Inabouthalf—an—houroneofthegirlscametotellmethatmysupperwasready,whereuponIgotupandsaid:

  \"Gentlemen,Ithankyouforyourcivility;Iamnowgoingtosupper;perhapsbeforeIturninforthenightImaylookinuponyouagain。\"ThenwithoutwaitingforananswerIleftthekitchenandwentintotheotherroom,whereIfoundalargedishofvealcutletsandfriedbaconawaitingme,andalsoasmokingbowlofpotatoes。OrderingajugofaleIsatdown,andwhatwithhungerandthegoodnessofthefare,foreverythingwasfirst—rate,madeoneofthebestsuppersIevermadeinmylife。

  SupperoverIcalledforaglassofwhiskey—and—water,overwhichI

  trifledforabouthalf—an—hourandthenbetookmyselfagaintothekitchen。AlmostassoonasIentered,thecompany—whoseemedtobediscussingsomepoint,andwerenotmakingmuchhurly—burly—

  becamesilent,andlookedatmeinasuspiciousanduneasymanner。

  Iadvancedtowardsthefire。Theoldmanwhohadoccupiedtheseatinthechimney—cornerandhadresignedittome,hadagaintakenpossessionofit。AsIdrewneartothefirehelookedupontheground,andseemedbynomeansdisposedtovacatetheplaceofhonour;afterafewmoments,however,hegotupandofferedmetheseatwithslightmotionofhishandandwithoutsayingaword。I

  didnotdeclineitbutsatdown,andtheoldgentlemantookachairnear。Universalsilencenowprevailed;sullenlookswerecastatme,andIsawclearlyenoughthatIwasnotwelcome。Franknesswasnowmyonlyresource。\"What’sthematter,gentlemen?\"saidI;\"youaresilentanddon’tgreetmekindly;haveIgivenyouanycauseofoffence?\"Nooneutteredawordinreplyfornearlyaminute,whentheoldmansaidslowlyanddeliberately:\"Why,sir,thelongandshortofitisthis:wehavegotitintoourheadsthatyouunderstandeverywordofourdiscourse;now,doyouordoyounot?\"

  \"Understandeverywordofyourdiscourse?\"saidI;\"IwishIdid;I

  wouldgivefivepoundstounderstandeverywordofyourdiscourse。\"

  \"That’sacleverattempttogetoff,sir,\"saidtheoldman,\"butitwon’texactlydo。TelluswhetheryouknowmoreWelshthanbaraycaws,ortospeakmoreplainly,whetheryouunderstandagooddealofwhatwesay。\"

  \"Well,\"saidI,\"IdounderstandmoreWelshthanbaraycaws—IdounderstandaconsiderablepartofaWelshconversation;moreover,I

  canreadWelsh,andhavethelifeofTomO’rNantatmyfingers’

  ends。\"

  \"Well,sir,thatisspeakingplain,andIwilltellyouplainlythatwedon’tliketohavestrangersamonguswhounderstandourdiscourse,moreespeciallyiftheybegentlefolks。\"

  \"That’sstrange,\"saidI;\"aWelshmanorforeigner,gentleorsimple,maygointoapublic—houseinEngland,andnobodycaresastrawwhetherheunderstandsthediscourseofthecompanyornot。\"

  \"ThatmaybethecustominEngland,\"saidtheoldman,\"butitisnotsoinWales。\"

  \"Whathaveyougottoconceal?\"saidI;\"Isupposeyouarehonestmen。\"

  \"Ihopeweare,sir,\"saidtheoldman;\"butImusttellyou,onceforall,thatwedon’tlikestrangerstolistentoourdiscourse。\"

  \"Come,\"saidI,\"Iwillnotlistentoyourdiscourse,butyoushalllistentomine。IhaveawonderfuldealtosayifIoncebegin;I

  havebeeneverywhere。\"

  \"Well,sir,\"saidtheoldman,\"ifyouhaveanythingtotellusaboutwhereyouhavebeenandwhatyouhaveseen,weshallbegladtohearyou。\"

  \"HaveyoueverbeeninRussia?\"shoutedavoice,thatofthelargeroughfellowwhoaskedmethequestionabouttheRussianwar。

  \"Ohyes,IhavebeeninRussia,\"saidI。

  \"Well,whatkindofacountryisit?\"

  \"Verydifferentfromthis,\"saidI,\"whichisalittlecountryupinacorner,fullofhillsandmountains;thatisanimmensecountry,extendingfromtheBalticSeatotheconfinesofChina,almostasflatasapancake,therenotbeingahilltobeseenfornearlytwothousandmiles。\"

  \"Averypoorcountryisn’tit,alwayscoveredwithiceandsnow?\"

  \"Ohno;itisoneoftherichestcountriesintheworld,producingallkindsofgrain,withnobleriversintersectingit,andinsomepartscoveredwithstatelyforests。Inthewinter,whichisratherlong,thereisagooddealoficeandsnow,itistrue,butinthesummertheweatheriswarmerthanhere。\"

  \"AndarethereanytownsandcitiesinRussia,sir,asthereareinBritain?\"saidtheoldmanwhohadresignedhisseatinthechimney—cornertome;\"Isupposenot,oriftherebe,nothingequaltoHerefordorBristol,inbothofwhichIhavebeen。\"

  \"Ohyes,\"saidI,\"thereareplentyoftownsandcities。ThetwoprincipalonesareMoscowandSaintPetersburg,bothofwhicharecapitals。Moscowisafineoldcity,farupthecountry,andwastheoriginalseatofempire。InitthereisawonderfulbuildingcalledtheKremlin,situatedonahill。Itispartlypalace,partlytemple,andpartlyfortress。InoneofitshallsareI

  don’tknowhowmanycrowns,takenfromvariouskingswhomtheRussianshaveconquered。ButthemostremarkablethingintheKremlinisahugebellinacellarorcave,closebyoneofthechurches;itistwelvefeethigh,andthesounditgiveswhenstruckwithanironbar,fortherearenoclapperstoRussianbells,issoloudthatthecommonRussianssayitcanbeheardovertheempire。Theothercity,SaintPetersburg,wheretheCourtgenerallyreside,isamodernandveryfinecity;sofineindeed,thatIhavenohesitationinsayingthatneitherBristolnorHerefordisworthytobenamedinthesamedaywithit。Manyofthestreetsaremilesinlength,andstraightasanarrow。TheNefskyProspect,asitiscalled,astreetwhichrunsfromthegrandsquare,wherestandstheEmperor’spalace,tothemonasteryofSaintAlexanderNefsky,isnearlythreemilesinlength,andisfullofnobleshopsandhouses。TheNeva,arivertwiceasbroadandtwiceasdeepastheThames,andwhosewatersareclearascrystal,runsthroughthetown,havingoneachsideofitasuperbquay,fencedwithgranite,whichaffordsoneofthemostdelightfulwalksimaginable。IfIhadmychoiceofallthecitiesoftheworldtolivein,IwouldchooseSaintPetersburg。\"

  \"AnddidyoueverseetheEmperor?\"saidtheroughfellow,whomI

  havemorethanoncementioned,\"didyoueverseetheEmperorNicholas?\"

  \"Ohyes:Ihaveseenhimfrequently。\"

  \"Well,whatkindofamanishe?weshouldliketoknow。\"

  \"Amanofcolossalstature,withafine,noble,butrathersternandsevereaspect。IthinkInowseehim,withhisgreycloak,cockedhat,andwhitewavingplumes,stridingdowntheNefskyProspect,andtoweringbyawholeheadoverotherpeople。\"

  \"Bravo!Didyoueverseehimattheheadofhissoldiers?\"

  \"Ohyes!IhaveseentheEmperorreviewfortythousandofhischosentroopsintheChampsdeMars,andafamoussightitwas。

  Therestoodthegreat,proudmanlookingathiswarriorsastheymanoeuvredbeforehim。Two—thirdsofthemwerecavalry,andeachhorsemanwasmountedonabeautifulbloodchargerofCossackorEnglishbreed,andarrayedinasuperbuniform。Theblaze,glitterandgloryweretoomuchformyeyes,andIwasfrequentlyobligedtoturnthemaway。Thesceneuponthewholeputmeinmindofanimmensefieldoftulipsofvariousdyes,forthecoloursofthedresses,ofthebannersandtheplumes,wereasgorgeousandmanifoldasthehuesofthosequeenlyflowers。\"

  \"Bravo!\"saidtwentyvoices;\"thegentlemanspeakslikeanareithiwr。HaveyoubeeninothercountriesbesidesRussia?\"

  \"Ohyes!IhavebeeninTurkey,thepeopleofwhicharenotChristians,butfrequentlyputChristianstoshamebytheirgoodfaithandhonesty。IhavebeeninthelandoftheMaugrabins,orMoors—apeoplewholiveonasavourydishcalledcouscousoo,andhavethegloomiestfacesandthemostferociousheartsunderheaven。IhavebeeninItaly,whosepeople,thoughthemostcleverintheworld,arethemostunhappy,owingtothetyrannyofabeingcalledthePope,who,whenIsawhim,appearedtobeundertheinfluenceofstrongdrink。IhavebeeninPortugal,thepeopleofwhichsupplythewholeworldwithwine,anddrinkonlywaterthemselves。IhavebeeninSpain,averyfinecountry,thepeopleofwhichareneversohappyaswhenpayingotherfolks’reckonings。

  Ihavebeen—butthewindisblowingwildlywithout,andtherainpeltingagainstthewindows;thisisacapitalnightforaghoststory;shallItellyouaghoststorywhichIlearntinSpain?\"

  \"Yes,sir,praydo;weallloveghoststories。DotellustheghoststoryofSpain。\"

  ThereuponItoldthecompanyLopedeVega’sghoststory,whichisdecidedlythebestghoststoryintheworld。

  Longandloudwastheapplausewhichfollowedtheconclusionofthegrandghoststoryoftheworld,inthemidstofwhichIgotup,badethecompanygood—night,andmademyexit。ShortlyafterwardsIdesiredtobeshowntomysleepingapartment。Itwasaverysmallroomupstairs,inthebackpartofthehouse;andImakenodoubtwasthechamberofthetwopoorgirls,thelandlady’sdaughters,asIsawvariousarticlesoffemaleattirelyingabout。

  Thespiritofknight—errantrywithinmewasnot,however,sufficientlystrongtopreventmetakingpossessionofthefemaledormitory;so,forthwithdivestingmyselfofeveryportionofmyhabiliments,whichweresteaminglikeaboilingtea—kettle,Igotintobedbetweentheblankets,andinaminutewasfastinthearmsofMorpheus。

  CHAPTERC

  Morning—ACheerlessScene—TheCarter—OdetoGlamorgan—

  StartlingHalloo—One—sidedLiberty—ClericalProfession—DeCourcy—LoveoftheDrop—IndependentSpirit—AnotherPeople。

  ISLEPTsoundlythroughthenight。Atabouteighto’clockonthefollowingmorningIgotupandlookedoutofthewindowofmyroom,whichfrontedthenorth。Astrangescenepresenteditself:aroaringbrookwasfoamingalongtowardsthewest,justunderthewindow。Immediatelybeyonditwasabank,notofgreenturf,greyrock,orbrownmould,butofcoalrubbish,cokeandcinders;onthetopofthisbankwasafellowperformingsomedirtyofficeorother,withaspadeandbarrow;beyondhim,onthesideofahill,wasatramway,upwhichahorsewasstraining,drawingaloadofsomethingtowardsthenorth—west。Beyondthetramwaywasagroveofyellow—lookingfirs;beyondthegrovearangeofwhitehouseswithblueroofs,occupied,Isuppose,byminersandtheirfamilies;

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