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;