"HaveyouanyWelsh?"IshoutedasloudasIcouldbawl。
Themanstopped,andturningadarksullencountenancehalfuponmesaid,"Yes,IhaveWelsh。"
"WhichisthewaytoLlanfair?"saidI。
"Llanfair,Llanfair?"saidtheman,"whatdoyoumean?"
"Iwanttogetthere,"saidI。
"Areyounottherealready?"saidthefellowstampingontheground,"areyounotinLlanfair?
"Yes,butIwanttogettothetown。"
"Town,town!Oh,IhavenoEnglish,"saidtheman;andoffhestartedlikeafrightedbullock。ThepoorfellowwasprobablyatfirstterrifiedatseeinganEnglishman,thenconfusedathearinganEnglishmanspeakWelsh,alanguagewhichtheWelshingeneralimaginenoEnglishmancanspeak,thetongueofanEnglishmanastheysaynotbeinglongenoughtopronounceWelsh;andlastlyutterlydeprivedofwhatreasoningfacultieshehadstillremainingbymyaskinghimforthetownofLlanfair,therebeingproperlynotown。
Iwenton,andatlastgettingoutofthelane,foundmyselfupontheroad,alongwhichIhadcomeabouttwohoursbefore;thehouseofthemillerwasatsomedistanceonmyright。Nearmeweretwoorthreehousesandpartoftheskeletonofone,onwhichsomemen,inthedressofmasons,seemedtobeoccupied。GoinguptothesemenIsaidinWelshtoone,whomIjudgedtobetheprincipal,andwhowasratheratallfine—lookingfellow:
"HaveyouheardasoundofGronwyOwain?"
Hereoccurredanotherinstanceofthestrangethingspeopledowhentheirideasareconfused。Themanstoodforamomentortwo,asiftransfixed,atrowelmotionlessinoneofhishands,andabrickintheother;atlastgivingakindofgasp,heansweredinverytolerableSpanish:
"Si,senor!heoido。"
"Ishishousefarfromhere?"saidIinWelsh。
"No,senor!"saidtheman,"noestamuylejos。"
"Iamastrangerhere,friend,cananybodyshowmetheway?"
"Sisenor!estemozoluego—acompanarausted。"
Thenturningtoaladofabouteighteen,alsodressedasamason,hesaidinWelsh:
"ShowthisgentlemaninstantlythewaytoTafarnGoch。"
Theladflingingahoddown,whichhehadonhisshoulder,instantlysetoff,makingmeamotionwithhisheadtofollowhim。
Ididso,wonderingwhatthemancouldmeanbyspeakingtomeinSpanish。Theladwalkedbymysideinsilenceforabouttwofurlongstillwecametoarangeoftrees,seeminglysycamores,behindwhichwasalittlegarden,inwhichstoodalonglowhousewiththreechimneys。Theladstoppingflungopenagatewhichledintothegarden,thencryingtoachildwhichhesawwithin:"Gadroitro"—letthemantakeaturn;hewasabouttoleaveme,whenIstoppedhimtoputsixpenceintohishand。Hereceivedthemoneywithagruff"Diolch!"andinstantlysetoffataquickpace。
Passingthechildwhostaredatme,Iwalkedtothebackpartofthehouse,whichseemedtobealongmudcottage。AfterexaminingthebackpartIwentinfront,whereIsawanagedwomanwithseveralchildren,oneofwhomwasthechildIhadfirstseen。ShesmiledandaskedmewhatIwanted。
IsaidthatIhadcometoseethehouseofGronwy。Shedidnotunderstandme,forshakingherheadshesaidthatshehadnoEnglish,andwasratherdeaf。RaisingmyvoicetoaveryhightoneIsaid:
"TyGronwy!"
Agleamofintelligenceflashednowinhereyes。
"TyGronwy,"shesaid,"ah!Iunderstand。Comeinsir。"
Therewerethreedoorstothehouse;sheledmeinbythemidmostintoacommoncottageroom,withnootherceiling,seemingly,thantheroof。Shebademesitdownbythewindowbyalittletable,andaskedmewhetherIwouldhaveacupofmilkandsomebread—and—
butter;Ideclinedboth,butsaidIshouldbethankfulforalittlewater。
Thisshepresentlybroughtmeinateacup,Idrankit,thechildrenamountingtofivestandingalittlewayfrommestaringatme。I
askedherifthiswasthehouseinwhichGronwywasborn。Shesaiditwas,butthatithadbeenalteredverymuchsincehistime—
thatthreefamilieshadlivedinit,butthatshebelievedhewasbornaboutwherewewerenow。
Amannowcominginwholivedatthenextdoor,shesaidIhadbetterspeaktohimandtellhimwhatIwantedtoknow,whichhecouldthencommunicatetoher,asshecouldunderstandhiswayofspeakingmuchbetterthanmine。ThroughthemanIaskedherwhethertherewasanyoneofthebloodofGronwyOwenlivinginthehouse。Shepointedtothechildrenandsaidtheyhadallsomeofhisblood。IaskedinwhatrelationshiptheystoodtoGronwy。Shesaidshecouldhardlytell,thattripriodas,threemarriagesstoodbetween,andthattherelationshipwasonthemother’sside。I
gatheredfromherthatthechildrenhadlosttheirmother,thattheirnamewasJones,andthattheirfatherwasherson。Iaskedifthehouseinwhichtheylivedwastheirown;shesaidno,thatitbelongedtoamanwholivedatsomedistance。Iaskedifthechildrenwerepoor。
"Very,"saidshe。
Igavethemeachatrifle,andthepooroldladythankedmewithtearsinhereyes。
Iaskedwhetherthechildrencouldread;shesaidtheyallcould,withtheexceptionofthetwoyoungest。Theeldestshesaidcouldreadanything,whetherWelshorEnglish;shethentookfromthewindow—sillabook,whichsheputintomyhand,sayingthechildcouldreaditandunderstandit。Iopenedthebook;itwasanEnglishschool—booktreatingonallthesciences。
"Canyouwrite?"saidItothechild,alittlestubbygirlofabouteight,withabroadflatredfaceandgreyeyes,dressedinachintzgown,alittlebonnetonherhead,andlookingtheimageofnotableness。
Thelittlemaiden,whohadnevertakenhereyesoffofmeforamomentduringthewholetimeIhadbeenintheroom,atfirstmadenoanswer;being,however,bidbyhergrandmothertospeak,sheatlengthansweredinasoftvoice,"Medraf,Ican。"
"Thenwriteyournameinthisbook,"saidI,takingoutapocket—
bookandapencil,"andwritelikewisethatyouarerelatedtoGronwyOwen—andbesureyouwriteinWelsh。"
Thelittlemaidenverydemurelytookthebookandpencil,andplacingtheformeronthetablewroteasfollows:
"EllenJonesynperthynobelligronowowen。"
Thatis,"EllenJonesbelongingfromafartoGronwyOwen。"
WhenIsawthenameofEllenIhadnodoubtthatthechildrenwererelatedtotheillustriousGronwy。EllenisaveryuncommonWelshname,butitseemstohavebeenafamilynameoftheOwens;itwasbornebyaninfantdaughterofthepoetwhomhetenderlyloved,andwhodiedwhilsthewastoilingatWaltoninCheshire,—
"Ellen,mydarling,WholiestintheChurchyardatWalton。"
sayspoorGronwyinoneofthemostaffectingelegieseverwritten。
AfteralittlefartherconversationIbadethefamilyfarewellandleftthehouse。AftergoingdowntheroadahundredyardsIturnedbackinordertoaskpermissiontogatheraleaffromoneofthesycamores。Seeingthemanwhohadhelpedmeinmyconversationwiththeoldwomanstandingatthegate,ItoldhimwhatIwanted,whereuponheinstantlytoredownahandfulofleavesandgavethemtome。Thrustingthemintomycoat—pocketIthankedhimkindlyanddeparted。
Comingtothehalf—erectedhouse,IagainsawthemantowhomIhadaddressedmyselfforinformation。Istopped,andspeakingSpanishtohim,askedhowhehadacquiredtheSpanishlanguage。
"IhavebeeninChili,sir,"saidheinthesametongue,"andinCalifornia,andinthoseplacesIlearnedSpanish。"
"WhatdidyougotoChilifor?"saidI;"IneednotaskyouonwhataccountyouwenttoCalifornia。"
"Iwentthereasamariner,"saidtheman;"IsailedoutofLiverpoolforChili。"
"Andhowisit,"saidI,"thatbeingamarinerandsailinginaLiverpoolshipyoudonotspeakEnglish?"
"IspeakEnglish,senor,"saidtheman,"perfectlywell。"
"Thenhowinthenameofwonder,"saidI,speakingEnglish,"cameyoutoanswermeinSpanish?IamanEnglishmanthoroughbred。"
"Icanscarcelytellyouhowitwas,sir,"saidthemanscratchinghishead,"butIthoughtIwouldspeaktoyouinSpanish。"
"AndwhynotEnglish?"saidI。
"Why,IheardyouspeakingWelsh,"saidtheman;"andasforanEnglishmanspeakingWelsh—"
"ButwhynotanswermeinWelsh?"saidI。
"Why,Isawitwasnotyourlanguage,sir,"saidtheman,"andasI
hadpickedupsomeSpanishIthoughtitwouldbebutfairtoansweryouinit。"
"ButhowdidyouknowthatIcouldspeakSpanish?"saidI。
"Idon’tknowindeed,sir,"saidtheman;"butIlookedatyou,andsomethingseemedtotellmethatyoucouldspeakSpanish。Ican’ttellyouhowitwassir,"saidhe,lookingmeveryinnocentlyintheface,"butIwasforcedtospeakSpanishtoyou。Iwasindeed!"
"Thelongandtheshortofitwas,"saidI,"thatyoutookmeforaforeigner,andthoughtthatitwouldbebutpolitetoanswermeinaforeignlanguage。"
"Idaresayitwasso,sir,"saidtheman。"Idaresayitwasjustasyousay。"
"HowdidyoufareinCalifornia?"saidI。
"Veryfairlyindeed,sir,"saidtheman。"Imadesomemoneythere,andbroughtithome,andwithpartofitIambuildingthishouse。"
"Iamveryhappytohearit,"saidI,"youarereallyaremarkableman—fewreturnfromCaliforniaspeakingSpanishasyoudo,andstillfewerwithmoneyintheirpockets。"
ThepoorfellowlookedpleasedatwhatIsaid,moreespeciallyatthatpartofthesentencewhichtoucheduponhisspeakingSpanishwell。Wishinghimmanyyearsofhealthandhappinessinthehousehewasbuilding,Ilefthim,andproceededonmypathtowardsPentraethGoch。
Afterwalkingsomeway,Iturnedroundinordertotakealastlookoftheplacewhichhadsomuchinterestforme。Themillmaybeseenfromaconsiderabledistance;somaysomeofthescatteredhouses,andalsothewoodwhichsurroundsthehouseoftheillustriousGronwy。ProsperitytoLlanfair!andmaymanyapilgrimagebemadetoitofthesamecharacterasmyown。
CHAPTERXXXIII
BoxingHarry—MrBos—BlackRobin—Drovers—CommercialTravellers。
IARRIVEDatthehostelryofMrPritchardwithoutmeetinganyadventureworthyofbeingmarkeddown。Iwentintothelittleparlour,and,ringingthebell,waspresentlywaiteduponbyMrsPritchard,anicematronlywoman,whomIhadnotbeforeseen,ofwhomIinquiredwhatIcouldhavefordinner。
"Thisisnogreatplaceformeat,"saidMrsPritchard,"thatisfreshmeat,forsometimesafortnightpasseswithoutanythingbeingkilledintheneighbourhood。Iamafraidatpresentthereisnotabitoffreshmeattobehad。WhatwecangetyoufordinnerIdonotknow,unlessyouarewillingtomakeshiftwithbaconandeggs。"
"I’lltellyouwhatI’lldo,"saidI,"Iwillhavethebaconandeggswithteaandbread—and—butter,notforgettingapintofale—
inaword,IwillboxHarry。"
"Isupposeyouareacommercialgent,"saidMrsPritchard。
"Whydoyousupposemeacommercialgent?"saidI。"DoIlookone?"
"Can’tsayyoudomuch,"saidMrsPritchard;"youhavenoringsonyourfingers,noragiltchainatyourwaistcoat—pocket,butwhenyousaid’boxHarry,’Inaturallytookyoutobeoneofthecommercialgents,forwhenIwasatLiverpoolIwastoldthatthatwasawordoftheirs。"
"Ibelievethewordproperlybelongstothem,"saidI。"Iamnotoneofthem;butIlearntitfromthem,agreatmanyyearsago,whenIwasmuchamongstthem。Thosewhoseemployerswereinasmallwayofbusiness,orallowedtheminsufficientsalaries,frequentlyusedto’boxHarry,’thatis,haveabeaf—steak,ormutton—chop,orperhapsbaconandeggs,asIamgoingtohave,alongwithteaandale,insteadoftheregulardinnerofacommercialgentleman,namely,fish,hotjoint,andfowl,pintofsherry,tart,aleandcheese,andbottleofoldport,attheendofall。"
Havingmadearrangementsfor"boxingHarry"Iwentintothetap—
room,fromwhichIhadheardthevoiceofMrPritchardproceedingduringthewholeofmyconversationwithhiswife。HereIfoundtheworthylandlordseatedwithasinglecustomer;bothweresmoking。Thecustomerinstantlyarrestedmyattention。Hewasaman,seeminglyaboutfortyyearsofagewithabroadredface,withcertainsomethings,lookingverymuchlikeincipientcarbuncles,hereandthere,uponit。Hiseyesweregreyandlookedratherasiftheysquinted;hismouthwasverywide,andwhenitopeneddisplayedasetofstrong,white,uneventeeth。Hewasdressedinapepper—and—saltcoatoftheNewmarketcut,breechesofcorduroyandbrowntopboots,andhadonhisheadabroad,black,coarse,low—crownedhat。Inhislefthandheheldaheavywhale—bonewhipwithabrasshead。Isatdownonabenchnearlyoppositetohimandthelandlord。
"Well,"saidMrPritchard;"didyoufindyourwaytoLlanfair?"
"Yes,"saidI。
"Anddidyouexecutethebusinesssatisfactorilywhichledyouthere?"saidMrPritchard。
"Perfectly,"saidI。
"Well,whatdidyougiveastoneforyourlivepork?"saidhiscompanionglancingupatme,andspeakinginagruffvoice。
"Ididnotbuyanylivepork,"saidI;"doyoutakemeforapig—
jobber?"
"Ofcourse,"saidtheman,inpepper—and—salt;"whobutapigjobbercouldhavebusinessatLlanfair?"
"DoesLlanfairproducenothingbutpigs?"saidI。
"Nothingatall,"saidthemaninthepepper—and—salt,"thatis,nothingworthmentioning。Youwouldn’tgothereforrunts,thatis,ifyouwereinyourrightsenses;ifyouwereinwantofruntsyouwouldhavegonetomyparishandhaveappliedtome,MrBos;
thatisifyouwereinyoursenses。Wouldn’the,JohnPritchard?"
MrPritchardthusappealedtotookthepipeoutofhismouth,andwithsomehesitationssaidthathebelievedthegentlemanneitherwenttoLlanfairforpigsnorblackcattlebutuponsomeparticularbusiness。
"Well,"saidMrBos,"itmaybeso,butIcan’tconceivehowanyperson,eithergentleorsimple,couldhaveanybusinessinAngleseysavethatbusinesswaspigsorcattle。"
"Thetruthis,"saidI,"IwenttoLlanfairtoseethebirth—placeofagreatman—thecleverestAngleseyeverproduced。"
"Thenyouwentwrong,"saidMrBos,"youwenttothewrongparish,youshouldhavegonetoPenmynnydd;theclebbermanofAngleseywasbornandburiedatPenmynnydd,youmayseehistombinthechurch。"
"YouarealludingtoBlackRobin,"saidI,"whowrotetheodeinpraiseofAnglesey—yes,hewasaverycleveryoungfellow,butexcuseme,hewasnothalfsuchapoetasGronwyOwen。"
"BlackRobin,"saidMrBos,"andGronowOwen,whotheDevilwerethey?Ineverheardofeither。Iwasn’ttalkingofthem,butoftheclebberestmantheworldeversaw。DidyouneverhearofOwenTiddir?Ifyoudidn’t,wheredidyougetyoureducation?"
"IhaveheardofOwenTudor,"saidI,"butneverunderstoodthathewasparticularlyclever;handsomeheundoubtedlywas—butclever—
"
"Hownotclebber?"interruptedMrBos。"Ifhewasn’tclebber,whowasclebber?Didn’themarryagreatqueen,andwasnotHarrytheEighthhisgreatgrandson?"
"Really,"saidI,"youknowagreatdealofhistory。"
"IshouldhopeIdo,"saidMrBos。"Oh,Iwasn’tatschoolatBlewmarisforsixmonthsfornothing;andIhaven’tbeeninNorthampton,andineverytowninEngland,withoutlearningsomethingofhistory。WithregardtohistoryImaysaythatfew—
Won’tyoudrink?"saidhe,patronizingly,ashepushedajugofalewhichstoodbeforehimonalittletabletowardsme。
BeggingpolitelytobeexcusedonthepleathatIwasjustabouttotaketea,IaskedhiminwhatcapacityhehadtravelledalloverEngland。
"Asadrovertobesure,"saidMrBos,"andImaysaythattherearenotmanyinAngleseybetterknowninEnglandthanmyself—atanyrateImaysaythatthereisnotapublic—housebetweenhereandWorcesteratwhichIamnotknown。"
"Prayexcuseme,"saidI,"butisnotdrovingratheralow—lifedoccupation?"
"Nothalfsomuchaspig—jobbing,"saidBos,"andthatthat’syourtradeIamcertain,oryouwouldneverhavegonetoLlanfair。"
"Iamnopig—jobber,"saidI,"andwhenIaskedyouthatquestionaboutdroving,ImerelydidsobecauseoneEllisWynn,inabookhewrote,givesthedroversaverybadcharacter,andputstheminHellfortheirmal—practices。"
"Oh,hedoes,"saidMrBos,"well,thenexttimeImeethimatCorwenI’llcrackhisheadforsayingso。Mal—practices—hehadbetterlookathisown,forheisapig—jobbertoo。Writtenabookhashe?thenIsupposehehasbeenleftalegacy,andgonetoschoolaftermiddle—age,forwhenIlastsawhim,whichisfouryearsago,hecouldneitherreadnorwrite。"
IwasabouttotellMrBosthattheEllisWynnthatImeantwasnomoreapig—jobberthanmyself,butarespectableclergyman,whohadbeendeadconsiderablyupwardsofahundredyears,andthatalso,notwithstandingmyrespectforMrBos’sknowledgeofhistory,IdidnotbelievethatOwenTudorwasburiedatPenmynnydd,whenIwaspreventedbytheentranceofMrsPritchard,whocametoinformmethatmyrepastwasreadyintheotherroom,whereuponIgotupandwentintotheparlourto"boxHarry。"
Havingdispatchedmybaconandeggs,teaandale,Ifellintodeepmeditation。Mymindrevertedtoalongpastperiodofmylife,whenIwastoacertainextentfixedupwithcommercialtravellers,andhadplentyofopportunitiesofobservingtheirhabits,andthetermsemployedbytheminconversation。Icalledupseveralindividualsofthetwoclassesintowhichtheyusedtobedivided,forcommercialtravellersinmytimeweredividedintotwoclasses,thosewhoatedinnersanddranktheirbottleofport,andthosewho"boxedHarry。"Whatgloriousfellowsthefirstseemed!Whatairstheygavethemselves!Whatoathstheyswore!andwhatinfluencetheyhadwithhostlersandchambermaids!andwhatasneaking—
lookingsettheotherswere!shabbyintheirapparel;nofineferocityintheircountenances;nooathsintheirmouths,exceptsuchatrumperyapologyforanoathasanoccasional"confoundedhard;"withlittleornoinfluenceatinns,scowledatbyhostlers,andneversmiledatbychambermaids—andthenIrememberedhowoftenIhadbotheredmyheadinvaintoaccountfortheoriginoftheterm"boxHarry,"andhowoftenIhadinvainappliedbothtothosewhodidboxandtothosewhodidnot"boxHarry,"foraclearandsatisfactoryelucidationoftheexpression—andatlastfoundmyselfagainbotheringmyheadasofoldinavainattempttoaccountfortheoriginoftheterm"boxingHarry。"
CHAPTERXXXIV
Northampton—Horse—Breaking—Snoring。
TIREDatlengthwithmyvaineffortstoaccountforthetermwhichinmytimewassomuchinvogueamongstcommercialgentlemenIleftthelittleparlour,andrepairedtothecommonroom。MrPritchardandMrBoswerestilltheresmokinganddrinking,buttherewasnowacandleonthetablebeforethem,fornightwasfastcomingon。
MrBoswasgivinganaccountofhistravelsinEngland,sometimesinWelsh,sometimesinEnglish,towhichMrPritchardwaslisteningwiththegreatestattention,occasionallyputtingina"seetherenow,"and"whatafinethingitistohavegoneabout。"AftersometimeMrBosexclaimed:
"Ithink,uponthewhole,ofalltheplacesIhaveseeninEnglandIlikeNorthamptonbest。"
"Isuppose,"saidI,"youfoundthemenofNorthamptongood—
tempered,jovialfellows?"
"Can’tsayIdid,"saidMrBos;"theyareallshoe—makers,andofcoursequarrelsomeandcontradictory,forwherewasthereeverashoemakerwhowasnotconceitedandeasilyriled?No,IhavelittletosayinfavourofNorthamptonasfarasthemenareconcerned。It’snotthemenbutthewomenthatmakemespeakinpraiseofNorthampton。Themenallareill—tempered,butthewomenquitethecontrary。IneversawsuchaplaceformerchedanladdasNorthampton。Iwasagreatfavouritewiththem,andcouldtellyousuchtales。"
AndthenMrBos,puttinghishatratherononesideofhishead,toldustwoorthreetalesofhisadventureswiththemerchedanladdofNorthampton,whichbroughtpowerfullytomymindpartofwhatEllisWynnhadsaidwithrespecttothepracticesofdroversinhisday,detestationforwhichhadinducedhimtoputthewholetribeintoHell。
AllofasuddenIheardagallopingdowntheroad,andpresentlyamightyplunging,seeminglyofahorse,beforethedooroftheinn。
Irushedoutfollowedbymycompanions,andlo,ontheopenspacebeforetheinnwasayounghorse,rearingandkicking,withayoungmanonhisback。Thehorsehadneitherbridlenorsaddle,andtheyoungfellowmerelyrodehimwitharopepassedabouthishead—
presentlythehorsebecametolerablyquiet,andhisriderjumpingoffledhimintothestable,wherehemadehimfasttotherackandthencameandjoinedus,whereuponweallwentintotheroomfromwhichIandtheothershadcomeonhearingthenoiseofthestruggle。
"Howcameyouonthecolt’sback,Jenkins?"saidMrPritchard,afterwehadallsatdownandJenkinshadcalledforsomecwrw。"I
didnotknowthathewasbrokein。"
"Iambreakinghiminmyself,"saidJenkinsspeakingWelsh。"I
beganwithhimto—night。"
"Doyoumeantosay,"saidI,"thatyouhavebegunbreakinghiminbymountinghisback?"
"Ido,"saidtheother。
"Thendependuponit,"saidI,"thatitwillnotbelongbeforehewilleitherbreakhisneckorkneesorhewillbreakyourneckorcrown。Youarenotgoingtherightwaytowork。"
"Oh,mynDiawl!"saidJenkins,"Iknowbetter。InadayortwoI
shallhavemadehimquitetame,andhavegothimintoexcellentpacesandshallhavesavedthemoneyImusthavepaidaway,hadI
puthimintoajockey’shands。"
Timepassed,nightcameon,andotherguestscamein。Therewasmuchtalkingoffirst—rateWelshandveryindifferentEnglish,MrBosbeingtheprincipalspeakerinbothlanguages;hisdiscoursewaschieflyonthecomparativemeritsofAngleseyruntsandScotchbullocks,andthoseofthemerchedanladdofNorthamptonandthelassesofWrexham。HepreferredhisowncountryruntstotheScotchkine,butsaiduponthewhole,thoughaWelshman,hemustgivethepreferencetothemerchedofNorthamptonoverthoseofWrexham,forfreeandeasydemeanour,notwithstandingthatinthatpointwhichhesaidwasthemostdesirablepointinfemales,thelassesofWrexhamweregenerallyconsideredout—and—outers。
FondasIamoflisteningtopublic—houseconversation,fromwhichIgenerallycontrivetoextractbothamusementandedification,I
becamerathertiredofthis,andgettingup,strolledaboutthelittlevillagebymoonlighttillIfeltdisposedtoretiretorest,whenreturningtotheinn,IbeggedtobeshowntheroominwhichI
wastosleep。MrsPritchardforthwithtakingacandleconductedmetoasmallroomupstairs。Thereweretwobedsinit。Thegoodladypointingtoone,nextthewindow,inwhichtherewerenicecleansheets,toldmethatwastheonewhichIwastooccupy,andbiddingmegood—night,andleavingthecandle,departed。PuttingoutthelightIgotintobed,butinstantlyfoundthatthebedwasnotlongenoughbyatleastafoot。"Ishallpassanuncomfortablenight,"saidI,"forIneveryetcouldsleepcomfortablyinabedtooshort。However,asIamonmytravels,Imustendeavourtoaccommodatemyselftocircumstances。"SoIendeavouredtocomposemyselftosleep;before,however,Icouldsucceed,Iheardthesoundofstumpingstepscomingupstairs,andperceivedabeamoflightthroughthecrevicesofthedoor,andinamomentmorethedooropenedandincametwoloutishfarmingladswhomIhadobservedbelow,oneofthembearingarushlightstuckintoanoldblacking—bottle。Withoutsayingawordtheyflungoffpartoftheirclothes,andoneofthemhavingblownouttherushlight,theybothtumbledintobed,andinamomentweresnoringmostsonorously。"Iaminashortbed,"saidI,"andhavesnorersclosebyme;IfearIshallhaveasorrynightofit。"Idetermined,however,toadheretomyresolutionofmakingthebestofcircumstances,andlayperfectlyquiet,listeningtothesnoringsastheyroseandfell;atlasttheybecamemoregentleandIfellasleep,notwithstandingmyfeetwereprojectingsomewayfromthebed。ImighthavelaintenminutesoraquarterofanhourwhenI