Godblesshim!IthinkIseehimnowwithhisbald,shiningpate,andhisfingeronanopenpageof’Preston’sConveyancing。’"
"Sureyouarenotalimbofthelaw?"saidMrR—。
"No,"saidI,"butImightbe,forIservedanapprenticeshiptoit。"
"Iamgladtohearit,"saidMrR—,shakingmebythehand。"Takemyadvice,comeandsettleatLlangollenandbemypartner。"
"IfIdid,"saidI,"Iamafraidthatourpartnershipwouldbeofshortduration;youwouldfindmetooeccentricandflightyforthelaw。Haveyouagoodpractice?"Idemandedafterapause。
"Ihavenoreasontocomplainofit,"saidhe,withacontentedair。
"Isupposeyouaremarried?"saidI。
"Ohyes,"saidhe,"Ihavebothawifeandfamily。"
"AnativeofLlangollen?"saidI。
"No,"saidhe:"IwasbornatLlanSilin,aplacesomewayoffacrosstheBerwyn。"
"LlanSilin?"saidI,"Ihaveagreatdesiretovisititsomedayorother。"
"Whyso?"saidhe,"itoffersnothinginteresting。"
"Ibegyourpardon,"saidI;"unlessIammuchmistaken,thetombofthegreatpoetHuwMorrisisinLlanSilinchurchyard。"
"IsitpossiblethatyouhaveeverheardofHuwMorris?"
"Ohyes,"saidI;"andIhavenotonlyheardofhimbutamacquaintedwithhiswritings;Ireadthemwhenaboy。"
"Howveryextraordinary,"saidhe;"well,youarequiterightabouthistomb;whenaboyIhaveplayeddozensoftimesontheflatstonewithmyschoolfellows。"
WetalkedofWelshpoetry;hesaidhehadnotdippedmuchintoit,owingtoitsdifficulty;thathewasmasterofthecolloquiallanguageofWales,butunderstoodverylittleofthelanguageofWelshpoetry,whichwasawidelydifferentthing。IaskedhimwhetherhehadseenOwenPugh’stranslationofParadiseLost。Hesaidhehad,butcouldonlypartiallyunderstandit,adding,however,thatthosepartswhichhecouldmakeoutappearedtohimtobeadmirablyexecuted,thatamongstthesetherewasonewhichhadparticularlystruckhimnamely:
"AreucolorygnucrochDaranau。"
TherenderingofMilton’s"AndontheirhingesgrateHarshthunder。"
which,grandasitwas,wascertainlyequalledbytheWelshversion,andperhapssurpassed,forthathewasdisposedtothinkthattherewassomethingmoreterriblein"crochdaranau,"thanin"harshthunder。"
"Iamdisposedtothinksotoo,"saidI。"NowcanyoutellmewhereOwenPughisburied?"
"Icannot,"saidhe;"butIsupposeyoucantellme;you,whoknowtheburying—placeofHuwMorrisareprobablyacquaintedwiththeburying—placeofOwenPugh。"
"No,"saidI,"Iamnot。UnlikeHuwMorris,OwenPughhasneverhadhishistorywritten,thoughperhapsquiteasinterestingahistorymightbemadeoutofthelifeofthequietstudentasoutofthatofthepopularpoet。AssoonaseverIlearnwherehisgraveisIshallassuredlymakeapilgrimagetoit。"MrR—thenaskedmeagoodmanyquestionsaboutSpain,andacertainsingularraceofpeopleaboutwhomIhavewrittenagooddeal。Beforegoingawayhetoldmethatafriendofhis,ofthenameofJ—,wouldcalluponme,providedhethoughtIshouldnotconsiderhisdoingsoanintrusion。"Lethimcomebyallmeans,"saidI;"Ishallneverlookuponavisitfromafriendofyoursinthelightofanintrusion。"
Inafewdayscamehisfriend,afinetallathleticmanofaboutforty。"YouarenoWelshman,"saidI,asIlookedathim。
"No,"saidhe,"IamanativeofLincolnshire,butIhaveresidedinLlangollenforthirteenyears。"
"Inwhatcapacity?"saidI。
"Inthewine—trade,"saidhe。
"InsteadofcomingtoLlangollen,"saidI,"andenteringintothewine—trade,youshouldhavegonetoLondon,andenlistedintotheLifeGuards。"
"Well,"saidhe,withasmile,"Ihadonceortwicethoughtofdoingso。However,fatebroughtmetoLlangollen,andIamnotsorrythatshedid,forIhavedoneverywellhere。"
Isoonfoundoutthathewasawell—readandindeedhighlyaccomplishedman。LikehisfriendR—,MrJ—askedmeagreatmanyquestionsaboutSpain。BydegreeswegotonthesubjectofSpanishliterature。IsaidthattheliteratureofSpainwasafirst—rateliterature,butthatitwasnotveryextensive。HeaskedmewhetherIdidnotthinkthatLopedeVegawasmuchoverrated。
"Notabit,"saidI;"LopedeVegawasoneofthegreatestgeniusesthateverlived。Hewasnotonlyagreatdramatistandlyricpoet,butaprosewriterofmarvellousability,asheprovedbyseveraladmirabletales,amongstwhichisthebestghoststoryintheworld。"
AnotherremarkablepersonwhomIgotacquaintedwithaboutthistimewasA—,theinnkeeper,wholivedalittlewaydowntheroad,ofwhomJohnJoneshadspokensohighly,saying,amongstotherthings,thathewastheclebberestmaninLlangollen。OnedayasI
waslookinginathisgate,hecameforth,tookoffhishat,andaskedmetodohimthehonourtocomeinandlookathisgrounds。
Icomplied,andasheshowedmeabouthetoldmehishistoryinnearlythefollowingwords:—
"IamaDevonianbybirth。FormanyyearsIservedatravellinggentleman,whomIaccompaniedinallhiswanderings。IhavebeenfivetimesacrosstheAlps,andineverycapitalofEurope。Mymasteratlengthdyingleftmeinhiswillsomethinghandsome,whereuponIdeterminedtobeaservantnolonger,butmarried,andcametoLlangollen,whichIhadvisitedlongbeforewithmymaster,andhadbeenmuchpleasedwith。Afteralittletimethesepremisesbecomingvacant,Itookthem,andsetupinthepublicline,moretohavesomethingtodo,thanforthesakeofgain,aboutwhich,indeed,Ineednottroublemyselfmuch,mypoor,dearmaster,asI
saidbefore,havingdoneveryhandsomelybymeathisdeath。HereIhavelivedforseveralyears,receivingstrangers,andimprovingmyhouseandgrounds。Iamtolerablycomfortable,butconfessI
sometimeslookbacktomyformerrovingliferatherwistfully,forthereisnolifesomerryasthetraveller’s。"
Hewasaboutthemiddleageandsomewhatunderthemiddlesize。I
hadagooddealofconversationwithhim,andwasmuchstruckwithhisfrank,straightforwardmanner。HeenjoyedahighcharacteratLlangollenforprobityandlikewiseforcleverness,beingreckonedanexcellentgardener,andanalmostunequalledcook。Hismaster,thetravellinggentleman,mightwellleavehimahandsomeremembranceinhiswill,forhehadnotonlybeenanexcellentandtrustyservanttohim,buthadoncesavedhislifeatthehazardofhisown,amongstthefrightfulprecipicesoftheAlps。Suchretiredgentlemen’sservants,orsuchpublicanseither,ashonestA—,arenoteverydaytobefound。Hisgrounds,principallylaidoutbyhisownhands,exhibitedaninfinityoftaste,andhishouse,intowhichIlooked,wasaperfectpictureofneatness。AnytouristvisitingLlangollenforashortperiodcoulddonobetterthantakeuphisabodeatthehostelryofhonestA—。
CHAPTERLVI
RingingofBells—BattleofAlma—TheBrownJug—AleofLlangollen—Reverses。
ONthethirdofOctober—Ithinkthatwasthedate—asmyfamilyandmyself,attendedbytrustyJohnJones,werereturningonfootfromvisitingaparknotfarfromRhiwabonweheard,whenaboutamilefromLlangollen,asuddenringingofthebellsoftheplace,andaloudshouting。Presentlyweobservedapostmanhurryinginacartfromthedirectionofthetown。"Pethywymatter?"saidJohnJones。"Ymatter,ymatter!"saidthepostmaninatoneofexultation,"Sebastopolwedicymmeryd。Hurrah!"
"Whatdoeshesay?"saidmywifeanxiouslytome。
"Why,thatSebastopolistaken,"saidI。
"Thenyouhavebeenmistaken,"saidmywifesmiling,"foryoualwayssaidthattheplacewouldeithernotbetakenatallorwouldcostthealliestotakeitadealoftimeandanimmensequantityofbloodandtreasure,andhereitistakenatonce,forthealliesonlylandedtheotherday。Well,thankGod,youhavebeenmistaken!"
"ThankGod,indeed,"saidI,"alwayssupposingthatIhavebeenmistaken—butIhardlythinkfromwhatIhaveknownoftheRussiansthattheywouldlettheirtown—however,letushopethattheyhaveletitbetaken。Hurrah!"
Wereachedourdwelling。Mywifeanddaughterwentin。JohnJonesbetookhimselftohiscottage,andIwentintothetown,inwhichtherewasagreatexcitement;awildrunningtroopofboyswereshouting"Sebastopolwedicymmeryd。Hurrah!Hurrah!"OldMrJoneswasstandingbare—headedathisdoor。"Ah,"saidtheoldgentleman,"Iamgladtoseeyou。Letuscongratulateeachother,"
headded,shakingmebythehand。"Sebastopoltaken,andinsoshortatime。Howfortunate!"
"Fortunateindeed,"saidI,returninghisheartyshake;"Ionlyhopeitmaybetrue。"
"Oh,therecanbenodoubtofitsbeingtrue,"saidtheoldgentleman。"Theaccountsaremostpositive。Comein,andIwilltellyouallthecircumstances。"Ifollowedhimintohislittlebackparlour,wherewebothsatdown。
"Now,"saidtheoldchurchclerk,"Iwilltellyouallaboutit。
TheallieslandedabouttwentymilesfromSebastopolandproceededtomarchagainstit。WhennearlyhalfwaytheyfoundtheRussianspostedonahill。Theirpositionwasnaturallyverystrong,andtheyhadmadeitmoresobymeansofredoubtsandtrenches。
However,thealliesundismayed,attackedtheenemy,andafteradesperateresistance,drovethemoverthehill,andfollowingfastattheirheelsenteredthetownpell—mellwiththem,takingitandallthatremainedaliveoftheRussianarmy。Andwhatdoyouthink?TheWelshhighlydistinguishedthemselves。TheWelshfusileerswerethefirsttomountthehill。Theysufferedhorribly—indeedalmostthewholeregimentwascuttopieces;butwhatofthat?theyshowedthatthecourageoftheAncientBritonsstillsurvivesintheirdescendants。AndnowIintendtostandbeverage。
IassureyouIdo。Nowords!Iinsistuponit。Ihaveheardyousayyouarefondofgoodale,andIintendtofetchyouapintofsuchaleasIamsureyouneverdrankinyourlife。"Thereuponhehurriedoutoftheroom,andthroughtheshopintothestreet。
"Well,"saidI,whenIwasbymyself,"ifthisnewsdoesnotregularlysurpriseme!IcaneasilyconceivethattheRussianswouldbebeateninapitchedbattlebytheEnglishandFrench—butthattheyshouldhavebeensoquicklyfollowedupbytheallies,asnottobeabletoshuttheirgatesandmantheirwalls,istomeinconceivable。Why,theRussiansretreatlikethewind,andhaveathousandrusesatcommand,inordertoretardanenemy。SoatleastIthought,butitisplainthatIknownothingaboutthem,norindeedmuchofmyowncountrymen;IshouldneverhavethoughtthatEnglishsoldierscouldhavemarchedfastenoughtoovertakeRussians,moreespeciallywithsuchabeingtocommandthem,as—,whomI,andindeedalmosteveryoneelsehavealwaysconsideredadeadweightontheEnglishservice。Isuppose,however,thatboththeyandtheircommanderwerespurredonbytheactiveFrench。"
Presentlytheoldchurchclerkmadehisappearancewithaglassinonehand,andabrownjugofaleintheother。
"Here,"saidhe,fillingtheglass,"issomeoftherealLlangollenale。Igotitfromthelittleinn,theEagle,overtheway,whichwasalwayscelebratedforitsale。TheystaredatmewhenIwentinandaskedforapintofale,astheyknewthatfortwentyyearsIhavedrunknoliquorwhatever,owingtothestateofmystomach,whichwillnotallowmetodrinkanythingstrongerthanwaterandtea。Itoldthem,however,itwasforagentleman,afriendofmine,whomIwishedtotreatinhonourofthefallofSebastopol。"
Iwouldfainhaveexcusedmyself,buttheoldgentlemaninsistedonmydrinking。
"Well,"saidI,takingtheglass,"thankGodthatourgloomyforebodingsarenotlikelytoberealised。Oesybydi’rglodFrythoneg!MayBritain’sglorylastaslongastheworld!"
Then,lookingforamomentattheale,whichwasofadark—browncolour,Iputtheglasstomylipsanddrank。
"Ah!"saidtheoldchurchclerk,"Iseeyoulikeit,foryouhaveemptiedtheglassatadraught。"
"Itisgoodale,"saidI。
"Good,"saidtheoldgentlemanratherhastily,"good;didyouevertasteanysogoodinyourlife?"
"Why,astothat,"saidI,"Ihardlyknowwhattosay;Ihavedrunksomeverygoodaleinmyday。However,I’lltroubleyouforanotherglass。"
"Ohho,youwill,"saidtheoldgentleman;"that’senough;ifyoudidnotthinkitfirst—rate,youwouldnotaskformore。This,"
saidhe,ashefilledtheglassagain,"isgenuinemaltandhopliquor,brewedinawayonlyknown,theysay,tosomefewpeopleinthisplace。Youmust,however,takecarehowmuchyoutakeofit。
Onlyafewglasseswillmakeyoudisputewithyourfriends,andafewmorequarrelwiththem。StrangethingsaresaidofwhatLlangollenalemadepeopledoofyore;andIrememberthatwhenI
wasyoungandcoulddrinkale,twoorthreeglassesoftheLlangollenjuiceofthebarleycornwouldmakeme—however,thosetimesaregoneby。"
"HasLlangollenale,"saidI,aftertastingthesecondglass,"everbeensunginWelsh?istherenoenglynuponit?"
"No,"saidtheoldchurchclerk,"atanyrate,thatIamaware。"
"Well,"saidI,"Ican’tsingitspraisesinaWelshenglyn,butI
thinkIcancontrivetodosoinanEnglishquatrain,withthehelpofwhatyouhavetoldme。Whatdoyouthinkofthis?—
"Llangollen’sbrownaleiswithmaltandhoprife;
’Tisgood;butdon’tquaffitfromeveningtilldawn;
Fortoomuchofthatalewillinclineyoutostrife;
Toomuchofthatalehascausedknivestobedrawn。"
"That’snotsobad,"saidtheoldchurchclerk,"butIthinksomeofourbardscouldhaveproducedsomethingbetter—thatis,inWelsh;forexampleold—What’sthenameoftheoldbardwhowrotesomanyenglyniononale?"
"SionTudor,"saidI;"Oyes;buthewasagreatpoet。Ah,hehaswrittensomewonderfulenglyniononale;butyouwillpleasetobearinmindthatallhisenglynionareuponbadale,anditiseasiertoturntoridiculewhatisbad,thantodoanythinglikejusticetowhatisgood。"
O,greatwastherejoicingforafewdaysatLlangollenforthereportedtriumph;andtheshareoftheWelshinthattriumphreconciledforatimethedescendantsoftheAncientBritonstotheseedofthecoilingserpent。"WelshandSaxonstogetherwillconquertheworld!"shoutedbrats,astheystoodbarefootedinthekennel。Inalittletime,however,newsnotquitesocheeringarrived。Therehadbeenabattlefought,itistrue,inwhichtheRussianshadbeenbeaten,andthelittleWelshhadverymuchdistinguishedthemselves,butnoSebastopolhadbeentaken。TheRussianshadretreatedtotheirtown,which,tillthenalmostdefencelessonthelandside,theyhad,followingtheiroldmaximof"neverdespair,"renderedalmostimpregnableinafewdays,whilsttheallies,chieflyowingtothesupinenessoftheBritishcommander,wereloiteringonthefieldofbattle。Inaword,allhadhappenedwhichthewriter,fromhisknowledgeoftheRussiansandhisowncountrymen,hadconceivedlikelytohappenfromthebeginning。Thencamethenewsofthecommencementofaseeminglyinterminablesiege,andofdisastersanddisgracesonthepartoftheBritish;therewasnomoreshoutingatLlangolleninconnectionwiththeCrimeanexpedition。Butthesubjectisadisagreeableone,andthewriterwilldismissitafterafewbriefwords。
ItwasquiterightandconsistentwiththejusticeofGodthattheBritisharmsshouldbesubjectedtodisasterandignominyaboutthatperiod。Adeedofinfamousinjusticeandcrueltyhadbeenperpetrated,andtheperpetrators,insteadofbeingpunished,hadreceivedapplauseandpromotion;soiftheBritishexpeditiontoSebastopolwasadisastrousandignominiousone,whocanwonder?
WasitlikelythatthegroansofpoorParrywouldbeunheardfromthecornertowhichhehadretiredtohidehisheadby"theAncientofdays,"whositsabovethecloud,andfromthencesendsjudgments?
CHAPTERLVII
TheNewspaper—ANewWalk—PentreyDwr—OatmealandBarley—Meal—TheManonHorseback—HeavyNews。
"DEARme,"saidItomywife,asIsatbythefireoneSaturdaymorning,lookingatanewspaperwhichhadbeensenttousfromourowndistrict,"whatisthis?Why,thedeathofouroldfriendDr—。HediedlastTuesdayweekafterashortillness,forhepreachedinhischurchat—thepreviousSunday。"
"Poorman!"saidmywife。"HowsorryIamtohearofhisdeath!
However,hediedinthefulnessofyears,afteralongandexemplarylife。HewasanexcellentmanandgoodChristianshepherd。Iknewhimwell;youIthinkonlysawhimonce。"
"ButIshallneverforgethim,"saidI,"norhowanimatedhisfeaturesbecamewhenItalkedtohimaboutWales,forhe,youknow,wasaWelshman。IforgottoaskwhatpartofWaleshecamefrom。
IsupposeIshallneverknownow。"
Feelingindisposedeitherforwritingorreading,IdeterminedtotakeawalktoPentreyDwr,avillageinthenorth—westpartofthevalleywhichIhadnotyetvisited。IpurposedgoingbyapathundertheEglwysigcragswhichIhadheardledthither,andtoreturnbythemonastery。Isetout。Thedaywasdullandgloomy。
CrossingthecanalIpursuedmycoursebyromanticlanestillI
foundmyselfunderthecrags。Therockyridgehereturnsawaytothenorth,havingpreviouslyrunfromtheeasttothewest。
Afterproceedingnearlyamileamidstverybeautifulscenery,I
cametoafarm—yardwhereIsawseveralmenengagedinrepairingabuilding。Thisfarm—yardwasinaverysequesteredsituation;ahilloverhungitonthewest,half—wayupwhosesidestoodafarm—
housetowhichitprobablypertained。Onthenorth—westwasamostromantichillcoveredwithwoodtotheverytop。Awildvalleyled,Iknewnotwhither,tothenorthbetweencragsandthewood—
coveredhill。Goinguptoamanofrespectableappearance,whoseemedtobesuperintendingtheothers,IaskedhiminEnglishthewaytoPentreyDwr。HerepliedthatImustfollowthepathupthehilltowardsthehouse,behindwhichIshouldfindaroadwhichwouldleadmethroughthewoodtoPentreDwr。AshespokeverygoodEnglish,Iaskedhimwherehehadlearntit。
"ChieflyinSouthWales,"saidhe,"wheretheyspeaklessWelshthanhere。"
Igatheredfromhimthathelivedinthehouseonthehillandwasafarmer。Iaskedhimtowhatplacetheroadupthevalleytothenorthled。
"WegenerallygobythatroadtoWrexham,"hereplied;"itisashortbutawildroadthroughthehills。"
Afteralittlediscourseonthetimes,whichhetoldmewerenotquitesobadforfarmersastheyhadbeen,Ibadehimfarewell。
MountingthehillIpassedroundthehouse,asthefarmerhaddirectedme,andturnedtothewestalongapathonthesideofthemountain。Adeepvalleywasonmyleft,andonmyrightabovemeathickwood,principallyofoak。Aboutamilefurtheronthepathwindeddownadescent,atthebottomofwhichIsawabrookandanumberofcottagesbeyondit。
Ipassedoverthebrookbymeansofalongslablaidacross,andreachedthecottages。IwasnowasIsupposedinPentreyDwr,andapentreydwrmosttrulyitlooked,forthoseWelshwordssignifyinEnglishthevillageofthewater,andthebrookhereranthroughthevillage,ineveryroomofwhichitsprettymurmuringsoundmusthavebeenaudible。IlookedaboutmeinthehopeofseeingsomebodyofwhomIcouldaskaquestionortwo,butseeingnoone,IturnedtothesouthintendingtoregainLlangollenbythewayofthemonastery。ComingtoacottageIsawawoman,toallappearanceveryold,standingbythedoor,andaskedherinWelshwhereIwas。
"InPentreDwr,"saidshe。"Thishouse,andthoseyonder,"
pointingtothecottagespastwhichIhadcome,"arePentreyDwr。
Thereis,however,anotherPentreDwruptheglenyonder,"saidshe,pointingtowardsthenorth—"whichiscalledPentreDwruchaf(theupper)—thisisPentreDwrisaf(thelower)。"
"IsitcalledPentreDwr,"saidI,"becauseofthewaterofthebrook?"
"Likelyenough,"saidshe,"butIneverthoughtofthematterbefore。"
Shewasblear—eyed,andherskin,whichseemeddrawntightoverherforeheadandcheek—bones,wasofthecolourofparchment。Iaskedherhowoldshewas。
"Fifteenafterthreetwenties,"shereplied;meaningthatshewasseventy—five。
FromherappearanceIshouldalmosthaveguessedthatshehadbeenfifteenafterfourtwenties。I,however,didnottellherso,forIamalwayscautiousnottohurtthefeelingsofanybody,especiallyoftheaged。
ContinuingmywayIsoonovertookamandrivingfiveorsixverylargehogs。Oneofthesewhichwasmuzzledwasofatrulyimmensesize,andwalkedwithconsiderabledifficultyonaccountofitsfatness。Iwalkedforsometimebythesideofthenobleporker,admiringit。Atlengthamanrodeuponhorsebackfromthewaywehadcome;hesaidsomethingtothedriverofthehogs,whoinstantlyunmuzzledtheimmensecreature,whogavealoudgruntonfindinghissnoutandmouthfree。FromtheconversationwhichensuedbetweenthetwomenIfoundthatthedriverwastheservantandtheotherthemaster。
"Thosehogsaretoofattodrivealongtheroad,"saidIatlasttothelatter。
"WebroughttheminacartasfarasthePentreDwr,"saidthemanonhorseback,"butastheydidnotlikethejoltingwetookthemout。"
"Andwhereareyoutakingthemto?"said。I。
"ToLlangollen,"saidtheman,"forthefaironMonday。"
"Whatdoesthatbigfellowweigh?"saidI,pointingtothelargesthog。
"He’llweighabouteighteenscore,"saidtheman。
"Whatdoyoumeanbyeighteenscore?"saidI。
"Eighteenscoreofpounds,"saidtheman。
"Andhowmuchdoyouexpecttogetforhim?"
"Eightpounds;Ishan’ttakeless。"
"Andwhowillbuyhim?"saidI。
"SomegentfromWolverhamptonoraboutthere,"saidtheman;"therewillbeplentyofgentsfromWolverhamptonatthefair。"
"Andwhatdoyoufattenyourhogsupon?"saidI。
"Oatmeal,"saidtheman。
"Andwhynotonbarley—meal?"
"Oatmealisthebest,"saidtheman;"thegentsfromWolverhamptonpreferthemfattenedonoatmeal。"
"DothegentsofWolverhampton,"saidI,"eatthehogs?"
"Theydonot,"saidtheman;"theybuythemtosellagain;andtheylikehogsfedonoatmealbest,becausetheyarethefattest。"
"Buttheporkisnotthebest,"saidI;"allhog—fleshraisedonoatmealisbitterandwiry;becausedoyousee—"
"Iseeyouareinthetrade,"saidtheman,"andunderstandathingortwo。"
"Iunderstandathingortwo,"saidI,"butIamnotinthetrade。
Doyoucomefromfar?"
"FromLlandeglo,"saidtheman。
"Areyouahog—merchant?"saidI。
"Yes,"saidhe,"andahorse—dealer,andafarmer,thoughratherasmallone。"
"Isupposeasyouareahorse—dealer,"saidI,"youtravelmuchabout?"
"Yes,"saidtheman;"IhavetravelledagooddealaboutWalesandEngland。"
"HaveyoubeeninYnysFon?"saidI。
"IseeyouareaWelshman,"saidtheman。
"No,"saidI,"butIknowalittleWelsh。"
"YnysFon!"saidtheman。"Yes,IhavebeeninAngleseymoretimesthanIcantell。"
"DoyouknowHughPritchard,"saidI,"wholivesatPentraethCoch?"
"Iknowhimwell,"saidtheman,"andanhonestfellowheis。"
"AndMrBos?"saidI。
"WhatBos?"saidhe。"Doyoumeanalusty,red—facedmanintop—
bootsandgreycoat?"
"That’she,"saidI。
"He’sacleverone,"saidtheman。"Isupposebyyourknowingthesepeopleyouareadroverorahorse—dealer。Yes,"saidhe,turninghalf—roundinhissaddleandlookingatme,"youareahorse—dealer。Irememberyouwellnow,andoncesoldahorsetoyouatChelmsford。"
"Iamnohorse—dealer,"saidI,"nordidIeverbuyahorseatChelmsford。IseeyouhavebeenaboutEngland。HaveyoueverbeeninNorfolkorSuffolk?"
"No,"saidtheman,"butIknowsomethingofSuffolk。Ihaveanunclethere。"
"WhereaboutsinSuffolk?"saidI。
"Ataplacecalled—,"saidtheman。
"Inwhatlineofbusiness?"saidI。
"Innoneatall;heisaclergyman。"
"ShallItellyouhisname?"saidI。
"Itisnotlikelyyoushouldknowhisname,"saidtheman。
"Nevertheless,"saidI,"Iwilltellityou—hisnamewas—"
"Well,"saidtheman,"sureenoughthatishisname。"
"Itwashisname,"saidI,"butIamsorrytotellyouheisnomore。To—dayisSaturday。HediedlastTuesdayweekandwasprobablyburiedlastMonday。AnexcellentmanwasDr。H。O。A
credittohiscountryandtohisorder。"
Themanwassilentforsometimeandthensaidwithasoftervoiceandaverydifferentmannerfromthathehadusedbefore,"Ineversawhimbutonce,andthatwasmorethantwentyyearsago—butI
haveheardsaythathewasanexcellentman—Isee,sir,thatyouareaclergyman。"