cametoacollectionofhouseswhichanoldwoman,withacrackedvoiceandasmalltinmilk—pail,whomIassistedingettingoverastileintotheroad,toldmewascalledPenStrit—probablytheheadofthestreet。ShespokeEnglish,andonmyaskingherhowshehadlearnttheEnglishtongue,shetoldmethatshehadlearntitofhermotherwhowasanEnglishwoman。ShesaidthatIwastwomilesfromLlanRhyadr,andthatImustgostraightforward。IdidsotillIreachedaplacewheretheroadbranchedintotwo,onebearingsomewhattotheleft,andtheothertotheright。AfterstandingaminuteinperplexityItooktheright—handroad,butsoonguessedthatIhadtakenthewrongone,astheroaddwindledintoamerefootpath。HearingsomeonewalkingontheothersideofthehedgeIinquiredinWelshwhetherIwasgoingrightforLlanRhyadr,andwasansweredbyavoiceinEnglish,apparentlythatofawoman,thatIwasnot,andthatImustgoback。Ididso,andpresentlyawomancamethroughagatetome。
\"Areyoutheperson,\"saidI,\"whojustnowansweredmeinEnglishafterIhadspokeninWelsh?\"
\"IntruthIam,\"saidshe,withahalflaugh。
\"AndhowcameyoutoanswermeinEnglishafterIhadspokentoyouinWelsh?\"
\"Because,\"saidshe,\"itwaseasyenoughtoknowbyyourvoicethatyouwereanEnglishman。\"
\"YouspeakEnglishremarkablywell,\"saidI。
\"AndsodoyouWelsh,\"saidthewoman;\"IhadnoideathatitwaspossibleforanyEnglishmantospeakWelshhalfsowell。\"
\"Iwonder,\"thoughtItomyself,\"whatyouwouldhaveansweredifI
hadsaidthatyouspeakEnglishexecrably。\"ByherownaccountshecouldreadbothWelshandEnglish。Shewalkedbymysidetotheturn,andthenuptheleft—handroad,whichshesaidwasthewaytoLlanRhyadr。Comingtoacottageshebademegood—nightandwentin。Theroadwashorriblymiry:presently,asIwasstaggeringthroughaslough,justafterIhadpassedalittlecottage,Iheardacrackedvoicecrying,\"Isupposeyoulostyourway?\"I
recogniseditasthatoftheoldwomanwhomIhadhelpedoverthestile。Shewasnowstandingbehindalittlegatewhichopenedintoagardenbeforethecottage。Thefigureofamanwasstandingnearher。Itoldherthatshewasquiterightinhersupposition。
\"Ah,\"saidshe,\"youshouldhavegonestraightforward。\"
\"IfIhadgonestraightforward,\"saidI,\"Imusthavegoneoverahedge,atthecornerofafieldwhichseparatedtworoads;insteadofbiddingmegostraightforwardyoushouldhavetoldmetofollowtheleft—handroad。\"
\"Well,\"saidshe,\"besureyoukeepstraightforwardnow。\"
Iaskedherwhothemanwasstandingnearher。
\"Itismyhusband,\"saidshe。
\"HashemuchEnglish?\"saidI。
\"Noneatall,\"saidshe,\"forhismotherwasnotEnglish,likemine。\"Ibadehergood—nightandwentforward。PresentlyIcametoameetingofroads,andtogostraightforwarditwasnecessarytopassthroughaquagmire;remembering,however,thewordsofmyfriendthebeldameIwentstraightforward,thoughinsodoingI
wasslougheduptotheknees。InalittletimeIcametorapiddescent,andatthebottomofittoabridge。Itwasnowverydark;onlythecornerofthemoonwascastingafaintlight。AftercrossingthebridgeIhadoneortwoascentsanddescents。AtlastIsawlightsbeforemewhichprovedtobethoseofLlanRhyadr。I
soonfoundmyselfinadirtylittlestreet,and,inquiringfortheinn,waskindlyshownbyamantoonewhichhesaidwasthebest,andwhichwascalledtheWynstayArms。
CHAPTERLXV
InnatLlanRhyadr—AlowEnglishman—Enquiries—TheCook—A
PreciousCouple。
THEinnseemedverylarge,butdidnotlookverycheerful。Nootherguestthanmyselfseemedtobeinit,exceptinthekitchen,whereIheardafellowtalkingEnglishandoccasionallyyellinganEnglishsong:themasterandthemistressofthehousewerecivil,andlightedmeafireinwhatwascalledtheCommercialRoom,andputtingplentyofcoalsinthegratesoonmadetheapartmentwarmandcomfortable。Iordereddinnerorrathersupper,whichinabouthalf—an—hourwasbroughtinbythewoman。ThesupperwhethergoodorbadIdespatchedwiththeappetiteofonewhohadwalkedtwentymilesoverhillanddale。
OccasionallyIheardadreadfulnoiseinthekitchen,andthewomantoldmethatthefellowtherewasmakinghimselfexceedinglydisagreeable,chieflyshebelievedbecauseshehadrefusedtolethimsleepinthehouse。Shesaidthathewasalowfellowthatwentaboutthecountrywithfish,andthathewasthemorereadytoinsultherasthemasterofthehousewasnowgoneout。IaskedifhewasanEnglishman,\"Yes,\"saidshe,\"alowEnglishman。\"
\"Thenhemustbelowindeed,\"saidI。\"AlowEnglishmanisthelowestofthelow。\"AfteralittletimeIheardnomorenoise,andwastoldthatthefellowwasgoneaway。Ihadalittlewhiskyandwater,andthenwenttobed,sleepinginatolerablechamberbutrathercold。Therewasmuchrainduringthenightandalsowind;
windowsrattled,andIoccasionallyheardthenoiseoffallingtiles。
Iaroseabouteight。Notwithstandingthenighthadbeensotempestuousthemorningwassunshinyandbeautiful。HavingorderedbreakfastIwalkedoutinordertolookatthetown。LlanRhyadrisasmallplace,havingnothingremarkableinitsaveanancientchurchandastrangelittleantiquemarket—house,standingonpillars。Itissituatedatthewesternendofanextensivevalleyandattheentranceofaglen。Abrookorrivuletrunsthroughit,whichcomesdowntheglenfromthecelebratedcataract,whichisaboutfourmilesdistanttothewest。Twoloftymountainsformtheentranceoftheglen,andtowerabovethetown,oneonthesouthandtheotheronthenorth。Theirnames,iftheyhaveany,Ididnotlearn。
Afterstrollingaboutthelittleplaceforaboutaquarterofanhour,staringatthethingsandthepeople,andbeingstaredatbythelatter,Ireturnedtomyinn,astructurebuiltinthemodernGothicstyle,andwhichstandsnearlyoppositetothechurchyard。
WhilstbreakfastingIaskedthelandlady,whowasbustlingabouttheroom,whethershehadeverheardofOwenGlendower。
\"Intruth,sir,Ihave。Hewasagreatgentlemanwholivedalongtimeago,and,and—\"
\"GavetheEnglishagreatdealoftrouble,\"saidI。
\"Justso,sir;atleastIdaresayitisso,asyousayit。\"
\"Anddoyouknowwherehelived?\"
\"Idonot,sir;Isupposeagreatwayoff,somewhereinthesouth。\"
\"DoyoumeanSouthWales?\"
\"Intruth,sir,Ido。\"
\"Thereyouaremistaken,\"saidI;\"andalsoinsupposinghelivedagreatwayoff。HelivedinNorthWales,andnotfarfromthisplace。\"
\"Intruth,sir,youknowmoreabouthimthanI。\"
\"DidyoueverhearofaplacecalledSycharth?
\"Sycharth!Sycharth!Ineverdid,sir。\"
\"ItistheplacewhereGlendowerlived,anditisnotfaroff。I
wanttogothere,butdonotknowtheway。\"
\"Sycharth!Sycharth!\"saidthelandladymusingly:\"IwonderifitistheplacewecallSychnant。\"
\"Istheresuchaplace?\"
\"Yes,sure;aboutsixmilesfromhere,nearLangedwin。\"
\"Whatkindofplaceisit?\"
\"Intruth,sir,Idonotknow,forIwasneverthere。Mycook,however,inthekitchen,knowsallaboutit,forshecomesfromthere。\"
\"CanIseeher?\"
\"Yes,sure;Iwillgoatonceandfetchher。\"
Shethenlefttheroomandpresentlyreturnedwiththecook,ashort,thickgirlwithbluestaringeyes。
\"Heresheis,sir,\"saidthelandlady,\"butshehasnoEnglish。\"
\"Allthebetter,\"saidI。\"SoyoucomefromaplacecalledSychnant?\"saidItothecookinWelsh。
\"Intruth,sir,Ido;\"saidthecook。
\"DidyoueverhearofagwrboneddigcalledOwenGlendower?\"
\"Often,sir,often;helivedinourplace。\"
\"HelivedinaplacecalledSycharth?\"saidI。
\"Well,sir;andweoftheplacecallitSycharthasoftenasSychnant;nay,oftener。\"
\"Ishishousestanding?\"
\"Itisnot;butthehillonwhichitstoodisstillstanding。\"
\"Isitahighhill?\"
\"Itisnot;itisasmall,lighthill。\"
\"Alighthill!\"saidItomyself。\"OldIoloGoch,OwenGlendower’sbard,saidthechieftaindweltinahouseonalighthill。
\"’TheredwellsthechiefweallextolIntimberhouseonlightsomeknoll。’
\"Istherealittlerivernearit,\"saidItothecook,\"affrwd?\"
\"Thereis;itrunsjustunderthehill。\"
\"Isthereamillupontheffrwd?\"
\"Thereisnot;thatis,now—buttherewasintheoldtime;afactoryofwoollenstandsnowwherethemilloncestood。\"
\"’AmillarushingbrookuponAndpigeontowerfram’dofstone。’
\"SosaysIoloGoch,\"saidItomyself,\"inhisdescriptionofSycharth;Iamontherightroad。\"
IaskedthecooktowhomthepropertyofSycharthbelongedandwastoldofcoursetoSirWatkin,whoappearstobetheMarquisofDenbighshire。AfterafewmorequestionsIthankedherandtoldhershemightgo。Ithenfinishedmybreakfast,paidmybill,andaftertellingthelandladythatIshouldreturnatnight,startedforLlangedwinandSycharth。
AbroadandexcellentroadledalongthevalleyinthedirectioninwhichIwasproceeding。
Thevalleywasbeautifulanddottedwithvariousfarm—houses,andthelandappearedtobeinashighastateofcultivationasthesoilofmyownNorfolk,thatcountysodeservedlycelebratedforitsagriculture。Theeasternsideisboundedbyloftyhills,andtowardsthenorththevaleiscrossedbythreeruggedelevations,themiddlemostofwhich,called,asanoldmantoldme,BrynDinas,terminatestothewestinanexceedinglyhighandpicturesquecrag。
Afteranhour’swalkingIovertooktwopeople,amanandawomanladenwithbasketswhichhungaroundthemoneveryside。Themanwasayoungfellowofabouteight—and—twenty,witharoundface,fairflaxenhair,andringsinhisears;thefemalewasabloomingbuxomlassofabouteighteen。AftergivingthemtheseleofthedayIaskedthemiftheywereEnglish。
\"Aye,aye,master,\"saidtheman;\"weareEnglish。\"
\"Wheredoyoucomefrom?\"saidI。
\"FromWrexham,\"saidtheman。
\"IthoughtWrexhamwasinWales,\"said\"Ifitbe,\"saidtheman,\"thepeoplearenotWelsh;amanisnotahorsebecausehehappenstobeborninastable。\"
\"Isthatyoungwomanyourwife?\"saidI。
\"Yes;\"saidhe,\"afterafashion\"—andthenheleeredatthelass,andsheleeredathim。
\"Doyouattendanyplaceofworship?\"saidI。
\"Agreatmany,master!\"
\"Whatplacedoyouchieflyattend?\"saidI。
\"TheChequers,master!\"
\"Dotheypreachthebestsermonsthere?\"saidI。
\"No,master!buttheysellthebestalethere。\"
\"Doyouworshipale?\"saidI。
\"Yes,master,Iworshipsale。\"
\"Anythingelse?\"saidI。
\"Yes,master!Iandmymortworshipssomethingbesidesgoodale;
don’twe,Sue?\"andthenheleeredatthemort,wholeeredathim,andbothmadeoddmotionsbackwardsandforwards,causingthebasketswhichhungroundthemtocreakandrustle,andutteringloudshoutsoflaughter,whichrousedtheechoesoftheneighbouringhills。
\"Genuinedescendants,nodoubt,\"saidItomyselfasIwalkedbrisklyon,\"ofcertainoftheoldheathenSaxonswhofollowedRagintoWalesandsettleddownaboutthehousewhichhebuilt。
Really,ifthesetwoareafairspecimenoftheWrexhampopulation,myfriendtheScotchpolicemanwasnotmuchoutwhenhesaidthatthepeopleofWrexhamweretheworstpeopleinWales。\"
CHAPTERLXVI
Sycharth—TheKindlyWelcome—HappyCouple—Sycharth—RecallingtheDead—OdetoSycharth。
IWASnowatthenorthernextremityofthevalleynearagreathousepastwhichtheroadledinthedirectionofthenorth—east。
SeeingamanemployedinbreakingstonesIinquiredthewaytoSychnant。
\"Youmustturntotheleft,\"saidhe,\"beforeyoucometoyongreathouse,followthepathwhichyouwillfindbehindit,andyouwillsoonbeinSychnant。\"
\"Andtowhomdoesthegreathousebelong?\"
\"Towhom?why,toSirWatkin。\"
\"Doesheresidethere?\"
\"Notoften。Hehasplentyofotherhouses,buthesometimescomestheretohunt。\"
\"Whatistheplace’sname?\"
\"LlanGedwin。\"
Iturnedtotheleft,asthelabourerhaddirectedme。Thepathledupwardbehindthegreathouseroundahillthicklyplantedwithtrees。FollowingitIatlengthfoundmyselfonabroadroadonthetopextendingeastandwest,andhavingonthenorthandsouthbeautifulwoodedhills。Ifollowedtheroadwhichpresentlybegantodescend。OnreachinglevelgroundIovertookamaninawaggoner’sfrock,ofwhomIinquiredthewaytoSycharth。Hepointedwestwarddownthevaletowhatappearedtobeacollectionofhouses,nearasingular—lookingmonticle,andsaid,\"ThatisSycharth。\"
Wewalkedtogethertillwecametoaroadwhichbranchedoffontherighttoalittlebridge。
\"Thatisyourway,\"saidhe,andpointingtoalargebuildingbeyondthebridge,toweringupaboveanumberofcottages,hesaid,\"thatisthefactoryofSycharth;\"hethenleftme,followingthehighroad,whilstIproceededtowardsthebridge,whichIcrossed,andcomingtothecottagesenteredoneontherighthandofaremarkablyneatappearance。
Inacomfortablekitchenbyahearthonwhichblazedacheerfulbilletsatamanandwoman。BotharosewhenIentered:themanwastall,aboutfiftyyearsofage,andathleticallybuilt;hewasdressedinawhitecoat,corduroybreeches,shoes,andgreyworstedstockings。Thewomanseemedmanyyearsolderthantheman;shewastallalso,andstronglybuilt,anddressedintheancientfemalecostume,namely,akindofround,halfSpanishhat,longbluewoollenkirtleorgown,acrimsonpetticoat,andwhiteapron,andbroad,stoutshoeswithbuckles。
\"Welcome,stranger,\"saidtheman,afterlookingmeamomentortwofullintheface。
\"Croesaw,dyndieithr—welcome,foreignman,\"saidthewoman,surveyingmewithalookofgreatcuriosity。
\"Won’tyousitdown?\"saidtheman,handingmeachair。
Isatdown,andthemanandwomanresumedtheirseats。
\"Isupposeyoucomeonbusinessconnectedwiththefactory?\"saidtheman。
\"No,\"saidI,\"mybusinessisconnectedwithOwenGlendower。\"
\"WithOwenGlendower?\"saidtheman,staring。
\"Yes,\"saidI,\"Icametoseehisplace。\"
\"Youwillnotseemuchofhishousenow,\"saidtheman—\"itisdown;onlyafewbricksremain。\"
\"ButIshallseetheplacewherehishousestood,\"saidI,\"whichisallIexpectedtosee。\"
\"Yes,youcanseethat。\"
\"Whatdoesthedyndieithrsay?\"saidthewomaninWelshwithaninquiringlook。
\"ThatheiscometoseetheplaceofOwenGlendower。\"
\"Ah!\"saidthewomanwithasmile。
\"Isthatgoodladyyourwife?\"saidI。
\"Sheis。\"
\"Shelooksmucholderthanyourself。\"
\"Andnowonder。Sheistwenty—oneyearsolder。\"
\"Howoldareyou?\"
\"Fifty—three。\"
\"Dearme,\"saidI,\"whatadifferenceinyourages。Howcameyoutomarry?\"
\"ShewasawidowandIhadlostmywife。Wewereloneintheworld,sowethoughtwewouldmarry。\"
\"Doyoulivehappilytogether?\"
\"Very。\"
\"Thenyoudidquiterighttomarry。Whatisyourname?\"
\"DavidRobert。\"
\"Andthatofyourwife?\"
\"GwenRobert。\"
\"DoesshespeakEnglish?\"
\"Shespeakssome,butnotmuch。\"
\"IstheplacewhereOwenlivedfarfromhere?\"
\"Itisnot。Itistheroundhillalittlewayabovethefactory。\"
\"Isthepathtoiteasytofind?\"
\"Iwillgowithyou,\"saidtheman。\"Iworkatthefactory,butI
neednotgothereforanhouratleast。\"
Heputonhishatandbiddingmefollowhimwentout。Heledmeoveragushofwaterwhichpassingunderthefactoryturnsthewheel;thenceoverafieldortwotowardsahouseatthefootofthemountainwherehesaidthestewardofSirWatkinlived,ofwhomitwouldbeaswelltoapplyforpermissiontoascendthehill,asitwasSirWatkin’sground。Thestewardwasnotathome;hiswifewas,however,andshe,whenwetoldherwewishedtogotothetopofOwainGlendower’sHill,gaveuspermissionwithasmile。WethankedherandproceededtomountthehillormonticleoncetheresidenceofthegreatWelshchieftain,whomhisowndeedsandthepenofShakespearhaverenderedimmortal。
OwenGlendower’shillormountatSycharth,unliketheonebearinghisnameonthebanksoftheDee,isnotanartificialhill,buttheworkofnature,saveandexceptthattoacertainextentithasbeenmodifiedbythehandofman。Itissomewhatconicalandconsistsoftwostepsorgradations,wheretwofossesscoopedoutofthehillgoroundit,oneabovetheother,theloweroneembracingconsiderablythemostspace。Boththesefossesareaboutsixfeetdeep,andatonetimedoubtlesswerebricked,asstoutlarge,redbricksareyettobeseen,hereandthere,intheirsides。Thetopofthemountisjusttwenty—fivefeetacross。WhenIvisitedititwascoveredwithgrass,buthadoncebeensubjectedtotheploughasvariousfurrowsindicated。Themonticlestandsnotfarfromthewesternextremityofthevalley,nearlymidwaybetweentwohillswhichconfronteachothernorthandsouth,theonetothesouthbeingthehillwhichIhaddescended,andtheotherabeautifulwoodedheightwhichiscalledintheparlanceofthecountryLlwynSycharthorthegroveofSycharth,fromwhichcomesthelittlegushofwaterwhichIhadcrossed,andwhichnowturnsthewheelofthefactoryandonceturnedthatofOwenGlendower’smill,andfilledhistwomoats,partofthewaterbysomemechanicalmeanshavingbeenforceduptheeminence。OnthetopofthishillormonticleinatimberhousedweltthegreatWelshmanOwenGlendower,withhiswife,acomely,kindlywoman,andhisprogeny,consistingofstoutboysandbloominggirls,andthere,thoughwonderfullycrampedforwantofroom,hefeastedbardswhorequitedhishospitalitywithalliterativeodesverydifficulttocompose,andwhichatthepresentdayonlyafewbook—
wormsunderstand。Therehedweltformanyyears,thevirtualifnotthenominalkingofNorthWales,occasionallynodoubtlookingdownwithself—complaisancefromthetopofhisfastnessontheparksandfish—pondsofwhichhehadseveral;hismill,hispigeontower,hisploughedlands,andthecottagesofathousandretainers,huddledroundthelowerpartofthehill,orstrewnaboutthevalley;andtherehemighthavelivedanddiedhadnoteventscausedhimtodrawtheswordandengageinawar,attheterminationofwhichSycharthwasafire—scathedruin,andhimselfabroken—heartedoldmaninanchorite’sweeds,livinginacaveontheestateofSirJohnScudamore,thegreatHerefordshireproprietor,whomarriedhisdaughterElen,hisonlysurvivingchild。
AfterIhadbeenaconsiderabletimeonthehilllookingaboutmeandaskingquestionsofmyguide,Itookoutapieceofsilverandofferedittohim,thankinghimatthesametimeforthetroublehehadtakeninshowingmetheplace。Herefusedit,sayingthatI
wasquitewelcome。
Itriedtoforceituponhim。
\"Iwillnottakeit,\"saidhe;\"butifyoucometomyhouseandhaveacupofcoffee,youmaygivesixpencetomyoldwoman。\"
\"Iwillcome,\"saidI,\"inashorttime。Inthemeanwhiledoyougo;Iwishtobealone。\"
\"Whatdoyouwanttodo?\"
\"TositdownandendeavourtorecallGlendower,andthetimesthatarepast。\"
Thefinefellowlookedpuzzled;atlasthesaid,\"Verywell,\"
shruggedhisshoulders,anddescendedthehill。
WhenhewasgoneIsatdownonthebrowofthehill,andwithmyfaceturnedtotheeastbeganslowlytochantatranslationmadebymyselfinthedaysofmyboyhoodofanodetoSycharthcomposedbyIoloGochwhenupwardsofahundredyearsold,shortlyafterhisarrivalatthatplace,towhichhehadbeeninvitedbyOwenGlendower:—
TwicehaveIpledg’dmywordtotheeTocomethynoblefacetosee;
HispromisesleteverymanPerformasfarase’erhecan!
Fulleasyisthethingthat’ssweet,Andsweetthisjourneyisandmeet;
I’vevowedtoOwain’scourttogo,AndI’mresolvedtokeepmyvow;
SothitherstraightI’lltakemywayWithblithesomeheart,andthereI’llstay,Respectandhonour,whilstIbreathe,Tofindhishonour’droofbeneath。
Mychiefoflonglin’dancestryCanharboursonsofpoesy;
I’veheard,forsothemusehastold,He’skindandgentletotheold;
Yes,tohiscastleIwillhie;
There’snonetomatchit’neaththesky:
Itisabaron’sstatelycourt,Wherebardsforsumptuousfareresort;
TheredwellsthelordofPowisland,Whograntetheveryjustdemand。
ItslikenessnowI’lllimnyouout:
’Tiswatergirdledwideabout;
ItshowsawideandstatelydoorReachedbyabridgethewatero’er;
’Tisformedofbuildingscoupledfair,Couplediseverycouplethere;
WithinaquadratestructuretallMusterthemerrypleasuresall。
Conjointlyaretheanglesbound—
Noflawinalltheplaceisfound。
StructuresincontactmeettheeyeUponthehillock’stoponhigh;
IntoeachotherfastenedtheyTheformofahardknotdisplay。
TheredwellsthechiefweallextolIntimberhouseonlightsomeknoll;
UponfourwoodencolumnsproudMountethhismansiontothecloud;
Eachcolumn’sthickandfirmlybas’d,Anduponeachaloftisplac’d;
Inthesefourlofts,whichcoupledstand,Reposeatnighttheminstrelband;
Fourloftstheywereinpristinestate,Butnowpartitionedformtheyeight。
Tiledistheroof,oneachhouse—topRisesmoke—ejectingchimneysup。
AllofoneformthereareninehallsEachwithninewardrobesinitswallsWithlinenwhiteaswellsuppliedAsfairestshopsoffam’dCheapside。
Beholdthatchurchwithcrossuprais’dAndwithitswindowsneatlyglaz’d;
Allhousesareinthiscomprest—
Anorchard’snearitofthebest,AlsoaparkwherevoidoffearFeedantler’dherdsoffallowdeer。
Awarrenwidemychiefcanboast,Ofgoodlysteedsacountlesshost。
Meadswhereforhaytheclovergrows,Corn—fieldswhichhedgestriminclose,Amillarushingbrookupon,Andpigeontowerfram’dofstone;
Afish—ponddeepanddarktosee,Tocastnetsinwhenneedtherebe,WhichneveryetwasknowntolackAplenteousstoreofperchandjack。
Ofvariousplumagebirdsabound;
Heronsandpeacockshauntaround,Whatluxurydothhishalladorn,Showingofcostasovereignscorn;