第17章

类别:其他 作者:George Borrow字数:10090更新时间:19/01/07 15:19:18
\"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