第27章

类别:其他 作者:George Borrow字数:10274更新时间:19/01/07 15:19:18
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。\"