首页 >出版文学> Wild Wales>第16章

第16章

  wanted:IrepeatedwhatIhadsaid,whereuponhisfacebecameanimated。
  "LlanfairMathafarneithaf!"saidhe。"Yes,Icantellyouaboutit,andwithgoodreason,foritliesnotfarfromtheplacewhereIwasborn。"
  Theabovewasthesubstanceofwhathesaid,andnothingmore,forhespokeinEnglishsomewhatbroken。
  "AndhowfarisLlanfairfromhere?"saidI。
  "Abouttenmiles,"hereplied。
  "That’snothing,"saidI:"Iwasafraiditwasmuchfarther。"
  "Doyoucalltenmilesnothing,"saidhe,"inaburningdaylikethis?IthinkyouwillbebothtiredandthirstybeforeyougettoLlanfair,supposingyougothereonfoot。ButwhatmayyourbusinessbeatLlanfair?"saidhe,lookingatmeinquisitively。
  "Itisastrangeplacetogoto,unlessyougotobuyhogsorcattle。"
  "Igotobuyneitherhogsnorcattle,"saidI,"thoughIamsomewhatofajudgeofboth;Igoonamoreimportanterrand,namelytoseethebirth—placeofthegreatGronwyOwen。"
  "AreyouanyrelationofGronwyOwen?"saidtheoldman,lookingatmemoreinquisitivelythanbefore,throughalargepairofspectacleswhichhewore。
  "Nonewhatever,"saidI。
  "Thenwhydoyougotoseehisparish,itisaverypoorone。"
  "Fromrespecttohisgenius,"saidI;"Ireadhisworkslongago,andwasdelightedwiththem。"
  "AreyouaWelshman?"saidtheoldman。
  "No,"saidI,"IamnoWelshman。"
  "CanyouspeakWelsh?"saidhe,addressingmeinthatlanguage。
  "Alittle,"saidI;"butnotsowellasIcanreadit。"
  "Well,"saidtheoldman,"Ihavelivedhereagreatmanyyears,butneverbeforedidaSaxoncalluponme,askingquestionsaboutGronwyOwen,orhisbirth—place。Immortalitytohismemory!Iowemuchtohim,forreadinghiswritingstaughtmetobeapoet!"
  "Dearme!"saidI,"areyouapoet?"
  "ItrustIam,"saidhe;"thoughthehumblestofYnysFon。"
  Aflashofproudfire,methought,illuminedhisfeaturesashepronouncedtheselastwords。
  "Iammosthappytohavemetyou,"saidI;"buttellmehowamItogettoLlanfair?"
  "Youmustgofirst,"saidhe,"toTraethCochwhichinSaxoniscalledthe’RedSand。’InthevillagecalledthePentraethwhichliesabovethatsand,Iwasborn;throughthevillageandoverthebridgeyoumustpass,andafterwalkingfourmilesduenorthyouwillfindyourselfinLlanfaireithaf,atthenorthernextremityofMon。Farewell!ThateverSaxonshouldaskmeaboutGronwyOwen,andhisbirth—place!IscarcelybelieveyoutobeaSaxon,butwhetheryoubeornot,Irepeatfarewell。"
  ComingtotheMenaiBridgeIaskedthemanwhotookthepennytollattheentrance,thewaytoPentraethCoch。
  "Youseethatwhitehousebythewood,"saidhe,pointingsomedistanceintoAnglesey;"youmustmaketowardsittillyoucometoaplacewheretherearefourcrossroadsandthenyoumusttaketheroadtotheright。"
  PassingoverthebridgeImademywaytowardsthehousebythewoodwhichstoodonthehilltillIcamewherethefourroadsmet,whenIturnedtotherightasdirected。
  ThecountrythroughwhichIpassedseemedtolerablywellcultivated,thehedge—rowswereveryhigh,seemingtospringoutoflowstonewalls。Imettwoorthreegangsofreapersproceedingtotheirworkwithscythesintheirhands。
  Inabouthalf—an—hourIpassedbyafarm—housepartlysurroundedwithwalnuttrees。Stillthesamehighhedgesonbothsidesoftheroad:arethesehedgesrelicsofthesacrificialgrovesofMona?
  thoughtItomyself。ThenIcametoawretchedvillagethroughwhichIhurriedattherateofsixmilesanhour。Ithensawalong,lofty,craggyhillonmyrighthandtowardstheeast。
  "Whatmountainisthat?"saidItoanurchinplayinginthehotdustoftheroad。
  "MynyddLydiart!"saidtheurchin,tossingupahandfulofthehotdustintotheair,partofwhichindescendingfellintomyeyes。
  Ishortlyafterwardspassedbyahandsomelodge。Ithensawgroves,mountainLydiartforminganoblebackground。
  "Whoownsthiswood?"saidIinWelshtotwomenwhowerelimbingafelledtreebytheroad—side。
  "LordVivian,"answeredone,touchinghishat。
  "Thegentlemanisourcountryman,"saidhetotheotherafterIhadpassed。
  Iwasnowdescendingthesideofaprettyvalley,andsoonfoundmyselfatPentraethCoch。ThepartofthePentraethwhereInowwasconsistedofafewhousesandachurch,orsomethingwhichI
  judgedtobeachurch,fortherewasnosteeple;thehousesandchurchstoodaboutalittleopenspotorsquare,thechurchontheeast,andonthewestaneatlittleinnorpublic—houseoverthedoorofwhichwaswritten"TheWhiteHorse。HughPritchard。"BythistimeIhadverifiedinpartthepredictionoftheoldWelshpoetofthepost—office。ThoughIwasnotyetarrivedatLlanfair,Iwas,ifnottired,verythirsty,owingtotheburningheatoftheweather,soIdeterminedtogoinandhavesomeale。OnenteringthehouseIwasgreetedinEnglishbyMrHughPritchardhimself,atallbulkymanwithaweather—beatencountenance,dressedinabrownjerkinandcorduroytrowsers,withabroadlow—crownedbuff—
  colouredhatonhishead,andwhatmighthecalledhalfshoesandhalfhigh—lowsonhisfeet。Hehadashortpipeinhismouth,whichwhenhegreetedmehetookout,butreplacedassoonasthegreetingwasover,whichconsistedof"Good—day,sir,"deliveredinafrank,heartytone。IlookedMrHughPritchardinthefaceandthoughtIhadneverseenamorehonestcountenance。OnmytellingMrPritchardthatIwantedapintofale,abuxomdamselcameforwardandledmeintoanicecoolparlourontheright—handsideofthedoor,andthenwenttofetchtheale。
  MrPritchardmeanwhilewentintoakindoftap—room,frontingtheparlour,whereIheardhimtalkinginWelshaboutpigsandcattletosomeofhiscustomers。Iobservedthathespokewithsomehesitation;whichcircumstanceImentionasrathercurious,hebeingtheonlyWelshmanIhaveeverknownwho,whenspeakinghisnativelanguage,appearedtobeatalossforwords。Thedamselpresentlybroughtmetheale,whichItastedandfoundexcellent;
  shewasgoingawaywhenIaskedherwhetherMrPritchardwasherfather;onherreplyingintheaffirmativeIinquiredwhethershewasborninthathouse。
  "No!"saidshe;"IwasborninLiverpool;myfatherwasborninthishouse,whichbelongedtohisfathersbeforehim,butheleftitatanearlyageandmarriedmymotherinLiverpool,whowasanAngleseywoman,andsoIwasborninLiverpool。"
  "AndwhatdidyoudoinLiverpool?"saidI。
  "Mymotherkeptalittleshop,"saidthegirl,"whilstmyfatherfollowedvariousoccupations。"
  "Andhowlonghaveyoubeenhere?"saidI。
  "Sincethedeathofmygrandfather,"saidthegirl,"whichhappenedaboutayearago。Whenhediedmyfathercamehereandtookpossessionofhisbirth—right。"
  "YouspeakverygoodEnglish,"saidI;"haveyouanyWelsh?"
  "Ohyes,plenty,"saidthegirl;"wealwaysspeakWelshtogether,butbeingbornatLiverpool,IofcoursehaveplentyofEnglish。"
  "Andwhichlanguagedoyouprefer?"saidI。
  "IthinkIlikeEnglishbest,"saidthegirl,"itisthemostusefullanguage。"
  "NotinAnglesey,"saidI。
  "Well,"saidthegirl,"itisthemostgenteel。"
  "Gentility,"saidI,"willbetheruinofWelsh,asithasbeenofmanyotherthings—whathaveItopayfortheale?"
  "Threepence,"saidshe。
  Ipaidthemoneyandthegirlwentout。Ifinishedmyale,andgettingupmadeforthedoor;atthedoorIwasmetbyMrHughPritchard,whocameoutofthetap—roomtothankmeformycustom,andtobidmefarewell。IaskedhimwhetherIshouldhaveanydifficultyinfindingthewaytoLlanfair。
  "Nonewhatever,"saidhe,"youhaveonlytopassoverthebridgeoftheTraeth,andtogoduenorthforaboutfourmiles,andyouwillfindyourselfinLlanfair。"
  "Whatkindofplaceisit?"saidI。
  "Apoorstragglingvillage,"saidMrPritchard。
  "ShallIbeabletoobtainalodgingthereforthenight?"saidI。
  "Scarcelyonesuchasyouwouldlike,"saidHugh。
  "AndwherehadIbestpassthenight?"Idemanded。
  "Wecanaccommodateyoucomfortablyhere,"saidMrPritchard,"providedyouhavenoobjectiontocomeback。"
  ItoldhimthatIshouldbeonlytoohappy,andforthwithdeparted,gladatheartthatIhadsecuredacomfortablelodgingforthenight。
  CHAPTERXXXII
  LeavePentraeth—TranquilScene—TheKnoll—TheMillerandhisWife—PoetryofGronwy—KindOffer—ChurchofLlanfair—NoEnglish—ConfusionofIdeas—TheGronwy—NotableLittleGirl—
  TheSycamoreLeaf—HomefromCalifornia。
  THEvillageofPentraethGochoccupiestwosidesofaromanticdell—thatpartofitwhichstandsonthesouthernside,andwhichcomprisesthechurchandthelittleinn,isbyfartheprettiest,thatwhichoccupiesthenorthernisapoorassemblageofhuts,abrookrollsatthebottomofthedell,overwhichthereisalittlebridge:comingtothebridgeIstopped,andlookedoverthesideintothewaterrunningbrisklybelow。Anagedmanwholookedlikeabeggar,butwhodidnotbegofme,stoodby。
  "Towhatplacedoesthiswaterrun?"saidIinEnglish。
  "IknownoSaxon,"saidheintremblingaccents。
  IrepeatedmyquestioninWelsh。
  "Tothesea,"hesaid,"whichisnotfaroff,indeeditissonear,thatwhentherearehightides,thesaltwatercomesuptothisbridge。"
  "Youseemfeeble?"saidI。
  "Iamso,"saidhe,"forIamold。"
  "Howoldareyou?"saidI。
  "Sixteenaftersixty,"saidtheoldmanwithasigh;"andIhavenearlylostmysightandmyhearing。"
  "Areyoupoor?"saidI。
  "Very,"saidtheoldman。
  Igavehimatriflewhichheacceptedwiththanks。
  "Whyisthissandcalledtheredsand?"saidI。
  "Icannottellyou,"saidtheoldman,"IwishIcould,foryouhavebeenkindtome。"
  BiddinghimfarewellIpassedthroughthenorthernpartofthevillagetothetopofthehill。Iwalkedalittlewayforwardandthenstopped,asIhaddoneatthebridgeinthedale,andlookedtotheeast,overalowstonewall。
  BeforemelaytheseaorratherthenorthernentranceoftheMenaiStraits。TomyrightwasmountainLidiartprojectingsomewayintothesea;tomyleft,thatistothenorth,wasahighhill,withafewwhitehousesnearitsbase,formingasmallvillage,whichawomanwhopassedbyknittingtoldmewascalledLlanPederGochortheChurchofRedSaintPeter。MountainLidiartandtheNorthernHillformedtheheadlandsofabeautifulbayintowhichthewatersoftheTraethdell,fromwhichIhadcome,weredischarged。A
  sandbank,probablycoveredwiththeseaathightide,seemedtostretchfrommountainLidiartaconsiderablewaytowardsthenorthernhill。Mountain,bayandsandbankwerebathedinsunshine;
  thewaterwasperfectlycalm;nothingwasmovinguponit,norupontheshore,andIthoughtIhadneverbeheldamorebeautifulandtranquilscene。
  Iwenton。Thecountrywhichhadhithertobeenverybeautiful,aboundingwithyellowcorn—fields,becamesterileandrocky;therewerestonewalls,butnohedges。Ipassedbyamooronmyleft,thenamooryhillockonmyright;thewaywasbrokenandstony;alltracesofthegoodroadsofWaleshaddisappeared;thehabitationswhichIsawbythewayweremiserablehovelsintoandoutofwhichlargesowswerestalking,attendedbytheirfarrows。
  "AmIfarfromLlanfair?"saidItoachild。
  "YouareinLlanfair,gentleman,"saidthechild。
  AdesolateplacewasLlanfair。Theseaintheneighbourhoodtothesouth,limekilnswiththeirstiflingsmokenotfarfromme。Isatdownonalittlegreenknollontheright—handsideoftheroad;asmallhousewasnearme,andadesolate—lookingmillataboutafurlong’sdistance,tothesouth。Hogscameaboutmegruntingandsniffing。Ifeltquitemelancholy。
  "Isthistheneighbourhoodofthebirth—placeofGronwyOwen?"saidItomyself。"Nowonderthathewasunfortunatethroughlife,springingfromsucharegionofwretchedness。"
  Wretchedastheregionseemed,however,Isoonfoundtherewerekindlyheartsclosebyme。
  AsIsatontheknollIheardsomeoneslightlycoughverynearme,andlookingtotheleftsawamandressedlikeamillerlookingatmefromthegardenofthelittlehouse,whichIhavealreadymentioned。
  IgotupandgavehimtheseleofthedayinEnglish。Hewasamanaboutthirty,rathertallthanotherwise,withaveryprepossessingcountenance。HeshookhisheadatmyEnglish。
  "What,"saidI,addressinghiminthelanguageofthecountry,"haveyounoEnglish?PerhapsyouhaveWelsh?"
  "Plenty,"saidhe,laughing"thereisnolackofWelshamongstanyofushere。AreyouaWelshman?"
  "No,"saidI,"anEnglishmanfromthefareastofLloegr。"
  "Andwhatbringsyouhere?"saidtheman。
  "Astrangeerrand,"Ireplied,"tolookatthebirth—placeofamanwhohaslongbeendead。"
  "Doyoucometoseekforaninheritance?"saidtheman。
  "No,"saidI。"Besidesthemanwhosebirth—placeIcametosee,diedpoor,leavingnothingbehindhimbutimmortality。"
  "Whowashe?"saidthemiller。
  "DidyoueverhearasoundofGronwyOwen?"saidI。
  "Frequently,"saidthemiller;"Ihavefrequentlyheardasoundofhim。Hewasbornclosebyinahouseyonder,"pointingtothesouth。
  "Ohyes,gentleman,"saidanice—lookingwoman,whoholdingalittlechildbythehandwascometothehouse—door,andwaseagerlylistening,"wehavefrequentlyheardspeakofGronwyOwen;
  thereismuchtalkofhimintheseparts。"
  "Iamgladtohearit,"saidI,"forIhavefearedthathisnamewouldnotbeknownhere。"
  "Pray,gentleman,walkin!"saidthemiller;"wearegoingtohaveourafternoon’smeal,andshallberejoicedifyouwilljoinus。"
  "Yes,do,gentleman,"saidthemiller’swife,forsuchthegoodwomanwas;"andmanyawelcomeshallyouhave。"
  Ihesitated,andwasabouttoexcusemyself。
  "Don’trefuse,gentleman!"saidboth,"surelyyouarenottooproudtositdownwithus?"
  "IamafraidIshallonlycauseyoutrouble,"saidI。
  "Dimblinder,notrouble,"exclaimedbothatonce;"praydowalkin!"
  Ienteredthehouse,andthekitchen,parlour,orwhateveritwas,anicelittleroomwithaslatefloor。Theymademesitdownatatablebythewindow,whichwasalreadylaidforameal。Therewasacleanclothuponit,atea—pot,cupsandsaucers,alargeplateofbread—and—butter,andaplate,onwhichwereafewverythinslicesofbrown,waterycheese。
  Mygoodfriendstooktheirseats,thewifepouredoutteaforthestrangerandherhusband,helpedusbothtobread—and—butterandthewaterycheese,thentookcareofherself。Before,however,I
  couldtastethetea,thewife,seemingtorecollectherself,startedup,andhurryingtoacupboard,producedabasinfullofsnow—whitelumpsugar,andtakingthespoonoutofmyhand,placedtwoofthelargestlumpsinmycup,thoughshehelpedneitherherhusbandnorherself;thesugar—basinbeingprobablyonlykeptforgrandoccasions。
  Myeyesfilledwithtears;forinthewholecourseofmylifeIhadneverexperiencedsomuchgenuinehospitality。HonourtothemillerofMonaandhiswife;andhonourtothekindhospitableCeltsingeneral!Howdifferentisthereceptionofthisdespisedraceofthewanderingstrangerfromthatof—。However,IamaSaxonmyself,andtheSaxonshavenodoubttheirvirtues;apitythattheyshouldbealluncouthandungraciousones!
  Iaskedmykindhosthisname。
  "JohnJones,"hereplied,"MelinyddofLlanfair。"
  "Isthemillwhichyouworkyourownproperty?"Iinquired。
  "No,"heanswered,"Irentitofapersonwholivescloseby。"
  "Andhowhappensit,"saidI,"thatyouspeaknoEnglish?"
  "Howshouldithappen,"saidhe,"thatIshouldspeakany?Ihaveneverbeenfarfromhere;mywifewhohaslivedatserviceatLiverpoolcanspeaksome。"
  "Canyoureadpoetry?"saidI。
  "Icanreadthepsalmsandhymnsthattheysingatourchapel,"hereplied。
  "ThenyouarenotoftheChurch?"saidI。
  "Iamnot,"saidthemiller;"IamaMethodist。"
  "CanyoureadthepoetryofGronwyOwen?"saidI。
  "Icannot,"saidthemiller,"thatiswithanycomfort;hispoetryisintheancientWelshmeasures,whichmakepoetrysodifficultthatfewcanunderstandit。"
  "Icanunderstandpoetryinthosemeasures,"saidI。
  "Andhowmuchtimedidyouspend,"saidthemiller,"beforeyoucouldunderstandthepoetryofthemeasures?"
  "Threeyears,"saidI。
  Themillerlaughed。
  "Icouldnothaveaffordedallthattime,"saidhe,"tostudythesongsofGronwy。However,itiswellthatsomepeopleshouldhavetimetostudythem。HewasagreatpoetasIhavebeentold,andisthegloryofourland—buthewasunfortunate;IhavereadhislifeinWelshandpartofhisletters;andindoingsohaveshedtears。"
  "Hashishouseanyparticularname?"saidI。
  "ItiscalledsometimesTyGronwy,"saidthemiller;"butmorefrequentlyTafarnGoch。"
  "TheRedTavern?"saidI。"HowisitthatsomanyofyourplacesarecalledGoch?thereisPentraethGoch;thereisSaintPedairGoch,andhereatLlanfairisTafarnGoch。"
  Themillerlaughed。
  "ItwilltakeawisermanthanI,"saidhe,"toanswerthatquestion。"
  TherepastoverIroseup,gavemyhostthanks,andsaid,"Iwillnowleaveyou,andhuntupthingsconnectedwithGronwy。"
  "Andwherewillyoufindallettyfornight,gentleman?"saidthemiller’swife。"Thisisapoorplace,butifyouwillmakeuseofourhomeyouarewelcome。"
  "Ineednottroubleyou,"saidI,"IreturnthisnighttoPentraethGochwhereIshallsleep。"
  "Well,"saidthemiller,"whilstyouareatLlanfairIwillaccompanyyouabout。Whereshallwegotofirst?"
  "Whereisthechurch?"saidI。"IshouldliketoseethechurchwhereGronwyworshippedGodasaboy。"
  "Thechurchisatsomedistance,"saidtheman;"itispastmymill,andasIwanttogotothemillforamoment,itwillbeperhapswelltogoandseethechurch,beforewegotothehouseofGronwy。"
  Ishookthemiller’swifebythehand,pattedalittleyellow—
  hairedgirlofabouttwoyearsoldonthehead,whoduringthewholetimeofthemealhadsatontheslatefloorlookingupintomyface,andleftthehousewithhonestJones。
  Wedirectedourcoursetothemill,whichlaysomewaydownadeclivity,towardsthesea。Nearthemillwasacomfortable—
  lookinghouse,whichmyfriendtoldmebelongedtotheproprietorofthemill。Arustic—lookingmanstoodinthemill—yard,whohesaidwastheproprietor。Thehonestmillerwentintothemill,andtherustic—lookingproprietorgreetedmeinWelsh,andaskedmeifIwascometobuyhogs。
  "No,"saidI;"Iamcometoseethebirth—placeofGronwyOwen;"hestaredatmeforamoment,thenseemedtomuse,andatlastwalkedawaysaying,"Ah!agreatman。"
  Themillerpresentlyjoinedme,andweproceededfartherdownthehill。Ourwaylaybetweenstonewalls,andsometimesoverthem。
  Thelandwasmooryandrocky,withnothinggrandaboutit,andthemillerdescribeditwellwhenhesaiditwastirgwael—meanland。
  Inaboutaquarterofanhourwecametothechurchyardintowhichwegot,thegatebeinglocked,byclamberingoverthewall。
  Thechurchstandslowdownthedescent,notfardistantfromthesea。Alittlebrook,calledinthelanguageofthecountryafrwd,washesitsyard—wallonthesouth。Itisasmalledificewithnospire,buttothesouth—westthereisalittlestoneerectionrisingfromtheroof,inwhichhangsabell—thereisasmallporchlookingtothesouth。WithrespecttoitsinteriorIcansaynothing,thedoorbeinglocked。Itisprobablyliketheoutside,simpleenough。Itseemedtobeabouttwohundredandfiftyyearsold,andtobekeptintolerablerepair。Simpleastheedificewas,Ilookedwithgreatemotionuponit;andcouldIdoelse,whenIreflectedthatthegreatestBritishpoetofthelastcenturyhadworshippedGodwithinit,withhispoorfatherandmother,whenaboy?
  Iaskedthemillerwhetherhecouldpointouttomeanytombsorgrave—stonesofGronwy’sfamily,buthetoldmethathewasnotawareofany。OnlookingaboutIfoundthenameofOwenintheinscriptionontheslateslabofarespectable—lookingmoderntomb,onthenorth—eastsideofthechurch。Theinscriptionwasasfollows:
  ErcofamJANEOWEN
  GwraigEdwardOwen,MonachlogLlanfairMathafameithaf,AfufarwChwefror281842
  Yn51Oed。
  I。E。"TothememoryofJANEOWENWifeofEdwardOwen,ofthemonasteryofStMaryoffartherMathafarn,whodiedFebruary28,1842,agedfifty—one。"
  WhethertheEdwardOwenmentionedherewasanyrelationtothegreatGronwy,Ihadnoopportunityoflearning。Iaskedthemillerwhatwasmeantbythemonastery,andhetoldthatitwasthenameofabuildingtothenorth—eastnearthesea,whichhadoncebeenamonasterybuthadbeenconvertedintoafarm—house,thoughitstillretaineditsoriginalname。"Mayallmonasteriesbeconvertedintofarm—houses,"saidI,"andmaytheystillretaintheiroriginalnamesinmockeryofpopery!"
  HavingseenallIcouldwellseeofthechurchanditsprecinctsI
  departedwithmykindguide。Afterwehadretracedourstepssomeway,wecametosomestepping—stonesonthesideofawall,andthemillerpointingtothemsaid:
  "ThenearestwaytothehouseofGronwywillbeoverthellamfa。"
  Iwasnowbecomeashamedofkeepingtheworthyfellowfromhisbusiness,andbeggedhimtoreturntohismill。Herefusedtoleaveme,atfirst,butonmypressinghimtodoso,andonmytellinghimthatIcouldfindthewaytothehouseofGronwyverywellbymyself,heconsented。Weshookhands,themillerwishedmeluck,andbetookhimselftohismill,whilstIcrossedthellamfa。
  Isoon,however,repentedhavingleftthepathbywhichIhadcome。
  IwaspresentlyinamazeoflittlefieldswithstonewallsoverwhichIhadtoclamber。AtlastIgotintoalanewithastonewalloneachside。Amancametowardsmeandwasabouttopassme—hislookwasaverted,andhewasevidentlyoneofthosewhohave"noEnglish。"AWelshmanofhisdescriptionalwaysavertinghislookwhenheseesastrangerwhohethinkshas"noWelsh,"lestthestrangershouldaskhimaquestionandhebeobligedtoconfessthathehas"noEnglish。"
  "IsthisthewaytoLlanfair?"saidItotheman。Themanmadeakindofrushinordertogetpastme。