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。
第16章