The Parson's Story.

Otago Witness, Issue 1340, 4 August 1877, Page 20

The Parson's Story.

IN FIVE CHAPTERS.

. Chapter I. In the course of a holiday in Waleß I found myself, at the close of a ( day's hard walking, at a small fishing village on the south-west coast, frequented during the summer season, as 1 learned from the cards in two or three lodging-house windows, by a few visitors. But as yet Lleyrudrigg was, I surmised, empty of all Bare its ordinary inhabitants. At any rate, there appeared to be no other stranger than myself in the rather large hotel in which I had taken up my quarters for the night. It wa3 a dismal, dispiriting evening. The rain, which had been threatening all day, was now descending in torrents, beating against the windows of the coffee-room and swelling the gutters of the narrow street. Not a living thing was to be seen ; and the long, scantily furnished apartment of which I was sole tenant looked very dreary as I turned away from the cheerless prospect. Its gloom was increased rather than otherwise, however, when presently that prospect was shut out and two uncompromising tallow-candlea were set upon the table. On their appearance I drew a volume from my knapsack, and eliciting a feeble blaze from the smouldering fire, seated myself in front of it and commenced to read. But all endeavour to concentrate my attention upon the book failed ; and at length, depressed by the solitude and my melancholy thoughts, 1 determined upon ringing the bell and begging the landlord to give me his company. I had just risen for the purpose of putting this resolve into execution, when , my attention wa3 arrested by the sound of approaching foot steps, and in another instant the door was unclosed and a gentleman entered the room. I say gentleman advisedly, although at a cursory glance there was little about thej

appearance of the new-comer to indicate his right to the title. He was a small spare man, with large features, and' a head almost ludicrously out of proportion with his body. His dress, which was black, was "of an unfashionable cut and very shabby, and he wore a voluminous white neckcloth. Pausing at a few paces from the door, he gave orders to the waiter for chops and tea. Then advancing towards the fireplace, energetically rubbing his hands together, he addressed me in perfectly good English, but with a strong Welsh accent, telling me that he had arrived at the inn some quarter of an hour ago, drenched through with the rain — having carried his own carpet-bag from a station distant about a mile — and that in consequence he had been obliged to change all his clothes. "And by the way," he continued . somewhat abruptly, "'I had the misfortune whilst doing so to drop my purse, and several pieces of money rolled out amongst the furniture of the room.' I feel almost sure that I managed to collect .all again ; but if. you would -excuse me doing so in your presence, I should like ,to satisfy 'myself completely upon that point. , The fact is," he added with a frank smile, "that the money in question does not belong to me, and I am the mere anxious about it on that account."

Whilst thus speaking, the little man had drawn from his pocket a huge washleather purse, and f after waiting until I had bowed permission, he proceeded to empty its contents upon the table. They consisted of a large roll of bank-notes and a considerable sum in gold and silver — and as I watched him furtively over the edges of my book, which I had again taken vp — I saw him carefully count and arrange the latter into heaps. A sigh of relief accompanied the announcement which he shortly made to me, that he had found the money correct ; and he was in the act of opening his purse to replace it, when the landlord — a meagre, sharp-nosed individual — entered the room with a tray. Happening to glance at this man as he stood by, cloth in hand, I detected a gleam of intense avarice crossing his face ; and although the expression was but momentary— vanishing as the glittering piles were swept into their receptacle — it left me with the impression that the small Welshman's exhibition of his riches, in the presence of strangera had not been an altogether judicious proceeding. N No suspicion of its imprudence, however, appeared to disturb that gentleman's mind, and I soon forgot all about the little incident in the interest of the conversation which ensued between us. From his dress and general appearance I had already conjectured my ohance companion to be a Dissenting parson, arid his first words as, having finished his tea, he drew a chair to, the opposite side of the fireplace, confirmed my surmise. Throwing his eye over my attire," he "remarked that he thought we were "both in the Bame profession,:' and enquired if, I were not a « • minuter of the Gospel. " And upon my informing him that I was a clergyman of the Church of England, we were soon in. the midst of a polemical discussion, which lasted a couple of hours and covered a large amount of ground ; and which ended (at least as far as I was concerned) in producing feelings akin, to aincere friendship. The insignificant -looking/ ill r formed,' shabbily-dressed Welsh minister, had interested and attracted me more than any man I had ever met in my life. , Endowed with a rich melodious voice, and with wonderful conversational powers, he was possessed also of an excellent memory and a keen intelligence. His reading, moreover, had been various and deep,, as ;I found when,, later on in the evening, the conversation turned upon other than ecclesiastical matters. But it was perhaps even more to ,his imperturbable goodhumour, and to the singular innocence and candour which shone in , his clear ' gray eyes and exhibited themaelyes.in every word he uttered, than to his rare natural gifts, that he owed his ability to please. However that might' be, I had certainly found the Rev. Peter Morgan a most charming companion, and when, just as we were about to separate for the night, I learned that he was going upon 1 the following day to Twellryst, a town I j was myself intending to visit, I eagerly j proposed that we should make the jourr ! ney together. The suggestion met with a ready and pleased acquiescence from my new acquaintance, and we then exchanged information as to the different- objects which were taking us both to this rather out-of-the-way place. Mine was a very simple one, that of examining the ruins of an ancient monastery in its vicinity. My friend's waa a more business-like and, as he laughingly said, a more. agreeable errand. It, was to receive certain subscriptions which a friend of his, resident in, the town, had collected on his behalf. These subscriptions were to be applied to the, purpose of enlarging the chapel of which he was pastor at Pwylwyn, a rapidly-growing village on the northern sea-board. The money which I had seen him count, the little man went on to state, was the fruit of his own labours for the, same cause. He had obtained it by travelling about the country-begging from town to town amongst the members, of the denomination to which he belonged, and had been engaged in this manner nearly two months. The mission, he concluded, had been crowned with much greater success than he had anticipated. With the subscriptions he was to receive on the morrow, and those already in his custody, he expected to be able to return home (as he was intending to do on the day afterwards) with upwards of three hun-

dred pounds in his "pocket^ wh|cfi; together, with another, hundred by his own very poor congregation*, ivould, he anticipated,^ be, amply sufficient to cover all expenses of the alterations. " And how, sir, do you 'propose to' get to Twellryst V\ I inquired.'' "As your are no doubt aware; there is no railway line in that direction!. T was intending' s to walk myself ; but you surely were mot thinking of doing so?" • ;i; i . ''.'<•? "Indeed no, my friend," he| : rep!ied with the sunny. smile which' upon' the slightest provocation! wbu|jl break" o^er his large , plain features. "At upwards of sixty, one doesn't undertake a walk of thirty miles unless it be under the pressure of stern necessity. No, .no ; I could walk well enough at? your age ;Vbut now, alas ! the infirmities of age, . &c., ,'«sc So if you please, we will go by coach. . I have ascertained that one runs 'twice a week from Abermeulth'.to Twellryst, passing through Lleyrudrigg^.^Td^inprrow will be one, of its days, thpugh.'l jdo.not yet know* at what hour of the. morning it will arrive here. .The I . landlord; however, will be. able. to tell us, that ;, ! &ndif'ypu will kindly ring the 1 \ J bell, which *I"see i» on your side of ,the : fireplace, . we^fcjan make inquiries forthwith." • • .., r\ In bending forward to obey 'thia request, I noticed that a 'door immediately behind my chair stood a little', ajar^auji it at once flashed upon me that, for some time I had been vaguely conscious. of a Blight draught. The bell/ : still"in my hand, I remained" 'for" a moment : after ringing, with' my eyes -fixed upon.th* door. When last I. had lpbked,,jn-.'£hafc direction it had, I felt quite: Bure, been closed; and; as an instant's ' reflection convinced me, no person had , entered the room by it throughout" the entire eWning. Prompted by an unpleasant" suspicion which had suggested - itself against, my will, I advanced quietly; and throwing it more widely apart,.' peered, through. ' s'lts ' It opened into a small, chuia-closet,'con-nected by another door- with a long passage. Both passage, and closet. , were flagged. I had heard no; sound offo'otBteps, yet there, within the latter, stood the landlord. Uponseeing me, he looked, I thought, confused, but , immediately recovering himself stepped into the room, as though he had been coming that' way in answer to the bell. I had certainly no proof that he had been .listening, ~ but I felt, nevertheless, a moral, assurance. of the fact, and wondering what could have been his motive in the act, I eyed him sharply whilst ne 'gave 'a not very satisfactory reply to Mr Morgan's interrogations respecting the sjagercbach. According to^s account, the^ vehicle.in question was a most' irregular and unpunctual one, starting at hours from ten to .twelve in the morning, and being seven less reliable as to. the- time of its , return. This report naturally, was, not agreeable to the minister ; but expressing a hope that the coach would be .upon "its .best behaviour next day, he requested ..that bedroom candles might be ; sent in ; and the, landlord (departed to^order ithem.^ln a : few moments,' however, he, returned, -and made us a proposition which,, had apparently just occurred to hiip. Ol It iS was to the effect that we should. hire. a rhorae and dog-cart belonging to the hoteJ.^The horse, its owner affirmed, Jwas, a splendid animal, and would carry un r tp; Twellryst in half the time it would take the coach }to get there; We.shpuld, , moreoyer, r ho promised, have, the .conveyance for; little more -than the amount of our, coach-rf ares, since not only, did the horse need .exercise greatly, but hehad' besides some business of his own in that town, ,-w.hich could; be ' transacted. for him by a cousin r who, would drive ua. ,By adopting this .plan, ; t'po/ he . concluded,: we could see the Spike Bocks. Everybody who came ;tq t these, Sparta, in , the summer time w,ept.,to see the, . Spike Bocks, and , Jonathan , should , r drive- , us ( round that way. '•'t . .- ," ..< „.'-; f . i ,A question 'or two convincing, us, that the rocks referred to. would.be.w.ell-worth a visit* we gladly .accepted the landlord's offer ; and waiting; only to. made arrangements as to the time of; starting,,. bade each other good-night, and, separated, for our respective. chambers.. ;" „ „ !,, „