友情提示:如果本网页打开太慢或显示不完整,请尝试鼠标右键“刷新”本网页!
恐怖书库 返回本书目录 加入书签 我的书架 我的书签 TXT全本下载 『收藏到我的浏览器』

lavengro-第128部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完,想下次继续接着阅读,可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能!



very well; side by side; and I hope will do so till the Almighty 

calls all men to their long account。'  'They jog on very well now;' 

said the woman; 'but I have heard my husband say that it was not 

always so; and that the Welsh; in old times; were a violent and 

ferocious people; for that once they hanged the mayor of Chester。'  

'Ha; ha!' said the preacher; and his eyes flashed in the moonlight; 

'he told you that; did he?'  'Yes;' said Mary; 'once; when the 

mayor of Chester; with some of his people; was present at one of 

the fairs over the border; a quarrel arose between the Welsh and 

the English; and the Welsh beat the English; and hanged the mayor。'  

'Your husband is a clever man;' said Peter; 'and knows a great 

deal; did he tell you the name of the leader of the Welsh?  No! 

then I will:  the leader of the Welsh on that occasion was …。  He 

was a powerful chieftain; and there was an old feud between him and 

the men of Chester。  Afterwards; when two hundred of the men of 

Chester invaded his country to take revenge for their mayor; he 

enticed them into a tower; set fire to it; and burnt them all。  

That … was a very fine; noble … God forgive me; what was I about to 

say … a very bad; violent man; but; Mary; this is very carnal and 

unprofitable conversation; and in holding it we set a very bad 

example to the young man here … let us change the subject。'



They then began to talk on religious matters。  At length Mary 

departed to her abode; and the preacher and his wife retired to 

their tilted cart。



'Poor fellow; he seems to be almost brutally ignorant;' said Peter; 

addressing his wife in their native language; after they had bidden 

me farewell for the night。



'I am afraid he is;' said Winifred; 'yet my heart warms to the poor 

lad; he seems so forlorn。'







CHAPTER LXXIII







Morning hymn … Much alone … John Bunyan … Beholden to nobody … 

Sixty…five … Sober greeting … Early Sabbaths … Finny brood … The 

porch … No fortune…telling … The master's niece … Doing good … Two 

or three things … Groans and voices … Pechod Ysprydd Glan。



I SLEPT soundly during that night; partly owing to the influence of 

the opiate。  Early in the morning I was awakened by the voices of 

Peter and his wife; who were singing a morning hymn in their own 

language。  Both subsequently prayed long and fervently。  I lay 

still till their devotions were completed; and then left my tent。  

'Good morning;' said Peter; 'how dost thou feel?'  'Much better;' 

said I; 'than I could have expected。'  'I am glad of it;' said 

Peter。  'Art thou hungry? yonder comes our breakfast;' pointing to 

the same young woman I had seen the preceding night; who was again 

descending the hill bearing the tray upon her head。



'What dust thou intend to do; young man; this day?' said Peter; 

when we had about half finished breakfast。  'Do;' said I; 'as I do 

other days; what I can。'  'And dost thou pass this day as thou dost 

other days?' said Peter。  'Why not?' said I; 'what is there in this 

day different from the rest? it seems to be of the same colour as 

yesterday。'  'Art thou aware;' said the wife; interposing; 'what 

day it is? that it is Sabbath? that it is Sunday?'  'No;' said I; 

'I did not know that it was Sunday。'  'And how did that happen?' 

said Winifred; with a sigh。  'To tell you the truth;' said I; 'I 

live very much alone; and pay very little heed to the passing of 

time。'  'And yet of what infinite importance is time;' said 

Winifred。  'Art thou not aware that every year brings thee nearer 

to thy end?'  'I do not think;' said I; 'that I am so near my end 

as I was yesterday。'  'Yes; thou art;' said the woman; 'thou wast 

not doomed to die yesterday; an invisible hand was watching over 

thee yesterday; but thy day will come; therefore improve the time; 

be grateful that thou wast saved yesterday; and; oh! reflect on one 

thing; if thou hadst died yesterday; where wouldst thou have been 

now?'  'Cast into the earth; perhaps;' said I。  'I have heard Mr。 

Petulengro say that to be cast into the earth is the natural end of 

man。'  'Who is Mr。 Petulengro?' said Peter; interrupting his wife; 

as she was about to speak。  'Master of the horse…shoe;' said I; 

'and; according to his own account; king of Egypt。'  'I 

understand;' said Peter; 'head of some family of wandering 

Egyptians … they are a race utterly godless。  Art thou of them? … 

but no; thou art not; thou hast not their yellow blood。  I suppose 

thou belongest to the family of wandering artisans called …。  I do 

not like you the worse for belonging to them。  A mighty speaker of 

old sprang up from amidst that family。'  'Who was he?' said I。  

'John Bunyan;' replied Peter; reverently; 'and the mention of his 

name reminds me that I have to preach this day; wilt thou go and 

hear? the distance is not great; only half a mile。'  'No;' said I; 

'I will not go and hear。'  'Wherefore?' said Peter。  'I belong to 

the church;' said I; 'and not to the congregations。'  'Oh! the 

pride of that church;' said Peter; addressing his wife in their own 

tongue; 'exemplified even in the lowest and most ignorant of its 

members。  Then thou; doubtless; meanest to go to church;' said 

Peter; again addressing me; 'there is a church on the other side of 

that wooded hill。'  'No;' said I; 'I do not mean to go to church。'  

'May I ask thee wherefore?' said Peter。  'Because;' said I; 'I 

prefer remaining beneath the shade of these trees; listening to the 

sound of the leaves and the tinkling of the waters。'



'Then thou intendest to remain here?' said Peter; looking fixedly 

at me。  'If I do not intrude;' said I; 'but if I do; I will wander 

away; I wish to be beholden to nobody … perhaps you wish me to go?'  

'On the contrary;' said Peter; 'I wish you to stay。  I begin to see 

something in thee which has much interest for me; but we must now 

bid thee farewell for the rest of the day; the time is drawing nigh 

for us to repair to the place of preaching; before we leave thee 

alone; however; I should wish to ask thee a question … Didst thou 

seek thy own destruction yesterday; and didst thou wilfully take 

that poison?'  'No;' said I; 'had I known there had been poison in 

the cake I certainly should not have taken it。'  'And who gave it 

thee?' said Peter。  'An enemy of mine;' I replied。  'Who is thy 

enemy?'  'An Egyptian sorceress and poison…monger。'  'Thy enemy is 

a female。  I fear thou hadst given her cause to hate thee … of what 

did she complain?'  'That I had stolen the tongue out of her head。'  

'I do not understand thee … is she young?'  'About sixty…five。'



Here Winifred interposed。  'Thou didst call her just now by hard 

names; young man;' said she; 'I trust thou dost bear no malice 

against her。'  'No;' said I; 'I bear no malice against her。'  'Thou 

art not wishing to deliver her into the hand of what is called 

justice?'  'By no means;' said I; 'I have lived long
返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 2 2
快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
温馨提示: 温看小说的同时发表评论,说出自己的看法和其它小伙伴们分享也不错哦!发表书评还可以获得积分和经验奖励,认真写原创书评 被采纳为精评可以获得大量金币、积分和经验奖励哦!