Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1906-01-25
By H. B. MARRIOTT Watson
CHAPTER I.


wT was in August Of the year 1S8-
al that / turned the corner. as it
were, into the strange history l
am now to relate. The Welsh
marches had been entirely unknown to
me until at a point in an idle tour of
the west of England l fell upon the
little town of Raymond and brought up
at in THE evening at the Swan hostel
ry that occupies a corner of the irreg-
ular triangle constituting the market
place. The country in that part is full
of swelling hills and valleys, soft and
exhilarating of air and clothed with a
great vesture of wood. The great
Gwent, as the forest across the little
river Ray is called in the countryside,
rolls westward across the county, bro
ken by tracts of fertile fields lying IN
der grain and pasture, and descends
upon the black hills of the mining dis
trict beyond. At Raymond, which
stands upon the hither side of the river,
we are yet in England proper and upon
the margin Of more open country.
The town itself is small and neat and
wears its air of respectable antiquity
very haughtily.
Tic inn, which was itself among the
most venerable buildings in the small
town, was comfortably served by a
very brisk landlord Of middle age. 1t
had kept, so to speak, precarious
continuity with antiquity and in the
main scheme had changed but little
during the 300 years which had passed
since its erection.
The hostelry was much too large for
its present uses, but for all that wore
no air of neglect in the inhabited cham
bers. My own rooms were marked by
homely comfort, and / was waited upon
like a prince of the blood. After rude
and wholesome country dinner sought
distraction in the taproom with my
pipe and a heterogeneous company of
townsfolk. The landlord was in some
kind a president at this symposium,
which consisted for the main part of
few of the smaller shopkeepers.
There was Mr. Jones, for example.
whose name l had noticed upon shop
front as rode through the High street.
This man fixed upon me early in the
evening, and poured his condolences
into my ear. He was hay merchant,
and he had no dearer ambition than to
establish. his business in Bristol. He
found Raymond too mean for his as
piring temper, and the Mecca Of his
prayers was Bristol. / confess that /
found him something of a bore, and
was glad to exchange commonplace
with my other neighbor. The landlord
himself kept his seat before the long
table, smoking his long pipe with the
peace of q man whose business is end
ed for the day, and now and then dis
charging a glance in my direction. He
was, l discovered, a Travelled man for
those parts, and had the reputation of
smart fellow. Indeed, he compared
well with the duiler rustics who sur
rounded him. The placid air of the tap
room was in some ways little more di-.
verting than the solitude OF my cham
Der, but that was soon to pass. Pres
entity there came great noise, fol
lowed by heavy tramp of feet APP
preaching from the outer bar, and in
strutted a tall young fellow, with his
hat upon one side, and a jaunty air of
one who knows his own worth and
despises his neighbors.
sCome in.' says the innkeeper, very
friendly, but with certain air of con-
straint Plenty of room, Mr.. Mont
gomery, sir, and good evening to
YOU"
.Oh, hang your ceremonies" says
the newcomer, but with no touch of Ill
humor, ssand give your best attention
to my order, Wendoyer" And, clap
ping his hat more firmly on his head,
he raped loudly upon the table.
He drank the glass of whisky which
the barnlan served and then fell into
- zaznYuE5zalFeb
IN A> "a IA. ~ Is