"How old are you?"

"Fifteen after three twenties."

"I have a mother three after four twenties; that is eight years older
than yourself."

"Can she see?"

"Better than I--she can read the smallest letters."

"May she long be a comfort to you!"

"Thank you--are you the mistress of the house?"

"I am the grandmother."

"Are the people in the house?"

"They are not--they are at the chapel."

"And they left you alone?"

"They left me with my God."

"Is the chapel far from here?"

"About a mile."

"On the road to Cerrig y Drudion?"

"On the road to Cerrig y Drudion."

I bade her farewell, and pushed on--the road was good, with high rocky
banks on each side. After walking about the distance indicated by the
old lady, I reached a building, which stood on the right-hand side of the
road, and which I had no doubt was the chapel, from a half-groaning,
half-singing noise which proceeded from it. The door being open, I
entered, and stood just within it, bare-headed. A rather singular scene
presented itself. Within a large dimly-lighted room, a number of people
were assembled, partly seated in rude pews, and partly on benches.
Beneath a kind of altar, a few yards from the door, stood three men--the
middlemost was praying in Welsh in a singular kind of chant, with his
arms stretched out. I could distinguish the words, "Jesus descend among
us! sweet Jesus descend among us--quickly." He spoke very slowly, and
towards the end of every sentence dropped his voice, so that what he said
was anything but distinct. As I stood within the door, a man dressed in
coarse garments came up to me from the interior of the building, and
courteously, and in excellent Welsh, asked me to come with him and take a
seat. With equal courtesy, but far inferior Welsh, I assured him that I
meant no harm, but wished to be permitted to remain near the door,
whereupon with a low bow he left me. When the man had concluded his
prayer, the whole of the congregation began singing a hymn, many of the
voices were gruff and discordant, two or three, however, were of great
power, and some of the female ones of surprising sweetness. At the
conclusion of the hymn, another of the three men by the altar began to
pray, just in the same manner as his comrade had done, and seemingly
using much the same words. When he had done, there was another hymn,
after which, seeing that the congregation was about to break up, I bowed
my head towards the int