k, the tongue of an Englishman as they say not being long enough to
pronounce Welsh; and lastly utterly deprived of what reasoning faculties
he had still remaining by my asking him for the town of Llanfair, there
being properly no town.

I went on, and at last getting out of the lane, found myself upon the
road, along which I had come about two hours before; the house of the
miller was at some distance on my right. Near me were two or three
houses and part of the skeleton of one, on which some men, in the dress
of masons, seemed to be occupied. Going up to these men I said in Welsh
to one, whom I judged to be the principal, and who was rather a tall
fine-looking fellow:

"Have you heard a sound of Gronwy Owain?"

Here occurred another instance of the strange things people do when their
ideas are confused. The man stood for a moment or two, as if transfixed,
a trowel motionless in one of his hands, and a brick in the other; at
last giving a kind of gasp, he answered in very tolerable Spanish:

"Si, senor! he oido."

"Is his house far from here?" said I in Welsh.

"No, senor!" said the man, "no esta muy lejos."

"I am a stranger here, friend, can anybody show me the way?"

"Si senor! este mozo luego--acompanara usted."

Then turning to a lad of about eighteen, also dressed as a mason, he said
in Welsh:

"Show this gentleman instantly the way to Tafarn Goch."

The lad flinging a hod down, which he had on his shoulder, instantly set
off, making me a motion with his head to follow him. I did so, wondering
what the man could mean by speaking to me in Spanish. The lad walked by
my side in silence for about two furlongs till we came to a range of
trees, seemingly sycamores, behind which was a little garden, in which
stood a long low house with three chimneys. The lad stopping flung open
a gate which led into the garden, then crying to a child which he saw
within: "Gad roi tro"--let the man take a turn; he was about to leave me,
when I stopped him to put sixpence into his hand. He received the money
with a gruff "Diolch!" and instantly set off at a quick pace. Passing
the child who stared at me, I walked to the back part of the house, which
seemed to be a long mud cottage. After examining the back part I went in
front, where I saw an aged woman with several children, one of whom was
the child I had first seen. She smiled and asked me what I wanted.

I said that I had come to see the house of Gronwy. She d