, which I recognised as the lake of Bala.
I skirted the end of it, and came to a street cheerfully lighted up, and
in a minute more was in the White Lion Inn.

CHAPTER LXXII

Cheerful Fire--Immense Man--Doctor Jones--Recognition--A Fast Young
Man--Excellent Remarks--Disappointment.

I was conducted into the coffee-room of the White Lion by a little
freckled maid whom I saw at the bar, and whom I told that I was come to
pass the night at the inn. The room presented an agreeable contrast to
the gloomy, desolate places through which I had lately come. A good fire
blazed in the grate, and there were four lights on the table. Lolling in
a chair by one side of the fire was an individual at the sight of whom I
almost started. He was an immense man, weighing I should say at least
eighteen stone, with brown hair, thinnish whiskers, half-ruddy,
half-tallowy complexion, and dressed in a brown sporting coat, drab
breeches, and yellow-topped boots--in every respect the exact image of
the Wolverhampton gent or hog-merchant who had appeared to me in my dream
at Llangollen, whilst asleep before the fire. Yes, the very counterpart
of that same gent looked this enormous fellow, save and except that he
did not appear to be more than seven or eight and twenty, whereas the
hog-merchant looked at least fifty. Laying my satchel down I took a seat
and ordered the maid to get some dinner for me, and then asked what had
become of the waiter, Tom Jenkins.

"He is not here at present, sir," said the freckled maid; "he is at his
own house."

"And why is he not here?" said I.

"Because he is not wanted, sir; he only comes in summer when the house is
full of people."

And having said this the little freckled damsel left the room.

"Reither a cool night, sir!" said the enormous man after we had been
alone together a few minutes.

I again almost started, for he spoke with the same kind of half-piping,
half-wheezing voice, with which methought the Wolverhampton gent had
spoken to me in my dream.

"Yes," said I; "it is rather cold out abroad, but I don't care as I am
not going any farther to-night."

"That's not my case," said the stout man, "I have got to go ten miles, as
far as Cerrig Drudion, from which place I came this afternoon in a
wehicle."

"Do you reside at Cerrig Drudion?" said I.

"No," said the stout man, whose dialect I shall not attempt further to
imitate, "but I have been staying there some time; for happeni