BEGGARS ON HORSEBACK. 163 



with — for them — disappointments, we yielded to 

 their importunities, and paused at the glowing 

 sign of the Saracen's Head, Cerrig-y-Druidion. 



In the best parlour sat in perfect silence a 

 tradesman and his wife, middle - aged, serious, 

 and too entirely respectable to be aware that 

 they were bored almost to madness. They were 

 out on their holiday, therefore they were enjoying 

 themselves — and therefore the tradesman read a 

 month-old copy of the 'Cyclist,' and his wife studied 

 the 'Farmers' Gazette,' and both eyed us with raven- 

 ous, but decently furtive, interest. For half an hour 

 we and our safety-skirts were vouchsafed to them, 

 while the familiar tea, with home-made gooseberry- 

 jam and salt butter, was vouchsafed to us ; and 

 then the Tommies, having polished their mangers 

 with their usual precision, were led forth again. 



It was not a good ten miles that we rode from 

 there to Corwen, except in the sense of good, 

 full, statute measure. Disaster fell upon us like 

 a net, tangling our endeavours with inexhaustible 

 mesh. A " dee " of my saddle broke ; consequently 



