England -- Description and travel; Wales -- Description and travel
I took a photograph of the old Tudor house from the churchyard, and
there I got a-chatting with a man in a faded tweed suit who had watched
my proceedings with apparent interest. I took him to be a local
inhabitant, but to use an antiquary's favourite expression, "I could
not quite sum him up," nor did he enlighten me as to who or what he
was; but, after all, it was no affair of mine. At first he talked about
the weather, by way of introduction, I presume, for it is a topic that
never fails amongst country folk. I really do not know what they would
do in dull places without the weather to praise or abuse; even the
tramp, whose sole object is to beg, invariably first starts upon the
weather, and so he feels his way.
"If you are interested in old places," said the stranger, "you should
see the ancient priest-house a little lower down the road," pointing
indefinitely into space. "It's well worth seeing; and you might like
to take a glance at the church, it's very old too." I thanked him for
the information. Then he led me to the porch and pointed out the oak
door there that was grey, not dark, with age, begging me to notice the
date upon it, marked in big studded nails, "March 31, 1626." "There's
a Devil's door in the north wall; you might take a look at that now
you're here, but it's built up," remarked my companion. "The Devil's
door!" I exclaimed. "I never heard of such a thing. Surely the Devil
does not go to church?" I was puzzled; I asked for enlightenment.
"Well, you see," came the reply, "it's certainly not everybody nowadays
who is aware of the fact, but in past times there used to be a small
doorway on the north side of churches to let the Devil out when a
child was baptized, and it was always kept open on such an occasion;
but that's an ancient superstition." I was anxious to learn more about
it. The stranger had become interesting, and I wished to chat longer
with him; but he suddenly exclaimed, "I must be really getting home
or the missus will wonder whatever has become of me. I promised to be
home ten minutes ago; it don't do to offend my missus"--and I thought
he laid a special and meaning emphasis on "my"; so he bade me a polite
good-day and hurried off. He was a meek-looking man. I hope he did
not get a scolding for the time he took talking to me. I wished his
missus had been away from home that day, for I was anxious to learn
more about the Devil's door; my curiosity was aroused. That call of
the missus was most provoking. I nearly followed the stranger home
to glean what further information on the way I could, but I thought
he might not care for my company under the circumstances. Thus the
traveller in out-of-the-way places picks up forgotten facts or fables,
surprising traditions, and odd bits of local lore; but the chaff has to
be winnowed from the corn.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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