Even while we were talking the rain had ceased, and patches of stars
were shining brilliantly. These patches got rapidly larger. Sinfi
Lovell proposed that we should go to the cottage, dry our clothes,
and furnish ourselves with a day's provisions, which she said a
certain cupboard in the cottage would supply, and also with her
crwth, which she appeared to consider essential to the success of the
enterprise.
'She's fond o' the crwth,' she said. 'She allus wanted Mrs. Davies to
larn her to play it, but her aunt never would, 'cause when it's
played by a maid on the hills to the Welsh dukkerin' gillie,
[Footnote 1] the spirits o' Snowdon and the livin' mullos
[Footnote 2] o' them as she's fond on will sometimes come and show
themselves, and she said Winnie wasn't at all the sort o' gal to feel
comfable with spirits moving round her. She larnt me it, though. It's
only when the crwth is played by a maid on the hills that the spirits
can follow it.'
[Footnote 1: _Dukkerin gillie_, incantation song.]
[Footnote 2: _Livin' mullos_, wraiths.]
We did as Shift suggested, and afterwards began our search. She
proposed that we should go at once to Knockers' Llyn, where she had
seen Winifred the day before sitting and talking to herself. We
proceeded towards the spot.
IV
The Gypsy girl was as lithe and active as Winifred herself, and
vastly more powerful. I was wasted by illness and fatigue. Along the
rough path we went, while the morning gradually broke over the east.
Great isles and continents of clouds were rolled and swirled from
peak to peak, from crag to crag, across steaming valley and valley;
iron-grey at first, then faintly tinged with rose, which grew warmer
and richer and deeper every moment.
'It's a-goin' to be one of the finest sunrises ever seed,' said the
Gypsy girl. 'Dordi! the Gorgios come to see our sunrises,' she
continued, with the pride of an owner of Snowdon. 'You know this is
the only way to see the hills. You may ride up the Llanberis side in
a go-cart.'
Racked with anxiety as I was. I found it a relief during the ascent
to listen to the Gypsy's talk about Winifred. She gave me a string of
reminiscences about her that enchained, enchanted, and yet harrowed
me. A strong friendship had already sprung up between me and my
companion; and I was led to tell her about the cross and the curse,
the violation of my father's tomb and its disastrous consequences.
She was evidently much awed by the story.
'Well,' said she, when I had stopped to look round, 'it's my belief
as the cuss is a-workin' now, and'll have to spend itself. If it
could ha' spent itself on the feyther as did the mischief, why all
well an' good, but, you see, he's gone, an' left it to spend itself
on his chavi; jist the way with 'em Gorgio feythers an' Romany
daddies. It'll have to spend itself, though, that cuss will, I'm
afeard.'
'But,' I said, 'you don't mean that you think for her father's crime
she'll have to beg her bread in desolate places.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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