By Berwen Banks

"What you is clabbering about, man?" said Shoni indignantly. "Keep to

the English if that is your language, 'coss me is spoke English as well

as Welsh."

"Yes, I see you do," said Ellis, "and I am thankful to meet with a man

so learned. To know two languages means to look at everything from two

points of view--from two sides, I mean. A man who knows two languages

knows half as much again of everything as a man who can only speak one."

Shoni scratched his head; he was mollified by the stranger's evident

appreciation of his learning, but thought it necessary to keep his wits

about him.

"With these foreigns, you know, you never know wherr they arr--these

English, you know," he was wont to say, "nor wherr they arr leading you

to."

"What wass you walk about the country for?" was his next remark.

"Ah, that's it now! You are a sensible man; you come to the point at

once. Well, I am very fond of making pictures."

"Sell them?"

"Oh no, just for my own pleasure; every man has his--"

"Crack!" said Shoni.

"Yes, crack, if you like," said Ellis, laughing, and opening his

portfolio; "here are some of my cracks."

And they drew near the doorway, leaving Corwen much dissatisfied at the

cessation of attentions.

Cardo and Valmai had disappeared. Shoni was fast losing his head to

this fellow with the high nose and high voice, who evidently knew a

sensible man when he saw him.

"There is Nance Owen's cottage," said the artist, "at the back of the

island; do you recognise it?"

Shoni was lost in admiration, but did not think it wise to show it, so

he stood silent for some time, with his hands under his coat tails and

his red-bearded chin first turned to one side and then to the other, as

he looked with critical eyes at the pictures.

"It's the very spit of the place," he said at last; "let's see another."

And Ellis picked out his masterpiece.

"That's Ogo Wylofen," he said.

"Ach y fi!" said Shoni, with a shudder, "wherr you bin when you painted

that?"

"At the mouth of the cave in a boat. It is magnificent, that rushing

water, those weird wailings, and the mysterious figures of spray which

pass up into the dark fissures."

But this was far above Shoni's head.

"Caton pawb, man!" he said, "not me would go in a boat to that hole for

the world. It is a split in the earth, and those are ghosts or witches

or something that walk in and out there; but anwl! anwl! you must be a

witch yourself, I think, to put those things on paper. Oh, see that

red sun, now, and the sea all red and yellow! Well, indeed!"