The Argosy — page 150: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Among the Welsh. ) 3es which brought us again to St. Asaph, the cathedral was outlined against a dark blue sky, and the windows looked like great black eyes that stared weirdly at us and hurried us only the more on our way. Down the hill, and over the bridge, and past the pleasant-looking Deanery, and out on the road to Rhyl. KRhuddlan loomed up in due time in dark and frowning outlines, and its ancient moat suggested all sorts of possible horrors and tragedies. Over the bridge and up the hill, and past the old Parliament House, and out on to the flat country round about Rhyl. We could see nothing of it now. It was quite dark ; but in the distance, through a slight mist, gleamed all the lights of the town. <A cold wind was blowing ; the mist creeping up was damp and chilling; and the intelligent horse, which, if it did not measure our feelings, knew full well the extent of its own, hastened its speed. ‘The lights of Rhyl grew rapidly nearer, and before long, and not before we desired, we turned into the esplanade, and were soon within the comfortable shelter of the Westminster Hotel. We had earned our dinner. But that evening, as chance would have it, alarge freemasonry banquet was being given in the hotel; and everyone knows that though, individually, freemasons are the most frugal of men, yet not one of them could conscientiously allow his brother mason to sit down to anything but the most sumptuous of repasts. This is a very right and proper feeling ; but those who were not free- masons that night found that they had to retire humbly into the background. Punctuality was not to be thought of, and in a separate room one had to be thankful for small mercies. We came in for the ghostly dishes of the banquet; but if they were all a shade too cold, the ice-pudding was good enough to make up for them by being a degree too warm. But on such an occasion everything was excusable ; only the most unreasonable of mortals would refuse to make allowances, and the hotel seemed one of the good old-fashioned sort, where the careful host (hostess in this case) personally, and with a due amount of conscience, looks after the well-being of his guests. The next morning was bright, and the sea, sparkling in the sunshine, looked broad and beautiful. It rolled gently over the white sands, and was calm as if it had been Midsummer Day. ‘The waiters, in- deed, were evidently under the impression that the month was in reality June, and not ‘‘chill October ;” for they threw wide the win- dows, propped open the door, and politely intimated that breakfast waited our pleasure in the full blast of a north-east-wind. Not wish- ing to give them the further trouble of ordering a coffin, it was gently intimated that if doors and windows could be closed, the attention would be received with gratitude. ‘This was at once done, but with an air that seemed to reflect upon so eccentric a request, and to wonder — whether we had lately arrived from the torrid zone, or were followers in the footsteps of the Fire-Worshippers. Nevertheless, the hotel was very comfortable, and we left it hoping to see it again. The journey from Rhyl to Llandudno is not a long one, but it CORNICLOO 5) (CO) am