TWM is “wanted.” Hides himself in a wood. Love takes him to Cadwgan’s
house, where he is welcomed. Parson Evans acting as “detector.” Twm
escapes in the disguise of a female. Affectionate parting with the
farmer and Gwenny.
No sooner was Marmaduke Graspacre taken home, and the affair made known
by him to his father, with some little exaggeration against the
assailant, such as the trifling mis-statement that the blows inflicted on
him were by the butt-end of the fowling-piece, instead of the fist, than
the squire’s indignation was roused.
“As this is not the first offence, and my forbearance has encouraged his
atrocious conduct, I am now determined to make an example of him,” said
he, and immediately sent a servant for Parson Evans, who, in the capacity
of magistrate, was ordered to take cognizance of the affair, and send
constables in all directions to arrest the culprit. This was an office
that well accorded with this malignant man; he had not the generosity
enough to forget and forgive the follies of youth; and had a bloodhound
been set upon Twm’s track, he would not have scented him out with more
pleasure than Parson Evans.
The hue and cry instantly was raised and spread abroad, and excited as
great a commotion throughout the country as if a convicted murderer were
chased through the land. All Twm’s haunts were searched, especially his
mother’s and farmer Cadwgan’s; in each of which places there was
heaviness and wailing for his misfortunes; and Parson Evans, who went
there in person, took care to assure them, that when caught, all the
world could not save him from the gallows, as he had attempted to murder
the young squire of Graspacre-Hall.
But with all the vigilance of his enemies, Twm’s retreat remained
undiscovered and those who were friendly disposed towards him began to
wonder among themselves what had become of him. Some thought that, in a
fit of despondency, he had drowned himself; and others, that he had
escaped into the neighbouring counties of Pembroke, Carmarthen, or
Brecon; or that he had shipped himself in some vessel at Aberayon, or
Aberystwyth, and got off in safety. The constables, however, had visited
each of these places, and at length returned without any further
intelligence than that their journey had been in vain.
While the search was most hot, our hero concealed himself in a small
patch of marshy underwood, a spot on which the keen eye of suspicion
never glanced, his pursuers having passed the edge of it many times
without a thought occurring of seeking him there. In this retreat he fed
himself on nuts and blackberries, and in the night roved about for
recreation, but returned to his green-wood shelter before day-light.
Even here, Twm’s love of mischief was as prominent as ever.
One night, while the moon gave a good light, he found a large deep hole,
close by his retreat. Knowing that his pursuers would very probably pass
that way shortly, he covered over the opening with sticks and a thin
layer of earth and leaves. Presently came Parson Evans, who had
separated himself from the rest of the searchers, and coming to the trap,
immediately sunk over-head, to the depth of twelve feet, giving a wild
and very unparsonic yell as he descended. He bawled loudly for help, but
Twm bounded from his retreat, and shouting down the hole, “Ha! ha! Evans
the fox is trapped at last,” made best of his way to another part of the
forest.
His concealment and life in the woods continued four days, when,
exceedingly tired of his solitude, he one midnight ventured to Cadwgan’s
door, and both surprised and gratified the farmer and his kinder
daughter, when they heard the lost one’s voice once more. They rose and
let him in immediately, made a fire, gave every necessary refreshment,
and then persuaded him to go to bed.
Twm remained hidden here a week, when suspicion fixed upon Cadwgan’s
house, although searched before, as the probable place of concealment.
One day, Gwenny ran in a fright to tell her father to conceal Twm
immediately, as the constables, headed by Parson Evans, were coming. Twm
started up and said, “Bolt the door for ten minutes, and I shall be
safe.” Gwenny replied that they could not be there in that time, as they
were then descending the opposite side of the Cwm, which was three long
fields off, and that they approached slowly, with fox-like cunning, so as
to excite no suspicion of their purpose.
With that, at Twm’s request, they both went up stairs with him, for a
purpose which he said he was there to explain to them, as neither of them
could conceive in what manner he was going to preserve himself. They all
remained above ’till the loud summons of authority, in the raven voice of
old Evans, brought Cadwgan down, when the cleric magistrate told him, in
no gentle terms, that there was a suspicion attached to his house, as the
place where the young villain, Twm Shon Catty, was concealed.
The farmer replied, “I must say this is very hard usage, as I have no one
with me but my daughter and my eldest sister, who has come on a few
weeks’ visit; but, as you are come, you may search in welcome.” After a
brief scrutiny below, they all went up stairs, where sat, busily employed
at their needles, the fair Gwenny Cadwgan and the ingenious Twm Shon
Catty, excellently disguised in the dress of Cadwgan’s late wife; which
having been the property of a tall women fitted him very well. His face
was slightly coloured with the juice of blackberries; beneath his chin
was pinned a dowdyish cap, which in the scant light of a small window, by
the aid of a pair of spectacles he appeared a complete old granny.
On the entrance of these amiable visitors, he turned his full spectacled
face on Parson Evans, muttering, in the tone of an old woman, which he
mimicked well, “lack a day! lack a day! this is sad usage;” then
whispered Gwenny, who took the hint, and, while they were searching, laid
some hog’s lard on different parts of the stairs, so that, on their
descent, the precious party, with their rascally leader, slipped and fell
headlong down from top to bottom, to the great amusement of those above.
On being charged with this contrivance, each denied all knowledge of, and
the quick witted Gwenny accounted for the cause of their accident by
saying that they had been carrying butter and lard to the store, up
stairs, the whole morning.
In addition to this, Twm emptied the contents of a certain piece of
crockery upon the devoted heads of the searchers, just as they emerged
from the doorway, and when he discovered the splutterings and surprise
manifested by the parson, shouted down from the upper window, “Dear!
dear! I thought you lazy folk would be half a mile from the house before
now. Well well! ye’ll get a washing for nothing.” The parson muttered
something very like a curse, while the constables “d—d” the old woman
unceremoniously.
They were no sooner gone than Twm assured Cadwgan that he saw there was
no safety for him except in flight, which must take place that very
night. His plan, he said, was matured, that he had no fear but he should
do well, and that his only regret was in parting with them. He purposed,
he said, to make his way towards Carmarthenshire, or perhaps farther and
seek employment among the farmers; or, what was more agreeable to him, he
might, perhaps, get to some village where he could set up a school; so
that after saving a sum of money to begin life with, he should return and
make Gwenny his wife. With tearful eyes Cadwgan expressed his admiration
of his plan, while poor Gwenny wept herself almost into fits, at the
thought of his perils, and sudden departure.
“At any rate, my boy, thou shalt not go penniless to wander the wide
world,” said Cadwgan, and put an old pocket-book, containing several
angels, and near twenty shillings in silver, which Twm reluctantly took,
promising its return doubly when fortune favoured him. “I have two
favours more to ask,” said he; “the first is, that you will make the best
of my affair when you tell my poor mother and the worthy Mr. Rhys of my
flight, and my future plans in life; and my next request is, that you
will give me this old woman’s dress, with the red cloak belonging to it,
as it will answer for a disguise should I be troubled before I get far
enough off.” Cadwgan kindly acquiesced, though he smiled at the latter
whimsical fancy. At length, thus attired to avoid observation, with his
own clothes in a bundle, he took an affecting leave of them, and made a
hasty departure from their friendly door.