Excerpt from The Novels and Romances of Edward Bulwer Lytton, Vol. 2 of 2 The sound I elicited from the gate bell seemed to ring through that retired place with singular shrillness and I observed, at the opposite window, all that bustle of drawing curtains, peeping faces, and hasty retreats, which denote female anxiety and perplexity, at the unexpected approach of a stranger. After some time the parson's single servant, a middle aged, slovenly man, in a loose frock and gray kersey mere nondescripts, opened the gate, and informed me that his master was at home. With a few earnest ad monitions to my admitter - who was, like the domestics of many richer men, both groom and valet - respecting the safety of my borrowed horse, I entered the house. The servant did not think it necessary to inquire my name, but threw open the door of the study, with the brief introduction of A gentleman, sir. Clutterbuck was standing, with his back towards me, upon a pair of library steps, turning over some dusky volumes; and below stood a pale, cadaverous youth with a set and serious countenance that bore no small likeness to Clutterbuck himself. Mon Dieu, thought I, he cannot have made such good use of his matrimonial state as to have raised this lanky impression of himself in the space of seven months! The good man turned round, and almost fell off the steps with the nervous shock of beholding me so near him; he descended with precipitation, and shook me so warmly and tightly by the hand that he brought tears into my eyes as well as his own. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.