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The Life, Letters, and Literary Remains of Edward Bulwer, Lord Lytton
The Life Letters and Literary Remains of Edward Bulwer Lord Lytton Author:Edward Robert Bulwer Lytton Lytton, Baron Edward Bulwer Lytton Lytton Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER VIL (Autobiographic al.) THE DESERTED HOUSE. 1790. But the time now came when Elizabeth was to return to her CHAP. mother. Nearly a year had ... more »passed away since her arrival at 1— Knebworth, and Mrs. Lytton grew nervous and jealous. My grandfather, in the meanwhile, had become accustomed to his daughter's society. He was better able to appreciate her intellect (though he never understood her character) than he could have been during her childhood. She accommodated herself to his ways, while her presence, almost unconsciouly to herself, enlivened his studious hours. She saved him, too, all trouble in business and the household; for, in spite of her taste for poetry, she had a clear head for affairs, and had learned from her mother the womanly wisdom of economy and order. Perhaps the poor Scholar had never known so comfortable a home; and, therefore, when he saw her preparations for departure, he woke up from his Hebrew, and made a grand effort to detain her. The good man did not attempt to enforce his legal rights, and depart from the compact he had made, viz. to assure her liberty of choice as to residence with either parent. Neither did he flatter himself that he had become the first object in her affections. But he had learned from his classics that woman loves power, and is dazzled by show ; and so, with awkward eloquence, he made his appeal to these feminine infirmities. ' Stay with me, Bessy,' quoth the Scholar, ' stay with me, and I'll tell you what I will do. I VOL. I. E 50 THE SCHOLAR AND HIS DAUGHTER. BOOK had forsworn London ; I will return to it. I will take a great .' - house, as many servants as you think you can manage (keep 1803-11 them out of my way as much as you can). In the summer we will come again to Knebworth, more in state. Carr...« less