The Rectory of Valehead

lingered upon the shelves, which, surrounding the room, left but space enough over the chimney-piece for a cuckoo-clock. On one side of the fire stood a high-backed arm chair, corresponding with which, in massiveness and size, was a table, at which my friend was sitting. The whole scene, not .excepting the inhabitant himself, carried the mind half a century back. He appeared deeply engaged in a reverie over some papers, and beside him laywhat appeared to be a family-bible. I was on the point of withdrawing when I caught his eye, and he cried, " Nay; come in, my friend: so far from interrupting my business, you promote it. You are one who like to hear my tales of old times, and this is one of my retrospective days. On such I always sit in this room, which, beyond any other, is associated with the past. It was the cradle, as it were, of my mind ; for it was my father's study, where he used to teach us, and served, moreover, as the family chapel. Yonder clock sounded the hour of morning and evening prayer; that arm-chair was his seat, or, if you will, his throne, on which he presided amid his little church ; and these MSS. consisting, as you perceive, partly of loose leaves, partly of fixed, contain our family liturgy, as drawn up in my father's hand. The fixed leaves include the more genval prayers, which were therefore of daily use; the loose the more particular, which therefore varied with the occasion. The preservation of these last is owing to a custom of my fathe... --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.