Arnold Bennett

Buried Alive Arnold Bennett

Priam Farll is the most renowned painter in England: famous for his paintings of policemen and penguins, he is adored by the public and critics. Shy as a fawn, no one knows what he looks like, having spent years living abroad with his servant Henry Leek, a rascal of tome and loin. One day he returns to London incognito, and Leek has the bad detail with his master of suddenly dying of pneumonia. The doctor who certifies death confuses Leek with Priam Farll, and soon the news runs like wildfire: the great painter is dead. Farll sees the sky open and decides not to bring the world out of his mistake: he pretends to be Henry Leek, and even attends his own funeral at Westminster Abbey. It was then that Putney's widow pizpiret, Alice Challice, entered the scene, who was engaged in a correspondence marriage with Leek, and with whom Farll will join forces to fight against the adversities of modern life.