The doorbell rang, and I opened the door, and there stood the most bedraggled figure I’d ever seen.

bedraggled (adj) 1: limp and soiled as if dragged in the mud 2: in deplorable condition [syn: broken-down, dilapidated, ramshackle, tatterdemalion, tumble-down, unsound] – source: The Making Of documentary from The Trouble with Harry R2 DVD, 06:40