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The Haunted Hotel-Part8_WILKIE COLLINS (1824-1899)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

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remarkable departure of the only two servants in the house,

might have some suspiciousconnection with the nature of his death.



We found nothing to justify suspicion.

'As to his lordship's retired way of life, we have conversed on



the subject with the consul and the banker--the only two strangers

who held any communication with him. He called once at the bank



to obtain money on his letter of credit, and excused himself from

accepting an invitation to visit the banker at his private residence,



on the ground of delicate health. His lordship wrote to the same

effect on sending his card to the consul, to excuse himself



from personally returning that gentleman's visit to the palace.

We have seen the letter, and we beg to offer the following copy of it.



"Many years passed in India have injured my constitution.

I have ceased to go into society; the one occupation of my life



now is the study of Oriental literature. The air of Italy is better

for me than the air of England, or I should never have left home.



Pray accept the apologies of a student and an invalid. The active

part of my life is at an end." The self-seclusion of his lordship



seems to us to be explained in these brief lines. We have not,

however, on that account spared our inquiries in other directions.



Nothing to excite a suspicion of anything wrong has come to

our knowledge.



'As to the departure of the lady's maid, we have seen the woman's

receipt for her wages, in which it is expressly stated that she



left Lady Montbarry's service because she disliked the Continent,

and wished to get back to her own country. This is not an



uncommon result of taking English servants to foreign parts.

Lady Montbarry has informed us that she abstained from engaging



another maid in consequence of the extremedislike which his lordship

expressed to having strangers in the house, in the state of his health



at that time.

'The disappearance of the courier Ferrari is, in itself,



unquestionably a suspicious circumstance. Neither her ladyship nor

the Baron can explain it; and no investigation that we could make



has thrown the smallest light on this event, or has justified us in

associating it, directly or indirectly, with the object of our inquiry.



We have even gone the length of examining the portmanteau which

Ferrari left behind him. It contains nothing but clothes and linen--



no money, and not even a scrap of paper in the pockets of the clothes.

The portmanteau remains in charge of the police.



'We have also found opportunities of speakingprivately to the old

woman who attends to the rooms occupied by her ladyship and the Baron.



She was recommended to fill this situation by the keeper of the restaurant

who has supplied the meals to the family throughout the period



of their residence at the palace. Her character is most favourably

spoken of. Unfortunately, her limitedintelligence makes her of no



value as a witness. We were patient and careful in questioning her,

and we found her perfectlywilling to answer us; but we could



elicit nothing which is worth including in the present report.

'On the second day of our inquiries, we had the honour of an interview



with Lady Montbarry. Her ladyship looked miserably worn and ill,

and seemed to be quite at a loss to understand what we wanted with her.



Baron Rivar, who introduced us, explained the nature of our errand

in Venice, and took pains to assure her that it was a purelyformal duty



on which we were engaged. Having satisfied her ladyship on this point,

he discreetly left the room.



'The questions which we addressed to Lady Montbarry related mainly,

of course, to his lordship's illness. The answers, given with great



nervousness of manner, but without the slightest appearance of reserve,




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