Mr. Troy duly communicated these items of news to Mrs. Ferrari, whose anxiety about her husband made her a frequent visitor at the lawyers office. She attempted to relate the news to her good friend and protectress. Agnes steadily refused to listen, and positively forbade any further conversation relating to Lord Montbarrys wife.
You have Mr. Troy to advise you, she said; and you are welcome to what little money I can spare, if money is wanted. All I ask in return is that you will not distress me. Let me hear nothing more, until I can rejoice with you that your husband is found.
Chapter VIII
On the 14th the Directors and their legal advisers met for the reading of the report, with closed doors.
Private and confidential.
We have the honour to inform our Directors that we arrived in Venice on December 6, 1860. On the same day we proceeded to the palace inhabited by Lord Montbarry at the time of his last illness and death.
We were received with all possible courtesy by Lady Montbarrys brother, Baron Rivar. My sister was her husbands only attendant throughout his illness, the Baron informed us. She is overwhelmed by grief and fatigue. What are your wishes, gentlemen? and what can I do for you in her ladyships place?
In accordance with our instructions, we answered that the death and burial of Lord Montbarry abroad made it desirable to obtain more complete information relating to his illness. We explained the law, and we expressed our wish to conduct the inquiry with the most respectful consideration for her ladyships feelings, and for any other members of the family.
To this the Baron replied, I am the only member of the family living here, and I and the palace are entirely at your disposal. We found this gentleman perfectly straightforward, he was amiably willing to assist us.
With the one exception of her ladyships room, we went over the whole of the palace the same day. It is an immense place only partially furnished. The first floor and part of the second floor were the portions of it that had been inhabited by Lord Montbarry and the members of the household. We saw the bedchamber, in which his lordship died, and the small room, which he used as a study. Next to this was a large apartment or hall, the doors of which he kept locked. On the other side of the large hall were the bedchamber occupied by her ladyship, and the dressing-room in which the maid slept previous to her departure for England. Beyond these were the dining and reception rooms, opening into an antechamber, which gave access to the grand staircase of the palace.
The only inhabited rooms on the second floor were the sitting-room and bedroom occupied by Baron Rivar, and another room at some distance from it, which was the bedroom of the courier Ferrari.
The rooms on the third floor and on the basement were completely unfurnished. We inquired if there was anything to see below the basement. We were informed that there were vaults beneath.
We went down. The vaults were used as dungeons in the old times. Two long shafts of winding construction communicated with the back yard of the palace. The openings were protected by iron gratings. The stone stairs could be closed by a heavy trap-door in the back hall, which was open. The Baron himself led the way down the stairs.
We remarked that it might be awkward if that trap-door fell down and closed the opening behind us. The Baron smiled at the idea. Dont be alarmed, gentlemen, he said; the door is safe. My favourite study is the study of experimental chemistry and my workshop is down here.
These last words explained a curious smell in the vaults, which we noticed. The smell was of a twofold sort faintly aromatic, in its first effect, but with some after-odour very sickening. The Barons furnaces and retorts, and other things, were all there, together with some packages of chemicals. Not a pleasant place for study, Baron Rivar observed, but my sister is timid. She has a horror of chemical smells and explosions. He held out his hands, on which we noticed that he wore gloves in the house. Accidents happen sometimes, he said, I burnt my hands severely, and they are only recovering now.
Later we were even admitted to her ladyships own room, when she went out. Our instructions recommended us to examine his lordships residence, because the extreme privacy of his life in Venice, and the remarkable departure of the only two servants in the house, might have some suspicious connection with the nature of his death. We found nothing to justify suspicion.
As to his lordships retired way of life, we conversed on the subject with the consul and the banker. He called once at the bank to obtain money on his letter of credit. He did not accept an invitation to visit the banker at his private residence. His lordship wrote to the consul, as well. We saw the letter, and we offer the copy of it.
Many years in India have injured my constitution. I dont go into society; the occupation of my life now is the study of Oriental literature. The air of Italy is better for me than the air of England. 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 is explained in these brief lines. Nothing to excite a suspicion of anything wrong has come to our knowledge.
As to the departure of the ladys maid, we have seen the womans receipt for her wages. She left Lady Montbarrys service because she disliked the Continent, and wished to get back to her own country.
The disappearance of the courier Ferrari is, in itself, unquestionably a suspicious circumstance. Neither her ladyship nor the Baron can explain it. We have examined 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 spoken privately to the old woman who attends to the rooms occupied by her ladyship and the Baron. Unfortunately, her limited intelligence makes her of no value as a witness. She was willing to answer us; but we could elicit nothing useful.
On the second day of our inquiries, we had the honour of an interview with Lady Montbarry. Her ladyship looked miserable and ill. Baron Rivar, who introduced us, explained the nature of our errand in Venice. After that he discreetly left the room.
The questions which we addressed to Lady Montbarry related mainly, of course, to his lordships illness. The answers informed us of the facts that follow:
Lord Montbarry had been out of order for some time past nervous and irritable. He first complained of illness on November 13. He passed a wakeful and feverish night, and remained in bed the next day. Her ladyship proposed medical advice. He refused to call the doctor. Some hot lemonade was made at his request. The courier Ferrari (then the only servant in the house) went out to buy the lemons. Her ladyship made the drink with her own hands. Lord Montbarry had some hours of sleep afterwards. Later in the day, Lady Montbarry rang for Ferrari. The bell was not answered. Baron Rivar searched for the man, in the palace and out of it, in vain. This happened on November 14.
On the night of the 14th, the feverish symptoms returned. They were perhaps attributable to the annoyance and alarm caused by Ferraris mysterious disappearance.
On the 15th (the day on which the old woman first came to do the housework), his lordship complained of sore throat, and of a feeling of oppression on the chest. On this day, and again on the 16th, her ladyship and the Baron entreated him to see a doctor. He still refused. I dont want strange faces about me, that was his answer.