said to her old friend at parting, 'If your governess leaves you, keep
the place open for me.' Mrs. Westwick laughed. The wiser children took
it seriously, and promised to let Agnes know.

On the very day when Miss Lockwood returned to London, she was recalled
to those associations with the past which she was most anxious to
forget. After the first kissings and greetings were over, the old
nurse (who had been left in charge at the lodgings) had some startling
information to communicate, derived from the courier's wife.

'Here has been little Mrs. Ferrari, my dear, in a dreadful state of
mind, inquiring when you would be back. Her husband has left Lord
Montbarry, without a word of warning--and nobody knows what has become
of him.'

Agnes looked at her in astonishment. 'Are you sure of what you are
saying?' she asked.

The nurse was quite sure. 'Why, Lord bless you! the news comes from
the couriers' office in Golden Square--from the secretary, Miss Agnes,
the secretary himself!' Hearing this, Agnes began to feel alarmed as
well as surprised. It was still early in the evening. She at once
sent a message to Mrs. Ferrari, to say that she had returned.

In an hour more the courier's wife appeared, in a state of agitation
which it was not easy to control. Her narrative, when she was at last
able to speak connectedly, entirely confirmed the nurse's report of it.

After hearing from her husband with tolerable regularity from Paris,
Rome, and Venice, Emily had twice written to him afterwards--and had
received no reply. Feeling uneasy, she had gone to the office in
Golden Square, to inquire if he had been heard of there. The post of
the morning had brought a letter to the secretary from a courier then
at Venice. It contained startling news of Ferrari. His wife had been
allowed to take a copy of it, which she now handed to Agnes to read.

The writer stated that he had recently arrived in Venice. He had
previously heard that Ferrari was with Lord and Lady Montbarry, at one
of the old Venetian palaces which they had hired for a term. Being a
friend of Ferrari, he had gone to pay him a visit. Ringing at the door
that opened on the canal, and failing to make anyone hear him, he had
gone round to a side entrance opening on one of the narrow lanes of
Venice. Here, standing at the door (as if she was waiting for him to
try that way next), he found a pale woman with magnificent dark eyes,
who proved to be no other than Lady Mon