tbarry herself.

She asked, in Italian, what he wanted. He answered that he wanted to
see the courier Ferrari, if it was quite convenient. She at once
informed him that Ferrari had left the palace, without assigning any
reason, and without even leaving an address at which his monthly salary
(then due to him) could be paid. Amazed at this reply, the courier
inquired if any person had offended Ferrari, or quarrelled with him.
The lady answered, 'To my knowledge, certainly not. I am Lady
Montbarry; and I can positively assure you that Ferrari was treated
with the greatest kindness in this house. We are as much astonished as
you are at his extraordinary disappearance. If you should hear of him,
pray let us know, so that we may at least pay him the money which is
due.'

After one or two more questions (quite readily answered) relating to
the date and the time of day at which Ferrari had left the palace, the
courier took his leave.

He at once entered on the necessary investigations--without the
slightest result so far as Ferrari was concerned. Nobody had seen him.
Nobody appeared to have been taken into his confidence. Nobody knew
anything (that is to say, anything of the slightest importance) even
about persons so distinguished as Lord and Lady Montbarry. It was
reported that her ladyship's English maid had left her, before the
disappearance of Ferrari, to return to her relatives in her own
country, and that Lady Montbarry had taken no steps to supply her
place. His lordship was described as being in delicate health. He
lived in the strictest retirement--nobody was admitted to him, not even
his own countrymen. A stupid old woman was discovered who did the
housework at the palace, arriving in the morning and going away again
at night. She had never seen the lost courier--she had never even seen
Lord Montbarry, who was then confined to his room. Her ladyship, 'a
most gracious and adorable mistress,' was in constant attendance on her
noble husband. There was no other servant then in the house (so far as
the old woman knew) but herself. The meals were sent in from a
restaurant. My lord, it was said, disliked strangers. My lord's
brother-in-law, the Baron, was generally shut up in a remote part of
the palace, occupied (the gracious mistress said) with experiments in
chemistry. The experiments sometimes made a nasty smell. A doctor had
latterly been called in to his lordship--an Italian doctor, long
resident in Venice. Inquir