the haunted hotel-第18部分

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Agnes　accepted　the　proposal；　in　the　faint　hope　of　getting　some



information　for　the　courier's　wife。　　The　complete　defeat　of　every　attempt



to　trace　the　lost　man　had　been　accepted　as　final　by　Mrs。　Ferrari。



She　had　deliberately　arrayed　herself　in　widow's　mourning；



and　was　earning　her　livelihood　in　an　employment　which　the　unwearied



kindness　of　Agnes　had　procured　for　her　in　London。　　The　last　chance



of　penetrating　the　mystery　of　Ferrari's　disappearance　seemed　to　rest



now　on　what　Ferrari's　former　fellow…servant　might　be　able　to　tell。



With　highly…wrought　expectations；　Agnes　followed　her　friend　into　the　room



in　which　Mrs。　Rolland　was　waiting。







A　tall　bony　woman；　in　the　autumn　of　life；　with　sunken　eyes　and



iron…grey　hair；　rose　stiffly　from　her　chair；　and　saluted　the　ladies



with　stern　submission　as　they　opened　the　door。　　A　person　of



unblemished　character；　evidentlybut　not　without　visible　drawbacks。



Big　bushy　eyebrows；　an　awfully　deep　and　solemn　voice；　a　harsh



unbending　manner；　a　complete　absence　in　her　figure　of　the　undulating



lines　characteristic　of　the　sex；　presented　Virtue　in　this　excellent



person　under　its　least　alluring　aspect。　　Strangers；　on　a　first



introduction　to　her；　were　accustomed　to　wonder　why　she　was　not　a　man。







'Are　you　pretty　well；　Mrs。　Rolland？'







'I　am　as　well　as　I　can　expect　to　be；　my　lady；　at　my　time　of　life。'







'Is　there　anything　I　can　do　for　you？'







'Your　ladyship　can　do　me　a　great　favour；　if　you　will　please



speak　to　my　character　while　I　was　in　your　service。　　I　am　offered



a　place；　to　wait　on　an　invalid　lady　who　has　lately　come　to　live



in　this　neighbourhood。'







'Ah；　yesI　have　heard　of　her。　　A　Mrs。　Carbury；　with　a　very　pretty　niece



I　am　told。　　But；　Mrs。　Rolland；　you　left　my　service　some　time　ago。



Mrs。　Carbury　will　surely　expect　you　to　refer　to　the　last　mistress



by　whom　you　were　employed。'







A　flash　of　virtuous　indignation　irradiated　Mrs。　Rolland's　sunken　eyes。



She　coughed　before　she　answered；　as　if　her　'last　mistress'



stuck　in　her　throat。







'I　have　explained　to　Mrs。　Carbury；　my　lady；　that　the　person　I　last　served



I　really　cannot　give　her　her　title　in　your　ladyship's　presence！



has　left　England　for　America。　　Mrs。　Carbury　knows　that　I　quitted



the　person　of　my　own　free　will；　and　knows　why；　and　approves　of　my



conduct　so　far。　　A　word　from　your　ladyship　will　be　amply　sufficient



to　get　me　the　situation。'







'Very　well；　Mrs。　Rolland；　I　have　no　objection　to　be　your　reference；



under　the　circumstances。　　Mrs。　Carbury　will　find　me　at　home　to…morrow



until　two　o'clock。'







'Mrs。　Carbury　is　not　well　enough　to　leave　the　house；　my　lady。



Her　niece；　Miss　Haldane；　will　call　and　make　the　inquiries；　if　your



ladyship　has　no　objection。'







'I　have　not　the　least　objection。　　The　pretty　niece　carries



her　own　welcome　with　her。　　Wait　a　minute；　Mrs。　Rolland。



This　lady　is　Miss　Lockwoodmy　husband's　cousin；　and　my　friend。



She　is　anxious　to　speak　to　you　about　the　courier　who　was　in　the　late



Lord　Montbarry's　service　at　Venice。'







Mrs。　Rolland's　bushy　eyebrows　frowned　in　stern　disapproval　of



the　new　topic　of　conversation。　　'I　regret　to　hear　it；　my　lady；'



was　all　she　said。







'Perhaps　you　have　not　been　informed　of　what　happened　after　you



left　Venice？'　　Agnes　ventured　to　add。　　'Ferrari　left　the　palace　secretly；



and　he　has　never　been　heard　of　since。'







Mrs。　Rolland　mysteriously　closed　her　eyesas　if　to　exclude　some　vision



of　the　lost　courier　which　was　of　a　nature　to　disturb　a　respectable　woman。



'Nothing　that　Mr。　Ferrari　could　do　would　surprise　me；'　she　replied



in　her　deepest　bass　tones。







'You　speak　rather　harshly　of　him；'　said　Agnes。







Mrs。　Rolland　suddenly　opened　her　eyes　again。　　'I　speak　harshly



of　nobody　without　reason；'　she　said。　　'Mr。　Ferrari　behaved　to　me；



Miss　Lockwood；　as　no　man　living　has　ever　behavedbefore　or　since。'







'What　did　he　do？'







Mrs。　Rolland　answered；　with　a　stony　stare　of　horror：







'He　took　liberties　with　me。'







Young　Lady　Montbarry　suddenly　turned　aside；　and　put　her　handkerchief



over　her　mouth　in　convulsions　of　suppressed　laughter。







Mrs。　Rolland　went　on；　with　a　grim　enjoyment　of　the　bewilderment



which　her　reply　had　produced　in　Agnes：　　'And　when　I　insisted



on　an　apology；　Miss；　he　had　the　audacity　to　say　that　the　life



at　the　palace　was　dull；　and　he　didn't　know　how　else　to　amuse　himself！'







'I　am　afraid　I　have　hardly　made　myself　understood；'　said　Agnes。



'I　am　not　speaking　to　you　out　of　any　interest　in　Ferrari。



Are　you　aware　that　he　is　married？'







'I　pity　his　wife；'　said　Mrs。　Rolland。







'She　is　naturally　in　great　grief　about　him；'　Agnes　proceeded。







'She　ought　to　thank　God　she　is　rid　of　him；'　Mrs。　Rolland　interposed。







Agnes　still　persisted。　　'I　have　known　Mrs。　Ferrari　from　her　childhood；



and　I　am　sincerely　anxious　to　help　her　in　this　matter。　　Did　you



notice　anything；　while　you　were　at　Venice；　that　would　account　for



her　husband's　extraordinary　disappearance？　　On　what　sort　of　terms；



for　instance；　did　he　live　with　his　master　and　mistress？'







'On　terms　of　familiarity　with　his　mistress；'　said　Mrs。　Rolland；



'which　were　simply　sickening　to　a　respectable　English　servant。



She　used　to　encourage　him　to　talk　to　her　about　all　his　affairs



how　he　got　on　with　his　wife；　and　how　pressed　he　was　for　money；



and　such　likejust　as　if　they　were　equals。　　Contemptiblethat's　what　I



call　it。'







'And　his　master？'　　Agnes　continued。　　'How　did　Ferrari　get



on　with　Lord　Montbarry？'







'My　lord　used　to　live　shut　up　with　his　studies　and　his　sorrows；'



Mrs。　Rolland　answered；　with　a　hard　solemnity　expressive　of　respect



for　his　lordship's　memory。　　Mr。　Ferrari　got　his　money　when　it　was　due；



and　he　cared　for　nothing　else。　　〃If　I　could　afford　it；　I　would



leave　the　place　too；　but　I　can't　afford　it。〃　　Those　were　the　last



words　he　said　to　me；　on　the　morning　when　I　left　the　palace。



I　made　no　reply。　　After　what　had　happened　（on　that　other　occasion）



I　was　naturally　not　on　speaking　terms　with　Mr。　Ferrari。'







'Can　you　really　tell　me　nothing　which　will　throw　any　light



on　this　matter？'







'Nothing；'　said　Mrs。　Rolland；　with　an　undisguised　relish



of　the　disappointment　that　she　was　inflicting。







'There　was　another　member　of　the　family　at　Venice；'　Agnes　resumed；



determined　to　sift　the　question　to　the　bottom　while　she　had　the　chance。



'There　was　Baron　Rivar。'







Mrs。　Rolland　lifted　her　large　hands；　covered　with　rusty　black　gloves；



in　mute　protest　against　the　introduction　of　Baron　Rivar　as　a　subject



of　inquiry。　　'Are　you　aware；　Miss；'　she　began；　'that　I　left　my　place



in　consequence　of　what　I　observed？'







Agnes　stopped　her　there。　　'I　only　wanted　to　ask；'　she　explained；



'if　anything　was　said　or　done　by　Baron　Rivar　which　might　account



for　Ferrari's　strange　conduct。'







'Nothing　that　I　know　of；'　said　Mrs。　Rolland。　　'The　Baron　and　Mr。　Ferrari



（if　I　may　use　such　an　expression）　were　〃birds　of　a　feather；〃



so　far　as　I　could　seeI　mean；　one　was　as　unprincipled　as　the　other。



I　am　a　just　woman；　and　I　will　give　you　an　example。　　Only　the　day



before　I　left；　I　heard　the　Baron　say　（through　the　open　door　of　his



room　while　I　was　passing　along　the　corridor）；　〃Ferrari；　I　want　a



thousand　pounds。　　What　would　you　do　for　a　thousand　pounds？〃　　And　I　heard



Mr。　Ferrari　answer；　〃Anything；　sir；　as　long　as　I　was　not　found　out。〃



And　then　they　both　burst　out　laughing。　　I　heard　no　more　than　that。



Judge　for　yourself；　Miss。'







Agnes　reflected　for　a　moment。　　A　thousand　pounds　was　the　sum



that　had　been　sent　to　Mrs。　Ferrari　in　the　anonymous　letter。



Was　that　enclosure　in　any　way　connected；　as　a　result；　with　the



conversation　between　the　Baron　and　Ferrari？　　It　was　useless　to　press



any　more　inquiries　on　Mrs。　Rolland。　　She　could　give　no　further



information　which　was　of　the　slightest　importance　to　the　object



in　view。　　There　was　no　alternative　but　to　grant　her　dismissal。



One　more　effort　had　been　made　to　find　a　trace　of　the　lost　man；



and　once　again　the　effort　had　failed。















They　were　a　family　party　at　the　dinner…table　that　day。　　The　only



guest　left　in　the　house　was　a　nephew　of　the　new　Lord　Montbarry



the　eldest　son　of　his　sister；　Lady　Barrville。　　Lady　Montbarry　could



not　resist　telling　the　story　of　the　first　（and　last）　attack　made



on　the　virtue　of　Mrs。　Rolland；　with　a　comically…exact　imitation



of　Mrs。　Rolland's　deep　and　dismal　voice。　　Being　asked　by　her　husband



what　was　the　object　which　had　brought　that　formidable　person　to　the　house；



she　naturally　mentioned　the　expected　visit　of　Miss　Haldane。



Arthur　Barville；　unusually　silent　and　pre…occupied　so　far；



suddenly　struck　into　the　conversation　with　a　burst　of　enthusiasm。



'Miss　Haldane　is　the　most　charming　girl　in　all　Ireland！'　he　said。



'I　caught　sight　of　her　yesterday；　over　the　wall　of　her　garden；



as　I　was　riding　by。　　What　time　is　she　coming　to…morrow？　Before　two？



I'll　look　into　the　drawing…room　by　accidentI　am　dying　to　be　introduced



to　her！'







Agnes　was　amused　by　his　enthusiasm。　　'Are　you　in　love　with　Miss



Haldane　already？'　she　asked。







Arthur　answered　gravely；　'It's　no　joking　matter。　　I　have　been　all　day



at　the　garden　wall；　waiting　to　see　her　again！　　It　depends　on　Miss



Haldane　to　make　me　the　happiest　or　the　wretchedest　man