The landlord was pleased at the encouragement and continued: "Indeed they are very happy. They've only been married two years. The lady comes from a distance, from Graz. Her father is an army officer Ibelieve, and I don't think she was over-rich. But she's a very sweet-looking lady and her rich husband is very fond of her, any one can see that.""You said just now that they had gone away, where have they gone to?""They've gone to Italy, sir. Mrs. Thorne was one of the few people who do not know Venice. Franz, that's the butler, sir, told me yesterday evening that he had received a telegram saying that the lady and gentleman had arrived safely and were very comfortably fixed in the Hotel Danieli. You know Danieli's?""Yes, I do. I also was one of the few people who did not know Venice, that is I was until two years ago. Then, however, I had the pleasure of riding over the Bridge of Mestre," answered Muller.
He did not add that he was not alone at the time, but had ridden across the long bridge in company with a pale haggard-faced man who did not dare to look to the right or to the left because of the revolver which he knew was held in the detective's hand under his loose overcoat. Muller's visit to Venice, like most of his journeyings, had been one of business. This time to capture and bring home a notorious and long sought embezzler. He did not volunteer any of this information, however, but merely asked in a politely interested manner whether the landlord himself had been to Venice.
"Yes, indeed," replied the latter proudly. "I was head waiter at Baner's for two years.""Then you must make me some Italian dishes soon," said Muller.
Further conversation was interrupted by the entrance of Franz, the old butler of the house opposite.
"Excuse me, sir; I must get him his glass of wine," said the landlord, hurrying away to the bar. He returned in a moment with a small bottle and a glass and set it down on Muller's table.
"You don't mind, sir, if he sits down here?" he asked. "He usually sits here at this table because then he can see if he is needed over at the house.""Oh, please let him come here. He has prior rights to this table undoubtedly," said the stranger politely. The old butler sat down with an embarrassed murmur, as the voluble landlord explained that the stranger had no objection. Then the boniface hurried off to attend to some newly entered customers and the detective, greatly pleased at the prospect, found himself alone with the old servant.
"You come here frequently?" he began, to open the conversation.
"Yes, sir, since my master and myself have settled down here - we travelled most of the time until several years ago - I find this place very convenient. It's a cosy little room, the wine is good and not expensive, I'm near home and yet I can see some new faces occasionally.""I hope the faces that you see about you at home are not so unpleasant that you are glad to get away from them?" asked Muller with a smile.
The old man gave a start of alarm. "Oh, dear, no, sir," he exclaimed eagerly; "that wasn't what I meant. Indeed I'm fond of everybody in the house from our dear lady down to the poor little dog."Here Muller gained another little bit of knowledge, the fact that the lady of the house was the favourite of her servants, or that she seemed to them even more an object of adoration than the master.
"Then you evidently have a very good place, since you seem so fond of every one.""Indeed I have a good place, sir."
"You've had this place a long time?"
"More than twenty years. My master was only eleven years old when I took service with the family.""Ah, indeed! then you must be a person of importance in the house if you have been there so long?""Well more or less I might say I am," the old man smiled and looked flattered, then added: "But the housekeeper, Mrs. Bernaner, is even more important than I am, to tell you the truth. She was nurse to our present young master, and she's been in the house ever since. When his parents died, it's some years ago now, she took entire charge of the housekeeping. She was a fine active woman then, and now the young master and mistress couldn't get along without her. They treat her as if she was one of the family.""And she is ill also? I say also," explained Muller, "because the landlord has just been telling me that your mistress is ill.""Yes, indeed, more's the pity! our poor dear young lady has been miserable for nearly a year now. It's a shame to see such a sweet angel as she is suffer like that and the master's quite heart-broken over it. But there's nothing the matter with Mrs. Bernaner. How did you come to think that she was sick?"Muller did not intend to explain that the change in the housekeeper's appearance, a change which had come about between Tuesday morning and Thursday morning, might easily have made any one think that she was ill. He gave as excuse for his question the old man's own words:
