"Accidents will
happen sometimes," he said, "no matter how careful a man may be.
I burnt my hands severely in trying a new combination the other day,
and they are only recovering now."
'We mention these otherwise unimportant incidents, in order to show
that our exploration of the palace was not impeded by any attempt
at concealment. We were even admitted to her ladyship's own room--
on a subsequent occasion, when she went out to take the air.
Our instructions recommended us to examine his lordship's residence,
because the extreme privacy of his life at 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 lordship's retired way of life, we have conversed on
the subject with the consul and the banker--the only two strangers
who held any communication with him. He called once at the bank
to obtain money on his letter of credit, and excused himself from
accepting an invitation to visit the banker at his private residence,
on the ground of delicate health.
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