Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-03-05
Countess ualOla.
By WILKIE COLLINS.

Out on the airy lagoon he felt like new man. He had not left the hotel ten minutes before he was fast asleep ill the gondola. Walk ing on reaching the landing place, he crossed .he Lido and enjoyed a mornings swim in the Adriatic. There was only poor res taurant on the island in those days, but his appetite was now ready for anything; he eat whatever was offered to him, like famished man.
 He could hardly believe, when he reflected on it, that he had sent away untasted his ex- cellent breakfast at the hotel.
 Returning to Venice, he spent the rest of the day in the picture galleries and the churches. Toward 6 o'clock his gondola took him back, with another fine appetite, to meet some travelling acquaintances with whom he had engaged to dine at the table d'hote.
 The dinner was deservedly rewarded with the highest approval by every guest in the hotel but one. To Henry's astonishment the appetite with which he had entered the house mysteriously and completely left him when he sat down to table. He could drink some wine, but he could literally eat noth- ing. "What ill the world is the matter with youp his travelling acquaintances asked. He could honestly answer, "I know no more than you do."
 When night came he gave his comfortable and beautiful bedroom another trial. The result of the second experiment. was repeti- tion of the result of the first. Again he felt the all prevailing sense of depression and discomfort. Again he passed sleepless night. And once more when he tried to eat his breakfast his appetite completely failed him. This personal experience of the new hotel was too extraordinary to be passed over in silence. Henry mentioned it to his friends in the public room, ill. the hearing of the manager. The manager, naturally jealous ill defense of the hotel, was a little hurt at the implied reflection cast on Number Four teen. He invited the travellers present to judge for themselves whether MT. Westwick's bedroom was to blame for Mir. Westwick S sleepless night; and he especially appealed to gray headed gentleman, guest at the breakfast table of an English traveller, to take the lead ill the investigation. ''Ths is Doctor Bruno, our first physician in Venice," he explained. II appeal to him to say if there are any unhealthy influences in Mr. Westwick's room."
 Introdued to Number Fourteen, the doctor looked round him with a certain appearance of interest which was noticed by every one present. "The last time was in this room, ,' he said, twas on melancholy occasion. It was before the palace was changed into an hotel. I was in professi nal attendance on an English nobleman who died here." One of the persons present inquired the name of the nobleman. Dr. Bruno answered-with- out the slightest suspicion that he was speak ing before brother of the dead man-"Lord Montbarry."
 Henry quietly left the room, without say ing a word to anybody.
 He was not, in any sense of the term, su- perstitious man. But he felt, nevertheless, l an insurmountable reluctance to remaining in the hotel. He decided on leaving Venice. To ask for another room would be, as he could plainly see, an offense in the eyes of the man. ager. To remove to another hotel would be to openly abandon an establishment in the success of which he had pecuniary interest. Leaving note for Arthur Barville, on his arrival ill Venice, i'll which he mentioned that he had gone to look at the Italian lakes, and that line addressed to his hotel at Milan would bring him back again, he took the af- ternoon train to Padua-and dined with his usual appetite, and slept as we'll as ever that | night.
 The next day gentleman and his wife, re- | turning to England, by way of Venice, ar 1 rived at the hotel and occupied Number | Fourteen.
 | Still mindful of the slur that had been cast on one of his best bed chambers, the manager | took occasion to ask the travellers the next morning how they liked their room. They left him to judge for himself how we'll they were satisfied, by remaining a day longer i1 Venice than they had originally planned to do solely for the purpose of enjoying the excel l lent accommodation offered to them by the new hotel. We have met with nothing like il in Italy," they said; "you may rely on our re 1 commenting you to all our friends" | On the day when Number Fourteen wa: again vacant an English lady, travelling alone with her maid, arrived at the hotel saw the room, and at once engaged it.
 The lady was Mrs. Norbury. She had Jeff Francis Westwick at Milan, occupied in neo gotiating for the appearance at his theatre o the new dancer at the Scala. Not having heard to the contrary, Mrs. Norbury sup posed that Arthur Barville and his wife hac arrived at Venice. She was more interested in meeting the young married couple than il waiting the result of the hard bargaining which delayed the engagement of the new l dancer; and she volunteered to make hel brothers apologies if his theatrical bushes caused him to be late in keeping his appoint nent at the honeymoon festival
 Mrs. Norburys experience of Number Fourteen differed entirely from her brother Henry's experience of tue room.
 Falling asleep as readily as usual, her re | pose was disturbed by a succession of fright full dreams; the central figure in every one o them being the figure of her dead brother the first Lord Montbarry. Sue saw hin starving ill a loathsome prison; she saw hin pursued by assassins, and dying under theil knives; she saw him drowning in immeasur able depths of dark water; sle saw him in bed of fire, burning to death in the flames she saw him tempted by shadowy creature
 to drink, and dying of the poisonous draught
 The reiterated horror of these dreams hat such an effect on her that she rose with tn dawn of day, afraid to trust herself again il bed. In the old times she had been noted il the family as the member of it who livet on affectionate terms with Montbarry Hi other sister and his brothers were constantl, quarreling with him. Even his mother owned that her eldest son was, of all her children the child whom she least liked Sensible an, resolute woman as she was, Mrs. Norbur, shuddered with terror as she sat at the win dow of her room watching the sunrise an, thinking of her dreams.
 She made the first excuse that occurred t
 her when her maid came in at the usual hou
 and noticed how ill she looked. The woman
 was of so superstitous temperament that i
 would have been ill the last degree indiscree
 to trust her with the truth. Mrs. Norbur, 1xl- I