We discovered absolutely nothing, and returned to our
headquarters at Fondi so completely baffled that we did not know
whither to turn our steps next.
I was made much more uneasy by the effect of our failure on
Monkton than by the failure itself. His resolution appeared to
break down altogether as soon as we began to retrace our steps.
He became first fretful and capricious, then silent and
desponding. Finally, he sank into a lethargy of body and mind
that seriously alarmed me. On the morning after our return to
Fondi he showed a strange tendency to sleep incessantly, which
made me suspect the existence of some physical malady in his
brain. The whole day he hardly exchanged a word with me, and
seemed to be never fairly awake. Early the next morning I went
into his room, and found him as silent and lethargic as ever. His
servant, who was with us, informed me that Alfred had once or
twice before exhibited such physical symptoms of mental
exhaustion as we were now observing during his father's lifetime
at Wincot Abbey. This piece of information made me feel easier,
and left my mind free to return to the consideration of the
errand which had brought us to Fondi.
I resolved to occupy the time until my companion got better in
prosecuting our search by myself.
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