Thinking seriously over this, I realized that I owed to him in fact the
important service of being the first to tear the impenetrable veil by
deputing that Abbé de Saint-Fare, who, I was told, was not only his great
friend, but his natural uncle, to see me.
It will be believed that from that moment all my researches went in the
direction so obviously pointed out, and, above all, that I took good care
to keep possession of the letter the Marchioness of B. had given me for
_his Highness_.
As for that she had been good enough to write about me to the British
Ambassador, I myself left it with my card at the door of his house. A
week later, his wife, Lady Stuart, simply sent her name by a footman
as sole answer; which greatly astonished me from a lady of title,
a relation of my friend’s and daughter of the Earl and Countess of
Hardwicke, with whom I had been formerly very intimate.
I was advised that, finding no support in that quarter, and having
henceforth to fight against wealth and power, I had better go back to
Italy to take every necessary measure and to collect all quite authentic
documents.