There was little or nothing there, however, to help me.
If he had laid himself out to conceal the identity of his enemy he could scarcely have done it more effectually.

Baffled in one direction, I turned for assistance to another.

In other words, I interviewed his left-hand neighbour, a lady with whom I had already had some slight acquaintance.

Our conversation took place across the fence that separated the two properties.
"Do you happen to be aware," I asked, when we touched upon the one absorbing topic, "whether the unfortunate gentleman had ever been in Europe ?" "He had been almost everywhere," the woman replied.

"I believe he was a sailor at one time, and I have often heard him boast that he knew almost every seaport in the world." "I suppose you never heard him say whether he had lived in Italy ?" I inquired.
"He used to mention the country now and again," she said.