Presented in an abridged form, and in the English language, these (as he related them) were the circumstances under which Mount Morven had been closed to the public.
A complete dispersion of the family had taken place not long since.

For miles round everybody was sorry for it.

Rich and poor alike felt the same sympathy with the good lady of the house.

She had been most shamefully treated by her husband, and by a good-for-nothing girl employed as governess.

To put it plainly, the two had run away together; one report said they had gone abroad, and another declared that they were living in London.