He called and knocked, but no one answered his signals.

He examined the entrance by the kitchen, but every avenue was closed.

It appeared that the house was wholly deserted.
These appearances naturally gave birth to curiosity and suspicion.

The house was repeatedly examined, but the solitude and silence within continued the same.

The creditors of Welbeck were alarmed by these appearances, and their claims to the property remaining in the house were precluded by Mrs.Wentworth, who, as owner of the mansion, was legally entitled to the furniture, in place of the rent which Welbeck had suffered to accumulate.
On examining the dwelling, all that was valuable and portable, particularly linen and plate, was removed.