MONSIEUR VULFRAN advertised in the principal newspapers of Calcutta, Dacca, Bombay and London for his son. He offered a reward of forty pounds to anyone who could furnish any information, however slight it might be, about Edmond Paindavoine. The information must, however, be authentic. Not wishing to give his own address, which might have brought to him all sorts of correspondence more or less dishonest, he put the matter into the hands of his banker at Amiens.
Numerous letters were received, but very few were serious; the greater number came from detectives who guaranteed to find the person they were searching for if the expenses for the first steps necessary could be sent them. Other letters promised everything without any foundation whatever upon which they based their promises. Others related events that had occurred five, ten, twelve years previous; no one kept to the time stated in the advertisement, that was the last three years.
Perrine read or translated all these letters for the blind man. He would not be discouraged at the meagre indications sent him.
"It is only by continued advertising that we shall get results," he said always. Then again he advertised.
Finally, one day a letter from Bosnia gave them some information which might lead to something. It was written in bad English, and stated that if the advertiser would place the forty pounds promised with a banker at Serajevo the writer would furnish authentic information concerning M. Edmond Paindavoine going back to the month of November of the preceding year. If this proposition was acceptable, the reply was to be sent to N. 917, General Delivery, Serajevo.
This letter seemed to give M. Vulfran so much relief and joy that it was a confession of what his fears had been.
For the first time since he had commenced his investigations, he spoke of his son to his two nephews and Talouel.
"I am delighted to tell you that at last I have news of my son," he said. "He was in Bosnia last November."
There was great excitement as the news was spread through the various towns and villages. As usual under such circumstances, it was exaggerated.
"M. Edmond is coming back. He'll be home shortly," went from one to another.