"I don't believe that any mortal being could have got in here and got out again without being seen.
"As for myself, I understand the case perfectly. My belief will seem strange to you, because you do not see with the eye of the spirit. Everything has to be done by human hands, according to your matter-of-fact notion.
"I know better; and I tell you that these jewels were taken by the spirit of my deceased aunt, and that she did it to show me that my daughter was wrongfully in possession of them."
When a healthy, hearty old man, who seems to be as sane as anybody else in the world, stands up and talks such nonsense as this, what can one say to him?
It is useless to tell him that he is wrong about the whole matter. It is folly to attempt to reason with him.
The only way to do is to show him a perfectly natural explanation of the mystery, and simply make him see it.
That was the task which Nick had before him, and it must be owned that, at the first glance, he did not see how he was going to accomplish it.
He examined the room and satisfied himself that it had no secret entrances.
Such being the case, Nick was unable to form a theory of the robbery which would fit the facts as they had been stated to him.
After looking at the rooms, he went with Colonel Richmond to the parlor, on the ground floor, and there proceeded to question him about the mysterious occurrences.