Armand Seld was now able to go about the house. The first room that he entered, after his tedious stay in his own darkened bedroom, was the dining-room, where the family loved best to sit. The walls of this room were graced by the pictures of the Vollmar ancestors, together with a landscape by a famous master.
The old man's attention was attracted to this painting.
"What do I see?" he shouted. "This picture I once saw by candlelight, and I cannot forget it."
"Strange," said Mr. Vollmar, "that it should have made such an impression upon you."
"May I ask," continued the old man, "have you owned this picture long?
Have you lived here some time?"
Mr. Vollmar replied: "This house, as well as the picture, descended to me from my sainted grandparents. But why do you ask?"
"I must inquire still further before I can answer. Tell me—did your grandfather die in this house, or did he flee to a distant country during the war?"
"He died far from here, in a strange land. But it surprises me how you should hit upon this question."
"Did your grandmother die first?"
"Yes; but your questions disturb me."