Carefully Harry and Laura poked through the rooms, the parlors and the bed-chambers and found everything dusty and deserted. They were especially interested in all the portraits hanging on the walls. Very carefully they studied the pictures, looking for hints or clues in the features or the colouring of the ancient people to see, if there was any, even faint, resemblance to Harry in their appearance. In Laura's opinion there definitely was some. Though the owners of the castle had lived in different time period, wore different styles of hair and clothes, they all had one thing in common: dark, almost black hair, blue eyes, pale skin and an aristocratic look to their faces. It wasn't hard to find Harry in some of the pictures. Harry grew more and more excited. „Laura, look here, she could be my Grandmother! Don't you think she looks like an Eusebia? Or here – may I introdruce you to great-uncle Romuald?" His fantasy seemed to leave behind all boundaries. He obviously felt comfortable with the faces of his possible ancestors.

Laura's idea was, to leave the inhospitable castle before dusk and find an acceptable accommodation somewhere in the nearby village. But Harry's ambition did not leave any room for a retreat. Though the hair in her neck and on her arms stood on end, she didn't want to spoil his joy. She went to the car to get the flashlights and sleeping bags. She could not convince herself to sleep in one of the dusty beds.

Since the castle did not seem to have any heating they expected the night to get cold and cuddled up together in one of the sleeping bags. Laura tried hard not to show her anxiety and nervousness, but even Harry became more and more quiet and thoughtful. They felt the warmth of their bodies and listening to the other one's breathing brought them some comfort. After a while first Laura, then Harry, fell asleep. The night went on. The room filled with faint whispers. Like the threads of a spider web the whispering spread through the room. "It's him", a voice close to the bed whispered. "That's how a bastard looks like" came from somewhere close to the door. Next to the window someone said: "He brought shame to the noble house of Glencairn!"

Harry woke up. He felt disoriented and panicked when he saw all the people who all of a sudden filled the bed chamber. He tried to wake up Laura, but she was sound asleep. "What's going on? Who are you?" he asked.

A husky voice out of the dark answered: "Who are you? That's the question we were about to ask you, my dear friend! It is you, together with your maiden here, who intruded into our properties! But we don't want to be impolite. My name is Romuald, Earl of Glencairn, I am the head of the house. And this is my spouse, Eusebia and here, those good for nothing scapegraces are my great-grand-nephews, twice removed, Petterson and Findus. They never managed to make their way into society and only exist because of my incredible generosity. But now about you. What in the world made you show up here?"

Harry wasn't sure if he could trust his eyes and ears. The castle was inhabited after all! Even though the four of them didn't look quite fresh, they were still very real. Harry cleared his throat. "Ah, well. I am searching. For my family, for my name, my identity. This search made me end up at this castle. Might be, we are related? Maybe fourth generation? As greatuncle and great grand nephew?" Harry smiled nervously at Romuald.

"Family?" Romuald echoed. „You should be glad if you have none. They are all good for nothing. And I myself, I do not need another parasite wasting my time and my money. Surviving is hard enough these days, I don't need more relatives I have to take care of." With a disapproving sneer he finished his speech.