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But, as you say I've no doubt of it myself now they must be the children of John Brake." "And have taken the name of their mother!" remarked the old man. "Had it given to them," said Bryce. "They don't know that it isn't their real name. Of course, Ransford has given it to them! But now the mother?" "Ah, yes, the mother!" said Mr. Gilwaters. "Our old governess! Dear me!"
Bryce went back to the vicarage, returned the borrowed book, and asked to look at the registers for the year 1891. He verified his copy and turned to the vicar. "I accidentally came across the record of a marriage there in which I'm interested," he said as he paid the search fees. "Celebrated by your predecessor, Mr. Gilwaters. I should be glad to know where Mr. Gilwaters is to be found.
In a prison cell!" "A prison cell!" exclaimed Bryce. "And he a prisoner?" "He had just been sentenced to ten years' penal servitude," replied Mr. Gilwaters. "I had heard the sentence I was present. I got leave to see him. Ten years' penal servitude! a terrible punishment. He must have been released long ago but I never heard more."
"These two young people joined him there definitely two years ago. But from what I have learnt, he has acted as their guardian ever since they were mere children." "And their mother?" asked Mr. Gilwaters. "Said to be dead long since," answered Bryce. "And their father, too. They know nothing. Ransford won't tell them anything.
And I speedily found that things were being said the usual cruel suspicions, you know." "Such as what?" asked Bryce. "That the amount of the defalcations was much larger than had been allowed to appear," replied Mr. Gilwaters.
Gilwaters had served his purpose for the time being. He went away from Bayswater, and, an hour later, from London, highly satisfied.
"The fact is, I was referred to you, yesterday, by the present vicar of Braden Medworth both he, and the sexton there, Claybourne, whom you, of course, remember, thought you would be able to give me some information on a subject which is of great importance to me." "I don't know the present vicar," remarked Mr. Gilwaters, motioning Bryce to a chair, and taking another close by.
And now, having got all that he wanted out of the old clergyman, he rose to take his leave. "You will regard this interview as having been of a strictly private nature, Mr. Gilwaters?" he said. "Certainly!" responded the old man. "But you mentioned that you wished to marry the daughter?
By the merest chance accident, in fact I discovered yesterday at Braden Medworth that some twenty-two years ago you married one Mary Bewery, who, I learnt there, was your governess, to a John Brake, and that Mark Ransford was John Brake's best man and a witness of the marriage. Now, Mr. Gilwaters, the similarity in names is too striking to be devoid of significance.
Bryce reflected in silence for a moment reckoning and calculating. "When was this the trial?" he asked. "It was five years after the marriage seventeen years ago," replied Mr. Gilwaters. "And what had he been doing?" inquired Bryce. "Stealing the bank's money," answered the old man. "I forget what the technical offence was embezzlement, or something of that sort.
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