“I have but anticipated your own reflections, I am sure,� said I. “Who was the father of these two brothers?�
She thought a moment.
“Sir Philip Wilberforce was his name. He was—�
“A sailor!� I exclaimed on a venture.
“You have guessed rightly; he voyaged in distant seas in Queen Elizabeth’s time. It is reported that he was one of the first who went around the world after Sir Francis Drake showed all Englishmen the way.�
“Exactly,� I cried, “we are on the right track now. What further?�
“It is in my mind,� she said, “that Geoffrey and Oliver, his sons, quarreled over his property after his death, and—�
“There you have it. They divided his fortune and tore the parchment apart, it being thought valuable for some reason, and each kept half,� I returned confidently.
“That is the tradition as regards the fortune, and it may account for the parchment,� she admitted in admiration of my conclusion, though indeed it was an easy one to draw.
“What next, madam?�