"I see," said the old detective, nodding. "It made him despondent?"
"Yes. He sometimes had no desire to live, only to perish in the end of a lingering malady, which was bound to prove fatal, anyway."
"Didn't his daughter know anything about it?"
"Not a thing. He kept it a secret from her so she would not worry."
"Presuming he killed himself, who would benefit by his death?"
"His daughter and I. We are his only relatives."
"You are his nephew, I believe?"
"Well, yes. By adoption, but not by blood."
"How do you mean?"
"I was his dead sister's adopted child. Legally, I'm his nephew."