Bryce reflected again, and suddenly determined to be explicit.
“John Brake, the bank manager,” he said, “was married at a place called Braden Medworth, in Leicestershire, to a girl named Mary Bewery. He had two children, who would be, respectively, about four and one years of age when his—we'll call it misfortune—happened. That's a fact!”
“First I ever heard of it, then,” said Glassdale. “And that's a fact, too!”
“He'd also a very close friend named Ransford—Mark Ransford,” continued Bryce. “This Ransford was best man at Brake's wedding.”
“Never heard him speak of Ransford, nor of any wedding!” affirmed Glassdale. “All news to me, doctor.”
“This Ransford is now in practice in Wrychester,” said Bryce. “And he has two young people living with him as his wards—a girl of twenty, a boy of seventeen—who are, without doubt, John Brake's children. It is the daughter that I want to marry.”
Glassdale shook his head as if in sheer perplexity.
“Well, all I can say is, you surprise me!” he remarked. “I'd no idea of any such thing.”
“Do you think Brake came to Wrychester because of that?” asked Bryce.
“How can I answer that, sir, when I tell you that I never heard him breathe one word of any children?” exclaimed Glassdale. “No! I know his reason for coming to Wrychester. It was wholly and solely—as far as I know—to tell the Duke here about that jewel business, the secret of which had been entrusted to Brake and me by a man on his death-bed in Australia. Brake came to Wrychester by himself—I was to join him next morning: we were then to go to see the Duke together. When I got to Wrychester, I heard of Brake's accident, and being upset by it, I went away again and waited some days until yesterday, when I made up my mind to tell the Duke myself, as I did, with very fortunate results. No, that's the only reason I know of why Brake came this way. I tell you I knew nothing at all of his family affairs! He was a very close man, Brake, and apart from his business matters, he'd only one idea in his head, and that was lodged there pretty firmly, I can assure you!”