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Page 35
"Do you know what Brake was?" asked Bryce. "As you say he
came here for a good many times before the marriage, I suppose
you'd hear something about his profession, or trade, or
whatever it was?"
"He was a banker, that one," replied Claybourne. "A banker
--that was his trade, sir. T'other gentleman, Mr. Ransford,
he was a doctor--I mind that well enough, because once when
him and Mr. Brake were fishing here, Thomas Joynt's wife fell
downstairs and broke her leg, and they fetched him to her
--he'd got it set before they'd got the reg'lar doctor out
from Barthorpe yonder."
Bryce had now got all the information he wanted, and he made
the old parish clerk a small present and turned to go. But
another question presented itself to his mind and he reentered
the little shop.
"Your late vicar?" he said. "The one in whose family Miss
Bewery was governess--where is he now? Dead?"
"Can't say whether he's dead or alive, sir," replied
Claybourne. "He left this parish for another--a living in a
different part of England--some years since, and I haven't
heard much of him from that time to this--he never came back
here once, not even to pay us a friendly visit he was a
queerish sort. But I'll tell you what, sir," he added,
evidently anxious to give his visitor good value for his
half-crown, "our present vicar has one of those books with the
names of all the clergymen in 'em, and he'd tell you where his
predecessor is now, if he's alive--name of Reverend Thomas
Gilwaters, M.A.--an Oxford college man he was, and very high
learned."
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. Do you
happen to possess a clerical directory?"
The vicar produced a "Crockford", and Bryce turned over its
pages. Mr. Gilwaters, who from the account there given
appeared to be an elderly man who had now retired, lived in
London, in Bayswater, and Bryce made a note of his address and
prepared to depart.
"Find any names that interested you?" asked the vicar as his
caller left. "Anything noteworthy?"
"I found two or three names which interested me immensely,"
answered Bryce from the foot of the vicarage steps. "They
were well worth searching for."
And without further explanation he marched off to Barthorpe
duly followed by his shadow, who saw him safely into the
Peacock an hour later--and, an hour after that, went to the
police superintendent with his report.
"Gone, sir," he said. "Left by the five-thirty express for
London."
CHAPTER IX
THE HOUSE OF HIS FRIEND
Bryce found himself at eleven o'clock next morning in a small
book-lined parlour in a little house which stood in a quiet
street in the neighbourhood of Westbourne Grove. Over the
mantelpiece, amongst other odds and ends of pictures and
photographs, hung a water-colour drawing of Braden Medworth
--and to him presently entered an old, silver-haired clergyman
whom he at once took to be Braden Medworth's former vicar, and
who glanced inquisitively at his visitor and then at the card
which Bryce had sent in with a request for an interview.
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