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Page 61
Harker paused at this point and nodded his head at an old
bureau which stood in a corner of his room.
"The sheet of paper's there," he said. "It's got on it, in
his writing, a brief memorandum of what he wanted and the
address of his bankers. When he'd given it to me, he put his
hand in his pocket and pulled out a purse in which I could see
he was carrying plenty of money. He took out some notes.
'Here's five-and-twenty pounds on account, Harker,' he said.
'You might have to spend a bit. Don't be afraid--plenty more
where that comes from. You'll do it soon?' he asked. 'Yes,
I'll do it, Mr. Braden,' I answered. 'It'll be a bit of a
holiday for me.' 'That's all right,' he said. 'I'm delighted
I came across you.' 'Well, you couldn't be more delighted
than I was surprised,' I said. 'I never thought to see you
in Wrychester. What brought you here, if one may ask
--sight-seeing?' He laughed at that, and he pulled out his
purse again. 'I'll show you something--a secret,' he said,
and he took a bit of folded paper out of his purse. 'What
do you make of that?' he asked. 'Can you read Latin?' 'No
--except a word or two,' I said, 'but I know a man who can.'
'Ah, never mind,' said he. 'I know enough Latin for this--and
it's a secret. However, it won't be a secret long, and you'll
hear all about it.' And with that he put the bit of paper in
his purse again, and we began talking about other matters, and
before long he said he'd promised to have a chat with a
gentleman at the Mitre whom he'd come along with in the train,
and away he went, saying he'd see me before be left the town."
"Did he say how long he was going to stop here?" asked Bryce.
"Two or three days," replied Harker.
"Did he mention Ransford?" inquired Bryce.
"Never!" said Harker.
"Did he make any reference to his wife and children?"
"Not the slightest!"
"Nor to the hint that his counsel threw out at the trial?"
"Never referred to that time except in the way I told you
--that he hadn't a penny of the money, himself and that he'd
himself refunded it."
Bryce meditated awhile. He was somewhat puzzled by certain
points in the old detective's story, and he saw now that there
was much more mystery in the Braden affair than he had at
first believed.
"Well," he asked, after a while, "did you see him again?"
"Not alive!" replied Harker. "I saw him dead--and I held my
tongue, and have held it. But--something happened that day.
After I heard of the accident, I went into the Crown and
Cushion tavern--the fact was, I went to get a taste of whisky,
for the news had upset me. And in that long bar of theirs, I
saw a man whom I knew--a man whom I knew, for a fact, to have
been a fellow convict of Brake's. Name of Glassdale--forgery.
He got the same sentence that Brake got, about the same time,
was in the same convict prison with Brake, and he and Brake
would be released about the same date. There was no doubt
about his identity--I never forget a face, even after thirty
years I'd tell one. I saw him in that bar before he saw me,
and I took a careful look at him. He, too, like Brake, was
very well dressed, and very prosperous looking. He turned as
he set down his glass, and caught sight of me--and he knew me.
Mind you, he'd been through my hands in times past! And he
instantly moved to a side-door and--vanished. I went out and
looked up and down--he'd gone. I found out afterwards, by a
little quiet inquiry, that he'd gone straight to the station,
boarded the first train--there was one just giving out, to the
junction--and left the city. But I can lay hands on him!"
"You've kept this quiet, too?" asked Bryce.
"Just so--I've my own game to play," replied Harker. "This
talk with you is part of it--you come in, now--I'll tell you
why, presently. But first, as you know, I went to Barthorpe.
For, though Brake was dead, I felt I must go--for this reason.
I was certain that he wanted that information for himself--the
man in Australia was a fiction. I went, then--and learned
nothing. Except that this Falkiner Wraye had been, as Brake
said, a Barthorpe man, years ago. He'd left the town eighteen
years since, and nobody knew anything about him. So I came
home. And now then, doctor--your turn! What were you after,
down there at Barthorpe?"
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