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Page 62
Bryce meditated his answer for a good five minutes. He had
always intended to play the game off his own bat, but he had
heard and seen enough since entering Harker's little room to
know that he was in company with an intellect which was keener
and more subtle than his, and that it would be all to his
advantage to go in with the man who had vast and deep
experience. And so he made a clean breast of all he had done
in the way of investigation, leaving his motive completely
aside.
"You've got a theory, of course?" observed Harker, after
listening quietly to all that Bryce could tell. "Naturally,
you have! You couldn't accumulate all that without getting
one."
"Well," admitted Bryce, "honestly, I can't say that I have.
But I can see what theory there might be. This--that Ransford
was the man who deceived Brake, that he ran away with Brake's
wife, that she's dead, and that he's brought up the children
in ignorance of all that--and therefore--"
"And therefore," interrupted Harker with a smile, "that when
he and Brake met--as you seem to think they did--Ransford
flung Brake through that open doorway; that Collishaw
witnessed it, that Ransford's found out about Collishaw, and
that Collishaw has been poisoned by Ransford. Eh?"
"That's a theory that seems to be supported by facts," said
Bryce.
"It's a theory that would doubtless suit men like
Mitchington," said the old detective, with another smile.
"But--not me, sir! Mind you, I don't say there isn't
something in it--there's doubtless a lot. But--the mystery's
a lot thicker than just that. And Brake didn't come here to
find Ransford. He came because of the secret in that scrap of
paper. And as you've got it, doctor--out with it!"
Bryce saw no reason for concealment and producing the scrap of
paper laid it on the table between himself and his host.
Harker peered inquisitively at it.
"Latin!" he said. "You can read it, of course. What does it
say?"
Bryce repeated a literal translation.
"I've found the place," he added. "I found it this morning.
Now, what do you suppose this means?"
Harker was looking hard at the two lines of writing.
"That's a big question, doctor," he answered. "But I'll go so
far as to say this--when we've found out what it does mean, we
shall know a lot more than we know now!"
CHAPTER XV
THE DOUBLE OFFER
Bryce, who was deriving a considerable and peculiar pleasure
from his secret interview with the old detective, smiled at
Harker's last remark.
"That's a bit of a platitude, isn't it?" he suggested. "Of
course we shall know a lot more--when we do know a lot more!"
"I set store by platitudes, sir," retorted Harker. "You can't
repeat an established platitude too often--it's got the
hallmark of good use on it. But now, till we do know more
--you've no doubt been thinking a lot about this matter, Dr.
Bryce--hasn't it struck you that there's one feature in
connection with Brake, or Braden's visit to Wrychester to
which nobody's given any particular attention up to now--so
far as we know, at any rate?"
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