“What information do you want?” asked Ransford.

Mitchington glanced at the door and lowered his voice.  “I may as well tell you, doctor,” he said confidentially, “there’s been a most extraordinary discovery made tonight, which has a bearing on the Braden case.  I dare say you’ve heard of the great jewel robbery which took place at the Duke of Saxonsteade’s some years ago, which has been a mystery to this very day?”

“I have heard of it,” answered Ransford.

“Very well—­tonight those jewels—­the whole lot!—­have been discovered in Paradise yonder, where they’d been buried, at the time of the robbery, by the thief,” continued Mitchington.  “They’ve just been examined, and they’re now in the Duke’s own hands again—­after all these years!  And—­I may as well tell you—­we now know that the object of Braden’s visit to Wrychester was to tell the Duke where those jewels were hidden.  Braden—­and another man—­had learned the secret, from the real thief, who’s dead in Australia.  All that I may tell you, doctor—­for it’ll be public property tomorrow.”

“Well?” said Ransford.

Mitchington hesitated a moment, as if searching for his next words.  He glanced at the detective; the detective remained immobile; he glanced at Ransford; Ransford gave him no encouragement.

“Now look here, doctor!” he exclaimed, suddenly.  “Why not tell us something?  We know now who Braden really was!  That’s settled.  Do you understand?”

“Who was he, then?” asked Ransford, quietly.

“He was one John Brake, some time manager of a branch of a London bank, who, seventeen years ago, got ten years’ penal servitude for embezzlement,” answered Mitchington, watching Ransford steadily.  “That’s dead certain—­we know it!  The man who shared this secret with him about the Saxonsteade jewels has told us that much, today.  John Brake!”

“What have you come here for?” asked Ransford.

“To ask you—­between ourselves—­if you can tell us anything about Brake’s earlier days—­antecedents—­that’ll help us,” replied Mitchington.  “It may be—­Jettison here—­a man of experience—­thinks it’ll be found to be—­that Brake, or Braden as we call him—­was murdered because of his possession of that secret about the jewels.  Our informant tells us that Braden certainly had on him, when he came to Wrychester, a sort of diagram showing the exact location of the spot where the jewels were hidden—­that diagram was most assuredly not found on Braden when we examined his clothing and effects.  It may be that it was wrested from him in the gallery of the clerestory that morning, and that his assailant, or assailants—­for there may have been two men at the job —­afterwards pitched him through that open doorway, after half-stifling him.  And if that theory’s correct—­and I, personally, am now quite inclined to it—­it’ll help a lot if you’ll tell us what you know of Braden’s—­Brake’s —­antecedents.  Come now, doctor!—­you know very well that Braden, or Brake, did come to your surgery that morning and said to your assistant that he’d known a Dr. Ransford in times past!  Why not speak?”