XIII: Bryce Is Asked a Question explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Secrecy and Deception

  Ransford withholds information about Braden, Bryce plays a hidden game, and Harker asks a secretive question about the scrap of paper.

• Gossip and Community Suspicion

  Ransford laments that suspicion spreads quickly in a small town, and Bryce warns that the police and public are drawing conclusions.

Characters to notice

• Mary Bewery

  Anxiously observes the confrontation between Bryce and Ransford, urges Ransford to reveal what he knows, and expresses distrust of Bryce.

• Dr. Mark Ransford

  Angry and defensive when Bryce warns him of police suspicion; refuses to be coerced into revealing his knowledge about Braden, and suspects Bryce of ulterior motives.

• Simpson Harker

  Meets Bryce near Paradise and invites him to his home, where he privately asks what Bryce did with a scrap of paper taken from Braden's purse.

• Inspector Mitchington

  Mentioned as having shared his suspicions about Ransford with Bryce, and as being in possession of a box of pills Ransford gave Collishaw.

Key passages

• “If you do know anything about the Braden affair—why not reveal it, and be done with the whole thing”

  Bryce suggests that if Ransford has any knowledge about Braden's death, he should disclose it to clear himself.

  Bryce pressures Ransford to speak, but Ransford refuses.

• “What have you done with that scrap of paper that you took out of Braden's purse?”

  Harker asks Bryce in a whisper what he did with the paper he removed from Braden's wallet.

  This question reveals Harker's knowledge of Bryce's secret action and deepens the mystery.