“There is really no secret in it--if it comes to that,” answered the old man. “I saw John Brake again just once. In a prison cell!” “A prison cell!” exclaimed Bryce. “And he--a prisoner?” “He had just been sentenced to ten years' penal servitude,” replied Mr. Gilwaters. “I had heard the sentence--I was present. I got leave to see him. Ten years' penal servitude!--a terrible punishment. He must have been released long ago--but I never heard more.” Bryce reflected in silence for a moment--reckoning and calculating. “When was this--the trial?” he asked. “It was five years after the marriage--seventeen years ago,” replied Mr. Gilwaters. “And--what had he been doing?” inquired Bryce. “Stealing the bank's money,” answered the old man. “I forget what the technical offence was--embezzlement, or something of that sort. There was not much evidence came out, for it was impossible to offer any defence, and he pleaded guilty. But I gathered from what I heard that something of this sort occurred. Brake was a branch manager. He was, as it were, pounced upon one morning by an inspector, who found that his cash was short by two or three thousand pounds. The bank people seemed to have been unusually strict and even severe--Brake, it was said, had some explanation, but it was swept aside and he was given in charge. And the sentence was as I said just now--a very savage one, I thought. But there had recently been some bad cases of that sort in the banking world, and I suppose the judge felt that he must make an example. Yes--a most trying affair!--I have a report of the case somewhere, which I cut out of a London newspaper at the time.” Mr. Gilwaters rose and turned to an old desk in the corner of his room, and after some rummaging of papers in a drawer, produced a newspaper-cutting book and traced an insertion in its pages. He handed the book to his visitor. “There is the account,” he said. “You can read it for yourself. You will notice that in what Brake's counsel said on his behalf there are one or two curious and mysterious hints as to what might have been said if it had been of any use or advantage to say it. A strange case!” Bryce turned eagerly to the faded scrap of newspaper. BANK MANAGER'S DEFALCATION. At the Central Criminal Court yesterday, John Brake, thirty-three, formerly manager of the Upper Tooting branch of the London & Home Counties Bank, Ltd., pleaded guilty to embezzling certain sums, the property of his employers.