He disliked secrets extremely, especially when he happened to be the custodian of them; and painful as the discovery of this one might be to his ward, it might be best that he should know it now, instead of hovering indefinitely in profitless mystery.
It was, therefore, with some sense of relief that, half-way home, he perceived Dr Brandram in the road ahead.

The doctor was, in fact, bound for Maxfield.
"By the way, doctor," said the tutor, determined to take the bull by the horns, and glaring at his friend rather fiercely through his eye-glass, "we were talking about you just now.

Roger has been telling me about an elder brother of his who died long ago and thinks some record of the death should be made on the vault.

I think so too." "I was saying," said Roger, "my father never cared to talk about it; so, except that he died abroad, and that his name was the same as mine, I really don't know much about him.

Did you know him ?" The doctor looked uncomfortable, and not altogether grateful to Mr Armstrong for landing him in this dilemma.
"Don't you think," said he, ignoring the last question, "as the Squire did not put up an inscription, it would be better to leave the tomb as it is ?" "I don't see that," said the boy.