CHAPTER X THE SECRET WRITINGS

Dr. Jim could not conceal from himself, that he was rather jumping at conclusions with regard to the guilt of Joyce. The man had deliberately lied about his visit to Frith, and had not slept at the Hull Hotel, as he had stated. Herrick could not account for Robin's movements on the night of the twenty-fourth of July, and on that same night Colonel Carr had met with his death. Then again, Robin was connected indirectly with Carr through his mother, although there was nothing to show the relations which had existed between the Colonel and Mrs. Joyce. Finally Joyce was in possession of an old-fashioned weapon, firing a round bullet of the antiquated sort. And Carr had been killed with just such a bullet. This was all the evidence Jim could find which was likely to inculpate Robin.

On the other hand there was no reason why Joyce should not be able to defend himself. He certainly could not explain away the lies he had told Herrick about the visit to the solicitors, and the pretended income, but he might be able to account for his doings on the night of the twenty-fourth, and for the possession of the pistol. After all he had shown no hesitation in accepting Herrick's invitation to Saxham. If he were guilty he would be afraid to venture there lest he should be met by some one who had seen him on the night of the murder in the vicinity of "The Pines." His determination to come to Saxham looked like innocence, and Jim granted as much.

The most important link to be discovered in the chain of evidence, was the way in which Robin (if guilty) had come to Saxham. Owing to the presence of Herrick at Southberry, he would not have risked going by that line, seeing that he had to change at the junction. The other line branched off from the main trunk, before it reached Southberry and touched at Heathcroft, six miles from Saxham. Herrick made up his mind that when he got to Saxham, he would go to Heathcroft to make inquiries. If he could prove that Robin had alighted at that station, there would no longer be any doubt of his guilt. No doubt Joyce, if he had come to Heathcroft, had disguised himself, but he might not think of increasing his stature by artificial means, and he was so exceptionally small that even the most casual observer would remark upon it.

"I shall give him every opportunity of defending himself," thought Herrick. "If I find that he came to Heathcroft, he will have to account to me for his doings. I must know the truth, or else part with him as a friend for ever." Then the doctor thought with a qualm, that if he did learn the truth, the parting might be more complete than he imagined. If Joyce were indeed guilty he would find himself in a dilemma, as to whether he should hold his tongue or denounce the man he had been so friendly with. It would not be a pleasant position.

It was when he was in the train that Herrick thought of this. With Stephen he was returning to Saxham, and the two had provided themselves with newspapers and magazines to beguile the tedium of the journey. For some time Herrick had been concealed behind the Daily Telegraph, pretending to read. But in reality he had been thinking over the case of Robin Joyce. Marsh was in good spirits, and inclined to talk. So Dr. Jim yielded, for after all his thoughts were anything but pleasant.

"You are glad to go back to Saxham Stephen?" he said.

Marsh-Carr (as he must now be called) nodded and smiled. "Very glad," he said. "I find a little of London goes a long way. I want to be in my own country amongst my own friends."

"You will have a large circle soon Stephen. When you are settled at 'The Pines,' all the county will call. They will be delighted that in that beautiful house, there will be some one they can know. You must make the Carr family once more important in the county."

"I am afraid I am not ambitious," said Stephen, "my nature is a somewhat retiring one, I fancy. I shall attend to my estates and write poetry."

"You have no desire to go into parliament?"

"Not the least. Books and friends; those are what I want. Of course I shall try and do good in my own way, but I do not wish to take part in public life. There will be plenty for me to do in a small way Herrick."

"I think you are right," responded Herrick soberly, "and you have had such a wretched life hitherto, that it is but fair you should have a few years of enjoyment. But you must travel for a time before you settle down."

"I shall be pleased to. But of course as you know I shall not be able to leave Saxham until the end of a year. I want to be certain of holding the property. I wonder why my uncle left instructions that a new vault should be built, and should be visited; and why for a year?"

"I cannot understand myself," replied Herrick, "your uncle was a man of mystery. But I have learned something of his past Stephen," and Herrick related his meeting with Don Manuel and what he had been told about the doings of Carr in South America.

Stephen looked uneasy and grave. "I hope this money was obtained in quite a proper way," he said, "otherwise I should be afraid to use it. If it is what the gipsies call red money--that is obtained by bloodshed, I would rather give it up. For it can bring only a curse."

"I do not think you need trouble on that score," replied Jim with a shrug. "Heaven knows that Carr was not scrupulous, but with regard to the fortune he brought home, if it was taken from some treasure chamber of those Inca monarchs, the spoil was legitimate enough. If I came across such a treasure I should have no hesitation in taking it. The worst feature of the expedition was the leaving of Santiago with the Indians, but as he is still alive, no harm has been done."

"Do you think I ought to give him some money?" asked Stephen.

"Certainly not," was Herrick's emphatic reply. "In the first place we do not know that the story is true; in the second place I am convinced that the Mexican is a scoundrel, and in the third, it is not your place to impoverish yourself for the sake of other people."

"I wish I could find out the story of my uncle's life!"

"Well! Don Manuel is probably coming down to Saxham on a sentimental pilgrimage to see the grave of a man he detested. He may tell you all he knows if you question him."

"Probably he will tell me a very pretty story," said Stephen dryly, "but will it be true. I do not want the Arabian Nights."

Herrick shrugged his shoulders. "I should not care to take Santiago's word myself," he said, "still amongst his lies there may be some grain of truth. But where the real truth will be found is in that secret writing which Bess gave to me."

"Bess!" cried Marsh-Carr with a smile.

Dr. Jim coloured and apologised. "A slip of the tongue," he said, "I hear you talk of Bess so frequently that I am apt to fall into the same habit. But this writing," he added hurriedly to avoid further explanation, "as you know, we can make nothing of it. Yet if we could read it, something tangible might be discovered."

"I really do not see why I should trouble at all about my uncle's villainies," said Marsh-Carr rather impatiently, "the estate is mine now, and I want to enjoy it without worrying my conscience. Of course I do worry. As to the writing, there is a cryptogram in the 'Telegraph' which resembles the paper you showed me. Here it is, in the Agony Column."

Herrick took the newspaper, and looked at the paragraph indicated by Stephen. The jumble of letters did indeed resemble that on the piece of Chinese paper. In print the cryptogram was as follows:--Eqhrbn: Gxcd: Ozqj: Bnqmdq; 15, Nbsnadq: Rodzj: Sn: Aktd: Bknsgdr: Vghsd: Gzs: Fknur: Rgndr: Dzqqr: Lnmdx.

Dr. Jim read this over twice, then took out the Chinese paper and compared the two cryptograms. "I believe the secret writing is the same," he said with some excitement. "See Stephen, in each there are figures, and in each the figures are the same. Fifteen. I believe that this was inserted by some one who knew Carr. It may be from Frisco communicating with a third person about the murder."

"True enough;" replied Stephen, "yet it might merely be a coincidence."

"If the figures were not the same I might think so. But that in both there should be fifteen is strange, to say the least of it."

"Perhaps thirty is the key to the cipher."

"It might be so," said Herrick studying the 'Telegraph,' "but I am hanged if I can see how to apply it. Oh, that Edgar Allen Poe were at hand! He could unravel any cipher in ten minutes. The man had a marvellous gift in that way."

"I once read a book on cipher-writing," said Marsh-Carr after a pause, "it said that to unravel a line of secret writing, it was best to search for the character that represented 'E,' since that letter is used more frequently than any other in the English language."

"There you lay a finger on the weak spot," said Jim quickly, "This cipher may be written in Spanish for all I know."

"Why in Spanish particularly?"

"Because if it applied to Colonel Carr and his doings, that is the most likely language he would use, other than English. He was mostly in Mexico and Peru, if Manuel is to be believed, and there Spanish is spoken as you know, Stephen. This may be a writing in that tongue."

"Well Herrick, you know Spanish, so you might,--"

"Yes, I might," interrupted Dr. Jim sarcastically, "if I were acquainted with secret writing. But this is Dutch to me and worse, for I have some knowledge of Dutch and absolutely none of this. Let us try your "E" idea Stephen, and see what we make of it. The Chinese paper cipher is the shortest. We will count the letter that is most frequent, and call it 'E.' Something may come of the attempt." Herrick counted and Stephen checked his reckoning. "Four 'D's,'" said Jim. "Five 'K's.' Three 'Z's:' and Three 'R's.'. Humph! Seems to me that 'K' is the predominating letter, and once it comes 'K.K' which might stand for double 'E.' Well we'll call it 'E.'"

"But here are two 'R's' together," said Stephen. "That might stand also for double 'E.'"

"Yes! But you forget that there are five 'K's' to three 'R's.' We agreed to call the letter which predominated 'E.'"

"All right. Fire away, and see what you make of it."

For the next hour the two men with pencil and paper, did their best to extort sense from the jumble of letters on this basis. At the end of the time they were both out of temper, and had not succeeded in obtaining even one reasonable word.

"Hang it!" said Stephen throwing his paper to the other end of the carriage. "I don't believe it makes sense at all!"

"Nonsense," replied Herrick wiping his face, "it is sure to make sense. All ciphers do. And I daresay this is an easy one. The easiest are usually the most difficult to unravel. That is an epigram Stephen."

Stephen had taken up the paper again and was studying the cipher. "Fifteen I.T.K.X." he said musingly, "the figures and the letters run together here."

"So they do in the Telegraph cipher," said Herrick, and read out, "Fifteen N.b.s.n.a.d.q. What of that?"

"I thought it might be a date," said Marsh-Carr apologetically.

Dr. Jim laughed. "It might--on the other hand it might not."

"You forget the figures are concealed the same as the letters," said Stephen.

"How do we know that," retorted the doctor. "Fifteen may be the key to the cipher. You may count one, or count five: or add the two together and count six: or subtract the two and count four. Then again you may have to count from left to right or right to left. And after all the cipher may be in Spanish, or English or in the Indian tongue for the matter of that; Carr was mixed up with the South American Indians you know. We'll never discover it Stephen. But I tell you what," added Jim struck with a sudden thought, "this Mexican devil may know what it means!"

"In that case he must have put it in the paper," said Stephen, "he knew Carr and the cipher was used by Carr. What is more likely----"

Herrick frowned. "There is some conspiracy on," he muttered. "I do not see what it all means. We must learn what these ciphers mean Stephen. It is a serious matter. Do you think the key might be found amongst your uncle's papers?"

"He left no papers," replied Stephen, "I have looked."

Dr. Jim shook his head. The thing was beyond him. He replaced the Chinese paper in his pocket-book, and cut out the notice in the Telegraph. "I say Stephen," he said while thus employed, "did your uncle take in the 'Daily Telegraph?'"

"Yes! He used to pass it on to Bess when he had done with it."

"There you see!" cried Jim triumphantly, "another link. This cipher has been put in the newspaper your uncle usually read. Oh, be sure it has to do with his business--perhaps with his death. Well, we shall see."

Nothing more was said about the matter, as the two were a trifle exhausted by their efforts to read the ciphers. When the train arrived at the Beorminster Station, they were met by Frank Endicotte, who came towards them in a state of excitement usually foreign to his nature.

"Glad to see you fellows back," said Frank shaking hands. "Bess got the wire you sent Steve, and insisted that I should meet you here. I have brought a cart, borrowed it from Pentland Corn. He wanted his groom to come too, but there was not enough room for four. Got much luggage?"

"No! Only a couple of portmanteaux. The heavy baggage is coming on by a goods train," laughed Stephen. "I have been buying up the whole of London! I say Frank how are the Biffs?"

"All right," replied Frank as they put up the portmanteaux on the dog-cart. "Up you get Steve. Will you drive, or you Herrick?"

"No!" replied the doctor grimly, "you have undertaken the responsibility of that horse. If I kill it, Corn will blame me. Drive yourself. I'll stick on behind."

"No! No," protested Stephen, "get up in front Herrick."

"Certainly not. The Lord of the Manor of Saxham must have the first place." He swung himself up to the back seat, "send her along Frank."

In a few minutes they were rattling home along the Southberry road, and Frank was telling Marsh-Carr all that had been done at 'The Pines.' It seemed that Bess and Ida had engaged a moderate staff of servants, the most indispensable that is; as they left the choice of the others to Stephen. The house had been cleaned from top to bottom, food had been got in, and a good dinner awaited the travellers. "Bess, Ida and I are coming over later on," explained Frank, "we want to hear of your adventures."

"I am afraid we have none," said Marsh-Carr with a laugh.

Herrick said nothing. He was thinking, if he told all he had discovered and talked about his suspicions, he might create a sensation. However the time was not yet ripe to take the Biffs into his confidence. Bess was the one he would consult if necessary.

Frank deposited them at "The Pines" and then drove away to the Rectory to restore the cart. Stephen found the house in admirable order, and a good dinner waiting for him and his friend in the dining-room. Herrick felt rather a qualm as he sat down, remembering that ghastly meal which had waited for the dead Colonel. However he was too healthy a man to give way to such morbid fancies, and made an excellent meal. Afterwards he and Stephen had coffee in the library, and as the evening was chilly, Marsh-Carr ordered a fire to be lighted. In a state of comfort they sat in comfortable arm-chairs smoking luxuriously. Hitherto Stephen had smoked only cigarettes, but lately, by the advice of his doctor, had begun pipe-smoking. After a time, he found it much more satisfying than the cigarettes.

"I suppose they will be here soon," said Stephen glancing at his watch.

Herrick grunted. Truth to tell he felt so comfortable that he did not want to be disturbed. There was a good deal of the bachelor about Herrick. However, just as Stephen replaced his watch, one of the new footmen announced the Biffs; not by that name certainly. "Mr. Endicotte, the Misses Endicotte," said Phillips. He had been in the service of the Bishop of Beorminster and prided himself on knowing the manners of good society.

"Well," said Bess when the first greeting was over and they were all seated comfortably round the fire, "what do you think of the house?"

"It is splendid," said Stephen, "I have to thank you and Ida heartily. But I won't stop short at thanks." And then the presents were produced. They took the form of jewellery and both the girls were delighted.

"Oh, lovely! lovely," cried Ida looking at the emerald ring which Stephen had placed on her finger. "I do so love jewels!" As she spoke she caught the eye of Marsh-Carr fixed significantly on her, and blushed. She knew very well why the ring had been bought although Stephen had not placed it on the engagement finger.

Herrick did not notice this by-play which might have enlightened him. He was busy talking to Frank about the new gun which he was examining. Frank had always wanted a gun and was in the seventh heaven of delight. Bess also was pleased with a bangle. But she would rather have had books. However she did not say so, as she did not wish Stephen to think she was disappointed. "I have something for Flo and Sidney, but those can wait," said Stephen.

Frank was so taken up with his new gun, that Stephen devoted himself to Ida. Herrick was thus thrown into the society of Bess, who asked him if he had solved the cryptogram. "No, I have not," he replied, "and here is another of the same sort which appeared in the Telegraph of to-day."

Bess glanced at it with interest. "I have seen something like that before," she said thoughtfully, "several times a cipher like that has been in the Telegraph. I never thought it had anything to do with the Colonel."

"I am sure it had," said Herrick eagerly. "Have you the cuttings?"

"No; I did not think it was necessary to keep them. They all appeared within the last year."

"Humph," said Herrick, "I'll send for a file of the newspaper. But this cipher? I wish we could read it. I believe it has some connection with Carr's death, or at all events with the secret of his life."

"I can't make it out," said Bess looking at the cutting and the scrap of Chinese paper, "unless--" she hesitated.

"Well, unless what?"

"I was talking to Frisco one day," said Bess, "he had been drinking rum as usual and was rather drunk. The Colonel had sent him to the post-office for the letters and he held one in his hand the only one which had come that day. It was about three months ago, shortly after I picked up the piece of Chinese paper. This one," she shook it at Herrick.

"I understand. Go on!"

"I noticed that the envelope of the letter Frisco carried was of the same paper."

"Ha!" cried the doctor, "this is interesting. Yes?"

"Frisco was shaking the letter--waving it over his head, and singing. I stopped to tell him he ought to be ashamed of himself being in such a state, when he knew perfectly well how to behave."

"One minute," interrupted Herrick remembering what Frith had said "was this Frisco a gentleman?"

"Yes and No," replied Bess. "He had a refined way of speaking in spite of the frightful American slang he used. At times when he was quite sober he would speak to me in the most refined way. At other times he was just awful."

"A large fat man was he not?"

"Yes. Immensely stout: but his face was rather handsome. He was about the same age as the Colonel. There was something attractive about Frisco," finished Bess with a sigh, "he was his own worst enemy."

"Well, about this letter?"

"He was waving it and singing. I met him in the pine wood, where I had been to look for Sidney. I told him that he might lose it since he was so drunk. He laughed and said no one could read it. He knew the letter by the envelope."

"Ha!" said Herrick, "by the Chinese paper! It is noticeable. Well?"

"I asked him what he meant? He laughed again, and went away singing, 'Move on One! Move on One!' I took no notice of the words at the time, but as he had a cipher letter in his hand I have often wondered if he applied the words to the cipher."

"Move one on!" repeated Herrick excitedly, and glanced at the Chinese paper cipher. "Humph! Stephen thought that fifteen I.T.K.X. might be a date. If this cipher has to do with the murder----"

"A date!" interrupted Bess eagerly, "well! Colonel Carr was murdered in July. Dr. Jim, in the word July there are four letters, and----"

"I see what you mean. And here are four letters I.T.K.X.: also the number fifteen."

"Move on one," said Bess repeating the cry of Frisco, "that is take the next figures to one and five."

"Two, six," said Herrick, "by heaven that must mean the twenty-sixth! Move on one of these four letters. I stands or J, T, for U, K for L, and X in place of Y. July," cried Herrick dashing down the pen. "Here is the solution of the cryptogram."

"The twenty-sixth of July," repeated Bess, "and the Colonel was murdered on the twenty-fourth. I do not see the connection."

"We have not worked out the whole cipher yet," said Dr. Jim, "here, take a pen and write down the alphabet." Bess did this as rapidly as possible as she saw what the doctor meant. "Now place A under B, B under C, and so on to the end of the alphabet."

"Bess did this also, 'I can put Z under no letter,' she said."

"Yes you can. Z goes under A, I have heard of this cipher. It is written with misleading letters. You simply take the next letter for the one that is down. Come, we will apply the result to these ciphers."

This is what they got. In the Chinese paper cipher:--

"The last warning. Till 26 July. Then death. Unless----"

And in the printed cipher of the 'Daily Telegraph':--

"Frisco. Hyde Park Corner. 26 October. Speak to blue clothes, white hat, gloves, shoes. Carr's money."