half a dozen
sentences.

"That's good," Peytral answered. "I don't know Channel Marsh, do you?
But probably Mr. Hewitt does. I won't keep you any longer--I see you're
hurrying. But I hope to see you again before long."

He dropped off the step and disappeared, and the cab went on round the
corner by the "Compasses."

I found Hewitt and Plummer in the office where, on pretence of
bookbindery, I had first seen Mayes face to face the day before. They
were near the completion of their examination of this office and all its
contents, and soon would begin as systematically on the premises behind.
I gave Hewitt my copy of the cypher message, and my translation, with an
exact account of how it had come into my possession.

Martin Hewitt studied the message for a minute or two, and then relapsed
into grave thought. So he sat for some little time, while Plummer left
the room by the window and descended the ladder to speak with his men on
guard below.

Presently Hewitt looked up and said: "Brett, this message is most
important--probably as important as you suppose it to be. But at the
same time I believe you have made a great mistake about it."

"But I haven't misread it, have I? Is there any other way----"

"No, you haven't misread it; you've read every word as it was intended
to be read. But it is a very different thing from what you suppose it to
be."

"What is it, then?"

Martin Hewitt put the paper on the table and looked keenly in my face.
"It is a trap," he said. "It is a trap to catch _me_--unless I flatter
myself unduly."

I could not understand. "A trap?" I repeated. "But how?"

"Why should Mayes need to send his confederate instructions by written
note? We know the nature of his hold over his subordinates, and we know
that it means personal communication. Also, the cheque was in Mayes's
own hands last night. More, Mayes knows very well that I have read that
cypher--has known it for some time; otherwise how could we have
discovered the bonds in the case of the Lever Key? Also, Mayes knows
that we have his cheque-book and know his bank. Didn't I assure you we
were watched last night? I believe he knows all we have done. In such
circumstances he might risk his jackal's liberty by sending him on the
desperate chance of cashing a cheque, but, knowing the risk, he would
never have let him come with information on him. And least of all would
he have let him come carrying a vital secret written in that very
cyphe