"I--I----"

"I know," I cut in. "I feel that way too. Do you think he's put up a
joke on us?"

"I just don't want to speak about it," Moira said tearfully.
"It's--it's--I wouldn't have expected it of him."

"It's the unexpected that happens," I said with some idea that I was
consoling her. I could see that the tears were very near her eyes, and I
didn't want her to break down now and cry. A man is always at a great
disadvantage in dealing with a weeping woman; she can usually persuade
him to do almost anything for her while she's in that state. If I find
my wife crying--but it doesn't matter what I'd do, for I've no right to
be introducing purely speculative matter that has nothing at all to do
with the story.

"It doesn't explain anything," Moira said at length. "It only makes
everything worse than ever."

"I wouldn't say that," I said. I saw, or thought I saw, a glimmer of
light. It was so faint that I daren't as yet put it into words. "He must
have been in a rather frivolous mood when he wrote this," I continued.
"All the same, I think we're getting closer. We haven't looked at the
cypher yet, you know."

"No more we have, Jim. Let's see what it's like."

I handed it to her. At first sight I could have sworn that it was the
identical piece of paper that I had picked up from the kitchen floor
that momentous afternoon, but a second glance showed me that I was
mistaken. Many of the characters were the same, but the grouping was
altogether different. They ran as follows:--

2@3; 5@3 &9; 3 5433-3/4 5@3 @75 L994 1/4; L 5@3 48-1/2-8;? 1/2-7;
1/4-43 8; &8;3 --3-1/4-1/2-743 1/2-3: 3; "335 3-1/4-1/2-5.5@3;
"1/4-/3 L843/5 ;945@3/4 L4-1/4-2 1/4;95@34 &8;3 1/4-5 48?@5
1/4;?&3-1/2 59 5@3 043:897-1/2 9;3 3)53; L8;? "94 523&:3 "335.L8?
5@3.

"It doesn't seem to mean anything, Jim," she said in consternation.

"I'll admit it's pretty hard to understand," I told her. "It looks like
a page out of a ready reckoner or a mathematician's nightmare. But it
does mean something or your uncle wouldn't have put it up to us. What it
is we've got to find out. Possibly the Mr. Cumshaw of the letter can
throw a little light on the subject."

"Who is Mr. Cumshaw, Jim?"

"I never heard of the man until I read this letter," I said. "He's a new
element in the plot, and, unless your uncle's pulling our legs, I think
he's going to be a very important factor."

"He's got to share with us, too," she reminded me.