some secret
information concerning the designs of the enemy, but also some evidence
of an incriminating nature against his own acquaintances in the city.

Suddenly he thought he saw certain letters dotted over, not entirely
perceptible, yet quite discernible. He turned the paper over. The
reverse was perfectly clear. He held it to the light but nothing
appeared through.

"By Jove!" he exclaimed softly.

He looked closely again. Sure enough there were faint markings on
several of the letters. The "H" was marked. So with the "V" in "have,"
and the "A" and the "L." Snatching a pencil and a sheet of paper he made
a list of the letters so marked.

HVANLADERIIGAERODIRCUTN

This meant nothing. That was apparent; nor could he make sense out of
any combination of letters. He knew that there were certain codes
whereby the two progressions, arithmetical and geometric were employed
in their composition, but this seemingly answered to none of them. He
went over the list again, comparing them with the marked letters as
found in the note. Yes, they were identical. He had copied them
faithfully.

He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

"So this was sent to Peggy from New York," he muttered to himself. "I
strongly suspected that she was in communication with her British
friends, although I never came in contact with the slightest evidence.
This certainly proves it."

He held the letter at a distance from him, attentively surveying it.

"And General Arnold has been interested, too. Very likely, Marjorie's
hypothesis is the true one. They had been reading the note when the
newcomers arrived on the scene and the General stuck it in his belt
until their greetings had been ended. Neither of them now know of its
whereabouts; that much is certain."

He stood up suddenly and strode about the room, his hands clasped behind
him. Going to the window, he peered out through the small panes of glass
of the uncurtained upper half. There burned the light across the dusk--a
patch of jeweled color in the far off western sky. Yet it awakened no
emotion at all.

His mind was engaged in the most intricate process of thought. He
deduced a hundred conclusions and rejected them with equal promptitude.
He greatly admired General Arnold as the bravest leader in the line,
whose courage, whose heroism, whose fearlessness had brought him signal
successes. There was no more popular soldier in the army, nor one more