ket had opened across the chest, and a small round scar, such as
that left by a high-powered bullet penetrating, was exposed. He gasped
almost audibly, realizing this, and clapped his hand to his chest and
buttoned his jacket. The message--nine words without signature--lay
before him:

Thicket knot youngster omniscient issue foliage lecture tragic
instigation.

It was some code which Eaton recognized but could not decipher at once.
It was of concern, but at that instant, less of concern than to know
whether his jacket had been open and his chest exposed when he took the
message. The conductor was still standing in the aisle.

"When did you get this?" Eaton asked, looking out.

"Just now."

"How could you get it here?" Eaton questioned, watching the conductor's
face.

"We've had train instruments--the emergency telegraph--on the wires
since four o'clock and just got talking with the stations east; wires
are still down to the west. That message came through yesterday some
time and was waiting for you at Simons; when we got them this morning,
they sent it on."

"I see; thanks." Eaton, assured that if the conductor had seen
anything, he suspected no significance in what he saw, closed his
curtains and buttoned them carefully. The conductor moved on. Eaton
took a small English-Chinese pocket-dictionary from his vest pocket and
opened it under cover of the blanket; counting five words up from
_thicket_ he found _they_; five down from _knot_ gave him _know_; six
up from _youngster_ was _you_; six down from _omniscient_ was _one_;
seven up from _issue_ was _is_; and so continuing, he translated the
nine words to:

"They know you. One is following. Leave train instantly."

Eaton, nervous and jerky, as he completed the first six words, laughed
as he compiled the final three. "Leave train instantly!" The humor of
that advice in his present situation, as he looked out the window at
the solid bank of snow, appealed to him. He slapped the little
dictionary shut and returned it to his pocket. A waiter from the
dining car came back, announcing the first call for breakfast, and
spurred him into action. Passengers from the Pullman at the rear
passed Eaton's section for the diner. He glanced out at the first two
or three; then he heard Harriet Dorne's voice in some quiet,
conventional remark to the man who followed her. Eaton started at it;
then he dressed swiftly and hurried into the now deserted washroom