“A picture of a duck, which means T,” spelt Angel, “and that’s erased; and then it is a snake that means T----” Jimmy nodded. “In Reale’s verse,” he said deliberately, “there are six words; outside of those six words I am convinced the verse has no meaning. Six words strung together, and each word in capitals. Listen.” He took from his pocketbook the familiar slip on which the verse was written:-- “Here’s a puzzle in language old, Find my meaning and get my gold. Take one BOLT--just one, no more-- Fix it on behind a DOOR. Place it at a river’s MOUTH East or west or north or south. Take some LEAVES and put them whole In some WATER in a BOWL. I found this puzzle in a book From which some mighty truths were took.” “There are six words,” said Jimmy, and scribbled them down as he spoke:-- “Bolt (or Bolts). Leave (or Leaves). Door. Water. Mouth. Bowl. Each one stands for a letter--but what letter?” “It’s rather hopeless if the old man has searched round for all sorts of out-of-the-way objects, and allowed them to stand for letters of the alphabet,” said Angel. The girl murmured something, and met Jimmy’s inquiring eyes. “I was only saying,” she said hesitatingly, “that there seems to be a method in all this.” “Except,” said Jimmy, “for this,” and he pointed to the crossed-out duck. “By that it would seem that Reale chose his symbols haphazard, and that the duck not pleasing him, he substituted the snake.” “But,” said Kathleen, addressing Angel, “doesn’t it seem strange that an illiterate man like Mr. Reale should make even these rough sketches unless he had a model to draw from?” “Miss Kent is right,” said Jimmy quickly. “And,” she went on, gaining confidence as she spoke, “is there not something about these drawings that reminds you of something?” “Of what?” asked Angel. “I cannot tell,” she replied, shaking her head; “and yet they remind me of something, and worry me, just as a bar of music that I cannot play worries me. I feel sure that I have seen them before, that they form a part of some system----” She stopped suddenly. “I know,” she continued in a lower voice; “they are associated in my mind--with--with the Bible.” The two men stared at her in blank astonishment. Then Jimmy sprang to his feet, alight with excitement. “Yes, yes,” he cried. “Angel, don’t you see? The last two lines of Reale’s doggerel-- “‘I found this puzzle in a book From which some mighty truths were took.’” “Go on, go on, Miss Kent,” cried Angel eagerly. “You are on the right track. Try to think----” Kathleen hesitated, then turned to Jimmy to address the first remark she had directed to him personally that day. “You haven’t got----?” Jimmy’s smile was a little hard.