"Yes. A case of attempted murder, no doubt," he said. "But what first attracted my notice was the statement that the man had been identified as Max Steinheim, a German hairdresser employed in a shop in New Bond Street, who had been missing for nearly two months. He resided in Hargwynne Street, Stockwell, and as he owed a considerable sum to his landlady, she had given notice to the police of his disappearance. It was she who had identified him in the hospital." "That's as far as the information conveyed by the newspapers carries the affair," I remarked. "Exactly. But we are able to proceed a little farther, to a matter which must be closely investigated," continued Raymond. "On the arrival of the train at Waterloo the compartment, which showed signs of a desperate struggle, was searched, and under the seat was discovered a small piece of paper tightly screwed up into a small ball as though somebody wished to get rid of it unobserved. Upon it, in a distinctly foreign hand, and in violet ink--which, by the way, is seldom used by Englishmen--were traced some cryptic memoranda, a copy of which I have here," and he handed for our inspection a piece of paper which presented this appearance: J 11864! 19505 Kingscliffe 12.15 train St. Pancras M.R. Weldon and Corby 1 mile Royal Pier 18 6.11 248 and 392 Harpur Street 2.30 ? 8.88 M. 88 Elmar 39 X clock. "You've endeavoured to decipher it, of course," I remarked, as both Vera and I gazed at the puzzling array of numerals and words. "I have. For the past three days I've indeed done nothing else. Unfortunately the result is not very reassuring," he answered. "Deciphered by one of the little-known codes, the figures 19505 stand for 'January 24th,' which is four days before the murderous assault. Kingscliffe is the name of a village in Northamptonshire, on the North Western line between Peterborough and Rugby. The 12.15 from St. Pancras is a restaurant train for Derby, and takes passengers to Weldon and Corby station, by changing at Kettering, and the distance '1 mile' would bring the traveller to the village of Great Weldon." "Royal Pier sounds like the name of a hotel," I remarked. "No doubt. But there are a good many Royal Pier hotels in England, so there we are confronted with a difficulty. To what 6.11 refers I cannot conceive, while Harpur Street, which is off Theobalds Road, I visited yesterday, but I find there are no such numbers as 248 or 392. The next line is unintelligible, but if I read the last line aright it is an appointment made beneath the clock at Charing Cross Station at six." I drew hard at my pipe. That strange document presented to me a very complicated puzzle.