"I mean to say that I do not see anything to which I can attach any semblance of a meaning. The blotting paper has been used, and, of course, there are ink marks upon it; but, as far as I can see, these are wholly disconnected. They are entirely void of sense to my eyes, at any rate." "Examine the blotter again carefully in this direction," said Sturgis, drawing an imaginary line upon the mirror, "and pay no attention to any other marks which seem to cross these lines. Now do you see anything?" The banker examined the image in the mirror for some time before replying. "If I allow my imagination to enter into play, I can complete several isolated letters." "Will you dictate these while I note them here. Be careful to distinguish between capital and lower-case letters. Also separate the lines, and state whether letters come close together or are separated by a space." "Very well," agreed Dunlap, who then proceeded to read off the letters he saw in the reflection of the blotter in the mirror. When he had finished, Sturgis handed him the paper, upon which were transcribed the letters he had dictated. They presented the appearance shown below: [Illustration: D 1 6 s Ch m ' y y G e p t m t y c r r th ll s s r r y J g t] "Well," said the banker, "if you can make anything out of that gibberish, your imagination is more active than mine." "It is not a question of imagination," said Sturgis; "let us proceed systematically. Here is a telegram blank detached from a pad I found on Arbogast's desk. Compare its size with the outline of the marks on the blotter, and you will see, in the first place, that the message would just fit snugly on this sheet. Next, you will probably admit that the first line of marks on the blotter probably contain a date; the second, a name; the third, an address; the last, a signature, and the intermediate lines a message." "I am quite willing to concede so much; for no business man would be likely to write a telegram differently." "Very well. Now, then, let me hold this blank so that the reflection of its vertical rulings may appear just above the image of the message. These lines, remember, separate the words of the message. Extend them mentally and note how they divide the letters of the blotter. Will you hold these sheets while I transcribe the result?" In a few minutes more the reporter had drawn several lines on his copy of the reflection in the mirror. "I don't see that you are any better off now than you were before," remarked Dunlap, examining the result.