"Whatever is the matter with you, Reggie?" asked Uncle Herbert. "You look like a cat on hot bricks." I was burning with impatience to let them know of my evening's work and its results, but, fearing that after all there might be some flaw in my theory, and having another motive in view, I managed to restrain myself. Little more was said during the meal, but on its completion preparations were made to continue the investigations of the mystery. "I say, pater," I exclaimed. "Don't you think it would be better to make a copy of the cipher: it would save the original, you know." "Just so, Reggie, I will; but I think it's about time you went to bed." "Another hour won't make much difference," I replied. "You see, to-morrow's a holiday." My father assented, and gleefully I set about the task of making a duplicate of the cipher, of which I was now firmly convinced I held the key. It was not a long business, and when completed, I stealthily removed a second copy which I had obtained by means of a carbon paper, and announced my intention of "turning in." It was, however, far from my thoughts to go to bed, and directly I reached the solitude of my room I set to work to fill up the blank spaces of the cipher, which, thanks to my previous trials with the smaller squares, was a comparatively rapid and easy task. Steer N.E. +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | + | |123|140|157|174|191|208|225| 2 | 19| 36| 53| 70| 87|104+ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | + | |122|139|156|173|190|207|224| 1 | 18| 35| 52| 69| 86|103|120+122| +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | + | |138|155|172|189|206|223| 15| 17| 34| 51| 68| 85|102|119|121+138| +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | + | |154|171|188|205|222| 14| 16| 33| 50| 67| 84|101|118|135|137+154| +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | + | |170|187|204|221| 13| 30| 32| 49| 66| 83|100|117|134|136|153+170| +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | + | |186|203|220| 12| 29| 31| 48| 65| 82| 99|116|133|150|152|169+186| +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | "| | '| | | | | | | | °| | + | |202|219| 11| 28| 45| 47| 64| 81| 98|115|132|149|151|168|185+202| +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | + |