To the conditions on which the letter insisted there is no need to

allude. They had been complied with when the discoveries were made at

the back of the milestone, and between the pages of Gibson's history.

Sir Giles had already arrived at the conclusion that a conspiracy was

in progress to assassinate him, and perhaps to rob the bank. The wiser

head clerk pointed to the perforated paper and the incomprehensible

writing received that morning. "If we can find out what these mean," he

said, "you may be better able, sir, to form a correct opinion."

"And who is to do that?" the banker asked.

"I can but try, sir," was the modest reply, "if you see no objection to

my making the attempt."

Sir Giles approved of the proposed experiment, silently and

satirically, by a bend of his head.

Too discreet a man to make a suspiciously ready use of the information

which he had privately obtained, Dennis took care that his first

attempt should not be successful. After modestly asking permission to

try again, he ventured on the second occasion to arrive at a happy

discovery. Lifting the perforated paper, he placed it delicately over

the page which contained the unintelligible writing. Words and

sentences now appeared (through the holes in the paper) in their right

spelling and arrangement, and addressed Sir Giles in these terms: "I beg to thank you, sir, for complying with my conditions. You have

satisfied me of your good faith. At the same time, it is possible that

you may hesitate to trust a man who is not yet able to admit you to his

confidence. The perilous position in which I stand obliges me to ask

for two or three days more of delay, before I can safely make an

appointment with you. Pray be patient--and on no account apply for

advice or protection to the police."

"Those last words," Sir Giles declared, "are conclusive! The sooner I

am under the care of the law the better. Take my card to the

police-office."

"May I say a word first, sir?"

"Do you mean that you don't agree with me?"

"I mean that."

"You were always an obstinate man Dennis; and it grows on you as you

get older. Never mind! Let's have it out. Who do you say is the

person pointed at in these rascally letters?"

The head clerk took up the first letter of the two and pointed to the

opening sentence: "Sir Giles Mountjoy, I have a disclosure to make in

which one of the members of your family is seriously interested."

Dennis emphatically repeated the words: "one of the members of your

family." His employer regarded him with a broad stare of astonishment.




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