The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1871-04-22

he does not know OF my visits. We cannot
be too cautious in these matters"
"Pedantic ass !" muttered my uncle; but
suppose we had better give him his own
way. Ii you meet Parker and me nsls az ~
seven tonight we shall have TINS wonu ehum
desk opened. and your great discoveries snail
be made"
They met again that evening. The desk
moo onened nv Parker, and bundle OF letters,
carefnIIv hacked up, all from Elinor Beau
mont and quantity of circulars, play-bills
and shop receipts were handed to the expert
That gentleman read through the letters,
and seemed much struck by the last. "Read
that" said he, handing it to my uncle. As
the letter is important, give it entire.
120 FLEET ST., Sept. "a, 1903.
My Dear Charles Although we had an
adverse wind all the way, we made without
difficulty the port we were bound for. NV
aunt, in spite of the weight Of her fifty years,
enjoyed the trip much, and is ready to sail
again. hope you will think of sending the
line you promised ON the 25th, and come
yourself, as our party is now much smaller,
aud we should enjoy the visit.
When l was in London last week saw our
cousin Harry, fresh from Windsor. Ihere Is
little change to be observed in him-not SO
much as you would expect Come 10 US on
Friday. rp
1OurS very anu, -
NV uncle read this out aloud from begin
ming to end, and then he said, "Do you see
ANYTHING suspicious in that? 1t seems to me
very innocent"
''Hum! It may be. Was there anything
else in the desk?" said he, addressing Parker.
"You may 60 and look" growled the poten-
tate. And he led the way, the expert follow
ing.
The desk was quite empty, with the excep-
ton OF two or three scraps of waste paper
On one of these the expert bounced, and re-
turned with an air of citation to the other
room. He then unfolded this scrap of paper
and disclosed halfsheet, exactly the size of
the paper on which Elinor Beaumont's letters
were written, in which oblong holes at inter-
walls had been cut.
He then placed this half-sheet over the let
ter, and handed both, thus placed, to my I'M
| Gle, whose astonished eyes read the following
| words, which the holes left visible:
"FIeet wind-bound. Fifty sail of the line.
| 25 smaller. Should the wind change, expect
| US on Friday"
"The Devilp said my uncle; sand Nelson
ordered off to the West Indies!"
| Then was there, as you may suppose, hur-
| rying and scurrying, and running and chas-
ing, and despatching of government couriers,
and semaphore telegraphs, and carrier pig
cons, and all the old world means of commit
nication then in fashion. The key thus OBJ
tanned, disclosed the whole correspondence,
which turned out to be connected series of
letters from the French government, smuy.
gled into Jersey. The result history knows !;
the intended invasion was abandoned, and
Napoleon went elsewhere.
Slut what you put on the scent?" asked my
uncle afterward with many apologies to the
expert.
| II suspected the trick from the first, al
though it was very good specimen of it,
| The letters were too innocent, and had too
little point in them. But they were done
with admirable skill. The grammar was
| complete; and the little dots or marks which
buDglers use to guide them in writing the
words which are to be read were entirely alb.
sent The way in which the deception is ef-
fected is this. The correspondents before
commencing, take sheet OF paper and cut
holes In ii, which, of course, in two half
sheets exactly correspond. They each take
one half sheet; and when letter is to be
written the writer so arranges the words that
those intended TO be read shall appear in the
holes when the halfsheet is placed ovor the
paper, which is OF the same size. When his
correspondent receives the letter. he places
bis lt.sheet over il, and reads off the words
Pas you did. The difficulty, which was SO well
conquered in this case, is TO make the sense
| run fiuently, and TO prevent any visible break
| In the writing. Without the half sheet with
the holes in II, no one can have the slightest
clev to the real meaning
my suspicious once arroustd, we're con-
firmed by the inquiries which / made. The
whole story about the sister was fabrication.
The letters did come from Jersey, the an
swers went to Fleet street, TO the charge Of
very notorious agents. But II our friend had
not been TOOL enough 10 leave his halt sheet
In his desk, we might have CROPPED in vain for
the mystery"
Beaumont disappeared that night and was
never heard OF again at the Admiralty. 1t
transpired afterwards that some accomplice
had warned him of the experts visit to the
Admiralty, and his inquiries in Jersey. He
had made an attempt TO get admittance to
his rooms, but was scared BY the sounds he
beard, and contrived to escane TO France
The lady who acted the sister, and who visit
ed the Admiralty, partly TO put the authori-
ties of their guard, and probably also to in
tercbanQe The key to the cipher, was Paris
ian celebrity, who, both before and afterwards
was renowned for Ger daring in political in
trigue -"F ON n Visit TO My DISCONTINUED
Cousin to be published by Roberts Bros.