The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-02-26


 follow without question wherever Holmes led.
 Whom do you suspeet?' he asked.
 "Tll go in that later. There are several points in this problem which I have not been able to explain to you had best proceed on my own lines. and then clear the whole matter up once and for all.''
 Just as you wish. MT. Holmes, so long as we get our man."
 ''I have no desire to make mysteries, but it is impossible at the moment of action to enter into long anu complex explanations. I have the threads of this affair all in my hand. Even if this lady should never recover con- sciousness, we can still reconstruct the events of last night, and insure that justice be done. First of all, wish to know whether there is any inn In this neighborhood known as 'Elrige's? ''
 The servants were cross-questioned. but none of them had heard of such place. The stable boy threw a light upon the matter by remembering that a farmer of that name lived some miles off, in the direction of East Ruston.
 Is it lonely farm2"
 Very lonely, sir,
 Perhaps they have not heard yet of all that happened here during the night?"
 Maybe not, sir"
 Holmes thought for a little, and then curious smile played over his face.
 Saddle a horse. my lad" said he. q shall wish you to take note to Elrige's farm"
 Ia n0Clat no ous slips of the dancing men. With these in front of him, he worked for some time at the study table Finally he handed a note to the boy, with directions to put 1t into the hands of the person to whom it was addressed, and especially to answer no questions of any sort which might be put to him. I saw the outside of the note, addressed in struggling, irregular characters. very unlike Holmes usual precise hand It was consigned to MT. Abe Slaney, Elriges Farm, East Ruston, Norfolk.
 T think, Inspector." Holmes re marked, that you would do well to telegraph for an escort, as' if my cal- culations prove to be correct, you may have a particularly dangerous pris- oner to convey to the county gaol. The boy who takes this note could no doubt forward your telegram. If there Is an afternoon train to town, Watson, I think we should do well to take 1t. as I have 8 chemical analysis of some interest to finish, and this in- vestigation draws rapidly to a close"
 When the youth had been dispatched with the note, Sherlock Holmes gave his instructions to the servants. If any visitor were to call asking for Mrs. Hilton Cubitt, no information should be given as to her condition, but he was to be shown at once into the drawing room He impressed these points upon them with the ut- most earnestness. Finally he led the way itno the drawing room, with the remark that the business was now out of our hands, and that we must while away the time as best we might until we could see what was in store for us. The doctor had departed to his patients. and only the inspector and myself remained.
 T think that I can help you to pass an hour in an interesting and profitable manner" said Holmes, drawing his chair up to the table. and spreading out in front of him the various papers upon which were re- corded the antics of the dancing men. "As to you, friend Watson, I owe you every dtOHclilcilt ipI hoNAAie3 eii- lowed your natural curiosity to re- main so long unsatisfied To you, In- spector, the whole incident may ap- peal as remarkable professional study. I must tell you, first of all, the interesting circumstances con nected with the previous consultations which MT. Hilton Cubitt has had with me in Baker street, He then shortly recapitulated the facts which have al- ready been recorded. T have here In front of me these singular produc- tions, at which one might smile, had they not proved themselves to be the forerunners of so terrible tragedy. I am fairly familiar with all forms of secret writings, and am myself the author of a trifiing monograph upon the subject in which I analyze one hundred and sixty separate ciphers but I confess that this is entirely new to me. The object of those who in- vented the system has apparently been to conceal that these characters convey a message, and to give the idea that they are the mere random sketches of children.
 Having once recognized. however. that the symbols stood for letters, and having applied the rules which guide us in all forms of secret writings, the solution was easy enough. The first message submitted to me was so short that it was impossible for me to do more than to say, with some conf1- dence. that the symbol Y stood for F. As you are aware, q E is the most common letter in the Eng fish alphabet, and 1t predominates to so marked an extent that even in a short sentence one would expect to find 1t most often. Out of fifteen symbols in the first message, four were the same, so 1t was reasonable to set this down as E. It is true that In some cases the figure was bearing a flag. and in some cases not. but 1t was probable, from the way in which the flags were distributed. that they were used to- break the sentence into words I accepted this as a hypothe- sis. and noted that B was represented by above symbol.
 But now came the real diff ficulty of. the inquiry. The order of the English letters after E Is by no means well marked. and any prepon- derance which may be shown in an average of printed sheet may be re- versed In a single short sentence Speaking roughly, T, A. o. I. N- s, H, R, D and L are the numerical order