Evening star., 1927-10-30

heap, making letters on a sheet of
paper.
| "Reginald,' said Lomas severely
what have you got up your sleeve
Il don't know. | don't know if it's
anything" He took out a piece of pa
per on which was written. Y Al IOX
70 10 EPIKALL II. What do you
make of that?"
Capt. Gambler read it. What are
you giving us, sir? Where did you
| get it frOm?'
Its carved on that chest in the
cottage. Later work than the chest,
though. There are other letters, but
l couldn't make them out
1T wouldn't make sense, anyway"
the captain laughed.
| "Do you read it as cipher Regi-
nald?" Lomas asked.
! Il don't read it at all. But it's very
| interesting"
| I'm no hand at cryptograms, my
self" Capt. Gambler announced. But
what's the good of it? We've got our
! case"
! Yes. In a way. We've got the re-
| spectacle Tidford. But we haven't got
what he was after. Why did he want
| to get the girl out of the cottage? The
! provisional hypothesis is that there
| was something in the place he
| wanted"
Then. why didn't he get it before
/ they came?"
| Yes. that was difficulty. But you
heard Isabel's story. The sold him
| an old cupboard full of books and
| papers. That's where he got the tip
| He put on an agent to buy the cot
| tage. They wouldn't deal. Then he
| put on Albert to make the place too
hot to hold them. That didn't work.
So he arranged to have'Eera knocked
| out and the other two accused of the
crime.
Very neat scheme. It's all clear,
except two things. What was it It'd
ford wanted? I'm afraid he won't tell
| us that. Secondly. where is it? That.
l fancy, he don't know. or William
| would have got it for him.
| Il don't know what there could be, ="
| Capt. Gambler declared. The place
was a laborer's cottage. Not much
! hidden treasure about"
| Il wonder?" Mr.. Fortune murmured.
And again contemplated the letters
~ AL IOX 10 10 EPIkALL H."
| In the morning they went to Mr..
Tidford's shop. The cupboard from
! the cottage was discovered and the
books in 1t, pile of decayinS theol
ogy. Capt. Gambler swore that Mr.
Fortune would know a lot when he
had worked through that.
But Mr.. Fortunes researches were
| not profound. Having discovered that
the books had belonged TO one Gault
Halles, S. L. p. he sought the apart
ments of Mr.. Tidford. There was a
book, bound in rough, crumblins calf
Ia,
Bualt. Hailes." Yes, | though Tid.
ford wouldn't leave it lying about"
Mr.. Fortune murmured.
What is it?''
Its the diary of Walter Hailes.
ID. d.. in the years 1910 onward" He
turned yellow pages.
Good heavens said Lomas. DR..
Halle was a fluent fellow. Not even
English. is it,"
Some of it's English. Rather ready
with his classics, though. y little
earnest study is indicated"
The next day he had this explana.
ton for LomaS and Capt. Gambler:
DIR. Walter Hailes came to Hill
Barn when the Puritans chucked him
out of his living. 1t used to be the
tithe-bara of the abbey at Cele. That
was gone. even i'll his tme-destroyed
at the Reformation. He's very sad
about that, for he was Il high church
man. The local squire let him stay
there in the barn. Sir Aymas Boi-
leau-old family in the great house.
l don't know where it was"
Over at Cele Regis. ..ir. That's
gone. too. The Boileau family died
out long ago.
Yes. l fancy DIR. Hailes saw the
last of them"
-. "All very interesting. Reginald. but
1t doesn't take us anywhere"
No, but it's suggestive
rs it? l don't see Mr.. Tidford losing
sleep over this"
We'll, l think he'd found something
more. | think this is what started
our Tldford on his career of crime. In
August. 1914: Comes news that the
crop-eared rogueS have sent summons
to my lady. SO l go to the great house
to take counsel. God guide all The
next day DR.. Hailes drops into Latin:
'Hodie reliquias oblitae eheu gloriae
eX magma domo in pusillam tabernam
lacrimans gaudensque recepi ct i'm
secretum condidi. Quo esquc Domine?'
lie received the relics of glory, alas
forgotten. from the great house into
his puny hut with tears and joy, and
put them into a secret place. And he
says. how long. oh. Lord
oh. that's it. is it? The padre had
the Boileau jewels. Capt. Gambler
cried. But in 1914, Yop wouldn't
expect to find 'em now?"
Our Tidford expected to find EN-"
Nothing more in the diary, Reg
inald?" said Lomas.
mo. Nothing to be sure of. There's
some odd prayers in Greek"
He wouldn't pray about the Jewels"
Capt. Gambler objected. You mean
to say Tidford had nothing more to
work on than that"
We'll. 1 should guess there is
tradition OF stuff from the big house
being hidden. And this gave him the
clue"
But he'd have to pull the place to
bits
Lomas saw on Mr. Fortunes face
slow, benign smile. II object to the
mirth. Reginald. he complained. You
are being superior. What have you
kept from u.s."
Mr.. Fortune, for answer. wrote the |
fAtters. Y AL IOX 10 10 EPIKALL H. |
That cipher. eh?" Capt. Gambler
growled.
"No DON'T fh;rL {t'z c;,>bar