Year: 1879

try what could make of it. / took up the
paper and read the letters backwards and
forwards for some time without approaching
any nearer to their meaning. At length an
idea struck me. l had read how the first clue
TO the Interpretation of the cuneiform inscrp-
ton Of Assyria had been obtainedby observing
the recurrence Of certain letters aud words
and names such as "Xorxes, king of kings,
son Of Darius, king of kings" etc. 1t was,
indeed, magma compoHerc pdrCjs; but the
hint was practical The last word in this Sc
cret message was most probably the name or
signature Of the sender; it began with cap
ital aud consisted Of five letters


"What is your daughters namc?" I asked.
Agnes" he replied without raising his
head


was sure of it now, and wrote down the
disguised letters with the real ones under
them, thus


n. Z. s. l. &.


A II


I then observed that the third word in the rid
die also began with capital. His sons name
he had told me was Matthew, and this word
had seven letters, of which the third and
fourth were identical, so l wrote down


ID. I. G.. C. r. ]. k


NJ I { h e


with the clue thus obtained, went on, with
out saying anything to my friend, to the 9th
er words of the puzzle, and wrote down the
first line thus


Zmmh slkg Dtccrlk yg fmdl rmdl


news Matthew 4 me h me


II was easy TO guess that the last three
words were lis come home :" and this gave
me double o for the first. Good news
cried out in ecstnsy. Matthew is come
home"


could scarcely persuade Mr. Dickens that
| was not deceiving him he was too much
agitated to trace the process by which | had
arrived at this result but sat down by me and
watched while | deciphered the rest, which,
with this enlarged clue, was quickly done. If
you will take the trouble to look it over, you
will easily be able to make it out. was able
to tell my dear friend, for such he is now
that the money was found there had been
some mistake about it, which was now set
right. You will not expect me to describe
his emotion, nor to tell you how, after the
first transports Of delight and gratitude he
read the welcome message again and again,
and blessed Inc for the assistance had rem
dered. 1t was painful to him gasping
and sobbing for he had some kind Of asth-
matte affection. which would account in part
for the distressing sounds to which he had
given utterance on the previous night, when
he was so troubled in his dreams. But he
grew calm al last, and went to his bedroom
for the short remainder of the night.


We crossed over to Newhavuu together
next morning, caring little for a stormy pas
sage and the following day had letter
from my friend in London, telling me all
about it. The ship in which his sou had
sailed had put back in consequence Of heavy
gales. Matthew had returned home while
she was refttng, aud then heard for the first
time Of the supposed embe2zlem' 1T. 1t
proved, on inquiry, that lie had carried the
cheque to the wrong bank and it had been
entered there to the credit of stranger, an
other Sidney Smith-thcre are so many of
them. OF course it was soon set right, and
Matthew Dickens, instead of going abroad,
settled down at his old desk, and is going on
now contentedly and well.


"You keep up your acquaintance then p
one of the party asked.


Yes, indeed they are very delightful
people, Miss Dickens particularly so. Ispent
last Christmas with them, and have been
there several times since. In fact, l am en-
gagged to be married to the lady who con
trived the advertisement"


Really? How interesting That accounts
for your being able to read it-sympathy,
you know. Then there is some good in the
second columS Of the Times, after ally'


Il hope So indeed, said Mr.. Dickens.


They all hoped so. and shook hands with
him one by one, offering their congratula-
tions - leisure HOur