ould have been better for her peace
of mind not to have sought me out. If she had not, she would have
remained ignorant of the circumstance that she possessed any knowledge
hurtful to her uncle; if she had remained away, the accusation that he
had come to harm through her could never reproach her in after years.

Her errand had been impelled by a conviction that I would appreciate
her more intimate knowledge of her cousin's lover. She knew that she
could lay before me no tangible testimony in his behalf, but hoped that
I could be made to sympathize with her estimate of his character.

During her first visit to the house, with Belle, she had clearly
recognized the seriousness of the young man's predicament, and that I
would be governed only by the facts as I read them. Notwithstanding he
was somewhat fiery and headstrong, if she could influence me to see
that he was honest, sincere and straightforward, she felt hopeful that
I would continue my investigation with a strong leaning in his favor.

_Was ever a cipher so empty of all meaning!_
_What addle-pate had conceived it? Why should_
_he want to perpetrate anything so idiotic?_

By her simplicity and singleness of purpose, however, she had
innocently drawn my attention to her uncle; then, in a measure, she had
verified my awakened suspicions. While Maillot and Felix Page were in
the library, engrossed in their own affairs, could Alfred Fluette have
been in the house?

Highly improbable as such a contingency might appear, still it was by
no means impossible. "Suppose," Genevieve had asked me, "that it was
Uncle Alfred?" Never, unless she herself had some reason to doubt and
mistrust, would she have propounded that question. Had he been absent
from home until an unwontedly late hour last night? Was his manner in
the morning of a nature to draw attention to himself, so that, in the
light of later developments, it had provoked her suspicions? I had
purposely refrained from asking her any questions touching upon this
possibility.

In a flash the image of Genevieve Cooper swam out of my thoughts. My
whole attention became glued to the cipher. At each end of the two
rows of numerals and arrows was a peculiar crenellated design; it had
struck me with a sudden sense of familiarity. Where had I ever seen
anything similar or identical, that this odd symbol should penetrate
into the midst of my absorption and force me unwittingly to try to
recall the circ