ntences so jumbled on the page
for January 7, 1915, he began to reverse the operation, copying it off,
hitting on the typewriter the keyboard letter to the left of the one
indicated in the order of the cipher.

The result was gratifying. He continued for several lines, having
trouble only with the letter "P." At last he realized that the only
substitution for that could be "Q." In other words, "A" had been used
for the space letter throughout, and for all the other symbols the one
on the right had been struck, except "P" which being at the end of the
line had been merely swung to the first letter on the other end of it!

No wonder Warren had been so confident of its baffling simplicity! Many
of the well-known rules for reading codes would not work with this one,
and had it not been for Shirley's suspicion, aroused in the library
of the arch-schemer the night before, he would hardly have given the
typewriter, as a mechanical aide, a second thought. Warren's desire to
drop the subject of machines had planted a dangerous seed.

Laboriously Shirley typed off the material of the entire page for the
fatal Thursday, and his elation knew no bounds as he realized that here
was a key to many of the activities of his enemy. He donned his hat and
coat and hurried over to the Hotel California to show his discovery
to Helene. She invited him up to her suite at once, where he wasted no
words but exhibited the triumphant result of his efforts. He handed her
his own transcription, and this is what she read:

"January 7, 1915, Thursday.

"learned from bank de cleyster drew six thousand in morning monk assigned
to taxi work for tea shine assigned to fix generator margie fairfax date
with de cleyster at five, shine and joe hawley covering game jake and
ben assigned black car for me paid phil one hundred covering special
work job finished riverside drive at eighty third sharp deposited night
and day four thousand safe deposit fifteen hundred lent dolly marion two
hundred for dress for party with van cleft next afternoon advanced shine
one thousand to cover option of yacht sunbeam paid to broker that night
ordered provisions telephone for yacht two month cruise monk assigned
for job next day advanced shine five hundred on account work on
wellington serral matter repairs black machine fifty party apartment
same night champagne one hundred fifty caterer one hundred tips fifty
five to janitor taxis twelve must stir phil up on work for grims