escort, Mr. Cumshaw. What about it!"

He did not answer that immediately, but eyed both Moira and me as if to
test our receptive capacities. I maintained an attitude of complete
indifference; Moira leaned forward a little with interest plainly marked
in every line of her face.

"You were both in Mr. Bryce's confidence?" His quiet remark took the
form of a question.

I nodded.

"Go on," Moira urged. "You came to tell us about your father, Mr. Abel
Cumshaw."

"That's right," said the young man with amazing alacrity. "You're all
right too. I wasn't sure at first, but now I see you're in the game with
me. From what I know of it we're all like pieces of a jig-saw puzzle. We
all fit in, and none of us is any use without the others. That being so,
I fancy that we had better all place our cards on the table. Now which
of you has got the cypher?"

Moira looked at me for guidance. I was pleased to see that she was
learning that she couldn't do without me. I was pleased--no, I wasn't
pleased at all, for it didn't matter now what Moira thought of me.

"What cypher is that?" I enquired innocently.

"There is only one cypher, Mr. Carstairs," Mr. Cumshaw stated. He seemed
so sure about it that my curiosity was aroused.

"Indeed?" I said politely. I knew better than to contradict him
outright, so I did it by implication.

"There's only the one," the young man repeated. "You should know,
because Mr. Bryce left it to you."

If I had had any doubts before as to the genuine character of my visitor
they all vanished at that last remark of his. It was one of those things
that a man could not have guessed, however clever he might be. He must
have had inside knowledge. Hitherto I had been indulging in that
pleasant pastime that is known in boxing circles as "sparring for wind,"
but now I dropped the pose completely and answered him as
straightforwardly as was consistent with reasonable caution.

"Yes, he did leave a cypher to me," I admitted. "But what do you know
about it?"

"Only what Mr. Bryce wrote me. I'm sorry I can't show you the letter,
but Mr. Bryce had an invariable rule that all correspondence from him
must be burnt as soon as read."

"I guess I've got to accept you at your face value, Mr. Cumshaw," I
said. "You'll pardon me for doubting you at first, but it pays to be
cautious in a game like this. Now I'd like to know just how we are going
to assist each other."

"That's more than I can say," the young man smil