was sent to
Scotland Yard informing you of the murder? There is a facsimile of it
in the _Daily Recorder_ this morning, and from all appearances there
are some interesting conclusions to be drawn from it. But the
original is the thing."

"Here you are," said the inspector, producing his pocket-book, taking out
the paper, and handing it to Crewe. "What do you make of it?"

Crewe sat down, and placing the paper before him took a magnifying glass
from his pocket. As he sat there, in his grey tweed suit, his hat pushed
carelessly back from his forehead, he might have been mistaken for a
young man of wealth with no serious business in life, for his clothes
were of fashionable cut, and he wore them with an air of distinction. But
a glance at his face would have dispelled the impression. The clear-cut,
clean-shaven features riveted attention by reason of their strength and
intelligence, and though the dark eyes were rather too dreamy for the
face, the heavy lines of the lower jaw indicated the man of action and
force of character. The thick neck and heavily-lipped firm mouth
suggested tireless energy and abounding vitality.

"At least two people have had a hand in it," he said, after studying the
paper for a few minutes.

"In the murder?" asked the inspector, who was astonished at a deduction
which harmonised with a theory which had begun to take shape in his mind.

"In writing this," said Crewe, with his attention still fixed on the
paper. "But of course you know that yourself."

"Of course," assented the inspector, who was surprised at the
information, but was too experienced an official to show his feelings.
"And both hands disguised."

"Disguised to the extent of being printed in written characters,"
continued Crewe. "It is so seldom that a person writes printed characters
that any method in which they are written suggests disguise. The original
intention of the two persona who wrote this extraordinary note was for
each to write a single letter in turn. That system was carried as far as
'Sir Horace' or, perhaps, up to the 'B' in 'Fewbanks.' After that they
became weary of changing places and one of them wrote alternate letters
to the end, leaving blanks for the other to fill in. That much is to be
gathered from the variations in the spaces between the letters--sometimes
there was too much room for an intermediate letter, sometimes too little,
so the letter had to be cramped. Here and there are dots made with the
pe