here."

"Yes, I suppose so. What does the advertisement say?"

"He couldn't tell me on the 'phone. He had to hurry away to look after
the woman. It is being sent up by taxicab."

"That's good. By the way, Green, keep half-a-dozen men handy, and be
about yourself."

"Very good, sir. Is there anything on?"

"I don't quite know. We may have to go out in a hurry. I'll tell you
after we have deciphered the advertisement."

CHAPTER XXXI

It was with an eagerness sternly suppressed that Heldon Foyle took from
a messenger the note which he knew contained Grell's advertisement.
Although outwardly he was the least emotional of men, he always worked
at high tension in the investigation of a case. No astronomer could
discover a new comet, no scientist a new element with greater delight
than that which animated the square-faced detective while he was working
on a case.

He drew out the sheet of paper gingerly between his finger-nails, and
tested it with graphite. Eight or nine finger-prints, some blurred, some
plain, appeared black against the white surface, and he gave an
ejaculation of annoyance.

"The fools! I warned them to handle it carefully. Now they've been and
mixed the whole lot up."

He blew down one of the half-dozen speaking tubes hanging at the side of
his desk, and gave a curt order. When Green appeared he was engrossed in
copying the advertisement on to a writing-pad. He laid down his pen
after a while.

"That you, Green? Send this up to Grant, and ask him to have it
photographed. See if he can pick out any of the prints as being in the
records or bearing on the case. Somebody's been pawing this all over,
and the prints are probably spoilt. It's been printed out, too, so there
isn't much chance of identifying the writing. Anyhow, we'll have a look
more closely at it when the finger-print people have done."

He bent once more to his desk with the copy of the cipher. He knew the
key, and it was not necessary to resort to an expert. By the time the
chief inspector came back he had a neatly copied translation on his pad.

"Listen to this, Green," he said.

"'E. M. Am now safe on board a barge moored below Tower Bridge, where no
one will think of looking for me. Have good friends but little money,
owing to action of police. Trust, little girl, you still believe in my
innocence, although things seem against me. There are reasons why I
should not be questioned. Shall try to embark before the mast i