"Now what _do_ you suppose those numbers can stand for ?" "Letters!" announced the Captain triumphantly.

"Take the number nine, for example.

The ninth letter in the alphabet is I! Mr.Keen, suppose we try writing down the letters according to that system!" "Suppose we do," agreed the Tracer gravely.
So, counting under his breath, the young man set down the letters in the following order, not attempting to group them into words: INEVERSAWYOUBUTONCEILOVEYOUEDITHINWOOD.
Then he leaned back, excited, triumphant.
"There you are!" he said; "only, of course, it makes no sense." He examined it in silence, and gradually a hopeless expression effaced the animation.

"How the deuce am I going to separate that mass of letters into words ?" he muttered.
"This way," said the Tracer, smilingly taking the pencil from his fingers, and he wrote: I--NEVER--SAW--YOU--BUT--ONCE.

I--LOVE--YOU.
EDITH INWOOD.
Then he laid the pencil on the table and walked to the window.
Once or twice he fancied that he heard incoherent sounds behind him.
And after a while he turned, retracing his steps leisurely.