“Will you come up with me into the study, dear?” asked the Professor, in
as quiet a voice as he could, when they had finished luncheon.
“I have a letter to write, dad,” replied the girl in excuse. “I’ll come
in and sit with you before tea.”
“But I want to speak to you, dear,” he said. “I want to tell you
something. Come with me now.” Rather surprised at her father’s
somewhat strained and unusual demeanour, the girl ascended the stairs to
the book-lined room, and when the door was closed the old man crossed to
where she stood, and said:
“Gwen, congratulate me, child.”
“Upon what, dad?” she said, looking into his face, surprised.
“I have discovered the key to the cipher!”
The girl started. Then with a wild cry she threw her arms about her
father’s neck, kissed him passionately, and with tears of joy welling in
her eyes, congratulated him.
“What will Frank say!” she exclaimed breathlessly. “How delighted he’ll
be! Why, dad, we shall discover the position of the hiding-place of the
sacred relics, after all!”
Her enthusiasm was unbounded. Her father who had worked so hard by
night and by day upon those puzzling cryptic numericals, was at last
successful.
“Can you really read the cipher?” she asked quickly.
“Yes, dear,” was her father’s response. “I have already deciphered part
of the extraordinary statement.”
“Then we must telegraph to Frank,” she said. “He is down at Horsford,
visiting his sister and seeing Doctor Diamond at the same time.”
“No, not yet, my child,” he replied quietly. “Let me complete the work
before we announce the good news to our friends. I have told you,
because I knew you would be gratified.”
“Why, of course I am, dad,” replied the girl eagerly. “It will greatly
enhance your reputation, besides preserving the sacred relics to the
Jews. Our opponents had other intentions. Their efforts are directed
towards causing annoyance and bringing ridicule upon the Hebrew race.
But,” she added, her arm still affectionately around his neck, “how did
you accomplish it, dad?”
“Sit down, dear, and I’ll explain to you,” he said, pointing to the
armchair near his writing-table, while he took his writing-chair, and
drew towards him the open Hebrew text of Ezekiel.
“You see,” he commenced, “for some weeks I have been applying all the
known numerical ciphers to this text, but without result. More than
once I was able to read a couple or three words, and believed that I had
discovered the key. But, alas! I found it to fail inevitably before I
could establish a complete sentence. I was about to relinquish the
problem as either impossible of solution, or as a theory without basis,
when this morning, almost as a last resource and certainly without
expecting any definite result, I applied a variation of the Apocalyptic
Number, which though appearing in the Book of Revelation, [Revelations,
xiii, 13] was no doubt known at a much earlier period. In the text of
Ezekiel xvii, the first and second verses: ‘And the word of the Lord
came unto me, saying, Son of man, put forth a riddle and speak a parable
unto the house of Israel;’ I had long recognised certain signs by which
I had suspicion that there was a hidden meaning, and again in verses 14,
16 and 16, ending with the words ‘even with him in the midst of Babylon
he shall die.’
“To my utter amazement I found, by applying the numbers 666--the Hebrew
‘wāw’ sign three times repeated, that I could read an intelligible
sentence which was nothing less than a portion of the cipher exactly as
quoted by Holmboe! Since my discovery I have been hard at work, and
have deciphered many ominous sentences.”
“Then there is no doubt whatever now that the cipher record exists in
the writings of the prophet?”
“Not the slightest.”
“But I don’t quite understand how you arrived at the key, dad?” she
said. “Explain to me, for, as you know, I’m all curiosity.”
“Well, as you don’t know Hebrew, dear, I’ll try and explain it as
clearly as I can,” he said. “Each Hebrew letter has its own numerical
value, as you know, _A-leph_ representing 1, _Beth_ 2, _Gi-mel_ 3, and
so on to _Yodh_ 10, and the nine tens to 100, or _Qoph_, to 400,
represented by the last of the twenty-two consonants, _Taw_. The fact
that Holmboe mentioned ‘_wāw_,’ or the number 6, in his manuscript,
first caused me to believe that he did so as a blind, because this also
signified ‘hook’ and was the sign of evil. I applied it diligently in
nearly two hundred places in the Book of Ezekiel, but without a single
success. I used other numbers, indeed most of the combinations of the
twenty-two consonants, especially the one of three and thirty-three
which was one of the earliest numerical ciphers. You know well how
diligently I worked, and how unsuccessful I have been until to-day.”
“I know, dad,” exclaimed the pretty girl, “but I confess I can hardly
follow you, even now.”
“Well, listen,” he said. “The Apocalyptic Number is 666, and its
interpretation rests upon the fact that in Hebrew, as well as in Greek,
the letters of the alphabet did service for numbers. Hence, a writer,
while avoiding a direct mention of some person or thing, could yet
indicate the same by a number which was the sum of the various values
comprising the name. First establishing the point where the actual
message commences, which I may as well explain is at Ezekiel, x, 8; ‘And
there appeared in the cherubim the form of a man’s hand under their
wings,’ I took the first ‘wāw’ or 6 sign, then the eleventh letter,
being the sixth of sixty-six, then the sixty-sixth letter, and
afterwards the six hundred and sixty-sixth letter. Following this, I
made the additions which are known to the Greeks and also to the
Hebrews, working it out thus: The fiftieth letter, the two-hundredth
letter, the sixth letter, the fiftieth letter, the hundredth letter, the
sixtieth letter and the two-hundredth letter--making in all six hundred
and sixty-six. The Hebrew signs of each I wrote down in a line, and
having divided them into words, I found to my amazement, that I was
reading the secret record alleged by the dead professor!”
“But, surely, dad, that is a most ingenious cipher!” remarked his
daughter.
“Most intricate, I assure you. By sheer good fortune I discovered the
starting-point.”
“What led you to it?”
“A slight, almost unnoticeable deviation of the present Hebrew text from
the St. Petersburg codex. I had never before noticed it, and it only
arrested my attention because I was studying the subject so very
closely.”
“And after making the additions of 666, how did you proceed?” urged the
girl.
He paused for a few seconds as though in hesitation.
“By starting at the first ‘wāw’ sign and repeating my key. Sometimes,
in a whole chapter, there is not a word of cipher, but following the
numbers with regularity it reappears in the next. It is a most
marvellous and most cunningly concealed record accounting, of course,
for the number of superfluous and rather incongruous words in the
writings of the prophet.”
“Was it written in the text--or placed there afterwards?” she asked.
“Placed there afterwards, without a doubt,” was the Professor’s quick
reply. “Holy writ was inspired, of course, but some temple priest, an
exile in Babylon probably, worked out the cipher and placed the record
in the text in order that it might be there preserved and the existence
of the treasure be known to coming generations of Jews who would be then
aware of the existence of their war-chest.”
“It really is a most amazing discovery, dad dear,” declared the girl
much excited. “When you publish it the whole world will be startled!”
“Yes, my dear,” was the old fellow’s response, as he ran his fingers
through his scanty grey hair. “We have here before us,” and he placed
his hand upon the open Hebrew text, “a secret explained which is surely
the greatest and most remarkable of any discovered in any age.”
The girl, rising from her chair, saw upon the manuscript paper on her
father’s blotting-pad, a number of lines of hastily-written Hebrew
words.
“Is that part of the deciphered record?” she inquired, greatly
interested.
“Yes, dear.”
“Oh, do read them to me, dad,” she cried, “I’m dying to learn exactly
the purport of this message hidden through so many generations!”
“No, Gwen,” was the old man’s calm response, “not until I have worked
out the whole. Then you shall, my child, be the first to have knowledge
of the secret of Israel. And remember it is my wish that you write
nothing to Farquhar regarding it. We must keep our knowledge to
ourselves--very closely to ourselves, remember. Erich Haupt must have
no suspicion of my success. Otherwise we may even yet be forestalled.”
“I quite see the danger, dad,” remarked his daughter, “but I’m so
interested, do go on with your task and show me how it is accomplished.”
“Very well,” he said, smiling and humouring her. “You see here, at this
mark,” and he showed her a pencilled line upon the Hebrew text, “that is
where I halted for luncheon. Now we go on to the next sign of six.
See, here it is--in the next line. Now we count the eleventh letter,”
and he wrote it down in Hebrew. Then he counted the sixty-sixth, the
six hundredth and sixty-sixth, the fiftieth, the two-hundredth, and so
on until he had a number of Hebrew signs ranged side by side. Presently
he said, pointing to them:
“Here you are! The English translation to this is ‘...yourselves, and
wonder, for unto thee, O children of Israel...’”
“Really, dad!” exclaimed the girl, highly excited. “It’s most
remarkable!”
“Yes,” he admitted. “I confess that until now I held the same idea that
every Jewish Rabbi holds--namely that no secret cipher can exist in our
inspired writings.”
“But you have now proved it beyond question!” she declared.
“Yes. But startling as it may be, we must preserve our secret, dear.
There are others endeavouring to learn the trend of my investigations,
recollect. We may have spies upon us, for aught we know,” he added in a
low tone, glancing at her with a significant look.
“How long do you expect it will take before you are in full possession
of the whole of the secret statement?” she asked.
“Many hours, my dear. Perhaps many days--how can I tell. Holmboe says
it runs through only nine chapters. Therefore it should end with
chapter xxvi. But as far as I can gather I believe I shall find further
cryptic statements in the later chapters. There are certain evidences
of these in chapter xxxvii, 16, in chapter xxxix, 18, 19 and 20, and
again in chapter xliv, 5. Therefore, I anticipate that my task may be a
rather long one. The counting and recounting to ensure accuracy
occupies so much time. The miscounting of a single letter would throw
everything out and prevent the record being recovered, as you will
readily foresee. Hence, it must be done with the greatest precision and
patience.”
“But, dad--this is most joyful news!” declared the girl excitedly, “I’m
most anxious to telegraph to Frank.”
“Not until the secret is wholly ours, my dear. Remember we must keep
the key a most profound secret to ourselves.”
“Of course, dad,” the girl answered, “I quite see that this information
must not be allowed to pass to our enemies.”
Little did father or daughter imagine that, within their own quiet
household, was a spy--the maid Laura, suborned by Jim Jannaway.
When the pair had entered the study she had crept silently up to the
door, and listened intently for the one fact which Jannaway had
instructed her to listen--the means by which the cipher could be
unravelled.
She was a shrewd, intelligent girl, and the inducement which the
good-looking adventurer had held out to her was such that the
Professor’s explanation to his daughter impressed itself upon her
memory.
She recollected every word, and still stood listening, able to hear
quite distinctly, until there seemed no further information to be
gathered. Then she descended the stairs, and made certain memoranda of
the text at which to commence, and the mode by which the decipher could
be made.
Half an hour later she made an excuse to the cook that she wished to go
out to buy some hairpins, and then despatched a telegram to the name and
address which her generous and good-looking “gentleman” had given her.
Meanwhile Gwen still sat with her father at his writing-table watching
him slowly taking from the text of the Book of Ezekiel the full and
complete record that had been hidden from scholars through all the
ages--the record which was to deliver back to the house of Israel her
most sacred possessions.
The light of the short afternoon faded, the electric light was switched
on, tea was served by the faithless maid-servant, and dinner had been
announced.
But the Professor worked on, regardless and oblivious of everything. He
was far too occupied, and Gwen was also too excited to dress and descend
to dinner. Therefore, Laura served the meal upon a tray.
All was silence save the Professor’s dry monotonous voice as he counted
aloud the letters of the Hebrew text, recounted them to reassure
himself, and then set down a Hebrew character as result.
Thus from after luncheon until midnight--through the time indeed that
Diamond was so patiently watching the big house in Berkeley Square--the
work of solving the problem went slowly on.
Gwen sat and watched her father’s Hebrew manuscript grow apace, until it
covered many quarto pages. Now and then she assisted in counting the
letters, verifying her father’s addition.
Then at last, just after the old-fashioned clock upon the mantelshelf
had chimed twelve, the old scholar raised his grey head with a sigh, and
wiping his glasses, as was his habit, said:
“Sit down, dear, and write the English translation at my dictation. I
think we now have it quite complete.”