“Her pocket-book!” he exclaimed.

We found it crushed under her coat which she had taken off when she entered.  Craig opened it and drew forth a crumpled sheet of paper from which a corner had been torn.  It exactly fitted the scrap that Mrs. Rogers had given us.  There, contained within twenty-seven horizontal and twenty-seven vertical lines, making in all six hundred and seventy-six squares, was every possible combination of two letters of the alphabet.

Kennedy looked up, still in desperation.  It did him no good.  He could have completed the table himself.

“In—­the—­lining.”  Her lips managed to frame the words.

Kennedy literally tore the bag apart.  There was nothing but a plain white blank card.  With a superhuman effort she moved her lips again.

“Smelling-salts,” she seemed to say.

I looked about.  On the dressing-table stood a little dark-green bottle.  I pulled the ground-glass stopper from it and a most pungent odor of carbonate of ammonia filled the room.  Quickly I held it under her nose, but she shook her head weakly.

Kennedy seemed to understand.  He snatched the bottle from me and held the card directly over its mouth.  As the fumes of the ammonia poured out, I saw faintly on the card the letters hr.

We turned to Mrs. Anthony.  The effort had used up her strength.  She had lapsed again into unconsciousness as Craig bent over her.

“Will she live?” lasted.

“I think so,” he replied, adding a hasty word to the doctor.

“What’s that?  Look!” I exclaimed, pointing to the card from which the letters hr had already faded as mysteriously as they had appeared, leaving the card blank again.

“It is the key!” he cried, excitedly.  “Written in sympathetic ink.  At last we have it all.”

On the queer alphabetical table which the two pieces of paper made, he now wrote quickly the alphabet again, horizontally across the top, starting with H, and vertically down the side, starting with R, thus: 

H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A B C D E F G
R a- b- c- d- e- f- g- h- i- j- k- l- m- n- o- p- q- r- s- t- u- v- w- x- y- z-
S aa ba ca da ea fa ga ha ia ja ka la ma na oa pa qa ra sa ta ua va wa xa ya za
T ab bb cb db eb fb gb hb ib jb kb lb mb nb ob pb qb rb sb tb ub vb wb xb yb zb
U ac bc cc dc ec fc gc hc ic jc kc lc mc nc oc pc qc rc sc tc uc vc wc xc yc zc
V ad bd cd dd ed fd gd hd id jd kd ld md nd od pd qd rd sd td ud vd wd xd yd zd
W ae be ce de ee fe ge he ie je ke le me ne oe pe qe re se te ue ve we xe ye ze
X af bf cf df ef ff gf hf if jf kf lf mf nf of pf qf rf sf tf uf vf wf xf yf zf
Y ag bg cg dg eg fg gg hg ig jg kg lg mg ng og pg qg rg sg tg ug vg wg xg yg zg
Z ah bh ch dh eh fh gh hh ih jh kh lh mh nh oh ph qh rh sh th uh vy wh xh yh zh
& ai bi ci di ei fi gi hi ii ji ki li mi ni oi pi qi ri si ti ui vi wi xi yi zi