In Secret

W. Chambers Robert

Description

Robert W. Chambers' engaging spy tale In Secret brings together a dizzying array of ideas and insights, but somehow weaves them together into a harmonious and wholly unique tapestry. The fast-paced story is brimful with memorable characters -- an eccentric cryptographer, a rugged hero struggling with his demons, and a pair of star-crossed lovers whose tragic fate may already be sealed.

Sujets

• Adventure (Guyana)
• Adventure

Informations

• Publié par: The Floating Press
• Date de parution: 01 novembre 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781775561194
• Langue: English

Extrait

IN SECRET
* * *
ROBERT W. CHAMBERS
 
*
In Secret First published in 1919 ISBN 978-1-77556-119-4 © 2012 The Floating Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. While every effort has been used to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information contained in The Floating Press edition of this book, The Floating Press does not assume liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions in this book. The Floating Press does not accept responsibility for loss suffered as a result of reliance upon the accuracy or currency of information contained in this book. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment. Many suitcases look alike. Visit www.thefloatingpress.com
Contents
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Dedication Chapter I - Cup and Lip Chapter II - The Slip Chapter III - To a Finish Chapter IV - Wreckage Chapter V - Isla Water Chapter VI - Mount Terrible Chapter VII - The Forbidden Forest Chapter VIII - The Late Sir W. Blint Chapter IX - The Blinder Trail Chapter X - The Greater Love Chapter XI - Via Mala Chapter XII - The Great Secret
Dedication
*
I
A grateful nation's thanks are due To Arethusa and to you— To her who dauntless at your side Pneumonia and Flue defied With phials of formaldehyde!
II
Chief of Police were you, by gosh! Gol ding it! how you bumped the Boche! Handed 'em one with club and gun Until the Hun was on the run: And that's the way the war was won.
III
Easthampton's pride! My homage take For Fairest Philadelphia's sake. Retire in company with Bill; Rest by the Racquet's window sill And, undisturbed, consume your pill.
ENVOI
When Cousin Feenix started west And landed east, he did his best; And so I've done my prettiest To make this rhyme long overdue; For Arethusa and for you.
R. W. C.
Chapter I - Cup and Lip
*
The case in question concerned a letter in a yellow envelope, whichwas dumped along with other incoming mail upon one of the many longtables where hundreds of women and scores of men sat opening andreading thousands of letters for the Bureau of P. C.—whatever thatmay mean.
In due course of routine a girl picked up and slit open the yellowenvelope, studied the enclosed letter for a few moments, returned itto its envelope, wrote a few words on a slip of paper, attached theslip to the yellow envelope, and passed it along to the D. A.C.—whoever he or she may be.
The D. A. C., in course of time, opened this letter for the secondtime, inspected it, returned it to the envelope, added a memorandum,and sent it on up to the A. C.—whatever A. C. may signify.
Seated at his desk, the A. C. perused the memoranda, glanced overthe letter and the attached memoranda, added his terse comment tothe other slips, pinned them to the envelope, and routed it throughcertain channels which ultimately carried the letter into a roomwhere six silent and preoccupied people sat busy at six separatetables.
Fate had taken charge of that yellow envelope from the moment it wasmailed in Mexico; Chance now laid it on a yellow oak table before ayellow-haired girl; Destiny squinted over her shoulder as she drewthe letter from its triply violated envelope and spread it out onthe table before her.
A rich, warm flush mounted to her cheeks as she examined thedocument. Her chance to distinguish herself had arrived at last. Shedivined it instantly. She did not doubt it. She was a remarkablegirl.
The room remained very still. The five other cipher experts of theP. I. Service were huddled over their tables, pencil in hand,absorbed in their several ungodly complications and laboriouscalculations. But they possessed no Rosetta Stone to aid them indeciphering hieroglyphics; toad-like, they carried the preciousstone in their heads, M. D.!
No indiscreet sound interrupted their mental gymnastics, save onlythe stealthy scrape of a pen, the subdued rustle of writing paper,the flutter of a code-book's leaves thumbed furtively.
The yellow-haired girl presently rose from her chair, carrying inher hand the yellow letter and its yellow envelope with yellow slipsattached; and this harmonious combination of colour passednoiselessly into a smaller adjoining office, where a solemn youngman sat biting an unlighted cigar and gazing with preternaturalsagacity at nothing at all.
Possibly his pretty affianced was the object of his deep revery—hehad her photograph in his desk—perhaps official cogitation as D.C. of the E. C. D.—if you understand what I mean?—may have beenresponsible for his owlish abstraction.
Because he did not notice the advent of the yellow haired girl untilshe said in her soft, attractive voice:
"May I interrupt you a moment, Mr. Vaux?"
Then he glanced up.
"Surely, surely," he said. "Hum—hum!—please be seated, Miss Erith!Hum! Surely!"
She laid the sheets of the letter and the yellow envelope upon thedesk before him and seated herself in a chair at his elbow. She wasVERY pretty. But engaged men never notice such details.
"I'm afraid we are in trouble," she remarked.
He read placidly the various memoranda written on the yellow slipsof paper, scrutinised! the cancelled stamps, postmarks,superscription. But when his gaze fell upon the body of the letterhis complacent expression altered to one of disgust!
"What's this, Miss Erith?"
"Code-cipher, I'm afraid."
"The deuce!"
Miss Erith smiled. She was one of those girls who always look asthough they had not been long out of a bathtub. She had hazel eyes,a winsome smile, and hair like warm gold. Her figure was youthfullystraight and supple—But that would not interest an engaged man.
The D. C. glanced at her inquiringly.
"Surely, surely," he muttered, "hum—hum!—" and tried to fix hismind on the letter.
In fact, she was one of those girls who unintentionally andinnocently render masculine minds uneasy through some delicate,indefinable attraction which defies analysis.
"Surely," murmured the D. C., "surely! Hum—hum!"
A subtle freshness like the breath of spring in a young orchardseemed to linger about her. She was exquisitely fashioned to troublemen, but she didn't wish to do such a—
Vaux, who was in love with another girl, took another uneasy look ather, sideways, then picked up his unlighted cigar and browsed uponit.
"Yes," he said nervously, "this is one of those accursedcode-ciphers. They always route them through to me. Why don't theynotify the five—"
"Are you going to turn THIS over to the Postal Inspection Service?"
"What do you think about it, Miss Erith? You see it's one of thosehopeless arbitrary ciphers for which there is no earthly solutionexcept by discovering and securing the code book and working it outthat way."7
She said calmly, but with heightened colour:
"A copy of that book is, presumably, in possession of the man towhom this letter is addressed."
"Surely—surely. Hum—hum! What's his name, Miss Erith?"—glancingdown at the yellow envelope. "Oh, yes—Herman Lauffer—hum!"
He opened a big book containing the names of enemy aliens andperused it, frowinng. The name of Herman Lauffer was not listed. Heconsulted other volumes containing supplementary lists of suspectsand undesirables—lists furnished daily by certain servicesunnecessary to mention.
"Here he is!" exclaimed Vaux; "—Herman Lauffer, picture-framer andgilder! That's his number on Madison Avenue!"—pointing to thetype-written paragraph. "You see he's probably already undersurveillance-one of the several services is doubtless keeping tabson him. I think I'd better call up the—"
"Please!—Mr. Vaux!" she pleaded.
He had already touched the telephone receiver to unhook it. MissErith looked at him appealingly; her eyes were very, very hazel.
"Couldn't we handle it?" she asked.
"WE?"
"You and I!"
"But that's not our affair, Miss Erith—"
"Make it so! Oh, please do. Won't you?"
Vaux's arm fell to the desk top. He sat thinking for a few minutes.Then he picked up a pencil in an absent-minded manner and began totrace little circles, squares, and crosses on his pad, stringingthem along line after line as though at hazard and apparentlythinking of anything except what he was doing.
The paper on which he seemed to be so idly employed lay on his deskdirectly under Miss Erith's eyes; and after a while the girl beganto laugh softly to herself.
"Thank you, Mr. Vaux," she said. "This is the opportunity I havelonged for."
Vaux looked up at her as though he did not understand. But the girllaid one finger on the lines of circles, squares, dashes andcrosses, and, still laughing, read them off, translating what he hadwritten:
"You are a very clever girl. I've decided to turn this case over toyou. After all, your business is to decipher cipher, and you can'tdo it without the book."
They both laughed.
"I don't see how you ever solved that," he said, delighted to teaseher.
"How insulting!—when you know it is one of the oldest and mostfamiliar of codes—the 1-2-3 and a-b-c combination!"
"Rather rude of you to read it over my shoulder, Miss Erith. Itisn't done—"
"You meant to see if I could! You know you did!"
"Did I?"
"Of course! That old 'Seal of Solomon' cipher is perfectlytransparent."
"Really? But how about THIS!"—touching the sheets of the Laufferletter—"how are you going to read this sequence of Arabicnumerals?"
"I haven't the slightest idea," said the girl, candidly.
"But you request the job of trying to find the key?" he suggestedironically.
"There is no key. You know it."
"I mean the code book."
"I would like to try to find it."
"How are you going to go about it?"
"I don't know yet."
Vaux smiled. "All right; go ahead, my dear Miss Erith. You'reofficially detailed for this delightful job. Do it your own way, butdo it—"
"Thank you so much!"
"—In twenty-four hours," he added grimly. "Otherwise I'll turn itover to the P.I."
"Oh! That IS brutal of you!"
"Sorry. But if you can't get the code-book in twenty-four hours I'llhave to call in the Service that can."
The girl bit her lip and held out her hand for the letter.
"I can't let it go out of my office," he remarked. "Y