"'"I've had enough of Norfolk," said he "I'll run down to Mr Beddoes in Hampshire He'll be as me were, I dare say "

"'"You're not going away in any kind of spirit, Hudson, ," said my father, with tameness which mad my blood boil

"'"I've not had my 'pology," said he sulkily, glancing in my direction

"'"Victor, acknowledge that used this worthy fellow rather roughly," said the dad, turning

"'" contrary, that both shown extraordinary patience towards him," I answered

"'"Oh, , ? " he snarls " , mate We'll see ! "

"'He slouched room, and half an hour afterwards left the house, leaving my father in state of pitiable nervousness Night after night I heard him pacing his room, and just as recovering his confidence blow did at last fall '

"'And how ? ' I asked eagerly

"'In most extraordinary fashion letter arrived father yesterday evening, bearing the Fordingbridge post-mark My father read it, clapped both his hands head, and began running round the room in little circles like man who driven out senses When I at last drew him down on sofa, his mouth and eyelids were all puckered on one side, and that he had stroke Dr Fordham came over at once We put him to bed; but the paralysis has spread, he has shown no sign of returning consciousness, and that hardly find him alive '

"'You horrify me, Trevor ! ' I cried 'What then letter to cause so dreadful result ? '

"'Nothing There lies the inexplicable part of it The message was absurd and trivial Ah, my God, as I feared ! '

"As he spoke we came round the curve avenue, and saw fading light that every blind house drawn down dashed door, my friend's face convulsed with grief, gentleman in black emerged

"'When did it happen, doctor ? ' asked Trevor

"'Almost immediately after you left '

"'Did he recover consciousness ? '

"'For an instant end '

"'Any message '

"'Only papers were back drawer Japanese cabinet '

"My friend ascended doctor chamber of death, while I remained study, turning the whole matter over and over in my head, and feeling as sombre as ever I had done in my life the past Trevor, pugilist, traveller, and gold-digger, and how had he placed himself power acid-faced seaman ? Why, too, should he faint at an allusion half-effaced initials upon his arm, and die of fright when he had letter from Fordingham ? Then I remembered that Fordingham was in Hampshire, and Mr Beddoes, whom the seaman had gone to visit and presumably to blackmail, had also been mentioned as living in Hampshire The letter, then, might either come from Hudson, the seaman, saying that he had betrayed the guilty secret which appeared to exist, or it might come from Beddoes, warning an old confederate that such betrayal was imminent it seemed clear enough But then how could this letter be trivial and grotesque, as describe son ? misread it , it must one ingenious secret codes which mean while they seem to mean another see this letter If there were hidden meaning , confident that pluck it forth For an hour I sat pondering over it gloom, until at last weeping maid brought in lamp, and close at her heels came my friend Trevor, pale but composed, very papers which lie upon my knee held grasp He sat down opposite , drew the lamp edge table, and handed me short note scribbled, as , upon single sheet of grey paper "The supply of game for London is going steadily up,' it ran 'Head-keeper Hudson, we believe, now told to receive all orders for fly-paper and for preservation of you hen-pheasant's life '

"I dare say my face looked as bewildered did just now when first this message Then I reread it very carefully evidently as I had thought, and some secret meaning must lie buried strange combination of words Or could it be that prearranged significance to such phrases as 'fly-paper' and hen-pheasant' ? Such meaning arbitrary and deduced in And yet loath case, presence word Hudson seemed to show subject message was as I had guessed, and from Beddoes rather sailor I tried it backwards, but the combination 'life pheasant's hen' was not encouraging Then I tried alternate words, but neither 'the of for' nor 'supply game London' promised to throw any light upon it

"And then in an instant the key riddle was in my hands, and that every third word, beginning first, would give message which might well drive old Trevor to despair

" short and terse, the warning, as I now read it to my companion:

"'The game is up Hudson has told all Fly for your life '

"Victor Trevor sank his face into his shaking hands, 'It that, I suppose,' said he " worse than death, means disgrace But the meaning "head-keepers" and "hen-pheasants" ?

"'It means nothing message, but it might mean had no other means of discovering the sender that he has begun by writing "The . game . is," and so on Afterwards he had, to fulfil the prearranged cipher, in any two words in each space naturally use the first words which came mind, and if there were which referred to sport among them, tolerably sure that either an ardent shot or interested in breeding anything Beddoes ? '

"'Why, now that you mention it,' said he, 'I remember that my poor father used an invitation to shoot over his preserves every autumn '

"'Then undoubtedly note comes,' said I 'It only remains out what this secret was which the sailor Hudson seems held over the heads two wealthy and respected men '

"'Alas, Holmes, one of sin and shame ! ' cried my friend 'But no secrets statement drawn up by my father when danger from Hudson had become imminent it Japanese cabinet, as the doctor Take it and read it , for neither the strength nor the courage myself '

"These are the very papers, Watson, which he handed , read them , as them old study that night to him endorsed outside, as , 'Some particulars voyage bark Gloria Scott, from her leaving Falmouth 8th October, 1855, to her destruction in N Lat 15 degrees 20', W Long 25 degrees 14' on Nov 6th ' form of letter, and runs :

"'My dear, dear son, now that approaching disgrace begins to darken the closing years life, write with all truth and honesty not the terror law, the loss position county, nor my fall eyes of all known me, which cuts me heart; but thought that come to blush --you who love me and seldom, , had reason respect me But blow falls forever hanging over me, then wish you to read this, that know straight from me how far to blame other hand, if all should go well ( kind God Almighty grant ! ), then if by any chance this paper still undestroyed and should fall into your hands, I conjure you, by all you hold sacred, memory of your dear mother, and love which , to hurl it fire and to never give one thought again

"'If then your eye goes onto read this line, that already exposed and dragged from my home, or as is more likely, for that my heart is weak, by lying with my tongue sealed forever in death In either case the time for suppression is past, and every word which I tell you naked truth, and this I swear as for mercy