I felt, rather than saw, that the blank eyes flashed venomously.
"You devil!" he hissed, slipping hastily through the narrow aperture—"you devil!"
Next instant he was gone. And I drew a great breath of relief.
When I turned round Miss Cooper was advancing from the library, her eyes bright with suppressed excitement.
"What a horrid creature!" exclaimed she. "I heard all, Mr. Swift; no wonder Uncle Alfred despises the man."
I looked sharply at her: what earthly reason should Alfred Fluette have for despising Felix Page's private secretary? But of this later. If I was not much mistaken, Miss Cooper held in her hand the cause of her present pleased agitation.
"What have you discovered?"
"This." She handed me a small slip of paper. "I found it inside the lining of the little leather box."
"A cipher!" I cried, sharing some of her excitement.
The bit of paper, perhaps three inches long by an inch wide, was of almost parchment-like fineness and bore a number of peculiar characters written in black ink. At the first glance it suggested a safe combination; but after a minute's intent examination, during which the girl could scarcely restrain her eager impatience, I was obliged to forego that idea.