“Looks like a crazy man wrote it,” says Catty.
“He didn’t,” says Mr. Browning. “A very sane man wrote it. This is cipher.”
“What for? Can you read it?”
“No,” says Mr. Browning, “because Mr. House has the key.”
Then he started to laugh again and he laughed and laughed. “You’ve really had this thing for days! Oh, that’s too good! Didn’t know what it was!... Oh, my. Well, that’s our fault. We should have told you all about things. Can’t you guess what it is?”
“No, sir.”
“This,” says Mr. Browning, “is the treasure.”
“Aw, shucks,” says Catty.
“It is, and there aren’t many treasures worth more money—if we only had House’s key to the cipher. As it is, maybe well have to divide with him. If we just had that key. But we haven’t.”
Just then Catty looked over at the table, and there lay Mr. House’s black leather document case.