"Try a word of three letters, if there's one," suggested Naball, "and you can see how the letters are placed."
"Here's one spelt 'g-t-o.' What word can be made out of that."
"Got," said Ezra eagerly.
"Well, if so, in the cypher it reads, the first letter 'g,' the last, letter 't,' and the middle letter at the end."
"What do you think of that?" asked Naball bluntly.
"That the sender of this has taken the first and last letters of a word, and written them in rotation."
"I don't understand," said Naball in a puzzled tone.
"I think I do," said Eugénie quickly. "Let us take another word, and instead of guessing it, try my idea, Here is a word, 'teher.' Now, Mr. Naball, take a sheet of paper and write down what I say."
Naball got some paper and a pencil.
"Now," said Eugénie, "this word 'teher.' The first letter is 't,' now the second letter, which, I think, is the end one of the proper word, is 'e'--place that at the end."