Dr. Jim suspected Don Manuel, but he did not think it wise to say so. "I really cannot be sure," said he shirking the question, "of course we are all in the dark about this business. Again I notice that no time is mentioned in the cipher."
"Oh! I can understand that," replied Bess producing a slip of paper from her pocket, "when I got home last night I looked through the file of the 'Daily Telegraph' given to me by Colonel Carr. I thought there might be a third cipher. See, here it is. It appeared about the beginning of August."
Herrick looked at the third cipher. It was worded exactly the same as the one that had appeared in the newspaper at the later date, save that in it the hour of three o'clock was mentioned as the time of meeting.
"Humph!" said Dr. Jim, "I wonder if Frisco obeyed this first request?"
"I am sure he did," answered Bess readily, "if he had not, the time of meeting would be put into the second. No, Dr. Jim. It is because the person who wants to meet Frisco met him the first time, that he has omitted the hour. He knows that Frisco will be there at three o'clock if he comes at all. You go up and see what you can do."
"It is now the twenty-second," said Herrick after a moment. "All right, I'll go up. But I should say nothing of all this to Stephen."
"Nor to anyone," replied Bess warmly, "let us work out the thing ourselves and put an end to the conspiracy. I am sure it is one," she added, "for you see Carr's money is mentioned. I hope poor Stephen will not be murdered next!"
"I hope not," said Herrick rather gloomily. He was recalling what Mrs. Marsh had said to him about Frisco and of a possible danger to her step-son. "At all events I shall look after him carefully. But all this seems to show that Frisco is not the good man you thought him."
"It does look bad for Frisco," admitted Bess dejectedly, "still he may be able to explain if he can only summon up courage to take his trial. I should not like to be mistaken in Frisco. There was something I liked about him."
"Well, I'll go up to town and watch," said Herrick. "By the way, my friend Joyce is coming down here next week to stay for a time."