"L.W.W.L.W."
That done, the remainder was purely a question of arithmetic. Each whorl was given an arbitrary number according to its position. A whorl occurring in the first pair counts 16 in the second, the third 4, the fourth 2, and the fifth 1. Thus Green's effort became—
16 | — | 4 | — | — | 20 | |
| —————— | = | —— | ||||
— | 8 | 4 | — | 1 |
| 13 |
The figure one was added to both numerator and denominator, and Green at once went to the fourteenth pigeon-hole, in a row of the filing cabinet numbered 21.
There, if anywhere, he would find the record that he sought. For awhile he was busy carefully looking through the collection.
"Here it is," he said at last and read: "Charles J. Condit. American. No. 9781 Habitual Convicts' Registry."
"Put 'em back," said Foyle. "We'll find his record in the Registry."
The two detectives, uncertain as to where the regular staff kept the files of the number they wanted, were some little time in searching. It was Foyle who at last reached it from a top shelf and ran his eye over it from the photograph pasted in the top left-hand corner to the meagre details given below.
"This is our man right enough," he said. "American finger-prints and photograph supplied by the New York people when he took a trip to this country five years ago. Never convicted here. It says little about him. We'll have to cable over to learn what they know."
"That gives us a chance for a remand," remarked Green.