Malcolm Sage,
August 12th, 1919.
No. 138.
For some moments they all gazed at the paper as if the mysterious blue letters exercised upon them some hypnotic influence.
"Secret ink!"
It was Robert Freynes who spoke. Accustomed as he was to dramatic moments, he was conscious of a strange dryness at the back of his throat, and a consequent huskiness of voice.
His remark seemed to break the spell. Instinctively everyone turned to him. The significance of the bluish-coloured characters was slowly dawning upon the inspector; but the others still seemed puzzled to account for their presence.
Immediately he had lifted the plate from the letter, Malcolm Sage had drawn a sheet of plain sermon paper from the rack before him. This he subjected to the same treatment as the letter. When a few seconds later he exposed it, there in the centre appeared the same words:——
Malcolm Sage,
August 12th, 1919.
but on this sheet the number was 203.
Then the true significance of the two sheets of paper seemed to dawn upon the onlookers.
Suddenly there was a scream, and Muriel Crayne fell forward on to the floor.