“There is nothing in this spiritualistic business,” said Sergeant Westaway, with official certainty. “No good ever comes of those who dabble in it—I’ve seen cases of the kind at Ashlingsea. We had a sort of medium there once, but I managed to clear her out, after a lot of trouble.”
“Once spiritualism gets into good working order there will be no work for police or detectives, sergeant,” said Crewe. “The mediums will save all the trouble of collecting evidence.”
“I don’t believe in it at all; it is nothing but fraud and deception,” returned Sergeant Westaway.
“Here is the cryptogram,” said Detective Gillett.
He held out to Crewe a sheet of paper which he took from his pocket-book.
Take heed and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted for the two tails of those smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah.
Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, have taken civil counsel against thee, saying,
Let us go up against Judah, and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and set a King in the midst of it, even the son of Tabeal:
Thus saith the Lord God. It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass.
And all the Kings of the north, far and near, one with another, and all the kingdoms of the world, which are upon the face of the earth: and the King of Sheshak shall drink after them.
Therefore, thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, and the God of wrath: “Drink ye and be drunken, and spue and fall, and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you.”
“A curious document!” said Crewe, examining it intently.
“I got it from the dwarf woman,” said Gillett. “She had it hidden away in her sitting-room.”
“I suppose she didn’t want to part with it?”