"I think it's rubbish. What do you say?"

"Unmitigated rubbish."

"What, for instance, can he mean by 'skull' and 'sculls' with a line under each? The writing is that of a man of some education."

"Oh, yes--he was a man of some education."

O'Brien paused in his walk, and cried:

"Stop! I think I have an idea."

"Eh?"

"From what you know of this man, do you think he could spell a word of ordinary English?"

"I should think so."

"Then I have an idea.