and I can confirm the χ as r by taking the portion marked A—etter. Here we get an end of an adjective in the comparative degree; I think it must be better.”
“Let us next take a group of cyphers higher up; I will pencil over it D. I take this group because it contains some of the letters which we have settled —eathn. Eath must be the end of a word, for none begins with athn, thn, or hn. Now what letter will suit eath? Possibly h, probably d.”
“Yes,” exclaimed Fletcher, “Death, to be sure. I can guess it all: ‘Death is approaching, and I feel that a solemn duty devolves upon me, namely, that of acquainting Matthew Fletcher, my heir, with the spot where I have hidden my savings.’ Go on, go on.”
“All in good time, friend,” I laughed. “You observe we can confirm our guess as to the sign ) being used for d, by comparing the passage—29§—)*8228χ, which we now read, t. had better. But t. had better is awkward; you cannot make 9 into o; ‘to had,’ would be no sense.”
“Of course not,” burst forth Fletcher. “Don’t you see it all? I had better let my excellent nephew know where I have deposited——”
“Wait a bit,” interrupted I; “you are right, I believe. I is the signification of 9. Let us begin the whole cryptograph now:—N.tethi.i.t.re.ind.e.”
“Remind me!” cried Fletcher.
“You have it again,” said I. “Now we obtain an additional letter besides m, for t. remind me is certainly to remind me. We must begin again:—Note thi.i. to remind me.”
“This is,” called out my excited friend, whose eyes were sparkling with delight and expectation. “Go on; you are a trump!”
“These, then, are our additional letters:—) = d, 7 = m, β = s, 9 = i, λ = o. To remind me i.i. ee. m. death ni.h; for m. death, I read my death, and i.i. ee., I guess to be, if I feel. So it stands thus:—‘Note.—This is to remind me, if I feel my death nigh, that I had better——’”