by Harold Avery
CHAPTER XVII.
DIGGORY READS THE CIPHER.
The gymnasium was filled with a dense crowd of boys; "Rats," Maxton,and some other members of the Lower Fourth were fighting for seats onthe parallel bars, and throughout tho whole assembly there was a subduedmurmur of interest and expectation. The last gathering of the kind hadbeen a court-martial held some two years previously on a boy suspectedof stealing. Old stagers, in a patronizing manner, related what hadhappened to their younger comrades, adding, "What, weren't you here_then?_ Well, you are a kid!" and forgetting to mention that at thetime they themselves were wearing knickerbockers, and doing simplearithmetic in the lowest form.
At one end of the room was a big chest containing dumb-bells andsingle-sticks, and Allingford, mounting on the top of this as the laststragglers from the dining-hall joined the assembly, called for silence.
There was no attempt at eloquence or self-assertion in Allingford'sremarks; brief they were almost to bluntness, but well suited to theaudience to whom they were addressed. It was the old, well-triedcaptain of Ronleigh who spoke, and the boys of Ronleigh who listened,and the manner in which the words were given and received might havereminded one of a speech of Sir Colin Campbell's in the Indian Mutiny,and the answer of the Highlanders he addressed:--
"Ninety-third, you are my own lads; I rely on you to do yourselves andme credit."
"Ay, ay, Sir Colin; ye ken us, and we ken you."
"I think you all know," began the captain, "the reason of this meetingbeing called together. Last night Browse was set on in this room--inthe dark, mind you--knocked down, and drenched with cold water.Some fellows may think it a good joke. I don't; I think the fellows whodid it were cads and cowards. I reported the matter to the doctor, andhe consented to act in accordance with the wishes of the prefects, andleave the matter in the hands of the boys themselves rather than inquireinto it himself, which would probably only have meant another punishmentfor the whole school." ("Hear, hear!")
"Now, what I want to say is this. I've been here a good many years--longer than any one, except Oaks and Rowlands and two or three more.I love the place, and I'm proud of it. I'd sooner be captain ofRonleigh than of any other public school you could mention" (cheers);"but I tell you plainly, the place is going down. There's been a gooddeal too much of this rowdy element showing lately, and it's high timeit was put a stop to.
"Some of you, I know, have lately taken a dislike to me, and think Idon't act rightly." ("No, no!") "If I'm to blame, I'm sorry for it,for I've always tried to do my best. I ask you not to look upon thismatter as a personal affair, either of mine or of any of the otherprefects, but to consider only the welfare of the school. I say againthat if Ronleigh is to retain its reputation, and be kept from going tothe dogs, it's high time these underhanded bits of foul play like thereading-room row and this attack on Browse were put a stop to; and I begyou all to join in taking measures to prevent anything of the kindoccurring again in the future."
The speaker concluded his remarks amid a general outburst of applause.
"So we will," cried several voices; "three cheers for old Ally!"
"In my opinion," began Oaks, as soon as order was restored, "the firstthing is to try to find out who did it; surely a fellow can't be set onby three or four others without somebody knowing something about it.--Haven't you yourself any idea who it was, Browse?"
"Well, I can't swear," answered Browse readily. "I couldn't see,because it was dark, and my spectacles were knocked off; but I'm prettycertain it was some of Thurston's lot--Gull, or Hawley, or some of thosefellows. They did it because I complained when they kicked up a row andinterfered with my work."
This reply created a great sensation, and the air was rent with a stormof groans, cheers, and hisses.
Oaks, who seemed to have taken upon himself the duties of counsel forthe prosecution, held up his hand to procure silence.
"Shut up!" he exclaimed; "every one will be heard in time. Browsethinks it might have been Gull, Thurston, or Hawley.--Now, Gull, whathave you got to say? Where were you last night?"
"In bed, asleep," answered Gull promptly.
There was a laugh.
"I don't mean that. What we want to know is, what were you doing after'prep'?"
"Well, I was about some private business of my own."
"What was it?"
"I don't see why I should tell you all my private affairs."
"Well, in this instance we mean to know; so out with it. What were youdoing directly after 'prep' last night?"
There was a hush of expectation. Every one thought an importantdisclosure was about to be made.
"All right," answered Gull calmly; "if you must know, I'll tell you.I was in the matron's room, getting her to sew two buttons on mywaistcoat."
A roar of laughter interrupted the proceedings; the defence had scoredheavily. Oaks was for the moment completely nonplussed, and Thurstonseized the opportunity of making a counter-attack. He strode forward,and mounting the chest addressed the assembly as follows:--
"Gentlemen, however low Ronleigh may have sunk, there is still, Ibelieve, left among us a certain amount of love of fair play, andtherefore I ask you to give me a hearing. The saying goes, 'Give a doga bad name and then hang him.' I'm a dog on which certain people havebeen good enough to bestow a bad name. I know I've got it, and to tellyou the truth I don't much care. All the same, I don't see why I shouldbe hung for a thing which is no fault of mine. You've just heard whatGull's had to say. I can prove that I was in Smeaton's study when thisthing happened; and I daresay, if Hawley is to be cross-examined, he'llbe able to show that he was somewhere else at the time. What I say,however, is this--that it's very unfair and unjust to practicallyaccuse fellows of a thing without having some grounds for so doing.I don't want to brag, but there have been times, as, for instance, atthe last Wraxby match" (cheers), "when the school thought well of me"(loud cheers). "Now I'm a black sheep; but there ought to be fair playfor black sheep as well as for white ones." ("Hear, hear!")"Allingford said something about underhanded bits of foul play. Well,I, for one, am not afraid to be open and speak my mind. If the place isgoing to the dogs because of it's being continually in a state ofdisorder, then the fault lies with the prefects." (Sensation.)"They're the ones who ought to check it, and if they are incompetent,and can't do their duty, it's no excuse for their trying to shift theblame on to fellows who are innocent, but who happen to stand in theirbad books."
The speech had just the effect which Thurston intended it should have.The English schoolboy has always been a zealous champion of "fair play,"though sometimes misled in his ideas as to what the term really implies.A vague sense that the prefects were at fault, and that this inquiry wasa blind to cover their shortcomings, spread through the meeting.Oaks was interrupted and prevented from questioning Hawley, and itseemed as though the good influence of Allingford's opening speech wouldbe entirely lost, and that the meeting would bring about a still morehostile attitude on the part of the rank and file towards those inauthority.
The Thurstonians, however, attempting to make the most of this temporarytriumph, met with an unexpected disaster, which quickly turned thechanging tide of public opinion.
During a momentary pause in the hubbub which followed Thurston'saddress, Fletcher senior, with the usual smile upon his face, began tospeak.
"Thurston has just said that as regards these rows the fault lies withthe prefects, and that they are culpable in trying to shift the blame onto other fellows without first getting sufficient evidence to warranttheir so doing. As one of the prefects, I think it only fair to myselfto mention that I was not in favour of this meeting being called.I suggested to my friend Allingford that this matter should be allowedto rest until some inquiries had been made--"
"Stop!" cried the captain sternly. The two lines were deepening betweenhis eyebrows, and the corners of his mouth were drawn down. The boyshad seen that look before, as he stood at the wicket when runs wer
e fewand the bowling dangerous. "Stop! Speak the truth: you're not myfriend."
"Allingford says we are not friends," continued the speaker, with thesame eternal smile upon his lips. "I'm sorry to hear it. I know I'vealways tried to be his friend, ever--"
"You're lying!" interrupted the other sharply. "Take care, or I'llprove it!"
There was a dead silence all over the room. Fletcher did not know whatwas coming, and though he felt uneasy, he had gone too far to go back.
"I can't understand," he began, "why you should have this unkind feelingtowards me. I can only repeat, in spite of what you say, that I _am_your friend."
"Very well," returned the other, with an angry flash in his eyes, "as itwas partly an attack on myself, I had meant to have said nothing aboutit; but since you persist in your miserable hypocrisy, I'll exposeyou.--You remember," he continued, turning to the audience, and speakingwith a ring of bitter scorn in his voice, "that paltry rhyme that wasfastened on the notice-board after the Town match? Well, allow me tointroduce you to the author of it. He was too modest to sign his nameto it, but here he is, all the same--a fellow who tries to bringridicule and contempt on his own side; who stabs a man in the dark, andin the daylight professes to be his friend."
A derisive groan rose from the crowd.
"You can't prove it!" retorted Fletcher, turning first white and thenred.
"I can prove it up to the hilt. You had the confounded cheek to borrowfrom me the very book of songs you used when you wrote the parody, andyou were fool enough to leave the rough copy in it when you brought itback. It's there now, in your writing. Shall I send for it? it's on mystudy table at this moment."
The culprit muttered something about it's being "only a joke," but hisreply was lost amid a storm of hoots and hisses.
"Sneak!" cried one voice; "Turn him out!" yelled another; while theobject of this outburst of animosity, recovering himself sufficiently toglance round with a contemptuous sneer on his face, fell back, andendeavoured to hide his confusion by entering into conversation withGull and Thurston.
Fletcher had come a nasty cropper, and reaped what, sooner or later, isthe inevitable reward of double-dealing.
Once more the sympathy of the meeting was enlisted on the side ofAllingford and the prefects, and the crowd dispersed, resolved todiscover, if possible, who had made the attack on Browse, and determinedthat such acts of disorder were not to be tolerated in the future.
"Hullo, old chap!" said Thurston, entering his friend's study a fewmoments later; "you made rather a mess of that speech of yours.I'm inclined to think you've damaged your reputation."
"I don't care," returned the other; "we're both leaving at the end ofthis term. As for Allingford, just let him look out: it'll be my turnto move next, and there's plenty of time to finish the game betweennow and Christmas."
It was a bright, crisp afternoon. Almost everybody hurried away tochange for football.
"Where's Diggy?" asked Jack Vance, as he and Mugford strolled out to thejunior playing field.
"Oh, he said he wasn't coming; he's stewing away at that stupid cipher.He can't find any word except 'the;' he'll never be able to read thething."
It being a half-holiday, the games lasted a little longer than usual.At length, however, the signal was given to "cease fire," and a generalcry of "Hold the ball!" put an end to the several contests.
The crowd of players were tramping across the paved playground, andsurging through the archway into the quadrangle, when Jack Vance andMugford were suddenly confronted by Diggory. He held some scraps ofpaper in his hand, and appeared to be greatly agitated.
"Come here," he cried, seizing each of them by the arm; "I've gotsomething to show you."
"Well, what is it?" asked the other two. Their friend, however, wouldvouchsafe no further reply than, "Come here out of the way, and I'lltell you."
He dragged them along until they reached the deserted entrance to someof the classrooms; then, stopping and turning to them with anextraordinary look of mingled triumph, mystery, and excitement,exclaimed,--
"I've read the cipher!"
"Pooh! what of that?" answered Jack, rather annoyed at being taken sofar out of his way for nothing. "I expect it isn't anything particularafter all."
"It is, though," returned the other confidently; "and you'll say so toowhen you read it."
"Well, tell us first how you managed to find it out."
"That's just what I was going to do. You know I found that G was T, Swas H, and V was E; well, I tried and tried, and I couldn't get anyfurther. I wrote down the alphabet, and put V opposite E, and Topposite G, and S opposite H. I stared at it and stared at it, and allof a sudden--I don't know how I came to think of it--I noticed that E isthe fifth letter from the _beginning_ of the alphabet, and V is thefifth letter from the _end_. The same thing held good with the nextletter: G was seventh from the beginning, and T was seventh from theend."
Diggory paused as though to see what effect this announcement would haveon the faces of his friends.
"Well!" they exclaimed; "go on!"
"Why, then, I saw in a moment what they'd done: _they'd simplytransposed the whole alphabet_--A. was Z, and Z was A!"
"Oh!" cried Jack Vance; "I see it now."
"Of course, it was as plain as print. I put the two alphabets side byside, one the right way and the other upside down, and I read the cipherin two minutes, and here's what you might call the translation."
As he spoke he held out a scrap of scribbling-paper. Jack Vance tookit, and read as follows:--
"Meet in the 'gym' when the fellows pass on to supper. The two cans ofwater are standing inside the cupboard under the stairs."
Mugford stared at Jack Vance, and Jack stared at Diggory. "D'you see?"cried the latter eagerly.
"Yes."
"Well, what then?"
"Why, it must have something to do with this row about Browse."
"Of course: the fellows who did it didn't want, I suppose, to be seentalking together too much just before it happened, and so they inventedthis way of making their plans."
"But who can it be?" asked Mugford. "It seems to me it's just like oneof those secret society things in Russia."
"So it is, and we must find out who they are," answered Diggory,smacking his lips with great relish. "We'll see once more what can bedone by the Triple Alliance."
The more the three friends thought over the matter of the cipher letter,the more their curiosity and interest were excited.
"I believe it's either Noaks or Mouler," said Mugford; "they were bothof them siding with Thurston, and trying to kick up a row at themeeting."
"Oh, they'd neither of them have the sense to invent a thing like this,"answered Jack. "They may be in it, but there's some one else besides."
Diggory scouted the idea of letting any other boys share their secret.The honour of having discovered and exposed the plot must belong to theTriple Alliance alone, and it must be said that they had accomplishedtheir task unaided by any outsiders.
That evening and the following day the greater portion of their freetime was spent in discussing the great question as to what should bedone. The cipher note evidently had direct connection with theattack on Browse, but the translation of the letter was in itself likefinding a key without knowing the whereabouts of the lock which itfitted. The question was, by whom and for whom it had been written.
Afternoon school was just over, and the three friends were standingwarming their feet on a hot-water pipe, discussing the likelihood ofmaking any other discoveries which might tend to throw more light on thesubject, when suddenly a happy thought entered the head of Jack Vance.
"Look here, Diggory. You said you found this note in a crack in thewall under one of the grub-room windows, and that you thought somefellows were using it as a sort of post-office. Well, have youbeen there to see if anything's been put there since?"
"No!" cried Diggory. "Good idea! I'll go now at once."
He walke
d quickly out of the room, and came back a few moments later ata run.
"I've got one!" he exclaimed, in a low, eager tone. "Don't let any onesee; come to my desk."
The note this time was very brief:--
ZUGVIGVZFMWVIGSVKZE.
Diggory hastily fished out his double alphabet, wrote down the properletters as Jack read out those on the paper, and in a few seconds thetranslation was complete, and read as follows:--
"_After tea under the pav._"
The three boys stared at it in silence.
"What does it mean?" asked Mugford.
"Why," cried Diggory excitedly, "I see. Something's going to happenafter tea this evening in that place under the pavilion--you know whereI mean?"
The other two nodded their heads. The pavilion at Ronleigh being raisedsome distance above the level of the field, there was a space betweenthe floor and the ground used for storing whiting-buckets, goal-posts,and a number of forms, which were brought out on match-days to affordseats for visitors. The door of this den had no lock, and opened on thepiece of waste turf at the back of the building. Small boys used it asa cave when playing brigands, and for so doing had their ears boxed byirate members of the Sports Committee. It was too low to admit of anyone's moving about except in a stooping posture, and pitch dark unlessthe door was left wide open.
"What do you think it is?" said Mugford.
"I don't know," answered Diggory; "but I mean to go and see."
"If they catch you prying about, and find out that you've been watchingthem, you'll get an awful licking."
"I don't care if I do; I mean to go."
"Well, we'll go with you," said Jack Vance. "Remember it's the TripleAlliance, and we vowed always to stand by each other whatever happened."
"Yes," answered Diggory, "and so we will; but there's less chance of onebeing seen than three. No; I'll go alone."