Page:Love's trilogy.djvu/78

 'Look for yourself,' he said. And added, 'Of course, it is only a joke.'

It was a letter from Alfred Mörch, asking Erik and me to dine with him. My first impulse was to be angry. I thought the joke was in very bad taste, but just as I was going to speak about it to Erik, my eyes fell on the first letters of the first lines and I read a word. This stopped what I was going to say; I blushed, grew embarrassed, and finally left the room. When I got into my own room I spread the letter out before me and read as follows: —

At first glance there was nothing mysterious or curious about the letter. But if one read it, guided by subtle intuition, the first letters of each line, a tiny letter appeared within the letter, a secret little message, saying, 'Come alone, do.'

It was impossible that this could be mere chance. I felt sure it was a cunningly arranged game; and