Page:The Master of Mysteries (1912).djvu/182

 "That's my mother," said Miss Dalrymple, looking over his shoulder.

"It is hardly necessary to explain that. I see now where you get your beauty." With a deft movement of his thumb nail, Astro opened the inner rim and removed the photograph. The back of the paper was covered with Greek letters written microscopically in ink, as follows:

Δαν σλεγ αρ θενα νδε οϛον σλεροϛ εβνχλεπ λνϛνε αρλε π ομ μιερ

"Oh!" the girl cried excitedly, "I knew it! I knew there was something to be found out! It's Greek, isn't it? Oh, I hope you read Greek! Do you?"

Astro smiled. "I read Greek as well as I do English; but this, unfortunately, isn't Greek at all."

"Why, isn't it? I know some of the letters myself. Look there—isn't that a Delta, and that Alpha and Pi?"

"Yes, the letters are Greek characters, but they are not Greek words. It's a cipher, Miss Dalrymple."

The girl's face fell. "Oh!" she breathed. In her excitement she was almost leaning on his shoulder. She clasped his arm unconsciously as she added, "Surely you can read it? You have solved so many mysteries; you have such wonderful occult power! I've heard that any cipher ever invented could be solved."

"And so it can. I have solved harder ones than this, I'm sure. Yes, your locket is certainly getting interesting. I'm sorry that I am too busy now to work on