"Well, as they did not go to the Hall, where did they go?"
"To the post office in this place. The postmistress, however, knows Miss Varlins, and had the packet been addressed in that name, would have sent them up at once to the Hall. To make things safe, however, I directed the letters to Miss Judith, Post Office, Suburban Ironfields, and she was to call for them."
"Yes, every day, but the postmistress said no packet had arrived."
"Strange! The postal arrangements are very good as a rule. Letters don't often go astray. Addressed to Miss Judith, you say?"
Fanks pinched his chin thoughtfully between his finger and thumb, looked frowningly at the fire, and then looked up suddenly:
"Oh!" said Fanks, smiling to himself; "then I wouldn't be surprised if she had delivered that packet to the wrong person."
"But there's no one else about here called Judith."
Mr. Fanks did not reply, but leaving his chair, went to the sideboard and brought back pen, ink, and paper, which he placed on the table near Roger.
"You're a very bad writer!" he said, calmly arranging the paper.
"No worse than the usual run of literary men."
"I'm sorry for the printers, if that is the case. The letter you sent me here, saying you were coming, is most illegible."
"Well, that letter has nothing to do with the case," said Roger, impatiently.
"I think it has a good deal to do with it, seeing it told me you were coming down here," replied Fanks, coolly. "However, this is not to the point. Take up that pen." Roger did so, looking considerably bewildered at the manner in which his friend was behaving.
"Now write me down the address you put on the packet." Axton obeyed quickly, and produced the following scrawl:
[Illustration: Handwritten address on packet] "Miss Judith, Post Office, Suburban Ironfields"
"Humph!" said Fanks, looking at this specimen of caligraphy. "Most careless writing. Observe; you use the old-fashioned 's.' You don't dot your 'i's,' nor cross your 't's,' and, moreover, you curve your 'i' towards the next letter in the fashion of 'a.' So far so good. Now write M. Judas."
Roger did so with no idea of what his friend had in his mind.
"There," observed Fanks, when this was completed, "do you see much difference between Judith and Judas, according to your writing?"