Russell frowned over the cipher for the next half-hour. Suddenly his expression lighted up. "I've got it!" he exclaimed and handed the sheet to Crossle. "The words of the message appear alternately in lines two and three."

"The message reads," Russell added, "'H-Two aware of your indiscretions. Disappear at once.'"

"That's fine," Crossle approved.

"But what does it mean?"

"It means that Hartwell was a member of the German Intelligence. For the past half-year he'd been dissipating funds providing for espionage purposes. We knew, from several sources, that H-Two was director of espionage in New York. And so Hartwell was put on the spot-like many other agents whose continued existence as a German spy was deemed undesirable. Unfortunately, he wasn't quick enough in his get-away."

"But who wrote the message?" Russell asked.

"Obviously some one who learned that Hartwell had been blacklisted-most likely a woman, also a spy, with a sentimental interest in Hartwell. He was unusually handsome and inspired a strange loyalty even in the women he had off."