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THE MURDER IN X. STREET (PART IV)
Published in What's On London, England 29 February 1908 (page 20)
OUR NEW COMPETITION
THE MURDER IN X. STREET Chapter IV
We continue our new competition, and offer a prize of £5 to the successful competitor, in addition to the regular weekly prize of 10s. 6d.
What you have to do is read the story and send in your solution of the problems propounded in the course of the narrative.
To the competitor who sends each week the best and clearest solution we will award a sum of 10s. 6d. All entries for the competition will be kept by us, and when the series is concluded we will send to the competitor whose replies have won most marks during the series the sum of £5.
Some of the problems are very difficult, but competitors are not expected to solve them all. Answers may be sent in at any time, not necessarily week by week.
Rules—Competitors must attach to their replies the coupon to be found on the outside top corner of the front cover.
Note.—This coupon will only be found on purchased copies of WHAT’S ON, as it is purposely omitted from all copies supplied to hotels, restaurants, clubs, etc., to prevent mutilation. Competitors should write as clearly as possible, and must send their full name and address with each reply.
The Editor’s decision is final.
No employee of WHAT’S ON is allowed to compete.
Address your replies to Editor, WHAT’S ON, 32, Essex Street, Strand, W.C., and write “Competition” on the top left-hand corner of your envelope.
THE MURDER IN X. STREET. Chapter IV.
“What is your name?” the inspector asked the pallid youth.
“Carstairs.”
“What knowledge have you of the crime? What are your hours in office?”
Carstairs smiled. “My movements are easy to trace. The master is a very methodical man; he leaves nothing to chance. See!—and he pointed to the wall.
On the wall of the office were the following rules for clerks, of whom there were six:— (1) On Monday and Tuesday no four can go out together. (2) On Thursday, Friday and Saturday no three can stay in together. (3) On Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday, if Burton and Carstairs are together, then Aliston, Burton, Edwards and Francis must be together. (4) On Monday and Saturday, Burton cannot go out unless either Despard, or Aliston, Carstairs and Edwards stay at home. Aliston and Burton have the right to choose first what they will do, then Carstairs, then the others.
“Now,” said the inspector, “Let us trace your movements, Carstairs. First, when must you go out; second; when must you stay in; third, when can you do as you choose?”
These questions having been satisfactorily answered, the detective’s manner relaxed a little. “Got a good berth here, I suppose?”
“Oh, dear, yes! a very soft thing, indeed,” chuckled the clerk. “Only the other day the boss came in and raised our salaries all round. We had been getting a half-yearly rise of £10, but now we get a rise of £20 yearly. Fancy that!”
“You have indeed a generous employer,” sneered the detective. “How much (do you think) have you gained by the exchange?”
It doesn’t matter what he thought; the detective soon set him right.
These matters having been satisfactorily settled they proceeded to the street.
The book was quite unrecognizable, being partially burnt, and partially rotted, and partially covered with blood. But the title was readily enough found from the double acrostic which some reader had scribbled in a blank leaf. (1) This word indicible has four good letters. (2) This sort of person forges his own fetters. (3) This is as good as any Guildhall banquet. (4) This person has a mischievous and crank wit. (5) This ends the glacial age of frozen rocks. (6) This heroine pleases some—though some she shocks. (7) This horny brute is dangerous to hit. (8) Whatever those may be, this last is it.
Very little of the book itself was legible. There was however, one superb passage which the inspector proceeded to spell out with great enthusiasm.
“ThnmstrgrwthsnsfgdwthtndgdwsndnthngmghtxstSbsstrbtlltsdfmmslfstncfxstncs.”
“He’s forgotten the vowels!” exclaimed Lascelles.
“Here they are, in a note, all in their correct order. Eiieeeeeooiouaoaiaoiieiuioeaaouieoeyeeieeoeiee. He was certainly right: this magnificent passage is the very consummation of idealism!” [Restore the passage.]
“How many pages of this sort of rubbish are there?” dissented the unamiable Lascelles.
“More than 99 and less than 1,000,” replied the detective. “The square of the first figure added to the square of twice the second figure is equal to the square of the difference of the third and second figures. The product of all the figures less their sum is equal to the product of the first two figures multiplied by their sum. The square of the last figure is equal to the sum of the product of the figures and the last figure; and the square of the first figure to the sum of the other two. How old was the author when he wrote it, should you say? The sum of all the integral subdivisors of his age was equal to that age itself—a man in the prime of his youth.”
[What was his age.]
(To be continued.) |