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 This is page i
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Elementary Number Theory:

Primes, Congruences, and Secrets

William Stein

January 23, 2017

 v

To my wife Clarita Lefthand

vi
 This is page vii
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Contents

Preface ix

1 Prime Numbers 1
1.1 Prime Factorization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.2 The Sequence of Prime Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
1.3 Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

2 The Ring of Integers Modulo n 21

2.1 Congruences Modulo n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
2.2 The Chinese Remainder Theorem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
2.3 Quickly Computing Inverses and Huge Powers . . . . . . . . 31
2.4 Primality Testing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
2.5 The Structure of (Z/pZ)∗ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
2.6 Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

3 Public-key Cryptography 49
3.1 Playing with Fire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
3.2 The Diffie-Hellman Key Exchange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
3.3 The RSA Cryptosystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
3.4 Attacking RSA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
3.5 Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

4 Quadratic Reciprocity 69
4.1 Statement of the Quadratic Reciprocity Law . . . . . . . . 70
viii Contents

4.2 Euler’s Criterion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

4.3 First Proof of Quadratic Reciprocity . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
4.4 A Proof of Quadratic Reciprocity Using Gauss Sums . . . . 81
4.5 Finding Square Roots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
4.6 Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

5 Continued Fractions 93
5.1 The Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
5.2 Finite Continued Fractions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
5.3 Infinite Continued Fractions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
5.4 The Continued Fraction of e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
5.5 Quadratic Irrationals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
5.6 Recognizing Rational Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
5.7 Sums of Two Squares . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
5.8 Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

6 Elliptic Curves 123

6.1 The Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
6.2 The Group Structure on an Elliptic Curve . . . . . . . . . . 125
6.3 Integer Factorization Using Elliptic Curves . . . . . . . . . 129
6.4 Elliptic Curve Cryptography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
6.5 Elliptic Curves Over the Rational Numbers . . . . . . . . . 140
6.6 Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

Answers and Hints 149

References 155

Index 160
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Preface

This is a book about prime numbers, congruences, secret messages, and

elliptic curves that you can read cover to cover. It grew out of undergrad-
uate courses that the author taught at Harvard, UC San Diego, and the
University of Washington.
The systematic study of number theory was initiated around 300B.C.
when Euclid proved that there are infinitely many prime numbers, and
also cleverly deduced the fundamental theorem of arithmetic, which asserts
that every positive integer factors uniquely as a product of primes. Over a
thousand years later (around 972A.D.) Arab mathematicians formulated
the congruent number problem that asks for a way to decide whether or not
a given positive integer n is the area of a right triangle, all three of whose
sides are rational numbers. Then another thousand years later (in 1976),
Diffie and Hellman introduced the first ever public-key cryptosystem, which
enabled two people to communicate secretely over a public communications
channel with no predetermined secret; this invention and the ones that
followed it revolutionized the world of digital communication. In the 1980s
and 1990s, elliptic curves revolutionized number theory, providing striking
new insights into the congruent number problem, primality testing, public-
key cryptography, attacks on public-key systems, and playing a central role
in Andrew Wiles’ resolution of Fermat’s Last Theorem.
Today, pure and applied number theory is an exciting mix of simultane-
ously broad and deep theory, which is constantly informed and motivated
by algorithms and explicit computation. Active research is underway that
promises to resolve the congruent number problem, deepen our understand-
ing into the structure of prime numbers, and both challenge and improve
x Preface

our ability to communicate securely. The goal of this book is to bring the
reader closer to this world.
The reader is strongly encouraged to do every exercise in this book,
checking their answers in the back (where many, but not all, solutions
are given). Also, throughout the text there, are examples of calculations
done using the powerful free open source mathematical software system
Sage (http://www.sagemath.org), and the reader should try every such
example and experiment with similar examples.
Background. The reader should know how to read and write mathemati-
cal proofs and must know the basics of groups, rings, and fields. Thus, the
prerequisites for this book are more than the prerequisites for most ele-
mentary number theory books, while still being aimed at undergraduates.
Notation and Conventions. We let N = {1, 2, 3, . . .} denote the natural
numbers, and use the standard notation Z, Q, R, and C for the rings of
integer, rational, real, and complex numbers, respectively. In this book, we
will use the words proposition, theorem, lemma, and corollary as follows.
Usually a proposition is a less important or less fundamental assertion, a
theorem is a deeper culmination of ideas, a lemma is something that we will
use later in this book to prove a proposition or theorem, and a corollary
is an easy consequence of a proposition, theorem, or lemma. More difficult
exercises are marked with a (*).
Acknowledgements. I would like to thank Brian Conrad, Carl Pomer-
ance, and Ken Ribet for many clarifying comments and suggestions. Bau-
rzhan Bektemirov, Lawrence Cabusora, and Keith Conrad read drafts of
this book and made many comments, and Carl Witty commented exten-
sively on the first two chapters. Frank Calegari used the course when
teaching Math 124 at Harvard, and he and his students provided much
feedback. Noam Elkies made comments and suggested Exercise 4.6. Seth
Kleinerman wrote a version of Section 5.4 as a class project. Hendrik
Lenstra made helpful remarks about how to present his factorization al-
gorithm. Michael Abshoff, Sabmit Dasgupta, David Joyner, Arthur Pat-
terson, George Stephanides, Kevin Stern, Eve Thompson, Ting-You Wang,
and Heidi Williams all suggested corrections. I also benefited from conver-
sations with Henry Cohn and David Savitt. I used Sage ([Sag08]), emacs,
and LATEX in the preparation of this book.
 This is page 1
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1
Prime Numbers

Every positive integer can be written uniquely as a product of prime num-

bers, e.g., 100 = 22 · 52 . This is surprisingly difficult to prove, as we will
see below. Even more astounding is that actually finding a way to write
certain 1,000-digit numbers as a product of primes seems out of the reach of
present technology, an observation that is used by millions of people every
day when they buy things online.
Since prime numbers are the building blocks of integers, it is natural to
wonder how the primes are distributed among the integers.
“There are two facts about the distribution of prime numbers.
The first is that, [they are] the most arbitrary and ornery ob-
jects studied by mathematicians: they grow like weeds among
the natural numbers, seeming to obey no other law than that of
chance, and nobody can predict where the next one will sprout.
The second fact is even more astonishing, for it states just the
opposite: that the prime numbers exhibit stunning regularity,
that there are laws governing their behavior, and that they obey
these laws with almost military precision.”
— Don Zagier [Zag75]
The Riemann Hypothesis, which is the most famous unsolved problem in
number theory, postulates a very precise answer to the question of how the
prime numbers are distributed.
This chapter lays the foundations for our study of the theory of numbers
by weaving together the themes of prime numbers, integer factorization,
and the distribution of primes. In Section 1.1, we rigorously prove that the
2 1. Prime Numbers

every positive integer is a product of primes, and give examples of specific

integers for which finding such a decomposition would win one a large cash
bounty. In Section 1.2, we discuss theorems about the set of prime numbers,
starting with Euclid’s proof that this set is infinite, and discuss the largest
known prime. Finally we discuss the distribution of primes via the prime
number theorem and the Riemann Hypothesis.

1.1 Prime Factorization

1.1.1 Primes
The set of natural numbers is

N = {1, 2, 3, 4, . . .},

and the set of integers is

Z = {. . . , −2, −1, 0, 1, 2, . . .}.

Definition 1.1.1 (Divides). If a, b ∈ Z we say that a divides b, written

a | b, if ac = b for some c ∈ Z. In this case, we say a is a divisor of b. We
say that a does not divide b, written a - b, if there is no c ∈ Z such that
ac = b.
For example, we have 2 | 6 and −3 | 15. Also, all integers divide 0, and 0
divides only 0. However, 3 does not divide 7 in Z.
.
Remark 1.1.2. The notation b : a for “b is divisible by a” is common in
Russian literature on number theory.
Definition 1.1.3 (Prime and Composite). An integer n > 1 is prime if
the only positive divisors of n are 1 and n. We call n composite if n is not
prime.
The number 1 is neither prime nor composite. The first few primes of N
are

2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37, 41, 43, 47, 53, 59, 61, 67, 71, 73, 79, . . . ,

and the first few composites are

4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15, 16, 18, 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30, 32, 33, 34, . . . .

Remark 1.1.4. J. H. Conway argues in [Con97, viii] that −1 should be

considered a prime, and in the 1914 table [Leh14], Lehmer considers 1 to
be a prime. In this book, we consider neither −1 nor 1 to be prime.
SAGE Example 1.1.5. We use Sage to compute all prime numbers between
a and b − 1.
 1.1 Prime Factorization 3

sage: prime_range(10,50)
[11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37, 41, 43, 47]
We can also compute the composites in an interval.
sage: [n for n in range(10,30) if not is_prime(n)]
[10, 12, 14, 15, 16, 18, 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28]
Every natural number is built, in a unique way, out of prime numbers:
Theorem 1.1.6 (Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic). Every natural
number can be written as a product of primes uniquely up to order.
Note that primes are the products with only one factor and 1 is the
empty product.
Remark 1.1.7. Theorem 1.1.6, which we will prove in Section 1.1.4, is trick-
ier to prove than you might first think. For example, unique factorization
fails in the ring
√ √
Z[ −5] = {a + b −5 : a, b ∈ Z} ⊂ C,

where 6 factors in two different ways:

√ √
6 = 2 · 3 = (1 + −5) · (1 − −5).

1.1.2 The Greatest Common Divisor

We will use the notion of the greatest common divisor of two integers to
prove that if p is a prime and p | ab, then p | a or p | b. Proving this is the
key step in our proof of Theorem 1.1.6.
Definition 1.1.8 (Greatest Common Divisor). Let

gcd(a, b) = max {d ∈ Z : d | a and d | b} ,

unless both a and b are 0 in which case gcd(0, 0) = 0.

For example, gcd(1, 2) = 1, gcd(6, 27) = 3, and for any a, gcd(0, a) =
gcd(a, 0) = a.
If a 6= 0, the greatest common divisor exists because if d | a then d ≤ |a|,
and there are only |a| positive integers ≤ |a|. Similarly, the gcd exists when
b 6= 0.
Lemma 1.1.9. For any integers a and b, we have

gcd(a, b) = gcd(b, a) = gcd(±a, ±b) = gcd(a, b − a) = gcd(a, b + a).

Proof. We only prove that gcd(a, b) = gcd(a, b − a), since the other cases
are proved in a similar way. Suppose d | a and d | b, so there exist integers
c1 and c2 such that dc1 = a and dc2 = b. Then b−a = dc2 −dc1 = d(c2 −c1 ),
4 1. Prime Numbers

so d | b − a. Thus gcd(a, b) ≤ gcd(a, b − a), since the set over which we are
taking the max for gcd(a, b) is a subset of the set for gcd(a, b − a). The
same argument with a replaced by −a and b replaced by b − a, shows that
gcd(a, b − a) = gcd(−a, b − a) ≤ gcd(−a, b) = gcd(a, b), which proves that
gcd(a, b) = gcd(a, b − a).
Lemma 1.1.10. Suppose a, b, n ∈ Z. Then gcd(a, b) = gcd(a, b − an).
Proof. By repeated application of Lemma 1.1.9, we have

gcd(a, b) = gcd(a, b − a) = gcd(a, b − 2a) = · · · = gcd(a, b − an).

Assume for the moment that we have already proved Theorem 1.1.6. A
naive way to compute gcd(a, b) is to factor a and b as a product of primes
using Theorem 1.1.6; then the prime factorization of gcd(a, b) can be read
off from that of a and b. For example, if a = 2261 and b = 1275, then
a = 7 · 17 · 19 and b = 3 · 52 · 17, so gcd(a, b) = 17. It turns out that
the greatest common divisor of two integers, even huge numbers (millions
of digits), is surprisingly easy to compute using Algorithm 1.1.13 below,
which computes gcd(a, b) without factoring a or b.
To motivate Algorithm 1.1.13, we compute gcd(2261, 1275) in a different
way. First, we recall a helpful fact.
Proposition 1.1.11. Suppose that a and b are integers with b 6= 0. Then
there exists unique integers q and r such that 0 ≤ r < |b| and a = bq + r.
Proof. For simplicity, assume that both a and b are positive (we leave the
general case to the reader). Let Q be the set of all nonnegative integers n
such that a − bn is nonnegative. Then Q is nonempty because 0 ∈ Q and Q
is bounded because a − bn < 0 for all n > a/b. Let q be the largest element
of Q. Then r = a − bq < b, otherwise q + 1 would also be in Q. Thus q
and r satisfy the existence conclusion.
To prove uniqueness, suppose that q 0 and r0 also satisfy the conclusion.
Then q 0 ∈ Q since r0 = a − bq 0 ≥ 0, so q 0 ≤ q, and we can write q 0 = q − m
for some m ≥ 0. If q 0 6= q, then m ≥ 1 so

r0 = a − bq 0 = a − b(q − m) = a − bq + bm = r + bm ≥ b

since r ≥ 0, a contradiction. Thus q = q 0 and r0 = a − bq 0 = a − bq = r, as

claimed.
For us, an algorithm is a finite sequence of instructions that can be fol-
lowed to perform a specific task, such as a sequence of instructions in a
computer program, which must terminate on any valid input. The word “al-
gorithm” is sometimes used more loosely (and sometimes more precisely)
than defined here, but this definition will suffice for us.
 1.1 Prime Factorization 5

Algorithm 1.1.12 (Division Algorithm). Suppose a and b are integers

with b 6= 0. This algorithm computes integers q and r such that 0 ≤ r < |b|
and a = bq + r.
We will not describe the actual steps of Algorithm 1.1.12, since it is just
the familiar long division algorithm. Note that it might not be exactly the
same as the standard long division algorithm you learned in school, because
we make the remainder positive even when dividing a negative number by
a positive number.
We use the division algorithm repeatedly to compute gcd(2261, 1275).
Dividing 2261 by 1275 we find that

2261 = 1 · 1275 + 986,

so q = 1 and r = 986. Notice that if a natural number d divides both 2261

and 1275, then d divides their difference 986 and d still divides 1275. On
the other hand, if d divides both 1275 and 986, then it has to divide their
sum 2261 as well! We have made progress:

gcd(2261, 1275) = gcd(1275, 986).

This equality also follows by applying Lemma 1.1.9. Repeating, we have

1275 = 1 · 986 + 289,

so gcd(1275, 986) = gcd(986, 289). Keep going:

986 = 3 · 289 + 119

289 = 2 · 119 + 51
119 = 2 · 51 + 17.

Thus gcd(2261, 1275) = · · · = gcd(51, 17), which is 17 because 17 | 51. Thus

gcd(2261, 1275) = 17.

Aside from some tedious arithmetic, that computation was systematic, and
it was not necessary to factor any integers (which is something we do not
know how to do quickly if the numbers involved have hundreds of digits).
Algorithm 1.1.13 (Greatest Common Division). Given integers a, b, this
algorithm computes gcd(a, b).
1. [Assume a > b > 0] We have gcd(a, b) = gcd(|a|, |b|) = gcd(|b|, |a|),
so we may replace a and b by their absolute values and hence assume
a, b ≥ 0. If a = b, output a and terminate. Swapping if necessary, we
assume a > b. If b = 0, we output a.
2. [Quotient and Remainder] Using Algorithm 1.1.12, write a = bq + r,
with 0 ≤ r < b and q ∈ Z.
6 1. Prime Numbers

3. [Finished?] If r = 0, then b | a, so we output b and terminate.

4. [Shift and Repeat] Set a ← b and b ← r, then go to Step 2.
Proof. Lemmas 1.1.9–1.1.10 imply that gcd(a, b) = gcd(b, r) so the gcd does
not change in Step 4. Since the remainders form a decreasing sequence of
nonnegative integers, the algorithm terminates.
Example 1.1.14. Set a = 15 and b = 6.

15 = 6·2+3 gcd(15, 6) = gcd(6, 3)

6 = 3·2+0 gcd(6, 3) = gcd(3, 0) = 3

Note that we can just as easily do an example that is ten times as big, an
observation that will be important in the proof of Theorem 1.1.19 below.
Example 1.1.15. Set a = 150 and b = 60.

150 = 60 · 2 + 30 gcd(150, 60) = gcd(60, 30)

60 = 30 · 2 + 0 gcd(60, 30) = gcd(30, 0) = 30

SAGE Example 1.1.16. Sage uses the gcd command to compute the great-
est common divisor of two integers. For example,
sage: gcd(97,100)
1
sage: gcd(97 * 10^15, 19^20 * 97^2)
97
Lemma 1.1.17. For any integers a, b, n, we have

gcd(an, bn) = gcd(a, b) · |n|.

Proof. The idea is to follow Example 1.1.15; we step through Euclid’s al-
gorithm for gcd(an, bn) and note that at every step the equation is the
equation from Euclid’s algorithm for gcd(a, b) but multiplied through by n.
For simplicity, assume that both a and b are positive. We will prove the
lemma by induction on a + b. The statement is true in the base case when
a + b = 2, since then a = b = 1. Now assume a, b are arbitrary with a ≥ b.
Let q and r be such that a = bq + r and 0 ≤ r < b. Then by Lemmas 1.1.9–
1.1.10, we have gcd(a, b) = gcd(b, r). Multiplying a = bq + r by n we see
that an = bnq + rn, so gcd(an, bn) = gcd(bn, rn). Then

b + r = b + (a − bq) = a − b(q − 1) ≤ a < a + b,

so by induction gcd(bn, rn) = gcd(b, r) · |n|. Since gcd(a, b) = gcd(b, r), this
proves the lemma.
Lemma 1.1.18. Suppose a, b, n ∈ Z are such that n | a and n | b. Then
n | gcd(a, b).
 1.1 Prime Factorization 7

Proof. Since n | a and n | b, there are integers c1 and c2 , such that a = nc1
and b = nc2 . By Lemma 1.1.17, gcd(a, b) = gcd(nc1 , nc2 ) = n gcd(c1 , c2 ),
so n divides gcd(a, b).
With Algorithm 1.1.13, we can prove that if a prime divides the product
of two numbers, then it has got to divide one of them. This result is the
key to proving that prime factorization is unique.
Theorem 1.1.19 (Euclid). Let p be a prime and a, b ∈ N. If p | ab then
p | a or p | b.
You might think this theorem is “intuitively obvious,” but that might be
because the fundamental theorem of arithmetic (Theorem 1.1.6) is deeply
ingrained in your intuition. Yet Theorem 1.1.19 will be needed in our proof
of the fundamental theorem of arithmetic.

Proof of Theorem 1.1.19. If p | a we are done. If p - a then gcd(p, a) = 1,

since only 1 and p divide p. By Lemma 1.1.17, gcd(pb, ab) = b. Since p | pb
and, by hypothesis, p | ab, it follows (using Lemma 1.1.17) that

p | gcd(pb, ab) = b gcd(p, a) = b · 1 = b.

1.1.3 Numbers Factor as Products of Primes

In this section, we prove that every natural number factors as a product
of primes. Then we discuss the difficulty of finding such a decomposition
in practice. We will wait until Section 1.1.4 to prove that factorization is
unique.
As a first example, let n = 1275. The sum of the digits of n is divisible
by 3, so n is divisible by 3 (see Proposition 2.1.9), and we have n = 3 · 425.
The number 425 is divisible by 5, since its last digit is 5, and we have
1275 = 3 · 5 · 85. Again, dividing 85 by 5, we have 1275 = 3 · 52 · 17,
which is the prime factorization of 1275. Generalizing this process proves
the following proposition.
Proposition 1.1.20. Every natural number is a product of primes.
Proof. Let n be a natural number. If n = 1, then n is the empty product
of primes. If n is prime, we are done. If n is composite, then n = ab with
a, b < n. By induction, a and b are products of primes, so n is also a product
of primes.
Two questions immediately arise: (1) is this factorization unique, and
(2) how quickly can we find such a factorization? Addressing (1), what if
we had done something differently when breaking apart 1275 as a product
of primes? Could the primes that show up be different? Let’s try: we have
8 1. Prime Numbers

1275 = 5 · 255. Now 255 = 5 · 51 and 51 = 17 · 3, and again the factorization

is the same, as asserted by Theorem 1.1.6. We will prove the uniqueness of
the prime factorization of any integer in Section 1.1.4.
SAGE Example 1.1.21. The factor command in Sage factors an integer
as a product of primes with multiplicities. For example,
sage: factor(1275)
3 * 5^2 * 17
sage: factor(2007)
3^2 * 223
sage: factor(31415926535898)
2 * 3 * 53 * 73 * 2531 * 534697
Regarding (2), there are algorithms for integer factorization. It is a major
open problem to decide how fast integer factorization algorithms can be. We
say that an algorithm to factor n is polynomial time if there is a polynomial
f (x) such that for any n the number of steps needed by the algorithm to
factor n is less than f (log10 (n)). Note that log10 (n) is an approximation
for the number of digits of the input n to the algorithm.
Open Problem 1.1.22. Is there an algorithm that can factor any integer n
in polynomial time?
Peter Shor [Sho97] devised a polynomial time algorithm for factoring
integers on quantum computers. We will not discuss his algorithm further,
except to note that in 2001 IBM researchers built a quantum computer
that used Shor’s algorithm to factor 15 (see [LMG+ 01, IBM01]). Building
much larger quantum computers appears to be extremely difficult.
You can earn money by factoring certain large integers. Many cryptosys-
tems would be easily broken if factoring certain large integers was easy.
Since nobody has proven that factoring integers is difficult, one way to
increase confidence that factoring is difficult is to offer cash prizes for fac-
toring certain integers. For example, until recently there was a $10,000
bounty on factoring the following 174-digit integer (see [RSA]):
1881988129206079638386972394616504398071635633794173827007
6335642298885971523466548531906060650474304531738801130339
6716199692321205734031879550656996221305168759307650257059
This number is known as RSA-576 since it has 576 digits when written in
binary (see Section 2.3.2 for more on binary numbers). It was factored at the
German Federal Agency for Information Technology Security in December
2003 (see [Wei03]):
398075086424064937397125500550386491199064362342526708406
385189575946388957261768583317
×
472772146107435302536223071973048224632914695302097116459
852171130520711256363590397527
 1.1 Prime Factorization 9

The previous RSA challenge was the 155-digit number

1094173864157052742180970732204035761200373294544920599091
3842131476349984288934784717997257891267332497625752899781
833797076537244027146743531593354333897.

It was factored on 22 August 1999 by a group of sixteen researchers in four

months on a cluster of 292 computers (see [ACD+ 99]). They found that
RSA-155 is the product of the following two 78-digit primes:

p = 10263959282974110577205419657399167590071656780803806
6803341933521790711307779
q = 10660348838016845482092722036001287867920795857598929
1522270608237193062808643.

The next RSA challenge is RSA-640:

31074182404900437213507500358885679300373460228427275457201619
48823206440518081504556346829671723286782437916272838033415471
07310850191954852900733772482278352574238645401469173660247765
2346609,

and its factorization was worth $20,000 until November 2005 when it was
factored by F. Bahr, M. Boehm, J. Franke, and T. Kleinjun. This factor-
ization took five months. Here is one of the prime factors (you can find the
other):

16347336458092538484431338838650908598417836700330923121811108
52389333100104508151212118167511579.

(This team also factored a 663-bit RSA challenge integer.)

The smallest currently open challenge is RSA-704, worth $30,000:

74037563479561712828046796097429573142593188889231289084936232
63897276503402826627689199641962511784399589433050212758537011
89680982867331732731089309005525051168770632990723963807867100
86096962537934650563796359

SAGE Example 1.1.23. Using Sage, we see that the above number has 212
decimal digits and is definitely composite:
sage: n = 7403756347956171282804679609742957314259318888\
...9231289084936232638972765034028266276891996419625117\
...8439958943305021275853701189680982867331732731089309\
...0055250511687706329907239638078671008609696253793465\
...0563796359
sage: len(n.str(2))
10 1. Prime Numbers

704
sage: len(n.str(10))
212
sage: n.is_prime() # this is instant
False
These RSA numbers were factored using an algorithm called the number
field sieve (see [LL93]), which is the best-known general purpose factoriza-
tion algorithm. A description of how the number field sieve works is beyond
the scope of this book. However, the number field sieve makes extensive use
of the elliptic curve factorization method, which we will describe in Sec-
tion 6.3.

1.1.4 The Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic

We are ready to prove Theorem 1.1.6 using the following idea. Suppose
we have two factorizations of n. Using Theorem 1.1.19, we cancel common
primes from each factorization, one prime at a time. At the end, we dis-
cover that the factorizations must consist of exactly the same primes. The
technical details are given below.

Proof. If n = 1, then the only factorization is the empty product of primes,

so suppose n > 1.
By Proposition 1.1.20, there exist primes p1 , . . . , pd such that

n = p1 p2 · · · pd .

Suppose that
n = q1 q2 · · · qm
is another expression of n as a product of primes. Since

p1 | n = q1 (q2 · · · qm ),

Euclid’s theorem implies that p1 = q1 or p1 | q2 · · · qm . By induction, we

see that p1 = qi for some i.
Now cancel p1 and qi , and repeat the above argument. Eventually, we
find that, up to order, the two factorizations are the same.

1.2 The Sequence of Prime Numbers

This section is concerned with three questions:

1. Are there infinitely many primes?

2. Given a, b ∈ Z, are there infinitely many primes of the form ax + b?

 1.2 The Sequence of Prime Numbers 11

3. How are the primes spaced along the number line?

We first show that there are infinitely many primes, then state Dirichlet’s
theorem that if gcd(a, b) = 1, then ax + b is a prime for infinitely many
values of x. Finally, we discuss the Prime Number Theorem which asserts
that there are asymptotically x/ log(x) primes less than x, and we make a
connection between this asymptotic formula and the Riemann Hypothesis.

1.2.1 There Are Infinitely Many Primes

Each number on the left in the following table is prime. We will see soon
that this pattern does not continue indefinitely, but something similar
works.

3=2+1
7=2·3+1
31 = 2 · 3 · 5 + 1
211 = 2 · 3 · 5 · 7 + 1
2311 = 2 · 3 · 5 · 7 · 11 + 1

Theorem 1.2.1 (Euclid). There are infinitely many primes.

Proof. Suppose that p1 , p2 , . . . , pn are n distinct primes. We construct a

prime pn+1 not equal to any of p1 , . . . , pn , as follows. If

N = p1 p2 p3 · · · pn + 1, (1.2.1)

then by Proposition 1.1.20 there is a factorization

N = q1 q2 · · · qm

with each qi prime and m ≥ 1. If q1 = pi for some i, then pi | N . Because

of (1.2.1), we also have pi | N − 1, so pi | 1 = N − (N − 1), which is a
contradiction. Thus the prime pn+1 = q1 is not in the list p1 , . . . , pn , and
we have constructed our new prime.

For example,

2 · 3 · 5 · 7 · 11 · 13 + 1 = 30031 = 59 · 509.

Multiplying together the first six primes and adding 1 doesn’t produce a
prime, but it produces an integer that is merely divisible by a new prime.
Joke 1.2.2 (Hendrik Lenstra). There are infinitely many composite num-
bers. Proof. To obtain a new composite number, multiply together the
first n composite numbers and don’t add 1.
12 1. Prime Numbers

1.2.2 Enumerating Primes

In this section we describe a sieving process that allows us to enumerate
all primes up to n. The sieve works by first writing down all numbers up
to n, noting that 2 is prime, and crossing off all multiples of 2. Next, note
that the first number not crossed off is 3, which is prime, and cross off all
multiples of 3, etc. Repeating this process, we obtain a list of the primes
up to n. Formally, the algorithm is as follows:
Algorithm 1.2.3 (Prime Sieve). Given a positive integer n, this algorithm
computes a list of the primes up to n.

1. [Initialize] Let X = [3, 5, . . .] be the list of all odd integers between 3

and n. Let P = [2] be the list of primes found so far.
√
2. [Finished?] Let p be the first element of X. If p > n, append each
element of X to P and terminate. Otherwise append p to P .
3. [Cross Off] Set X equal to the sublist of elements in X that are not
divisible by p. Go to Step 2.

For example, to list the primes ≤ 40 using the sieve, we proceed as

follows. First P = [2] and

X = [3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33, 35, 37, 39].

We append 3 to P and cross off all multiples of 3 to obtain the new list

X = [5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 25, 29, 31, 35, 37].

Next we append 5 to P , obtaining P = [2, 3, 5], and cross off the multiples
of 5, to obtain X = [7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37]. Because 72 ≥ 40, we
append X to P and find that the primes less than 40 are

2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37.

Proof of Algorithm 1.2.3. The part of the algorithm

√ that is not clear is
that when the first element a of X satisfies a ≥√ n, then each element of
X is prime. To see this, suppose√m is in X, so Q n ≤ m ≤ n and that m is
divisible by no prime that is ≤ n. Write m =√ pei i with the pi distinct
primes ordered so that p1 < p2 < . . .. If pi > n for each i and there is
more
√ than one pi , then m > n, a contradiction. Thus some pi is less than
n, which also contradicts our assumptions on m.

1.2.3 The Largest Known Prime

Though Theorem 1.2.1 implies that there are infinitely many primes, it still
makes sense to ask the question “What is the largest known prime?”
 1.2 The Sequence of Prime Numbers 13

A Mersenne prime is a prime of the form 2q − 1. According to [Cal] the

largest known prime as of March 2007 is the 44th known Mersenne prime

p = 232582657 − 1,

which has 9,808,358 decimal digits1 . This would take over 2000 pages to
print, assuming a page contains 60 lines with 80 characters per line. The
Electronic Frontier Foundation has offered a $100,000 prize to the first
person who finds a 10,000,000 digit prime.
Euclid’s theorem implies that there definitely are infinitely many primes
bigger than p. Deciding whether or not a number is prime is interesting, as
a theoretical problem, and as a problem with applications to cryptography,
as we will see in Section 2.4 and Chapter 3.
SAGE Example 1.2.4. We can compute the decimal expansion of p in Sage,
although watch out as this is a serious computation that may take around
a minute on your computer. Also, do not print out p or s below, because
both would take a very long time to scroll by.
sage: p = 2^32582657 - 1
sage: p.ndigits()
9808358
Next we convert p to a decimal string and look at some of the digits.
sage: s = p.str(10) # this takes a long time
sage: len(s) # s is a very long string (long time)
9808358
sage: s[:20] # the first 20 digits of p (long time)
’12457502601536945540’
sage: s[-20:] # the last 20 digits (long time)
’11752880154053967871’

1.2.4 Primes of the Form ax + b

Next we turn to primes of the form ax + b, where a and b are fixed integers
with a > 1 and x varies over the natural numbers N. We assume that
gcd(a, b) = 1, because otherwise there is no hope that ax + b is prime
infinitely often. For example, 2x + 2 = 2(x + 1) is only prime if x = 0, and
is not prime for any x ∈ N.
Proposition 1.2.5. There are infinitely many primes of the form 4x − 1.
Why might this be true? We list numbers of the form 4x−1 and underline
those that are prime.

3, 7, 11, 15, 19, 23, 27, 31, 35, 39, 43, 47, . . .

1 The 49th known Mersenne prime may have been found on January 7, 2016.
14 1. Prime Numbers

Not only is it plausible that underlined numbers will continue to appear

indefinitely, it is something we can easily prove.

Proof. Suppose p1 , p2 , . . . , pn are distinct primes of the form 4x − 1. Con-

sider the number
N = 4p1 p2 · · · pn − 1.
Then pi - N for any i. Moreover, not every prime p | N is of the form
4x + 1; if they all were, then N would be of the form 4x + 1. Since N is
odd, each prime divisor pi is odd so there is a p | N that is of the form
4x − 1. Since p 6= pi for any i, we have found a new prime of the form
4x − 1. We can repeat this process indefinitely, so the set of primes of the
form 4x − 1 cannot be finite.

Note that this proof does not work if 4x − 1 is replaced by 4x + 1, since

a product of primes of the form 4x − 1 can be of the form 4x + 1.
Example 1.2.6. Set p1 = 3, p2 = 7. Then

N = 4 · 3 · 7 − 1 = 83

is a prime of the form 4x − 1. Next

N = 4 · 3 · 7 · 83 − 1 = 6971,

which is again a prime of the form 4x − 1. Again,

N = 4 · 3 · 7 · 83 · 6971 − 1 = 48601811 = 61 · 796751.

This time 61 is a prime, but it is of the form 4x + 1 = 4 · 15 + 1. However,

796751 is prime and 796751 = 4 · 199188 − 1. We are unstoppable.

N = 4 · 3 · 7 · 83 · 6971 · 796751 − 1 = 5591 · 6926049421.

This time the small prime, 5591, is of the form 4x − 1 and the large one is
of the form 4x + 1.
Theorem 1.2.7 (Dirichlet). Let a and b be integers with gcd(a, b) = 1.
Then there are infinitely many primes of the form ax + b.
Proofs of this theorem typically use tools from advanced number theory,
and are beyond the scope of this book (see e.g., [FT93, §VIII.4]).

1.2.5 How Many Primes are There?

We saw in Section 1.2.1 that there are infinitely many primes. In order to
get a sense of just how many primes there are, we consider a few warm-
up questions. Then we consider some numerical evidence and state the
prime number theorem, which gives an asymptotic answer to our question,
 1.2 The Sequence of Prime Numbers 15

and connect this theorem with a form of the famous Riemann Hypothesis.
Our discussion of counting primes in this section is very cursory; for more
details, read Crandall and Pomerance’s excellent book [CP01, §1.1.5].
The following vague discussion is meant to motivate a precise way to
measure the number (or percentage) of primes. What percentage of natu-
ral numbers are even? Answer: Half of them. What percentage of natural
numbers are of the form 4x − 1? Answer: One fourth of them. What per-
centage of natural numbers are perfect squares? Answer: Zero percent of
all natural numbers, in the sense that the limit of the proportion of perfect
squares to all natural numbers converges to 0. More precisely,

#{n ∈ N : n ≤ x and n is a perfect square}

lim = 0,
x→∞ x
√ √
since the numerator is roughly x and limx→∞ xx = 0. Likewise, it is
an easy consequence of Theorem 1.2.10 that zero percent of all natural
numbers are prime (see Exercise 1.4).
√ How many positive integers ≤ x
We are thus led to ask another question:
are perfect squares? Answer: Roughly x. In the context of primes, we ask,
Question 1.2.8. How many natural numbers ≤ x are prime?
Let
π(x) = #{p ∈ N : p ≤ x is a prime}.
For example,
π(6) = #{2, 3, 5} = 3.
Some values of π(x) are given in Table 1.1, and Figures 1.1 and 1.2 contain
graphs of π(x). These graphs look like straight lines, which maybe bend
down slightly.
SAGE Example 1.2.9. To compute π(x) in Sage use the prime pi(x) com-
mand:
sage: prime_pi(6)
3
sage: prime_pi(100)
25
sage: prime_pi(3000000)
216816
We can also draw a plot of π(x) using the plot command:
sage: plot(prime_pi, 1,1000, rgbcolor=(0,0,1))
Gauss was an inveterate computer: he wrote in an 1849 letter that there
are 216, 745 primes less than 3, 000, 000 (this is wrong but close; the correct
count is 216, 816).
16 1. Prime Numbers

TABLE 1.1. Values of π(x)

x 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000
π(x) 25 46 62 78 95 109 125 139 154 168

200 (1000, 168)

(900, 154)
150
100 (500, 95)
(200, 46)
50 (100, 25)

250 500 750 1000

FIGURE 1.1. Graph of π(x) for x < 1000

Gauss conjectured the following asymptotic formula for π(x), which was
later proved independently by Hadamard and Vallée Poussin in 1896 (but
will not be proved in this book).
Theorem 1.2.10 (Prime Number Theorem). The function π(x) is asymp-
totic to x/ log(x), in the sense that
π(x)
lim = 1.
x→∞ x/ log(x)
We do nothing more here than motivate this deep theorem with a few
further observations. The theorem implies that
π(x) 1
lim = lim = 0,
x→∞ x x→∞ log(x)

so for any a,
π(x) π(x) aπ(x)
lim = lim − = 1.
x→∞ x/(log(x) − a) x→∞ x/ log(x) x
Thus x/(log(x) − a) is also asymptotic to π(x) for any a. See [CP01, §1.1.5]
for a discussion of why a = 1 is the best choice. Table 1.2 compares π(x)
and x/(log(x) − 1) for several x < 10000.
The record for counting primes is

π(1023 ) = 1925320391606803968923.

Note that such computations are very difficult to get exactly right, so the
above might be slightly wrong.
For the reader familiar with complex analysis, we mention a connection
between π(x) and the Riemann Hypothesis. The Riemann zeta function
ζ(s) is a complex analytic function on C \ {1} that extends the function
 1.2 The Sequence of Prime Numbers 17

TABLE 1.2. Comparison of π(x) and x/(log(x) − 1)

x π(x) x/(log(x) − 1) (approx)
1000 168 169.2690290604408165186256278
2000 303 302.9888734545463878029800994
3000 430 428.1819317975237043747385740
4000 550 548.3922097278253264133400985
5000 669 665.1418784486502172369455815
6000 783 779.2698885854778626863677374
7000 900 891.3035657223339974352567759
8000 1007 1001.602962794770080754784281
9000 1117 1110.428422963188172310675011
10000 1229 1217.976301461550279200775705

1250 10000

1000 7500

750
5000
500
2500
250

2500 5000 7500 10000 25000 50000 75000 100000

FIGURE 1.2. Graphs of π(x) for x < 10000 and x < 100000
18 1. Prime Numbers
P∞
defined on a right half plane by n=1 n−s . The Riemann Hypothesis is
the conjecture that the zeros in C of ζ(s) with positive real part lie on the
line Re(s) = 1/2. This conjecture is one of the Clay Math Institute million
dollar millennium prize problems [Cla].
According to [CP01, §1.4.1], the Riemann Hypothesis is equivalent to the
conjecture that Z x
1
Li(x) = dt
2 log(t)
is a “good” approximation to π(x), in the following precise sense.
Conjecture 1.2.11 (Equivalent to the Riemann Hypothesis).
For all x ≥ 2.01, √
|π(x) − Li(x)| ≤ x log(x).
√
If x = 2, then π(2) = 1 and Li(2) = 0, but 2 log(2) = 0.9802 . . ., so the
inequality is not true for x ≥ 2, but 2.01 is big enough. We will do nothing
more to explain this conjecture, and settle for one numerical example.
Example 1.2.12. Let x = 4 · 1022 . Then

π(x) = 783964159847056303858,
Li(x) = 783964159852157952242.7155276025801473 . . . ,
|π(x) − Li(x)| = 5101648384.71552760258014 . . . ,
√
x log(x) = 10408633281397.77913344605 . . . ,
x/(log(x) − 1) = 783650443647303761503.5237113087392967 . . . .
√
SAGE Example 1.2.13. We use Sage to graph π(x), Li(x), and x log(x).
sage: P = plot(Li, 2,10000, rgbcolor=’purple’)
sage: Q = plot(prime_pi, 2,10000, rgbcolor=’black’)
sage: R = plot(sqrt(x)*log(x),2,10000,rgbcolor=’red’)
sage: show(P+Q+R,xmin=0, figsize=[8,3])

1250

1000

750

500

250

2500 5000 7500 10000

The
√ topmost line is Li(x), the next line is π(x), and the bottom line is
x log(x).
 1.3 Exercises 19

For more on the prime number theorem and the Riemann hypothesis see
[Zag75] and [MS08].

1.3 Exercises
1.1 Compute the greatest common divisor gcd(455, 1235) by hand.
1.2 Use the prime enumeration sieve to make a list of all primes up to
100.
1.3 Prove that there are infinitely many primes of the form 6x − 1.
π(x)
1.4 Use Theorem 1.2.10 to deduce that lim = 0.
x→∞ x
1.5 Let ψ(x) be the number of primes of the form 4k −1 that are ≤ x. Use
a computer to make a conjectural guess about limx→∞ ψ(x)/π(x).
1.6 So far 49 Mersenne primes 2p − 1 have been discovered. Give a guess,
backed up by an argument, about when the next Mersenne prime
might be discovered (you will have to do some online research).
1.7 (a) Let y = 10000. Compute π(y) = #{primes p ≤ y}.
x
(b) The prime number theorem implies π(x) is asymptotic to log(x) .
How close is π(y) to y/ log(y), where y is as in (a)?
1.8 Let a, b, c, n be integers. Prove that
(a) if a | n and b | n with gcd(a, b) = 1, then ab | n.
(b) if a | bc and gcd(a, b) = 1, then a | c.
1.9 Let a, b, c, d, and m be integers. Prove that
(a) if a | b and b | c then a | c.
(b) if a | b and c | d then ac | bd.
(c) if m 6= 0, then a | b if and only if ma | mb.
(d) if d | a and a 6= 0, then |d| ≤ |a|.
1.10 In each of the following, apply the division algorithm to find q and r
such that a = bq + r and 0 ≤ r < |b|:

a = 300, b = 17, a = 729, b = 31, a = 300, b = −17, a = 389, b = 4.

1.11 (a) (Do this part by hand.) Compute the greatest common divisor of
323 and 437 using the algorithm described in class that involves
quotients and remainders (i.e., do not just factor a and b).
20 1. Prime Numbers

(b) Compute by any means the greatest common divisor of

314159265358979323846264338

and
271828182845904523536028747.

1.12 (a) Suppose a, b and n are positive integers. Prove that if an | bn ,

then a | b.
(b) Suppose p is a prime and a and k are positive integers. Prove
that if p | ak , then pk | ak .

1.13 (a) Prove that if a positive integer n is a perfect square, then n

cannot be written in the form 4k + 3 for k an integer. (Hint:
Compute the remainder upon division by 4 of each of (4m)2 ,
(4m + 1)2 , (4m + 2)2 , and (4m + 3)2 .)
(b) Prove that no integer in the sequence

11, 111, 1111, 11111, 111111, . . .

is a perfect square. (Hint: 111 · · · 111 = 111 · · · 108 + 3 = 4k + 3.)

1.14 Prove that a positive integer n√is prime if and only if n is not divisible
by any prime p with 1 < p ≤ n.
 This is page 21
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2
The Ring of Integers Modulo n

A startling fact about numbers is that it takes less than a second to decide
with near certainty whether or not any given 1,000 digit number n is a
prime, without actually factoring n. The algorithm for this involves doing
some arithmetic with n that works differently depending on whether n is
prime or composite. In particular, we do arithmetic with the set (in fact,
“ring”) of integers {0, 1, . . . , n − 1} using an innovative rule for addition
and multiplication, where the sum and product of two elements of that set
is again in that set.
Another surprising fact is that one can almost instantly compute the last
1,000 digits of a massive multi-billion digit number like n = 12341234567890
without explicitly writing down all the digits of n. Again, this calculation
involves arithmetic with the ring {0, 1, . . . , n − 1}.
This chapter is about the ring Z/nZ of integers modulo n, the beauti-
ful structure this ring has, and how to apply it to the above mentioned
problems, among others. It is foundational for the rest of this book. In Sec-
tion 2.1, we discuss when linear equations modulo n have a solution, then
introduce the Euler ϕ function and prove Euler’s Theorem and Wilson’s
theorem. In Section 2.2, we prove the Chinese Remainer Theorem, which
addresses simultaneous solubility of several linear equations modulo co-
prime moduli. With these theoretical foundations in place, in Section 2.3,
we introduce algorithms for doing powerful computations modulo n, in-
cluding computing large powers quickly, and solving linear equations. We
finish in Section 2.4 with a discussion of recognizing prime numbers using
arithmetic modulo n.
22 2. The Ring of Integers Modulo n

2.1 Congruences Modulo n

Definition 2.1.1 (Group). A group is a set G equipped with a binary
operation G × G → G (denoted by multiplication below) and an identity
element 1 ∈ G such that:

1. For all a, b, c ∈ G, we have (ab)c = a(bc).

2. For each a ∈ G, we have 1a = a1 = a, and there exists b ∈ G such

that ab = 1.

Definition 2.1.2 (Abelian Group). An abelian group is a group G such

that ab = ba for every a, b ∈ G.
Definition 2.1.3 (Ring). A ring R is a set equipped with binary operations
+ and × and elements 0, 1 ∈ R such that R is an abelian group under +,
and for all a, b, c ∈ R we have

• 1a = a1 = a

• (ab)c = a(bc)

• a(b + c) = ab + ac.

If, in addition, ab = ba for all a, b ∈ R, then we call R a commutative ring.

In this section, we define the ring Z/nZ of integers modulo n, introduce
the Euler ϕ-function, and relate it to the multiplicative order of certain
elements of Z/nZ.
If a, b ∈ Z and n ∈ N, we say that a is congruent to b modulo n if n | a−b,
and write a ≡ b (mod n). Let nZ = (n) be the subset of Z consisting of all
multiples of n (this is called the “ideal of Z generated by n”).
Definition 2.1.4 (Integers Modulo n). The ring Z/nZ of integers mod-
ulo n is the set of equivalence classes of integers modulo n. It is equipped
with its natural ring structure:

(a + nZ) + (b + nZ) = (a + b) + nZ

(a + nZ) · (b + nZ) = (a · b) + nZ.

Example 2.1.5. For example,

Z/3Z = {{. . . , −3, 0, 3, . . .}, {. . . , −2, 1, 4, . . .}, {. . . , −1, 2, 5, . . .}}

SAGE Example 2.1.6. In Sage, we list the elements of Z/nZ as follows:

sage: R = Integers(3)
sage: list(R)
[0, 1, 2]
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With the instinct which seems to warn of another’s presence, he
partly turned in his chair and gazed at the motionless figure behind
him. A constrained silence followed, which John Hale was the first to
break.
“Why did you not go to Baltimore?” he asked.
Her reply was slow in coming.
“I have altered my plans,” she stated, and, crossing to her own
desk, she dropped into the revolving chair standing before it.
John Hale watched her for an instant, and not a detail of her
appearance escaped him. There was an ominous tightening of his
lips, and he lowered his gaze that she might not read its telltale
message. Without further comment he removed his gloves, rolled
them into a ball and stuffed them in his pocket. In the lengthening
silence Polly’s eyes strayed to a pile of papers and she swung the
typewriter on its iron supporting-frame, which was attached to her
desk, toward her.
“Pardon me if I go on with my work.” Her voice was cold and
formal. Slowly John Hale rose to his feet, and the bigness of the man
filled the small room. Polly looked only at her typewriter.
“I am sorry I detained you.” His voice matched hers in tone and
quality.
Polly raised her eyes and contemplated him. “Did you find what
you were looking for in your brother’s desk, Mr. Hale?” she inquired.
Hale’s answer was indirect. “Mr. Hale,” he repeated. “Why not—
John?”
“No.”
The finality of the monosyllable brought an angry flush to John
Hale’s bronzed cheeks, and without another word he swung on his
heel, only to pause at the door and again address her.
“Austin’s funeral will take place to-morrow,” he announced, and
the next second he was gone.
 Many minutes passed before Polly moved, then rising, she
walked over to Robert Hale’s desk and went feverishly through his
drawers, one question uppermost in her mind—what had John Hale
been looking for? She had about completed her self-imposed task
when a voice over her shoulder caused her to catch her breath.
“Why are you searching among my husband’s papers?” asked
Mrs. Hale.
Polly swung around in Robert Hale’s comfortable chair.
“How you startled me!” she confessed, with a faint tinkling laugh,
a laugh which had irritated Mrs. Hale in the past. “Dear Mrs. Hale,
how noiselessly you move.”
“Do I?” tartly.
“I never heard you enter the room.” Polly moved back to her own
desk. “Your husband must find you a perfect treasure when you are
attending him during his illness.”
Mrs. Hale flushed and promptly forgot to utter the sympathetic
platitudes she had prepared when on her way to find Polly. Austin
Hale ever engaged to such a chit of a girl? The idea was
unbelievable. And John, her staid, solemn brother-in-law, in love with
her! Mrs. Hale snorted. Joe Richards should be given a piece of her
mind for putting such ideas in her head; she would even speak to
Judith about it.
“Why were you going through my husband’s papers?” she asked,
and her manner in putting the question was anything but agreeable.
“I insist upon an answer.”
Polly’s eyes opened innocently. “Surely, Mrs. Hale, the matter is
not secret. I was looking for a memorandum which your husband left
for me. It was about so square,”—demonstrating with her fingers,
—“on yellowish paper.”
Polly, when moving her hands, dislodged a package of papers
and they fell to the floor. In stooping to pick them up, she missed
seeing Mrs. Hale’s quick start and sudden change of color. When
she raised her head, she found Mrs. Hale’s cold blue eyes were
regarding her with disconcerting intensity.
“Was John in here a moment ago?” she asked, and Polly was
conscious of flushing hotly; the question was unexpected.
“Didn’t you see him leave, Mrs. Hale?” she asked sweetly, and
this time it was Mrs. Hale who flushed. There were occasions when
she actively disliked her husband’s accomplished secretary.
“I met him in the hall,” she explained coldly. “But I was not sure
whether he had just left here or my husband’s bedroom. Please
remember, Polly, that Mr. Hale is ill and that the sound of your
typewriter carries into the next room.”
“In that case”—Polly drew her chair closer to her desk with a
businesslike air and picked up her pen—“I will write answers in long
hand to these business communications, unless you wish something
further”—and she waited in polite expectancy.
“I want nothing”—Mrs. Hale drew herself up. “Kindly make as little
noise as possible, Polly. Above all, don’t let that telephone ring,”
pointing to the instrument which stood almost at the girl’s elbow.
“I shall be as quiet as possible,” Polly promised, and Mrs. Hale,
satisfied that she had made Polly understand that she was capable
of issuing orders in her husband’s absence, walked toward the hall
door. Polly’s voice halted her as she was on the point of leaving the
room.
“Is Mr. Hale very ill?” she asked.
“No, oh, no,” Mrs. Hale spoke with positiveness. “But Dr. McLane
said that he was under the effects of a sedative. I was in our
bedroom a moment ago and Robert was sound asleep. Polly,”—she
hesitated and fingered her hand bag—“if you come across a
memorandum bearing my name, be sure to let me see it,” and with a
whisk of her skirts she hastened away.
Polly stared at the highly glazed surface of Robert Hale’s
expensive stationery and then at her penholder. Suddenly she
pitched the latter from her and, rising, methodically searched the
entire room, taking care that her movements made no noise.
In his comfortable four-post bed in the darkened room adjoining
his den, Robert Hale smiled to himself as he dragged the eider-down
quilt up about his ears and lay still. His daughter Judith had not
inherited his acute hearing.
 CHAPTER V
MORE THEORIES

Rain and snow followed by sleet had reduced the traffic in the
streets of the Capital City to venturesome taxicabs and
occasional delivery cars. Few Washingtonians, not required by
necessity to venture out of doors, were so unwise as to risk a fall on
the slippery pavements, and the generally gay thoroughfares of the
fashionable Northwest were deserted. Weather-forecasters had
announced in the morning press that a decade had passed since
such a combination of ice and sleet had visited the city so late in the
winter.
The small procession of automobiles returning from Oak Hill
Cemetery coasted its way with care down the steep hills of
Georgetown and along the ice-covered asphalt. John Hale, the
occupant of the foremost car, pulled out his handkerchief and
mopped his face, which, in spite of the biting north wind and the zero
weather, was damp with perspiration.
“Thank God!” he muttered rather than spoke. “That is over.” He
turned and scowled at his companion. “Well, Frank, haven’t you
anything to say?”
Frank Latimer, who had been studying his friend in silence,
roused himself.
“It was a trying ordeal,” he remarked gravely, “and like you, I am
relieved that the funeral is over. Poor Austin!”
John Hale winced. “Don’t!” he exclaimed. “Suppose we leave the
—the laments to my sister-in-law, Agatha.”
Latimer nodded sympathetically. “She made an exhibition of
herself in the chapel,” he acknowledged. “I had no idea that she was
so attached to Austin. In fact,”—Latimer lowered his voice to
confidential tones—“I’ve always understood that she opposed a
marriage between Judith and Austin.”
“And quite rightly,” Hale’s voice rang out sharply. “Judith is a
splendid type of young womanhood, while——” He checked his
impetuous speech. “I opposed the match, also.”
“So I recall.” Latimer offered his cigarette case to his friend. His
chubby face wore a troubled expression. “Agatha Hale is a bit of a
trial, old man; let’s forget her.”
“I wish I could,” with gloomy fervor. “Why Robert ever picked out
such a piece of contrariness I never could understand; one moment
your friend, the next against you—and emotional!” His tone spoke
volumes. “While Robert——” He smiled wryly and Latimer finished
the sentence.
“Is the most unemotional of men,” he agreed. “Judith is more like
you, John, than like either of her parents.”
Hale moved uneasily and changed the conversation with some
abruptness as the car drove up to the curb and stopped before his
brother’s residence.
“I’m much obliged to you, Frank, for bringing me home,” he said,
preparing to spring out as the chauffeur opened the door. “I don’t
think I could have stood driving back in the same car with Agatha
and Judith. Won’t you come in with me?”
“I can’t, thanks; I have an appointment,” Latimer responded. “I’ll
see you later perhaps at the club. Eh, what the——”
The ejaculation was wrung from him by John Hale’s sudden
clutch on his arm and before he quite realized what was happening
he found himself propelled out of the car. Once on the sidewalk the
little stockbroker turned to his big companion in wrathful
bewilderment. The explanation John Hale offered for his precipitous
action was given under his breath, and Jackson, the chauffeur, failed
to hear it as he climbed back in his seat and, obedient to a signal
from his employer, shut off his engine.
 “That damn bounder from Police Headquarters is waiting for an
interview, Frank.” John Hale indicated one of the library windows
overlooking the street where Latimer saw a man peering out from
behind the curtains. “I had entirely forgotten that Detective Ferguson
telephoned and asked me to see him this afternoon. I want you to be
present.”
The urgency of his tone silenced Latimer’s objections, and
without a word he accompanied him into the house, Anna, the
waitress, holding the front door hospitably open for them. Almost
tossing his fur-lined overcoat and hat into the servant’s arms, John
Hale strode at once into the library, and Latimer, pausing only long
enough to put down his hat and cane on the hall table, followed him,
forgetting in his interest that he had not removed his overcoat.
At the sound of their footsteps Detective Ferguson stepped away
from the window-alcove where he had been a witness of their arrival.
John Hale’s curt greeting and Latimer’s short nod caused him to
redden; he was not accustomed to such outward display of
contempt, for so he interpreted their manner.
“What can I do for you, Ferguson?” asked John Hale, signing to
the detective to draw up a chair as he threw himself down on a
lounge. “Sit down, Frank,” and he turned again to the detective, as
the latter remained silent, with an impatient “Well?”
“You can answer a few questions, sir,” replied Ferguson.
John Hale lifted his broad shoulders in a contemptuous shrug.
“I have already shown great patience in that line,” he remarked
dryly.
“Pardon me; you have answered a few questions most
impatiently,” retorted Ferguson. His temper was rising and rapidly
overcoming discretion. Instead of an angry rejoinder, John Hale gave
a short laugh.
“Well, go on, what are your questions?” he asked. “Remember
that we have just come from my stepson’s funeral, and,”—he cleared
his throat before continuing—“I—have been under a severe strain.”
 “True, sir; I promise not to be long.” Ferguson hitched his chair
nearer the two men. “It is in regard to the funeral that I desire to
speak. I was told by Coroner Penfield that you had requested that
Austin Hale’s body be cremated.”
“Well?” questioned John Hale as Ferguson paused.
“Why did you make that request, Mr. Hale?”
“Because I believe in cremation,” promptly.
“Were you not aware that Austin’s body could not be cremated
until after the mystery of his murder had been solved?”
“No, I am not a lawyer.”
“One does not have to be a lawyer to know that such a request
would be refused,” replied Ferguson.
Again John Hale shrugged his shoulders. “The request was
perfectly reasonable,” he declared.
“Under normal conditions, yes,” dryly. “Why did you make it?”
John Hale’s raised eyebrows indicated annoyance at the
detective’s persistence. “I have already told you,” he stated. “It is
hardly necessary to repeat that I believe in cremation.”
“And the absolute destruction of the body, so that no further
medical examination could be made if the need arose?” Ferguson
smiled skeptically. “Now, honestly, did you really think such a request
would get by?”
John Hale controlled his temper with an effort. “An autopsy had
already been held and the cause of Austin’s death determined,” he
pointed out, and then, addressing his silent companion, “What was
McLane’s exact definition, Frank?”
Latimer took out his notebook and turned its pages until he came
to an entry.
“Dr. McLane stated that Austin died as the result of a chest
wound, and that death was instantaneous, as the weapon
penetrated to the heart, or words to that effect,” he added and
replaced the notebook in his pocket, as John Hale again addressed
the detective.
“You see, Ferguson, the autopsy told the cause of death;
therefore my request was not only natural, believing, as I do, in
cremation, but reasonable.” He leaned back and regarded the
detective with candid eyes. “That it was not granted was the
unreasonable feature of the case.”
Ferguson was slow in replying. “That you were advised to have
the body placed in the receiving vault at the cemetery shows how
your request was regarded by the authorities, Mr. Hale,” he
remarked, and Latimer broke into the discussion.
“Come, come,” he remonstrated. “You go too far in your zeal,
Ferguson. The ground is hard frozen and no graves can be dug;
therefore all bodies are being placed in the receiving vaults until the
weather moderates.”
“Maybe so,” Ferguson’s smile was non-committal. “But—your
request came very pat, Mr. Hale, and—it didn’t make a hit with
Headquarters.”
John Hale straightened his powerful figure. “I don’t care a damn
how it hit Headquarters!” he declared, and his voice rose in angry
accents. “If this is all you wish with me, we may as well cut short our
interview; my time is valuable.”
“And so is mine, sir,” retorted Ferguson with equal heat. “How
much longer am I going to be prevented from seeing your brother,
Mr. Robert Hale?”
“Depends on how long it takes you to turn your head,” remarked
a voice back of the three men, and with one accord they spun
around. Robert Hale was occupying his favorite chair and he met
their stares with one of mild surprise.
“How long have you been in the room?” demanded John Hale.
His brother looked at the clock on the mantel. “A bare thirty
seconds,” he answered. “You were so absorbed in conversation that
I hesitated to interrupt you. When this gentleman”—with a motion of
his hand toward Ferguson—“asked in such impassioned tones for a
sight of me, I could not refrain from announcing my presence.”
“But”—John Hale bent forward and stared earnestly at his brother
—“Dr. McLane said that you were to remain in bed, that you were too
weak——”
Hale interrupted him with a snap of his fingers. “That for
McLane’s diagnosis,” he said. “I am a bit weak, but staying in bed
won’t cure that complaint, so I dressed myself and came downstairs.
Where is Agatha?”
“She’s out,” tersely.
“So Anna informed me when I met her in the hall.” Hale swung
his chair around to the left so as to face them more directly. “Anna
also said that Judith was out and that Polly Davis was not in the
house? Why is every one out? Why”—with a quick impatient gesture
—“is there such a funereal air about the house?”
John Hale groaned inwardly and wasted a bitter ejaculation on
his sister-in-law. Why had Agatha postponed telling her husband of
Austin’s death? What if McLane had advised keeping the tragic news
from him—if he was strong enough to dress himself unassisted and
walk about the house, he had been strong enough to be told of the
events of the past forty-eight hours. But it had now fallen to his lot to
do so—it was generally his lot to be the harbinger of bad news in the
family. John Hale’s mouth set in grim lines.
“There has been a funeral in the house,” he announced with
characteristic bluntness. “Austin died Tuesday night.”
“Austin!” Hale sat bolt upright and regarded his brother; suddenly
he sank back in his chair and his head sagged forward on his chest.
“Good Lord!” John Hale leaped to his feet but Latimer was before
him in reaching his brother’s side.
“Some water—wine!” he called, and Ferguson bolted from the
room in search of Anna, the waitress. He found her polishing silver in
the dining room and at his breathless request she filled a glass with
ice water and thrust it in his hand. Ferguson reached the library just
as Latimer forced some cognac between Hale’s bloodless lips.
“He will revive in a minute,” he said, laying down the flask which
John Hale, recovering his dazed wits, had taken from a cabinet in
one corner of the library where his brother kept some wine secreted.
“His pulse is better now—there,” as the powerful stimulant took
effect. “He is coming to. Here, take a sip of this,” and Latimer
snatched the glass of water out of Ferguson’s hand. Hale, his eyelids
fluttering, drank slowly as Latimer tilted the glass gently against his
lips.
With an effort Hale jerked himself erect and then leaned back,
pushing aside, as he did so, Latimer’s supporting hand.
“I’m all right,” he protested weakly. “Just over-estimated my
strength—wait.”
In the ensuing silence Detective Ferguson studied Robert Hale
attentively; it was the first time he had seen the scientist at close
quarters. There was something effeminate in Hale’s good looks and,
in spite of his gray hair, Ferguson put him down in his estimation as
belonging to the “pretty boy type.” The impression was enhanced by
the stalwart appearance of John Hale; the brothers were in striking
contrast, both in physical build and in mental equipment—one had
achieved fame in his chosen profession, while the other had made a
bare living as the result of hard work. Ferguson’s lips curled in
contempt; the small, slight, middle-aged man was hardly an
impressive figure.
Suddenly Robert Hale reached for the flask and Latimer gave it to
him. Tilting his head backward, Hale took a long swallow, then laid
the flask carefully on the table within easy reach.
“Now, John,” he began, “tell me of Austin.”
“I should have broken the news more gently,” John Hale spoke
with contrition. “I should have remembered that you and Austin were
great pals.”
His brother passed his hand across his lips. “We were—” He
paused abruptly and did not complete his sentence. “Come, don’t be
afraid, I have myself in hand; tell me the details.”
John Hale looked dubiously at Latimer and the latter nodded his
encouragement. “Go ahead, tell him the whole story,” he advised.
“It’s worse to keep him in suspense.”
“Austin died on Tuesday night,” John Hale stated, choosing his
words with care, “to be exact, some time on Wednesday morning.
He was stabbed to death.”
“Stabbed!” Hale’s hand stole toward the flask, then was
withdrawn. “Stabbed by whom?”
“We don’t know.”
“Oh!” Robert Hale’s color was returning slowly. “Where was
Austin murdered?”
“Here.”
“Here?” The repetition was parrotlike.
“Yes, here.” Ferguson took a step forward and for the first time
joined in the conversation.
Hale turned and regarded him in silence, then looked inquiringly
at Latimer.
“This is Detective Ferguson of the Central Office,” he explained.
“He is detailed to investigate the mystery surrounding Austin’s
death.”
Hale placed his elbow on the table and leaned his head on his
hand.
“And what have you discovered, Inspector?” he asked.
“Nothing.” Ferguson, flattered by the title, spoke with courteous
promptness. “I have been waiting to interview you, Mr. Hale, as to
what transpired here on Tuesday night.”
“Tuesday?” Hale reflected a moment. “Let me see, I was taken ill
with the ‘flu’ last Friday, and I have not been up and about until this
morning. You will have to ask others in my household for
information.”
 “I have,” Ferguson made no effort to conceal his disappointment
over his failure to elicit news. “And every one declares nothing out of
the ordinary was either heard or seen.”
“Tuesday night,” repeated Robert Hale thoughtfully. “Tuesday
night—why, John, you went in my stead with Agatha to the French
Embassy reception; did Judith accompany you?”
“No, she stayed at home,” John Hale explained. “She said she
had a headache.”
“And her husband?” inquired his brother.
“Major Richards? Oh, he had a business engagement at the
club.” John Hale pulled forward a chair and sat down, the interview
threatened to grow protracted. “It was Joe who found Austin on his
return.”
“Joe found him!” Robert Hale glanced upward and Latimer
started at the sudden flash in his dark eyes—eyes which until that
moment had seemed dull, almost dead, in their lusterless
expression. “Well, what then?”
“Joe called in the police,” John Hale continued. “And to-day we
are no nearer detecting the criminal or discovering the motive for the
crime than we were at that hour.”
“Give us a chance, Mr. Hale,” protested Ferguson. “This is the
first time I’ve seen you,” turning to the elder brother. “There’s some
information you must give, if Mr. John Hale won’t.”
“Play fair, Ferguson,” objected John Hale. “I have never refused
——”
“Be quiet, John.” Robert Hale spoke with authority. “As the head
of the house I will attend to this investigation.”
He was interrupted by a slight scream from the hall. The next
instant the portières were pulled aside and Mrs. Hale hurried toward
him.
“Robert, you are really downstairs—and Anna did not lie,” she
commenced incoherently. “Do you not know that you are
jeopardizing——”
“Quiet, Agatha”—Robert Hale let his wife clasp his hand in both
of hers, and Detective Ferguson, watching the scene with interest,
was again impressed with the quality of his voice. Rich in tone, softly
modulated, it almost caressed the ear, and Hale’s faultless
pronunciation added to the soothing effect. “Where is Judith?”
“Taking off her wraps. She will be here shortly.” Mrs. Hale seldom
completed her sentences when excited. “We have just returned from
—”
“I can guess”—Hale eyed her mourning and her reddened
eyelids. “John has told me of Austin’s death.” He patted her hand
gently, sympathetically; then before she could speak, addressed the
detective. “You said you wished to question me; kindly do so.”
Ferguson pushed forward a chair for Mrs. Hale near her husband
and, drawing out his notebook, chose a seat near the table.
“When did you last see Austin Hale?” he asked.
“Before he left for New York six weeks ago.”
“Did you expect him to return on Tuesday night?”
“No.”
“Was Austin in financial difficulties?”
“Not to my knowledge.” Robert Hale addressed his brother. “How
about it, John?”
“I never heard of his having financial difficulties,” the latter
replied, his attention partly diverted by Mrs. Hale; she had an
annoying habit of biting her nails whenever perturbed in mind, and
the gnawing sound, slight as it was, was getting on her brother-in-
law’s nerves. She met his glare with a fixed stare, totally
unconscious of the cause of his wrath.
“Was Austin in love?” inquired Ferguson, his fountain pen flying
over the paper, jotting down questions and answers.
 Robert Hale laughed faintly. “Does a kitten play?” he asked.
“John, you are better qualified to answer that question than I; Austin
was your”—he paused—“stepson.”
“And my adopted son, as well,” John Hale amplified his brother’s
statement. “If Austin intended to marry, I was not his confidant, and,
therefore, am unable”—his manner grew stiff and formal—“to give
you any information on the subject.”
Ferguson frowned in perplexity. The antagonism between the
brothers was plainly discernible and Frank Latimer, instinctively
aware of which way the detective’s thoughts were turning, grew
uncomfortably warm and conscious that he was still wearing his
heavy overcoat.
Had Ferguson learned of the frequent disputes between the
brothers, which had at different times kept their Washington friends
in constant dread of their quarrels developing into actual conflict?
“Is it your custom to keep your safe unlocked, Mr. Hale?” asked
Ferguson, breaking the short silence.
“No.”
“Are you aware that it was open on Tuesday night?”
Hale picked up the flask of cognac, eyed it a moment, then laid it
down again before answering.
“No.”
“Has any one besides you the combination?”
“No.”
The detective watched Hale closely. Was his use of
monosyllables due to physical weakness, to a naturally taciturn
disposition, or to a desire to conceal information? Ferguson sighed
impatiently and resumed his examination with the point still
undecided in his mind.
“Mr. Hale,”—he spoke with growing impressiveness—“I found
Austin Hale lying dead in this room on Wednesday morning—he was
lying within a few feet of your open safe. The door had not been
forced; therefore it must have been opened by some one having the
combination.” He paused and the silence lengthened; abruptly he
broke it. “Please examine your safe, Mr. Hale, and see if any money
or documents are missing.”
“Wait, Robert.” The caution came from Mrs. Hale, and her
husband looked at her with marked displeasure. For the moment he
had forgotten her presence. “You must not overexert yourself,” she
continued. “Let me look in the safe?”
Robert Hale was on his feet before she had finished speaking.
“Don’t worry about me,” he exclaimed tartly. “I know what I am
about, Agatha,” and he walked somewhat unsteadily over to the
safe, the others following until they grouped themselves about him
as he knelt down. There was a distinct pause as he fumbled with the
dial.
Mrs. Hale’s anxiety grew—would her husband never get the door
open? She was again about to intercede as she noted the paleness
of his face and his heavy breathing, but the door suddenly swung
open and the remonstrance remained unspoken.
Pushing his heavy gray hair off his forehead, Hale moved closer
to the safe, and without haste examined every compartment, then,
supported by his attentive wife, he rose painfully to his feet and
dropped into a chair.
“My papers and my wife’s jewelry are intact,” he stated.
Ferguson replaced his fountain pen and memorandum pad in his
pocket.
“That settles it,” he declared. “Robbery was not the motive. The
murder of Austin Hale was an inside job——”
“You are wrong,” John Hale’s voice rang out loudly and echoed
through the large room. “Robbery was the motive.”
“Indeed!” Ferguson’s eyes snapped with excitement. Was he to
learn something tangible at last. “What was stolen?”
 “Austin owned a valuable antique watch.” John Hale spoke
slowly, impressively, checking off each word on his finger. “He
always carried it—it was almost a fetish with him. The watch is
missing.”
Concealed by the portières, Judith Richards leaned limply against
the door-jamb of the library and only Anna, the waitress, passing
through the hall, heard her astounded gasp, followed by a low moan.
 CHAPTER VI
SPECULATION

Itdiscontentedly
was lacking twenty minutes of noon and Polly Davis frowned
as she consulted her wrist-watch. She was under
positive instructions from Robert Hale to complete the compilation of
data given to her the week before. Hale’s cramped and peculiar style
of penmanship was difficult to read at any time, and with her
thoughts wandering far afield, Polly found her task more irksome
than usual.
Swiftly her fingers moved over the familiar typewriter keys and
with mechanical exactness she copied—copied, pausing now and
then to decipher a nearly unintelligible paragraph, until she came to
the end of the manuscript notes. But her sigh of relief changed to a
swift, disgusted ejaculation as, dragging the last sheet out of the
typewriter she discovered that she had carelessly reversed the
carbon and that the second copy, intended for Hale’s files, was
blank. The impression, which should have been on it, was stamped,
instead, on the back of the top sheet.
With a gesture of rage she crumpled the sheet in her hand and
hurled it into the scrap basket. In its flight the paper ball just missed
striking Anna, the waitress, whose noiseless entry a second before
had escaped her attention. At sight of the servant Polly lowered her
hand, still raised after flinging the paper ball, and her features
relaxed to their wonted expression.
“I did not mean to bombard you, Anna,” she apologized. “Would
you mind moving the scrap basket over here where it will be more
handy? Thanks,” as the servant complied with her request. “Any
letters for Mr. Hale?”
“The postman hasn’t brought the second mail yet, Miss Polly.”
Anna unfolded a small card table and stood it in front of Polly. “I hope
you don’t mind having your luncheon a little earlier to-day, miss. The
Madam gave me this afternoon off to go to the movies.”
“Mind? Well, hardly, I’m ravenous,” and Polly brightened as Anna
put a well-laden tray before her. “You are quite a movie fan, Anna;
what are you going to see to-day?”
“‘The Official Chaperon.’” Anna poured out a steaming cup of tea
and deftly supplied the proper amount of cream and sugar. “They
say it is a thriller.”
“The title is a little more sedate than ‘Without Sin,’” acknowledged
Polly laughing. “I believe that was the last movie you told me of
seeing; perhaps the new one won’t give you a nightmare.”
Anna colored. She was sensitive about the scene she had
created ten days before when her screams had awakened the
household from sound slumber and brought forth a severe scolding
from Mrs. Hale on the subject of attending trashy plays. Robert Hale
had interfered in time to prevent Anna, whose red hair was indicative
of her hasty temper, from giving notice, to the relief of the other
members of the family who liked the silent, well-trained servant.
“‘The Official Chaperon’ is a dandy,” she declared stoutly. “’Least
so the papers say. It’s about a society girl who is under the hypnotic
influence of a rascal, miss, a regular rascal—he even makes her
commit murder.”
Anna brought out the last word with such intensity that Polly
actually jumped.
“I see you are in for another nightmare,” she said, but the smile
accompanying her banter was fleeting. “Isn’t Mr. Austin’s murder
terrible enough without harrowing your soul with further tragedies?”
Before replying Anna removed the cover of the toast dish and
placed its tempting contents almost directly under Polly’s nose.
“It’s terrible, miss; so terrible that I want to forget it.”
Polly’s laugh did not ring quite true. “You take an odd way to do
so,” she remarked. “However, Anna, go and see the hypnotic movie
murder, and my blessings go with you.”
 Anna regarded the tray critically for an instant without moving.
“You are not eating, miss,” she remonstrated. “I don’t know what I’ll
do with you and Miss Judith.”
Polly laid down her fork. She had been merely toying with the
salad on the plate before her.
“Has Miss Judith lost her appetite?” she asked.
“Yes, miss.” Anna stepped nearer and spoke more rapidly. “Miss
Judith appears sort of—of in a trance, like.”
“Trance!” Anna had no occasion to complain of inattention. Polly
was regarding the girl’s comely face with deep interest. For the first
time she observed the dark lines under the large eyes and saw that
the soft cream-tint of Anna’s perfect complexion, which she had
frequently envied in the past, was an unhealthy white. “Trance,” she
repeated. “What do you mean, Anna?”
“Exactly that, miss.” Anna spoke with positiveness. “She moves
as if she was in a dream. She don’t eat, don’t talk, and I don’t believe
she sleeps.”
“Dear me!” Polly bit viciously into a piece of chocolate cake.
“Well, it is not surprising, Anna, that Miss Judith is upset. She and
Mr. Austin were very fond of each other.”
“Until he wished to marry her,” was Anna’s shrewd retort. “Oh, we
servants aren’t blind, miss.”
“No, worse luck!” The low-spoken ejaculation escaped Polly
unawares, and she bit her lip. Apparently it was not overheard, for
Anna made no comment, and Polly asked in haste, “How did you
know that Mr. Austin desired to marry Miss Judith? You were not
here at that time.”
“No, miss; but when the cablegram came telling of Miss Judith’s
unexpected marriage to Major Richards, cook told me all about Mr.
Austin’s courtship, and how Mr. Hale encouraged him. It was
common gossip, miss, not only below stairs but in society as well.”
Seeing that Polly had about completed her hastily eaten meal, Anna
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