stands for. If we believe MS 408 is in code then there must exist, somewhere, a text showing what each symbol is and what it means. Like a sort of dictionary. You take a squiggle from MS 408 and look it up in this special book, which we now call the code-book, and we’d find out what the squiggle stood for.’
‘Like looking up a word in a French/English dictionary?’ called out Hunter.
‘Exactly. Without the code-book MS 408 makes no sense. With the code-book then we’d be able to read it.’ He smiled. ‘But of course so would anybody else who found the code-book which leads us back to the idea of hiding .’
Brodie scribbled frantically in her notebook.
‘Remember Professor Leo Van der Essen?’
‘The Belgian guy? Obsessed with King Arthur? The one you said was friends with Voynich?’ said Hunter.
‘That’s the one,’ said Smithies, jabbing at his picture on the blackboard once again. ‘Well, he hid something too. That’s the link. But that’s racing on with the story.’ He paused as if trying to reorder his thoughts. ‘Years after his travels with Voynich we know the Professor kept a certain book particularly safely in the university library of Louvain.’
‘How on earth do we know that?’ asked Tusia.
‘Historical accounts,’ explained Smithies. ‘Writings about the time tell us that as the threat of war grew greater, Professor Van der Essen worried about a manuscript in his care.’
‘And you think this manuscript was connected to MS 408?’ said Tusia.
Smithies shrugged. ‘Maybe. At least we do now, because of the new information we’ve received. We’re making a leap based on their friendship and something we know happened after the fire of Louvain. But it seems quite likely Professor Van der Essen had a code-book for MS 408. And if we find that we can read the code.’ He hesitated. ‘But so of course could anyone else who found the code-book.’
‘And what would be the problem with that?’ asked Tusia, chewing hard on the end of her pen.
‘It’s back to the hiding ,’ pressed Smithies. ‘Whoever wrote MS 408 must’ve wanted it to remain secret.’
‘So who was the writer of MS 408?’ Brodie asked, growing in confidence.
‘We’re not sure. Attempts at dating the pages suggest it was probably written in the early 1500s. As for who wrote it, we’ve no idea. But whoever it was obviously felt it important the information remained secret. That’s why it’s written in code.’
‘Which only becomes a problem if the code-book is lost and then no one can decipher what was written. Even those supposed to read the code, can’t do it without a code-book,’ added Ingham.
‘But you think this Professor Van der Essen had the code-book?’ asked Hunter.
‘Yes. And that initially he kept it at the University of Louvain.’
‘But he didn’t tell anyone he had it?’
‘Not directly,’ said Smithies. ‘Finding the code-book would enable anyone to read the secrets of MS 408 and so we think Van der Essen did all he could to protect it.’
‘But hold on,’ said Hunter, horror sweeping across his face. ‘You said the library of Louvain was burnt to the ground in the war.’
‘It was.’
‘So the code-book the Professor was protecting would’ve been burnt too?’
‘Correct.’ Smithies nodded. ‘So we believed. Then several years ago we discovered a report which explained what Van der Essen did on the night of the fire of Louvain.’
‘What he did?’
Smithies ploughed on. ‘Apparently he was away from home when the fire broke out. But he ran to his house and collected his family. He took no personal possessions with him as he escaped from the town. Except one. A single manuscript he had decided to withdraw from the shelves of the library.’
‘The book that could be used to translate MS 408?’
‘We can’t be sure. It’s a leap. But because of what Van der Essen did to save the book it seems a sensible leap to take.’
‘So what’d Professor Van
‘Like looking up a word in a French/English dictionary?’ called out Hunter.
‘Exactly. Without the code-book MS 408 makes no sense. With the code-book then we’d be able to read it.’ He smiled. ‘But of course so would anybody else who found the code-book which leads us back to the idea of hiding .’
Brodie scribbled frantically in her notebook.
‘Remember Professor Leo Van der Essen?’
‘The Belgian guy? Obsessed with King Arthur? The one you said was friends with Voynich?’ said Hunter.
‘That’s the one,’ said Smithies, jabbing at his picture on the blackboard once again. ‘Well, he hid something too. That’s the link. But that’s racing on with the story.’ He paused as if trying to reorder his thoughts. ‘Years after his travels with Voynich we know the Professor kept a certain book particularly safely in the university library of Louvain.’
‘How on earth do we know that?’ asked Tusia.
‘Historical accounts,’ explained Smithies. ‘Writings about the time tell us that as the threat of war grew greater, Professor Van der Essen worried about a manuscript in his care.’
‘And you think this manuscript was connected to MS 408?’ said Tusia.
Smithies shrugged. ‘Maybe. At least we do now, because of the new information we’ve received. We’re making a leap based on their friendship and something we know happened after the fire of Louvain. But it seems quite likely Professor Van der Essen had a code-book for MS 408. And if we find that we can read the code.’ He hesitated. ‘But so of course could anyone else who found the code-book.’
‘And what would be the problem with that?’ asked Tusia, chewing hard on the end of her pen.
‘It’s back to the hiding ,’ pressed Smithies. ‘Whoever wrote MS 408 must’ve wanted it to remain secret.’
‘So who was the writer of MS 408?’ Brodie asked, growing in confidence.
‘We’re not sure. Attempts at dating the pages suggest it was probably written in the early 1500s. As for who wrote it, we’ve no idea. But whoever it was obviously felt it important the information remained secret. That’s why it’s written in code.’
‘Which only becomes a problem if the code-book is lost and then no one can decipher what was written. Even those supposed to read the code, can’t do it without a code-book,’ added Ingham.
‘But you think this Professor Van der Essen had the code-book?’ asked Hunter.
‘Yes. And that initially he kept it at the University of Louvain.’
‘But he didn’t tell anyone he had it?’
‘Not directly,’ said Smithies. ‘Finding the code-book would enable anyone to read the secrets of MS 408 and so we think Van der Essen did all he could to protect it.’
‘But hold on,’ said Hunter, horror sweeping across his face. ‘You said the library of Louvain was burnt to the ground in the war.’
‘It was.’
‘So the code-book the Professor was protecting would’ve been burnt too?’
‘Correct.’ Smithies nodded. ‘So we believed. Then several years ago we discovered a report which explained what Van der Essen did on the night of the fire of Louvain.’
‘What he did?’
Smithies ploughed on. ‘Apparently he was away from home when the fire broke out. But he ran to his house and collected his family. He took no personal possessions with him as he escaped from the town. Except one. A single manuscript he had decided to withdraw from the shelves of the library.’
‘The book that could be used to translate MS 408?’
‘We can’t be sure. It’s a leap. But because of what Van der Essen did to save the book it seems a sensible leap to take.’
‘So what’d Professor Van
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