Chapter 77

           Langdonwasimpressed.Teabinghadjustfinishedwritingouttheentiretwenty-two-letterHebrewalphabet–alef-beit–frommemory.Granted,he’dusedRomanequivalentsratherthanHebrewcharacters,butevenso,hewasnowreadingthroughthemwithflawlesspronunciation.

           ABGDHVZChTYKLMNSOPTzQRShTh

           «Alef,Beit,Gimel,Dalet,Hei,Vav,Zayin,Chet,Tet,Yud,Kaf,Lamed,Mem,Nun,Samech,Ayin,Pei,Tzadik,Kuf,Reish,Shin,andTav.»Teabingdramaticallymoppedhisbrowandplowedon.«InformalHebrewspelling,thevowelsoundsarenotwritten.Therefore,whenwewritethewordBaphometusingtheHebrewalphabet,itwillloseitsthreevowelsintranslation,leavingus–»

           «Fiveletters,»Sophieblurted.

           Teabingnoddedandbeganwritingagain.«Okay,hereistheproperspellingofBaphometinHebrewletters.I’llsketchinthemissingvowelsforclarity’ssake.

           BaPVoMeTh

           «Remember,ofcourse,»headded,»thatHebrewisnormallywrittenintheoppositedirection,butwecanjustaseasilyuseAtbashthisway.Next,allwehavetodoiscreateoursubstitutionschemebyrewritingtheentirealphabetinreverseorderoppositetheoriginalalphabet.»

           «There’saneasierway,»Sophiesaid,takingthepenfromTeabing.«Itworksforallreflectionalsubstitutionciphers,includingtheAtbash.AlittletrickIlearnedattheRoyalHolloway.»Sophiewrotethefirsthalfofthealphabetfromlefttoright,andthen,beneathit,wrotethesecondhalf,righttoleft.«Cryptanalystscallitthefold-over.Halfascomplicated.Twiceasclean.