Baker's letters were, of course, written in a sort of cypher, several kinds of which he was in the habit of using.

He left among his papers a key to this cypher, but Mrs.Baker could have explained it without that help.
"It appeared from this correspondence that the bill was carried successfully through the House, and, on reaching the Senate, was referred to the appropriate Committee.

Its ultimate passage was very doubtful; the end of the session was close at hand; the Senate was very evenly divided, and the Chairman of the Committee was decidedly hostile.
"The Chairman of that Committee was Senator Ratcliffe, always mentioned by Mr.Baker in cypher, and with every precaution.

If you care, however, to verify the fact, and to trace the history of the Subsidy Bill through all its stages, together with Mr.Ratcliffe's report, remarks, and votes upon it, you have only to look into the journals and debates for that year.
"At last Mr.Baker wrote that Senator Ratcliffe had put the bill in his pocket, and unless some means could be found of overcoming his opposition, there would be no report, and the bill would never come to a vote.

All ordinary kinds of argument and influence had been employed upon him, and were exhausted.