Modifying a variable loaded in from a text file

[font=verdana, arial, helvetica][size=2]Is it possible to modify a variable such as &number=5 that was loaded in from a text file?

Can you do something like:
newNumber = number + 4

Thus making ‘newNumber’ equal to 9.

The following code was provided to me but would not validate in flash:

(the text file used was called number.txt and the variable was &myNumber=2


[/size][/font]var curNumber.Number = 0;
var numberInfoLV.LoadVars = new LoadVars();
numberInfoLV.load(“number.txt”);
curNumber = Number(numerInfoLV.myNuber) + 4;

Does anyone know how i can make this code work?[font=verdana, arial, helvetica][size=2] I would greatly appreciate your input. Thanks [/size][/font]