“He was with our sailors last night,” Phil exclaimed, “and afterward Mr. Monroe and I met him in the corridor of the hotel. It was he that telephoned to a police station near the prime minister’s house and in that way we heard promptly of the disturbance.” “Good for Sago,” Captain Rodgers exclaimed. “I really believe he is thoroughly loyal to us. He has been my steward for over five years, and I have implicit trust in him.” A servant knocked on the door announcing the carriage, and Captain Rodgers made ready to leave. “I don’t anticipate trouble, but make a point of telling your classmate Takishima the whole story. Don’t allow him to harbor a single suspicion of the visit of the ‘Alaska.’ By the way,” the captain stopped at the doorway, “I hear from the ambassador that the ‘Shimbunshi,’ a Tokyo newspaper, has been attributing all manner of motives to our visit, in fact, going quite as far as to claim that we are here to precipitate war. They bring up the visit of the ‘Maine’ to Havana before our war with Spain as an example. Was there anything more in this morning’s edition?” he asked quickly. “The paper prints in both Japanese and English. I have been so busy writing important letters that I’ve not had time to open the paper.” Phil smiled broadly. It was the first time that morning that he had felt he could indulge in such a luxury. “There would have been one,” he replied, “only the man who was taking it to the ‘Shimbunshi’s’ office lost it and O’Neil and Marley found it and gave it to us. I have it in my valise there in my room. It’s a tirade against us, written in English.” Captain Rodgers went with the midshipmen a short distance up the corridor and waited at the threshold while Phil entered his room to obtain the letter. “It’s gone,” came in a startled voice from the midshipman, after he had tumbled out on the floor the contents of his and Sydney’s valises. “I am sure I put it here,” he exclaimed anxiously. “It’s not here now.” The lad’s face was pale and worried as he met his captain’s gaze at the door. “We are under a close espionage,” Captain Rodgers said smilingly; “after all, that can do us no harm. We can hardly be credited with an attempt to run ourselves down. While you are about it, Mr. Perry,” he added jokingly as he started away, “you had better add this to your confessions to Takishima. I am afraid no one else would believe you, but he has known you both so long that I am sure he will not credit you with such barefaced villainy.” “Everything has gone wrong.” Phil’s voice was almost tearful as he sat on the edge of the bed and contemplated his disordered valise after Captain Rodgers had gone. “What will they believe after finding this and the secret document both in my possession?” “They’ll think you are a bungler as a confidence man,” Sydney replied, half smiling in spite of the serious aspect of the situation. “But we can explain it all to Taki.”