The memorandum, for such it was, was contained in less than a hundred words. Literally, and with all its erasures written out, it ran: "Idea [crossed out]. Ideas [written again]. Suppose we separated; where to meet; allowing for accidental partings; must be some spot; yet that would be dangerous; otherwise, must be figures easily remembered; especially as none of these people have knowledge [crossed out and rewritten]; especially as difficult for non-technical [word undecipherable] to fix in mind, and one cipher makes all difference. LOLO be good, accessible, unfrequented. Suggest on first Ju every year we rendezvous at Lolo. "(Mem.--Lolo would indeed be nowhere!) "So far have only explained to Zillier." That was all, and T. B. read and reread the memorandum. Zillier was the only man who knew. By the oddest of chances, Baggin had confided his plans to the one man who might have found them useful if Providence had given him one chance of escape. But the French Government had him safe enough on Devil's Island. For the rest, the "note" needed much more explanation than he could give it. He took a pen and began to group the sentences he could not understand. "Must be some spot; yet that would be dangerous; otherwise, must be figures easily remembered." A spot would be dangerous? He was perplexed and showed it. What was meant by "spot"? "On the 1st of Ju we rendezvous at Lolo--nowhere!" "This is absolute nonsense!" The detective threw down his pen and jumped up. He called in the Chief Commissioner's office and was received cordially. "Any news, T. B.; what do you make of your puzzle?" T. B. made a little grimace. "Nothing," he said, "and if the original had not been stolen I should not have troubled to study it." He gained the Strand by a short cut. A contents bill attracted his attention, and he stopped to buy an evening newspaper. "LOSS OF A WARSHIP." He turned the paper before he discovered the small paragraph that justified so large a bill. "The Brazilian Government has sent another cruiser to search for the Brazilian man-of-war, _Maria Braganza_, which is a month overdue. It is feared that the warship foundered in the recent cyclone in the South Atlantic." "_Maria Braganza?_" thought T. B., and remembered where he had seen the vessel. The ship and her fate passed out of his mind soon afterward, for he had a great deal of routine work requiring his attention, but the name cropped up again in the course of the day and in a curious manner. * * * * * * *