n, flourishing the passport, "we'll find a means
to hearten him."

Gaydon filled a pipe and lighted it.

"Will you tell me, Wogan," he asked,--"I am by nature curious,--was it
the King who proposed this enterprise to you, or was it you who proposed
it to the King?"

The question had an extraordinary effect. Wogan was startled out of his
chair.

"What do you mean?" he exclaimed fiercely. There was something more than
fierceness in the words,--an accent of fear, it almost seemed to Gaydon.
There was a look almost of fear in his eyes, as though he had let some
appalling secret slip. Gaydon stared at him in wonder, and Wogan
recovered himself with a laugh. "Faith," said he, "it is a question to
perplex a man. I misdoubt but we both had the thought about the same
time. 'Wogan,' said he, 'there's the Princess with a chain on her leg,
so to speak,' and I answered him, 'A chain's a galling sort of thing to
a lady's ankle.' There was little more said if I remember right."

Gaydon nodded as though his curiosity was now satisfied. Wogan's alarm
was strange, no doubt, strange and unexpected like the Chevalier's visit
to the Caprara Palace. Gaydon had a glimpse of dark and troubled waters,
but he turned his face away. They were none of his business.

CHAPTER X

In an hour, however, he returned out of breath and with a face white
from despair. Wogan was still writing at his table, but at his first
glance towards Gaydon he started quickly to his feet, and altogether
forgot to cover over his sheet of paper. He carefully shut the door.

"You have bad news," said he.

"There was never worse," answered Gaydon. He had run so fast, he was so
discomposed, that he could with difficulty speak. But he gasped his bad
news out in the end.

"I went to my brother major to report my return. He was entertaining his
friends. He had a letter this morning from Strasbourg and he read it
aloud. The letter said a rumour was running through the town that the
Chevalier Wogan had already rescued the Princess and was being hotly
pursued on the road to Trent."

If Wogan felt any disquietude he was careful to hide it. He sat
comfortably down upon the sofa.

"I expected rumour would be busy with us," said he, "but never that it
would take so favourable a shape."

"Favourable!" exclaimed Gaydon.

"To be sure, for its falsity will be established to-morrow, and
ridicule cast upon those who spread and believed it. False alarms are
the prope