s were tuned to a sympathy with the Princess in her imprisonment,
or touched with the notion of a romantic attachment, smiled upon him
their encouragement. The Countess of Berg for once was unobservant,
however.

Wogan made his escape from the company as soon as he could, and going up
to his apartments read the letter. The moon was at its full, and what
with the clear, frosty air, and the snow stretched over the world like
a white counterpane, he was able to read the letter by the window
without the light of a candle. It was written in the Chevalier's own
cipher and hand; it asked anxiously for news and gave some. Wogan had
had occasion before to learn that cipher by heart. He stood by the
window and spelled the meaning. Then he turned to go down; but at the
door his foot slipped upon the polished boards, and he stumbled onto his
knee. He picked himself up, and thinking no more of the matter rejoined
the company in a room where the Countess of Berg was playing upon a
harp.

"The King," said Wogan, drawing the Prince apart, "leaves Bologna for
Rome."

"So the letter came from him?" asked the Prince, with an eagerness which
could not but seem hopeful to his companion.

"And in his own hand," replied Wogan.

The Prince shuffled and hesitated as though he was curious to hear
particulars. Wogan thought it wise to provoke his curiosity by
disregarding it. It seemed that there was wisdom in his reticence, for a
little later the Prince took him aside while the Countess of Berg was
still playing upon her harp, and said,--

"Single-handed you could do nothing. You would need friends."

Wogan took a slip of paper from his pocket and gave it to the Prince.

"On that slip," said he, "I wrote down the names of all the friends
whom I could trust, and by the side of the names the places where I
could lay my hands upon them. One after the other I erased the names
until only three remained."

The Prince nodded and read out the names.

"Gaydon, Misset, O'Toole. They are good men?"

"The flower of Ireland. Those three names have been my comfort these
last three weeks."

"And all the three at Schlestadt. How comes that about?"

"Your Highness, they are all three officers in Dillon's Irish regiment,
and so have that further advantage."

"Advantage?"

"Your Highness," said Wogan, "Schlestadt is near to Strasbourg, which
again is not far from Innspruck, and being in French territory would be
the most convenient place to set