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 proper strategy to conceal the real assault. The rumour does us a
service. Our secret is very well kept, for here am I in Schlestadt, and
people living in Schlestadt believe me on the road to Trent. I will go
back with you to the major's and have a laugh at his correspondent.
Courage, my friend. We will give our enemies a month. Let them cry wolf
as often as they will during that month, we'll get into the fold all the
more easily in the end."