sign;
"
and
Wogan
climbed
out
of
the
window
,
lowered
himself
till
he
hung
at
the
full
length
of
his
arms
from
the
stanchion
,
and
dropped
on
the
ground
.
He
picked
up
his
saddle-bag
and
crept
round
the
house
to
the
stable
.
The
door
needed
only
a
push
to
open
it
.
In
the
hay-loft
above
he
heard
a
man
snoring
.
Mr.
Wogan
did
not
think
it
worth
while
to
disturb
him
.
He
saddled
his
horse
,
walked
it
out
into
the
yard
,
mounted
,
and
rode
quietly
away
.
He
had
escaped
,
but
without
much
credit
to
himself
.
"
There
was
no
key
in
the
door
,
"
he
thought
.
"
I
should
have
noticed
it
.
Misset
,
the
man
of
resources
,
would
have
tilted
a
chair
backwards
against
that
door
with
its
top
bar
wedged
beneath
the
door
handle
.
"
Certainly
Wogan
needed
Misset
if
he
was
to
succeed
in
his
endeavour
.
He
was
sunk
in
humiliation
;
his
very
promise
to
rescue
the
Princess
shrank
from
its
grandeur
and
became
a
mere
piece
of
impertinence
.
But
he
still
had
his
letter
in
his
pocket
,
and
in
time
that
served
to
enhearten
him
.
Only
two
more
days
,
he
thought
.
On
the
third
night
he
would
sleep
in
Schlestadt
.
CHAPTER
VI
The
next
afternoon
Wogan
came
to
the
town
of
Ulm
.
"
Gaydon
,
"
he
said
to
himself
as
he
watched
its
towers
and
the
smoke
curling
upwards
from
its
chimneys
,
"
would
go
no
further
to-day
with
this
letter
in
his
pocket
.
Gaydon
—
the
cautious
Gaydon
—
would
sleep
in
this
town
and
in
its
most
populous
quarter
.
Gaydon
would
put
up
at
the
busiest
inn
.
Charles
Wogan
will
follow
Gaydon
's
example
.
"
Wogan
rode
slowly
through
the
narrow
streets
of
gabled
houses
until
he
came
to
the
market
square
.
The
square
was
frequented
;
its
great
fountain
was
playing
;
citizens
were
taking
the
air
with
their
wives
and
children
;
the
chief
highway
of
the
town
ran
through
it
;
on
one
side
stood
the
frescoed
Rathhaus
,
and
opposite
to
it
there
was
a
spacious
inn
.
Wogan
drew
up
at
the
doorway
and
saw
that
the
hall
was
encumbered
with
baggage
.
"
Gaydon
would
stop
here
,
"
said
he
,
and
he
dismounted
.
The
porter
came
forward
and
took
his
horse
.
"
I
need
a
room
,
"
said
Wogan
,
and
he
entered
the
house
.
There
were
people
going
up
and
down
the
stairs
.
While
he
was
unstrapping
his
valise
in
his
bedroom
,
a
servant
with
an
apron
about
his
waist
knocked
at
the
door
and
inquired
whether
he
could
help
him
.
"
No
,
"
said
Wogan
;
and
he
thought
with
more
confidence
than
ever
,
"
here
,
to
be
sure
,
is
where
Gaydon
would
sleep
.
"
He
supped
at
the
ordinary
in
the
company
of
linen
merchants
and
travellers
,
and
quite
recovered
his
spirits
.
He
smoked
a
pipe
of
tobacco
on
a
bench
under
the
trees
of
the
square
,
and
giving
an
order
that
he
should
be
called
at
five
went
up
to
his
bedroom
.
There
was
a
key
in
the
lock
of
the
door
,
which
Wogan
turned
;
he
also
tilted
a
chair
and
wedged
the
handle
.
He
opened
the
window
and
looked
out
.
His
room
was
on
the
first
floor
and
not
very
high
from
the
ground
.
A
man
might
possibly
climb
through
the
window
.
Gaydon
would
assuredly
close
the
shutters
and
the
window
,
so
that
no
one
could
force
an
entrance
without
noise
.
Wogan
accordingly
did
what
Gaydon
would
assuredly
have
done
,
and
when
he
blew
out
his
candle
found
himself
in
consequence
in
utter
darkness
.
No
glimmer
of
light
was
anywhere
visible
.
He
had
his
habits
like
another
,
and
one
of
them
was
to
sleep
without
blinds
or
curtains
drawn
.
His
present
deflection
from
this
habit
made
him
restless
;
he
was
tired
,
he
wished
above
all
things
to
sleep
,
but
sleep
would
not
come
.
He
turned
from
one
side
to
the
other
,
he
punched
his
pillows
,
he
tried
to
sleep
with
his
head
low
,
and
when
that
failed
with
his
head
high
.
He
resigned
himself
in
the
end
to
a
sleepless
night
,
and
lying
in
his
bed
drew
some
comfort
from
the
sound
of
voices
and
the
tread
of
feet
in
the
passages
and
the
rooms
about
him
.
These
,
at
all
events
,
were
companionable
,
and
they
assured
him
of
safety
.
But
in
a
while
they
ceased
,
and
he
was
left
in
a
silence
as
absolute
as
the
darkness
.
He
endured
this
silence
for
perhaps
half
an
hour
,
and
then
all
manner
of
infinitesimal
sounds
began
to
stir
about
him
.
The
lightest
of
footsteps
moved
about
his
bed
,
faint
sighs
breathed
from
very
close
at
hand
,
even
his
name
was
softly
whispered
.
He
sat
suddenly
up
in
his
bed
,
and
at
once
all
these
sounds
became
explained
to
him
.
They
came
from
the
street
and
the
square
outside
the
window
.
So
long
as
he
sat
up
they
were
remote
,
but
the
moment
he
lay
down
again
they
peopled
the
room
.
"
Sure
,
"
said
Wogan
,
"
here
is
a
lesson
for
architects
.
Build
no
shutters
to
a
house
when
the
man
that
has
to
live
in
it
has
a
spark
of
imagination
,
else
will
he
go
stark
raving
mad
before
the
mortar
's
dry
.
Window
shutters
are
window
shutters
,
but
they
are
the
doors
of
Bedlam
as
well
.
Now
Gaydon
should
have
slept
in
this
room
.
Gaydon
's
a
great
man
.
Gaydon
has
a
great
deal
of
observation
and
common
sense
,
and
was
never
plagued
with
a
flim-flam
of
fancies
.
To
be
sure
,
I
need
Gaydon
,
but
since
I
have
not
Gaydon
,
I
'll
light
a
candle
.
"
With
that
Wogan
got
out
of
bed
.
He
had
made
himself
so
secure
with
his
key
and
his
tilted
chair
and
his
shutters
that
he
had
not
thought
of
placing
his
candle
by
his
bedside
.
It
stood
by
his
looking-glass
on
the
table
.
Now
the
room
was
so
pitch
dark
that
Wogan
could
do
no
more
than
guess
at
the
position
even
of
the
window
.
The
table
,
he
remembered
,
was
not
far
from
the
door
,
and
the
door
was
at
some
distance
from
his
bed
,
and
in
the
wall
on
his
right
.
He
moved
forward
in
the
darkness
with
his
hands
in
front
of
him
,
groping
for
the
table
.
The
room
was
large
;
in
a
little
his
hands
touched
something
,
and
that
something
was
a
pillar
of
the
bed
.
He
had
missed
his
way
in
his
bedroom
.
Wogan
laughed
to
himself
and
started
off
again
;
and
the
next
thing
which
his
outstretched
hands
touched
was
a
doorknob
.
The
table
should
now
be
a
little
way
to
his
left
.
He
was
just
turning
away
in
that
direction
,
when
it
occurred
to
him
that
he
ought
to
have
felt
the
rim
of
the
top
bar
of
his
tilted
chair
underneath
the
door-handle
.
He
stooped
down
and
felt
for
the
chair
;
there
was
no
chair
,
and
he
stood
very
still
.
The
fears
bred
of
imagination
had
now
left
him
;
he
was
restored
by
the
shock
of
an
actual
danger
.
He
leaned
forward
quietly
and
felt
if
the
key
was
still
in
the
lock
.
But
there
was
no
lock
to
this
door
.
Wogan
felt
the
surface
of
the
door
;
it
was
of
paper
.
It
was
plainly
the
door
of
a
cupboard
in
the
wall
,
papered
after
the
same
pattern
as
the
wall
,
which
by
the
flickering
light
of
his
single
candle
he
had
overlooked
.
He
opened
the
door
and
stretched
out
his
arms
into
the
cupboard
.
He
touched
something
that
moved
beneath
his
hand
,
a
stiff
,
short
crop
of
hair
,
the
hair
of
a
man
's
head
.
He
drew
his
arm
away
as
though
an
adder
had
stung
it
;
he
did
not
utter
a
cry
or
make
a
movement
.
He
stood
for
a
moment
paralysed
,
and
during
that
moment
a
strong
hand
caught
him
by
the
throat
.
Wogan
was
borne
backwards
,
his
assailant
sprang
at
him
from
the
cupboard
,
he
staggered
under
the
unexpected
vigour
of
the
attack
,
he
clutched
his
enemy
,
and
the
two
men
came
to
the
ground
with
a
crash
.
Even
as
he
fell
Wogan
thought
,
"
Gaydon
would
never
have
overlooked
that
cupboard
.
"
It
was
the
only
reflection
,
however
,
for
which
he
could
afford
time
.
He
was
undermost
,
and
the
hand
at
his
throat
had
the
grip
of
a
steel
glove
.
He
fought
with
blows
from
his
fists
and
his
bent
knees
;
he
twisted
his
legs
about
the
legs
of
his
enemy
;
he
writhed
his
body
if
so
he
might
dislodge
him
;
he
grappled
wildly
for
his
throat
.
But
all
the
time
his
strength
grew
less
;
he
felt
that
his
temples
were
swelling
,
and
it
seemed
to
him
that
his
eyes
must
burst
.
The
darkness
of
the
room
was
spotted
with
sparks
of
fire
;
the
air
was
filled
with
a
continuous
roar
like
a
million
chariots
in
a
street
.
He
saw
the
face
of
his
chosen
woman
,
most
reproachful
and
yet
kind
,
gazing
at
him
from
behind
the
bars
which
now
would
never
be
broken
,
and
then
there
came
a
loud
banging
at
the
door
.
The
summons
surprised
them
both
,
so
hotly
had
they
been
engaged
,
so
unaware
were
they
of
the
noise
which
their
fall
had
made
.
Wogan
felt
his
assailant
's
hand
relax
and
heard
him
say
in
a
low
muffled
voice
,
"
It
is
nothing
.
Go
to
bed
!
I
fell
over
a
chair
in
the
dark
.
"
That
momentary
relaxation
was
,
he
knew
,
his
last
chance
.
He
gathered
his
strength
in
a
supreme
effort
,
lurched
over
onto
his
left
side
,
and
getting
his
right
arm
free
swung
it
with
all
his
strength
in
the
direction
of
the
voice
.
His
clenched
fist
caught
his
opponent
full
under
the
point
of
the
chin
,
and
the
hand
at
Wogan
's
throat
clutched
once
and
fell
away
limp
as
an
empty
glove
.
Wogan
sat
up
on
the
floor
and
drew
his
breath
.
That
,
after
all
,
was
more
than
his
antagonist
was
doing
.
The
knocking
at
the
door
continued
;
Wogan
could
not
answer
it
,
he
had
not
the
strength
.
His
limbs
were
shaking
,
the
sweat
clotted
his
hair
and
dripped
from
his
face
.
But
his
opponent
was
quieter
still
.
At
last
he
managed
to
gather
his
legs
beneath
him
,
to
kneel
up
,
to
stand
shakily
upon
his
feet
.
He
could
no
longer
mistake
the
position
of
the
door
;
he
tottered
across
to
it
,
removed
the
chair
,
and
opened
it
.
The
landlord
with
a
couple
of
servants
stepped
back
as
Wogan
showed
himself
to
the
light
of
their
candles
.
Wogan
heard
their
exclamations
,
though
he
did
not
clearly
understand
them
,
for
his
ears
still
buzzed
.
He
saw
their
startled
faces
,
but
only
dimly
,
for
he
was
dazzled
by
the
light
.
He
came
back
into
the
room
,
and
pointing
to
his
assailant
,
—
a
sturdy
,
broad
man
,
who
now
sat
up
opening
and
shutting
his
eyes
in
a
dazed
way
,
—
"
Who
is
that
?
"
he
asked
,
gasping
rather
than
speaking
the
words
.
"
Who
is
that
?
"
repeated
the
landlord
,
staring
at
Wogan
.
"
Who
is
that
?
"
said
Wogan
,
leaning
against
the
bed-post
.
"
Why
,
sir
,
your
servant
.
Who
should
he
be
?
"
Wogan
was
silent
for
a
little
,
considering
as
well
as
his
rambling
wits
allowed
this
new
development
.
"
Ah
!
"
said
Wogan
,
"
he
came
here
with
me
?
"
"
Yes
,
since
he
is
your
servant
.
"
The
landlord
was
evidently
mystified
;
he
was
no
less
evidently
speaking
with
sincerity
.
Wogan
reflected
that
to
proffer
a
charge
against
the
assailant
would
involve
his
own
detention
in
Ulm
.
"
To
be
sure
,
"
said
he
,
"
I
know
.
This
is
my
servant
.
That
is
precisely
what
I
mean
.
"
His
wits
were
at
work
to
find
a
way
out
of
his
difficulty
.
"
This
is
my
servant
?
What
then
?
"
he
asked
fiercely
.
"
But
I
do
n't
understand
,
"
said
the
landlord
.
"
You
do
n't
understand
!
"
cried
Wogan
.
"
Was
there
ever
such
a
landlord
?
He
does
not
understand
.
This
is
my
servant
,
I
tell
you
.
"
"
Yes
,
sir
,
but
—
but
—
"
"
Well
?
"
"
We
were
roused
—
there
was
a
noise
—
a
noise
of
men
fighting
.
"
"
There
would
have
been
no
noise
,
"
said
Wogan
,
triumphantly
,
"
if
you
had
prepared
a
bed
for
my
servant
.
He
would
not
have
crept
into
my
cupboard
to
sleep
off
his
drunkenness
.
"
"
But
,
sir
,
there
was
a
bed
.
"
"
You
should
have
seen
that
he
was
carried
to
it
.
As
it
is
,
here
have
I
been
driven
to
beat
him
and
to
lose
my
night
's
rest
in
consequence
.
It
is
not
fitting
.
I
do
not
think
that
your
inn
is
well
managed
.
"
Wogan
expressed
his
indignation
with
so
majestic
an
air
that
the
landlord
was
soon
apologising
for
having
disturbed
a
gentleman
in
the
proper
exercise
of
belabouring
his
valet
.
"
We
will
carry
the
fellow
away
,
"
said
he
.
"
You
will
do
nothing
of
the
kind
,
"
said
Wogan
.
"
He
shall
get
back
into
his
cupboard
and
there
he
shall
remain
till
daybreak
.
Come
,
get
up
!
"
Wogan
's
self-appointed
valet
got
to
his
feet
.
There
was
no
possibility
of
an
escape
for
him
since
there
were
three
men
between
him
and
the
door
.
On
the
other
hand
,
obedience
to
Wogan
might
save
him
from
a
charge
of
attempted
theft
.
"
In
with
you
,
"
said
Wogan
,
and
the
man
obeyed
.
His
head
no
doubt
was
still
spinning
from
the
blow
,
and
he
had
the
stupid
look
of
one
dazed
.
"
There
is
no
lock
to
the
door
,
"
said
the
landlord
.
"
There
is
no
need
of
a
lock
,
"
said
Wogan
,
"
so
long
as
one
has
a
chair
.
The
fellow
will
do
very
well
till
the
morning
.
But
I
will
take
your
three
candles
,
for
it
is
not
likely
that
I
shall
sleep
.
"
Wogan
smoked
his
pipe
all
the
rest
of
the
night
,
reclining
on
a
couple
of
chairs
in
front
of
the
cupboard
.
In
the
morning
he
made
his
valet
walk
three
miles
by
his
horse
's
side
.
The
man
dared
not
disobey
,
and
when
Wogan
finally
let
him
go
he
was
so
far
from
the
town
that
,
had
he
confederates
there
,
he
could
do
no
harm
.
Wogan
continued
his
journey
.
Towns
,
it
was
proved
,
were
no
safer
to
him
than
villages
.
He
began
to
wonder
how
it
was
that
no
traps
had
been
laid
for
him
on
the
earlier
stages
of
his
journey
,
and
he
suddenly
hit
upon
the
explanation
.
"
It
was
that
night
,
"
said
he
to
himself
,
"
when
the
Prince
sat
by
the
Countess
with
the
list
of
my
friends
in
his
hands
.
The
names
were
all
erased
but
three
,
and
against
those
three
was
that
other
name
of
Schlestadt
.
No
doubt
the
Countess
while
she
bent
over
her
harp-strings
took
a
look
at
that
list
.
I
must
run
the
gauntlet
into
Schlestadt
.
"
Towards
evening
he
came
to
Stuttgart
and
rode
through
the
Schloss
Platz
and
along
the
Königstrasse
.
Wogan
would
not
sleep
there
,
since
there
the
Duke
of
Würtemberg
held
his
court
,
and
in
that
court
the
Countess
of
Berg
was
very
likely
to
have
friends
.
He
rode
onwards
through
the
valley
along
the
banks
of
the
Nesen
brook
until
he
came
to
its
junction
with
the
Neckar
.
A
mile
farther
a
wooden
mill
stood
upon
the
river-bank
,
beyond
the
mill
was
a
tavern
,
and
beyond
the
tavern
stood
a
few
cottages
.
At
some
distance
from
the
cottages
along
the
road
,
Wogan
could
see
a
high
brick
wall
,
and
over
the
top
the
chimneys
and
the
slate
roof
of
a
large
house
.
Wogan
stopped
at
the
tavern
.
It
promised
no
particular
comfort
,
it
was
a
small
dilapidated
house
;
but
it
had
the
advantage
that
it
was
free
from
new
paint
.
It
seemed
to
Wogan
,
however
,
wellnigh
useless
to
take
precautions
in
the
choice
of
a
lodging
;
danger
leaped
at
him
from
every
quarter
.
For
this
last
night
he
must
trust
to
his
luck
;
and
besides
there
was
the
splash
of
the
water
falling
over
the
mill-dam
.
It
was
always
something
to
Wogan
to
fall
asleep
with
that
sound
in
his
ears
.
He
dismounted
accordingly
,
and
having
ordered
his
supper
asked
for
a
room
.
"
You
will
sleep
here
?
"
exclaimed
his
host
.
"
I
will
at
all
events
lie
in
bed
,
"
returned
Wogan
.
The
innkeeper
took
a
lamp
and
led
the
way
up
a
narrow
winding
stair
.
"
Have
a
care
,
sir
,
"
said
he
;
"
the
stairs
are
steep
.
"
"
I
prefer
them
steep
.
"
"
I
am
afraid
that
I
keep
the
light
from
you
,
but
there
is
no
room
for
two
to
walk
abreast
.
"
"
It
is
an
advantage
.
I
do
not
like
to
be
jostled
on
the
stairs
.
"
The
landlord
threw
open
a
door
at
the
top
of
the
stairs
.
"
The
room
is
a
garret
,
"
he
said
in
apology
.
"
So
long
as
it
has
no
cupboards
it
will
serve
my
turn
.
"
"
Ah
!
you
do
not
like
cupboards
.
"
"
They
fill
a
poor
man
with
envy
of
those
who
have
clothes
to
hang
in
them
.
"
Wogan
ascertained
that
there
were
no
cupboards
.
There
was
a
key
,
too
,
in
the
lock
,
and
a
chest
of
drawers
which
could
be
moved
very
suitably
in
front
of
the
door
.
"
It
is
a
good
garret
,
"
said
Wogan
,
laying
down
his
bag
upon
a
chair
.
"
The
window
is
small
,
"
continued
the
landlord
.
"
One
will
be
less
likely
to
fall
out
,
"
said
Wogan
.
One
would
also
,
he
thought
,
be
less
likely
to
climb
in
.
He
looked
out
of
the
window
.
It
was
a
good
height
from
the
ground
;
there
was
no
stanchion
or
projection
in
the
wall
,
and
it
seemed
impossible
that
a
man
could
get
his
shoulders
through
the
opening
.
Wogan
opened
the
window
to
try
it
,
and
the
sound
of
someone
running
came
to
his
ears
.
"
Oho
!
"
said
he
,
but
he
said
it
to
himself
,
"
here
's
a
man
in
a
mighty
hurry
.
"
A
mist
was
rising
from
the
ground
;
the
evening
,
too
,
was
dark
.
Wogan
could
see
no
one
in
the
road
below
,
but
he
heard
the
footsteps
diminishing
into
a
faint
patter
.
Then
they
ceased
altogether
.
The
man
who
ran
was
running
in
the
direction
of
Stuttgart
.
"
Yes
,
your
garret
will
do
,
"
said
Wogan
,
in
quite
a
different
voice
.
He
had
begun
to
think
that
this
night
he
would
sleep
,
and
he
realised
now
that
he
must
not
.
The
man
might
be
running
on
his
own
business
,
but
this
was
the
last
night
before
Wogan
would
reach
his
friends
.
Stuttgart
was
only
three
miles
away
.
He
could
take
no
risks
,
and
so
he
must
stay
awake
with
his
sword
upon
his
knees
.
Had
his
horse
been
able
to
carry
him
farther
,
he
would
have
ridden
on
,
but
the
horse
was
even
more
weary
than
its
master
.
Besides
,
the
narrow
staircase
made
his
room
an
excellent
place
to
defend
.
"
Get
my
supper
,
"
said
he
,
"
for
I
am
very
tired
.
"
"
Will
your
Excellency
sup
here
?
"
asked
the
landlord
.
"
By
no
manner
of
means
,
"
returned
Wogan
,
who
had
it
in
his
mind
to
spy
out
the
land
.
"
I
detest
nothing
so
much
as
my
own
company
.
"
He
went
downstairs
into
the
common
room
and
supped
off
a
smoked
ham
and
a
bottle
of
execrable
wine
.
While
he
ate
a
man
came
in
and
sat
him
down
by
the
fire
.
The
man
had
a
hot
,
flushed
face
,
and
when
he
saluted
Wogan
he
could
hardly
speak
.
"
You
have
been
running
,
"
said
Wogan
,
politely
.
"
Sir
,
running
is
a
poor
man
's
overcoat
for
a
chilly
evening
;
besides
it
helps
me
to
pay
with
patience
the
price
of
wine
for
vinegar
;
"
and
the
fellow
called
the
landlord
.
Presently
two
other
men
entered
,
and
taking
a
seat
by
the
fire
chatted
together
as
though
much
absorbed
in
their
private
business
.
These
two
men
wore
swords
.
"
You
have
a
good
trade
,
"
said
Wogan
to
the
landlord
.
"
The
mill
brings
me
custom
.
"
The
door
opened
as
the
landlord
spoke
,
and
a
big
loud-voiced
man
cheerily
wished
the
company
good
evening
.
The
two
companions
at
the
fire
paid
no
heed
to
the
civility
;
the
third
,
who
had
now
quite
recovered
his
breath
,
replied
to
it
.
Wogan
pushed
his
plate
away
and
called
for
a
pipe
.
He
thought
it
might
perhaps
prove
well
worth
his
while
to
study
his
landlord
's
clients
before
he
retired
up
those
narrow
stairs
.
The
four
men
gave
no
sign
of
any
common
agreement
,
nor
were
they
at
all
curious
as
to
Wogan
.
If
they
spoke
at
all
,
they
spoke
as
strangers
speak
.
But
while
Wogan
was
smoking
his
first
pipe
a
fifth
man
entered
,
and
he
just
gave
one
quick
glance
at
Wogan
.
Wogan
behind
a
cloud
of
tobacco-smoke
saw
the
movement
of
the
head
and
detected
the
look
.
It
might
signify
nothing
but
curiosity
,
of
course
,
but
Wogan
felt
glad
that
the
stairs
were
narrow
.
He
finished
his
pipe
and
was
knocking
out
the
ashes
when
it
occurred
to
him
that
he
had
seen
that
fifth
man
before
;
and
Wogan
looked
at
him
more
carefully
,
and
though
the
fellow
was
disguised
by
the
growth
of
a
beard
he
recognised
him
.
It
was
the
servant
whom
Wogan
had
seen
one
day
in
the
Countess
of
Berg
's
livery
of
green
and
red
galloping
along
the
road
to
Prague
.
"
I
know
enough
now
,
"
thought
Wogan
.
"
I
can
go
to
bed
.
The
staircase
is
a
pretty
place
with
which
we
shall
all
be
more
familiar
in
an
hour
or
two
.
"
He
laughed
quietly
to
himself
with
a
little
thrill
of
enjoyment
.
His
fatigue
had
vanished
.
He
was
on
the
point
of
getting
up
from
the
table
when
the
two
men
by
the
fire
looked
round
towards
the
last
comer
and
made
room
for
him
upon
their
settle
.
But
he
said
,
"
I
find
the
room
hot
,
and
will
stay
by
the
door
.
"
Wogan
changed
his
mind
at
the
words
;
he
did
not
get
up
.
On
the
contrary
,
he
filled
his
pipe
a
second
time
very
thoughtfully
.
He
had
stayed
too
long
in
the
room
,
it
seemed
;
the
little
staircase
was
,
after
all
,
likely
to
prove
of
no
service
.
He
did
not
betray
himself
by
any
start
or
exclamation
,
he
did
not
even
look
up
,
but
bending
his
head
over
his
pipe
he
thought
over
the
disposition
of
the
room
.
The
fireplace
was
on
his
right
;
the
door
was
opposite
to
him
;
the
window
in
the
wall
at
his
left
.
The
window
was
high
from
the
ground
and
at
some
distance
.
On
the
other
hand
,
he
had
certain
advantages
.
He
was
in
a
corner
,
he
had
the
five
men
in
front
of
him
,
and
between
them
and
himself
stood
a
solid
table
.
A
loaded
pistol
was
in
his
belt
,
his
sword
hung
at
his
side
,
and
his
hunting
knife
at
his
waist
.
Still
the
aspect
of
affairs
was
changed
.
"
Five
men
,
"
thought
he
,
"
upon
a
narrow
staircase
are
merely
one
man
who
has
to
be
killed
five
times
,
but
five
men
in
a
room
are
five
simultaneous
assailants
.
I
need
O'Toole
here
,
I
need
O'Toole
's
six
feet
four
and
the
length
of
his
arm
and
the
weight
of
him
—
these
things
I
need
—
but
are
there
five
or
only
four
?
"
And
he
was
at
once
aware
that
the
two
men
at
the
fire
had
ceased
to
talk
of
their
business
.
No
one
,
indeed
,
was
speaking
at
all
,
and
no
one
so
much
as
shuffled
a
foot
.
Wogan
raised
his
head
and
proceeded
to
light
his
pipe
;
and
he
saw
that
all
the
five
men
were
silently
watching
him
,
and
it
seemed
to
him
that
those
five
pairs
of
eyes
were
unnaturally
bright
.
However
,
he
appeared
to
be
entirely
concerned
with
his
pipe
,
which
,
however
hard
he
puffed
at
it
,
would
not
draw
.
No
doubt
the
tobacco
was
packed
too
tight
in
the
bowl
.
He
loosened
it
,
and
when
he
had
loosened
it
the
pipe
had
gone
out
.
He
fumbled
in
his
pocket
and
discovered
in
the
breast
of
his
coat
a
letter
.
This
letter
he
glanced
through
to
make
sure
that
it
was
of
no
importance
,
and
having
informed
himself
upon
the
point
he
folded
it
into
a
long
spill
and
walked
over
to
the
hearth
.
The
five
pairs
of
eyes
followed
his
movements
.
He
,
however
,
had
no
attention
to
spare
.
He
bent
down
,
lit
his
spill
in
the
flame
,
and
deliberately
lighted
his
pipe
.
The
tobacco
rose
above
the
rim
of
the
bowl
like
a
head
of
ale
in
a
tankard
.
Wogan
,
still
holding
the
burning
spill
in
his
right
hand
,
pressed
down
the
tobacco
with
the
little
finger
of
his
left
,
and
lighted
the
pipe
again
.
By
this
time
his
spill
had
burned
down
to
his
fingers
.
He
dropped
the
end
into
the
fire
and
walked
back
to
his
seat
.
The
five
pairs
of
eyes
again
turned
as
he
turned
.
He
stumbled
at
a
crack
in
the
floor
,
fell
against
the
table
with
a
clatter
of
his
sword
,
and
rolled
noisily
into
his
seat
.
When
he
sat
down
a
careful
observer
might
have
noticed
that
his
pistol
was
now
at
full
cock
.
He
had
barely
seated
himself
when
the
polite
man
,
who
had
come
first
hot
and
short
of
breath
into
the
room
,
crossed
the
floor
and
leaning
over
the
table
said
with
a
smile
and
the
gentlest
voice
,
"
I
think
,
sir
,
you
ought
to
know
that
we
are
all
very
poor
men
.
"
"
I
,
too
,
"
replied
Wogan
,
"
am
an
Irishman
.
"
The
polite
man
leaned
farther
across
the
table
;
his
voice
became
wheedling
in
its
suavity
.
"
I
think
you
ought
to
know
that
we
are
all
very
poor
men
.
"
"
The
repetition
of
the
remark
,
"
said
Wogan
,
"
argues
certainly
a
poverty
of
ideas
.
"
"
We
wish
to
become
less
poor
.
"
"
It
is
an
aspiration
which
has
pushed
many
men
to
creditable
feats
.
"
"
You
can
help
us
.
"
"
My
prayers
are
at
your
disposal
,
"
said
Wogan
.
"
By
more
than
your
prayers
;
"
and
he
added
in
a
tone
of
apology
,
"
there
are
five
of
us
.
"
"
Then
I
have
a
guinea
apiece
for
you
,
"
and
Wogan
thrust
the
table
a
little
away
from
him
to
search
his
pockets
.
It
also
gave
him
more
play
.
"
We
do
not
want
your
money
.
You
have
a
letter
which
we
can
coin
.
"
Wogan
smiled
.
"
There
,
sir
,
you
are
wrong
.
"
The
polite
man
waved
the
statement
aside
.
"
A
letter
from
Prince
Sobieski
,
"
said
he
.
"
I
had
such
a
letter
a
minute
ago
,
but
I
lit
my
pipe
with
it
under
your
nose
.
"
The
polite
man
stepped
back
;
his
four
companions
started
to
their
feet
.
The
servant
from
Ohlau
cried
out
with
an
oath
,
"
It
's
a
lie
.
"
Wogan
shrugged
his
shoulders
and
crossed
his
legs
.
"
Here
's
a
fine
world
,
"
said
he
.
"
A
damned
rag
of
a
lackey
gives
a
gentleman
the
lie
.
"
"
You
will
give
me
the
letter
,
"
said
the
polite
man
,
coming
round
the
table
.
He
held
his
right
hand
behind
his
back
.
"
You
can
sweep
up
the
ashes
from
the
hearth
,
"
said
Wogan
,
who
made
no
movement
of
any
kind
.
The
polite
man
came
close
to
his
side
;
Wogan
let
him
come
.
The
polite
man
stretched
out
his
left
hand
towards
Wogan
's
pocket
.
Wogan
knocked
the
hand
away
,
and
the
man
's
right
arm
swung
upwards
from
behind
his
back
with
a
gleaming
pistol
in
the
hand
.
Wogan
was
prepared
for
him
;
he
had
crossed
his
legs
to
be
prepared
,
and
as
the
arm
came
round
he
kicked
upwards
from
the
knee
.
The
toe
of
his
heavy
boot
caught
the
man
upon
the
point
of
the
elbow
.
His
arm
was
flung
up
;
the
pistol
exploded
and
then
dropped
onto
the
floor
.
That
assailant
was
for
the
time
out
of
action
,
but
at
the
same
moment
the
lackey
came
running
across
the
floor
,
his
shoulders
thrust
forward
,
a
knife
in
his
hand
.
Wogan
had
just
time
to
notice
that
the
lackey
's
coat
was
open
at
his
breast
.
He
stood
up
,
leaned
over
the
table
,
caught
the
lapels
one
in
each
hand
as
the
fellow
rushed
at
him
,
and
lifting
the
coat
up
off
his
shoulders
violently
jammed
it
backwards
down
his
arms
as
though
he
would
strip
him
of
it
.
The
lackey
stood
with
his
arms
pinioned
at
his
elbows
for
a
second
.
During
that
second
Wogan
drew
his
hunting
knife
from
his
belt
and
drove
it
with
a
terrible
strength
into
the
man
's
chest
.
"
There
's
a
New
Year
's
gift
for
your
mistress
,
the
Countess
of
Berg
,
"
cried
Wogan
;
and
the
lackey
swung
round
with
the
force
of
the
blow
and
then
hopped
twice
in
a
horrible
fashion
with
his
feet
together
across
the
room
as
though
returning
to
his
place
,
and
fell
upon
the
floor
,
where
he
lay
twisting
.
The
polite
man
was
nursing
his
elbow
in
a
corner
;
there
were
three
others
left
,
—
the
man
with
the
cheery
voice
,
who
had
no
weapon
but
a
knobbed
stick
,
and
the
companions
on
the
settle
.
These
two
had
swords
and
had
drawn
them
.
They
leaped
over
the
lackey
's
body
and
rushed
at
Wogan
one
a
little
in
advance
of
the
other
.
Wogan
tilted
the
heavy
table
and
flung
it
over
to
make
a
barricade
in
front
of
him
.
It
fell
with
a
crash
,
and
the
lower
rim
struck
upon
the
instep
of
the
leader
and
pinned
his
foot
.
His
companion
drew
back
;
he
himself
uttered
a
cry
and
wrenched
at
his
foot
.
Wogan
with
his
left
hand
drew
his
sword
from
the
scabbard
,
and
with
the
same
movement
passed
it
through
his
opponent
's
body
.
The
man
stood
swaying
,
pinned
there
by
his
foot
and
held
erect
.
Then
he
made
one
desperate
lunge
,
fell
forward
across
the
barricade
,
and
hung
there
.
Wogan
parried
the
lunge
;
the
sword
fell
from
the
man
's
hand
and
clattered
onto
the
floor
within
the
barricade
.
Wogan
stamped
upon
it
with
his
heel
and
snapped
the
blade
.
He
had
still
two
opponents
;
and
as
they
advanced
again
he
suddenly
sprung
onto
the
edge
of
the
table
,
gave
one
sweeping
cut
in
a
circle
with
his
sword
,
and
darted
across
the
room
.
The
two
men
gave
ground
;
Wogan
passed
between
them
.
Before
they
could
strike
at
his
back
he
was
facing
them
again
.
He
had
no
longer
his
barricade
,
but
on
the
other
hand
his
shoulders
were
against
the
door
.
The
swordsman
crossed
blades
with
him
,
and
at
the
first
pass
Wogan
realised
with
dismay
that
his
enemy
was
a
swordsman
in
knowledge
as
well
as
in
the
possession
of
the
weapon
.
He
had
a
fencer
's
suppleness
of
wrist
and
balance
of
body
;
he
pressed
Wogan
hard
and
without
flurry
.
The
blade
of
his
sword
made
glittering
rings
about
Wogan
's
,
and
the
point
struck
at
his
breast
like
an
adder
.
Wogan
was
engaged
with
his
equal
if
not
with
his
better
.
He
was
fighting
for
his
life
with
one
man
,
and
he
would
have
to
fight
for
it
with
two
,
nay
,
with
three
.
For
over
his
opponent
's
shoulder
he
saw
his
first
polite
antagonist
cross
to
the
table
and
pick
up
from
the
ground
the
broken
sword
.
One
small
consolation
Wogan
had
;
the
fellow
picked
it
up
with
his
left
hand
,
his
right
elbow
was
still
useless
.
But
even
that
consolation
lasted
him
for
no
long
time
,
for
out
of
the
tail
of
his
eye
he
could
see
the
big
fellow
creeping
up
with
his
stick
raised
along
the
wall
at
his
right
.
Wogan
suddenly
pressed
upon
his
opponent
,
delivering
thrust
upon
thrust
,
and
forced
him
to
give
ground
.
As
the
swordsman
drew
back
,
Wogan
swept
his
weapon
round
and
slashed
at
the
man
upon
his
right
.
But
the
stroke
was
wide
of
its
mark
,
and
the
big
man
struck
at
the
sword
with
his
stick
,
struck
with
all
his
might
,
so
that
Wogan
's
arm
tingled
from
the
wrist
to
the
shoulder
.
That
,
however
,
was
the
least
part
of
the
damage
the
stick
did
.
It
broke
Wogan
's
sword
short
off
at
the
hilt
.
Both
men
gave
a
cry
of
delight
.
Wogan
dropped
the
hilt
.
"
I
have
a
loaded
pistol
,
my
friends
;
you
have
forgotten
that
,
"
he
cried
,
and
plucked
the
pistol
from
his
belt
.
At
the
same
moment
he
felt
behind
him
with
his
left
hand
for
the
knob
of
the
door
.
He
fired
at
the
swordsman
and
his
pistol
missed
,
he
flung
it
at
the
man
with
the
stick
,
and
as
he
flung
it
he
sprang
to
the
right
,
threw
open
the
door
,
darted
into
the
passage
,
and
slammed
the
door
to
.
It
was
the
work
of
a
second
.
The
men
sprang
at
him
as
he
opened
the
door
;
as
he
slammed
it
close
a
sword-point
pierced
the
thin
panel
and
bit
like
a
searing
iron
into
his
shoulder
.
Wogan
uttered
a
cry
;
he
heard
an
answering
shout
in
the
room
,
he
clung
to
the
handle
,
setting
his
foot
against
the
wall
,
and
was
then
stabbed
in
the
back
.
For
his
host
was
waiting
for
him
in
the
passage
.
Wogan
dropped
the
door-handle
and
turned
.
That
last
blow
had
thrown
him
into
a
violent
rage
.
Possessed
by
rage
,
he
was
no
longer
conscious
of
wounds
or
danger
;
he
was
conscious
only
of
superhuman
strength
.
The
knife
was
already
lifted
to
strike
again
.
Wogan
seized
the
wrist
which
held
the
knife
,
grappled
with
the
innkeeper
,
and
caught
him
about
the
body
.
The
door
of
the
room
,
now
behind
him
,
was
flung
violently
open
.
Wogan
,
who
was
wrought
to
a
frenzy
,
lifted
up
the
man
he
wrestled
with
,
and
swinging
round
hurled
him
headlong
through
the
doorway
.
The
three
men
were
already
on
the
threshold
.
The
new
missile
bounded
against
them
,
tumbled
them
one
against
the
other
,
and
knocked
them
sprawling
and
struggling
on
the
floor
.
Wogan
burst
into
a
laugh
of
exultation
;
he
saw
his
most
dangerous
enemy
striving
to
disentangle
himself
and
his
sword
.
"
Aha
,
my
friend
,
"
he
cried
,
"
you
handle
a
sword
very
prettily
,
but
I
am
the
better
man
at
cock-shies
.
"
And
shutting
the
door
to
be
ran
down
the
passage
into
the
road
.
He
had
seen
a
house
that
afternoon
with
a
high
garden
wall
about
it
a
quarter
of
a
mile
away
.
Wogan
ran
towards
it
.
The
mist
was
still
thick
,
but
he
now
began
to
feel
his
strength
failing
.
He
was
wounded
in
the
shoulder
,
he
was
stabbed
in
the
back
,
and
from
both
wounds
the
blood
was
flowing
warm
.
Moreover
,
he
looked
backwards
once
over
his
shoulder
and
saw
a
lantern
dancing
in
the
road
.
He
kept
doggedly
running
,
though
his
pace
slackened
;
he
heard
a
shout
and
an
answering
shout
behind
him
.
He
stumbled
onto
his
knees
,
picked
himself
up
,
and
staggered
on
,
labouring
his
breath
,
dizzy
.
He
stumbled
again
and
fell
,
but
as
he
fell
he
struck
against
the
sharp
corner
of
the
wall
.
If
he
could
find
an
entrance
into
the
garden
beyond
that
wall
!
He
turned
off
the
road
to
the
left
and
ran
across
a
field
,
keeping
close
along
the
side
of
the
wall
.
He
came
to
another
corner
and
turned
to
the
right
.
As
he
turned
he
heard
voices
in
the
road
.
The
pursuers
had
stopped
and
were
searching
with
the
lantern
for
traces
of
his
passage
.
He
ran
along
the
back
of
the
wall
,
feeling
for
a
projection
,
a
tree
,
anything
which
would
enable
him
to
climb
it
.
The
wall
was
smooth
,
and
though
the
branches
of
trees
swung
and
creaked
above
his
head
,
their
stems
grew
in
the
garden
upon
the
other
side
.
He
was
pouring
with
sweat
,
his
breath
whistled
,
in
his
ears
he
had
the
sound
of
innumerable
armies
marching
across
the
earth
,
but
he
stumbled
on
.
And
at
last
,
though
his
right
side
brushed
against
the
wall
,
he
none
the
less
struck
against
it
also
with
his
chest
.
He
was
too
dazed
for
the
moment
to
understand
what
had
happened
;
all
the
breath
he
had
left
was
knocked
clean
out
of
his
body
;
he
dropped
in
a
huddle
on
the
ground
.
In
a
little
he
recovered
his
breath
;
he
listened
and
could
no
longer
hear
any
sound
of
voices
;
he
began
to
consider
.
He
reached
a
hand
out
in
front
of
him
and
touched
the
wall
;
he
reached
out
a
hand
to
the
right
of
him
and
touched
the
wall
again
.
The
wall
projected
then
abruptly
and
made
a
right
angle
.
Now
Wogan
had
spent
his
boyhood
at
Rathcoffey
among
cliffs
and
rocks
.
This
wall
,
he
reflected
,
could
not
be
more
than
twelve
feet
high
.
Would
his
strength
last
out
?
He
came
to
the
conclusion
that
it
must
.
He
took
off
his
heavy
boots
and
flung
them
one
by
one
over
the
wall
.
Then
he
pulled
off
his
coat
at
the
cost
of
some
pain
and
an
added
weakness
,
for
the
coat
was
stuck
to
his
wounds
and
had
roughly
staunched
them
.
He
could
feel
the
blood
again
soaking
his
shirt
.
There
was
all
the
more
need
,
then
,
for
hurry
.
He
stood
up
,
jammed
his
back
into
the
angle
of
the
wall
,
stretched
out
his
arms
on
each
side
,
pressing
with
his
elbows
and
hands
,
and
then
bending
his
knees
crossed
his
legs
tailor
fashion
,
and
set
the
soles
of
his
stockinged
feet
firmly
against
the
bricks
on
each
side
.
He
was
thus
seated
as
it
were
upon
nothing
,
but
retaining
his
position
by
the
pressure
of
his
arms
and
feet
and
his
whole
body
.
Still
retaining
this
position
,
very
slowly
,
very
laboriously
,
he
worked
himself
up
the
angle
,
stopping
now
and
then
to
regain
his
breath
,
now
and
then
slipping
back
an
inch
.
But
he
mounted
towards
the
top
,
and
after
a
while
the
back
of
his
head
no
longer
touched
the
bricks
.
His
head
was
above
the
coping
of
the
wall
.
It
was
at
this
moment
that
he
saw
the
lantern
again
,
just
at
the
corner
where
he
had
turned
.
The
lantern
advanced
slowly
;
it
was
now
held
aloft
,
now
close
to
the
ground
.
Wogan
was
very
glad
he
had
thrown
his
boots
and
coat
into
the
garden
.
He
made
a
few
last
desperate
struggles
;
he
could
now
place
the
palms
of
his
hands
behind
him
upon
the
coping
,
and
he
hoisted
himself
up
and
sat
on
the
wall
.
The
lantern
was
nearer
to
him
;
he
lay
flat
upon
his
face
on
the
coping
,
and
then
lowering
himself
upon
the
garden
side
to
the
full
length
of
his
arms
,
he
let
go
.
He
fell
into
a
litter
of
dead
leaves
,
very
soft
and
comfortable
.
He
would
not
have
exchanged
them
at
that
moment
for
the
Emperor
's
own
bed
.
He
lay
upon
his
back
and
saw
the
dark
branches
above
his
head
grow
bright
and
green
.
His
pursuers
were
flashing
their
lantern
on
the
other
side
;
there
was
only
the
thickness
of
the
wall
between
him
and
them
.
He
could
even
hear
them
whispering
and
the
brushing
of
their
feet
.
He
lay
still
as
a
mouse
;
and
then
the
earth
heaved
up
and
fell
away
altogether
beneath
him
.
Wogan
had
fainted
.
CHAPTER
VII
It
was
still
night
when
Wogan
opened
his
eyes
,
but
the
night
was
now
clear
of
mist
.
There
was
no
moon
,
however
,
to
give
him
a
guess
at
the
hour
.
He
lay
upon
his
back
among
the
dead
leaves
,
and
looking
upwards
at
the
stars
,
caught
as
it
seemed
in
a
lattice-work
of
branches
,
floated
back
into
consciousness
.
He
moved
,
and
the
movement
turned
him
sick
with
pain
.
The
knowledge
of
his
wounds
came
to
him
and
brought
with
it
a
clear
recollection
of
the
last
three
nights
.
The
ever-widening
black
strip
in
the
door
on
the
first
night
,
the
clutch
at
his
throat
and
the
leap
from
the
cupboard
on
the
second
,
the
silent
watching
of
those
five
pairs
of
eyes
on
the
third
,
and
the
lackey
with
the
knife
in
his
breast
hopping
with
both
feet
horribly
across
the
floor
,
—
the
horror
of
these
recollections
swept
in
upon
him
and
changed
him
from
a
man
into
a
timorous
child
.
He
lay
and
shuddered
until
in
every
creak
of
the
branches
he
heard
the
whisper
of
an
enemy
,
in
every
flutter
of
leaves
across
the
lawn
a
stealthy
footstep
,
and
behind
every
tree-stem
he
caught
the
flap
of
a
cloak
.
Stiff
and
sore
,
he
raised
himself
from
the
ground
,
he
groped
for
his
boots
and
coat
,
and
putting
them
on
moved
cautiously
through
the
trees
,
supporting
himself
from
stem
to
stem
.
He
came
to
the
borders
of
a
wide
,
smooth
lawn
,
and
on
the
farther
side
stood
the
house
,
—
a
long
,
two-storeyed
house
with
level
tiers
of
windows
stretching
to
the
right
and
the
left
,
and
a
bowed
tower
in
the
middle
.
Through
one
of
the
windows
in
the
ground-floor
Wogan
saw
the
spark
of
a
lamp
,
and
about
that
window
a
fan
of
yellow
light
was
spread
upon
the
lawn
.
Wogan
at
this
moment
felt
in
great
need
of
companionship
.
He
stole
across
the
lawn
and
looked
into
the
room
.
An
old
gentleman
with
a
delicate
face
,
who
wore
his
own
white
hair
,
was
bending
over
a
book
at
a
desk
.
The
room
was
warmly
furnished
,
the
door
of
the
stove
stood
open
,
and
Wogan
could
see
the
logs
blazing
merrily
.
A
chill
wind
swept
across
the
lawn
,
very
drear
and
ghostly
.
Wogan
crept
closer
to
the
window
.
A
great
boar-hound
rose
at
the
old
man
's
feet
and
growled
;
then
the
old
man
rose
,
and
crossing
to
the
window
pressed
his
face
against
the
panes
with
his
hands
curved
about
his
eyes
.
Wogan
stepped
forward
and
stood
within
the
fan
of
light
,
spreading
out
his
arms
to
show
that
he
came
as
a
supplicant
and
with
no
ill
intent
.
The
old
man
,
with
a
word
to
his
hound
,
opened
the
window
.
"
Who
is
it
?
"
he
asked
,
and
with
a
thrill
not
of
fear
but
of
expectation
in
his
voice
.
"
A
man
wounded
and
in
sore
straits
for
his
life
,
who
would
gladly
sit
for
a
few
minutes
by
your
fire
before
he
goes
upon
his
way
.
"
The
old
man
stood
aside
,
and
Wogan
entered
the
room
.
He
was
spattered
from
head
to
foot
with
mud
,
his
clothes
were
torn
,
his
eyes
sunken
,
his
face
was
of
a
ghastly
pallor
and
marked
with
blood
.
"
I
am
the
Chevalier
Warner
,
"
said
Wogan
,
"
a
gentleman
of
Ireland
.
You
will
pardon
me
.
But
I
have
gone
through
so
much
these
last
three
nights
that
I
can
barely
stand
;
"
and
dropping
into
a
chair
he
dragged
it
up
to
the
door
of
the
stove
,
and
crouched
there
shivering
.
The
old
man
closed
the
window
.
"
I
am
Count
Otto
von
Ahlen
,
and
in
my
house
you
are
safe
as
you
are
welcome
.
"
He
went
to
a
sideboard
,
and
filling
a
glass
carried
it
to
Wogan
.
The
liquor
was
brandy
.
Wogan
drank
it
as
though
it
had
been
so
much
water
.
He
was
in
that
condition
of
fatigue
when
the
most
extraordinary
events
seem
altogether
commonplace
and
natural
.
But
as
he
felt
the
spirit
warming
his
blood
,
he
became
aware
of
the
great
difference
between
his
battered
appearance
and
that
of
the
old
gentleman
with
the
rich
dress
and
the
white
linen
who
stooped
so
hospitably
above
him
,
and
he
began
to
wonder
at
the
readiness
of
the
hospitality
.
Wogan
might
have
been
a
thief
,
a
murderer
,
for
all
Count
Otto
knew
.
Yet
the
Count
,
with
no
other
protection
than
his
dog
,
had
opened
his
window
,
and
at
that
late
hour
of
the
night
had
welcomed
him
without
a
word
of
a
question
.
"
Sir
,
"
said
Wogan
,
"
my
visit
is
the
most
unceremonious
thing
in
the
world
.
I
plump
in
upon
you
in
the
dark
of
the
morning
,
as
I
take
it
to
be
,
and
disturb
you
at
your
books
without
so
much
as
knocking
at
the
door
.
"
"
It
is
as
well
you
did
not
knock
at
the
door
,
"
returned
the
Count
,
"
for
my
servants
are
long
since
in
bed
,
and
your
knock
would
very
likely
have
reached
neither
their
ears
nor
mine
.
"
And
he
drew
up
a
chair
and
sat
down
opposite
to
Wogan
,
bending
forward
with
his
hands
upon
his
knees
.
The
firelight
played
upon
his
pale
,
indoor
face
,
and
it
seemed
to
Wogan
that
he
regarded
his
guest
with
a
certain
wistfulness
.
Wogan
spoke
his
thought
aloud
,
—
"
Yet
I
might
be
any
hedgerow
rascal
with
a
taste
for
your
plate
,
and
no
particular
scruples
as
to
a
life
or
two
lying
in
the
way
of
its
gratification
.
"
The
Count
smiled
.
"
Your
visit
is
not
so
unexampled
as
you
are
inclined
to
think
.
Nearly
thirty
years
ago
a
young
man
as
you
are
came
in
just
such
a
plight
as
you
and
stood
outside
this
window
at
two
o'clock
of
a
dark
morning
.
Even
so
early
in
my
life
I
was
at
my
books
,
"
and
he
smiled
rather
sadly
.
"
I
let
him
in
and
he
talked
to
me
for
an
hour
of
matters
strange
and
dreamlike
,
and
enviable
to
me
.
I
have
never
forgotten
that
hour
,
nor
to
tell
the
truth
have
I
ever
ceased
to
envy
the
man
who
talked
to
me
during
it
,
though
many
years
since
he
suffered
a
dreadful
doom
and
vanished
from
among
his
fellows
.
I
shall
be
glad
,
therefore
,
to
hear
your
story
if
you
have
a
mind
to
tell
it
me
.
The
young
man
who
came
upon
that
other
night
was
Count
Philip
Christopher
von
Königsmarck
.
"
Wogan
started
at
the
mention
of
this
name
.
It
seemed
strange
that
that
fitful
and
brilliant
man
,
whose
brief
,
passionate
,
guilty
life
and
mysterious
end
had
made
so
much
noise
in
the
world
,
had
crossed
that
lawn
and
stood
before
that
window
at
just
such
an
hour
,
and
maybe
had
sat
shivering
in
Wogan
's
very
chair
.
"
I
have
no
such
story
as
Count
Philip
von
Königsmarck
no
doubt
had
to
tell
,
"
said
Wogan
.
"
Chevalier
,
"
said
Count
Otto
,
with
a
nod
of
approval
,
"
Königsmarck
had
the
like
reticence
,
though
he
was
not
always
so
discreet
,
I
fear
.
The
Princess
Sophia
Dorothea
was
at
that
time
on
a
visit
to
the
Duke
of
Würtemberg
at
the
palace
in
Stuttgart
,
but
Königsmarck
told
me
only
that
he
had
snatched
a
breathing
space
from
the
wars
in
the
Low
Countries
and
was
bound
thither
again
.
Rumour
told
me
afterwards
of
his
fatal
attachment
.
He
sat
where
you
sit
,
Chevalier
,
wounded
as
you
are
,
a
fugitive
from
pursuit
.
Even
the
stains
and
disorder
of
his
plight
could
not
disguise
the
singular
beauty
of
the
man
or
make
one
insensible
to
the
charm
of
his
manner
.
But
I
forget
my
duties
,
"
and
he
rose
.
"
It
would
be
as
well
,
no
doubt
,
if
I
did
not
wake
my
servants
?
"
he
suggested
.
"
Count
Otto
,
"
returned
Wogan
,
with
a
smile
,
"
they
have
their
day
's
work
to-morrow
.
"
The
old
man
nodded
,
and
taking
a
lamp
from
a
table
by
the
door
went
out
of
the
room
.
Wogan
remained
alone
;
the
dog
nuzzled
at
his
hand
;
but
it
seemed
to
Wogan
that
there
was
another
in
the
room
besides
himself
and
the
dog
.
The
sleeplessness
and
tension
of
the
last
few
days
,
the
fatigue
of
his
arduous
journey
,
the
fever
of
his
wounds
,
no
doubt
,
had
their
effect
upon
him
.
He
felt
that
Königsmarck
was
at
his
side
;
his
eyes
could
almost
discern
a
shadowy
and
beautiful
figure
;
his
ears
could
almost
hear
a
musical
vibrating
voice
.
And
the
voice
warned
him
,
—
in
some
strange
unaccountable
way
the
voice
warned
and
menaced
him
.
"
I
fought
,
I
climbed
that
wall
,
I
crossed
the
lawn
,
I
took
refuge
here
for
love
of
a
queen
.
For
love
of
a
queen
all
my
short
life
I
lived
.
For
love
of
a
queen
I
died
most
horribly
;
and
the
queen
lives
,
though
it
would
have
gone
better
with
her
had
she
died
as
horribly
.
"
Wogan
had
once
seen
the
lonely
castle
of
Ahlden
where
that
queen
was
imprisoned
;
he
had
once
caught
a
glimpse
of
her
driving
in
the
dusk
across
the
heath
surrounded
by
her
guards
with
their
flashing
swords
.
He
sat
chilled
with
apprehensions
and
forebodings
.
They
crowded
in
upon
his
mind
all
the
more
terrible
because
he
could
not
translate
them
into
definite
perils
which
beyond
this
and
that
corner
of
his
life
might
await
him
.
He
was
the
victim
of
illusions
,
he
assured
himself
,
at
which
to-morrow
safe
in
Schlestadt
he
would
laugh
.
But
to-night
the
illusions
were
real
.
Königsmarck
was
with
him
.
Königsmarck
was
by
some
mysterious
alchemy
becoming
incorporate
with
him
.
The
voice
which
spoke
and
warned
and
menaced
was
as
much
his
as
Königsmarck
's
.
The
old
Count
opened
the
door
and
heard
Wogan
muttering
to
himself
as
he
crouched
over
the
fire
.
The
Count
carried
a
basin
of
water
in
his
hand
and
a
sponge
and
some
linen
.
He
insisted
upon
washing
Wogan
's
wounds
and
dressing
them
in
a
simple
way
.
"
They
are
not
deep
,
"
he
said
;
"
a
few
days
'
rest
and
a
clever
surgeon
will
restore
you
.
"
He
went
from
the
room
again
and
brought
back
a
tray
,
on
which
were
the
remains
of
a
pie
,
a
loaf
of
bread
,
and
some
fruit
.
"
While
you
eat
,
Chevalier
,
I
will
mix
you
a
cordial
,
"
said
he
,
and
he
set
about
his
hospitable
work
.
"
You
ask
me
why
I
so
readily
opened
my
window
to
you
.
It
was
because
I
took
you
for
Königsmarck
himself
come
back
as
mysteriously
as
he
disappeared
.
I
did
not
think
that
if
he
came
back
now
his
hair
would
be
as
white
,
his
shoulders
as
bent
,
as
mine
.
Indeed
,
one
cannot
think
of
Königsmarck
except
as
a
youth
.
You
had
the
very
look
of
him
as
you
stood
in
the
light
upon
the
lawn
.
You
have
,
if
I
may
say
so
,
something
of
his
gallant
bearing
and
something
of
his
grace
.
"
Wogan
could
have
heard
no
words
more
distressing
to
him
at
this
moment
.
"
Oh
,
stop
,
sir
.
I
pray
you
stop
!
"
he
cried
out
violently
,
and
noting
the
instant
he
had
spoken
the
surprise
on
Count
Otto
's
face
.
"
There
,
sir
,
I
give
you
at
once
by
my
discourtesy
an
example
of
how
little
I
merit
a
comparison
with
that
courtly
nobleman
.
Let
me
repair
it
by
telling
you
,
since
you
are
willing
to
hear
,
of
my
night
's
adventure
.
"
And
as
he
ate
he
told
his
story
,
omitting
the
precise
object
of
his
journey
,
the
nature
of
the
letter
which
he
had
burned
,
and
any
name
which
might
give
a
clue
to
the
secret
of
his
enterprise
.
The
Count
Otto
listened
with
his
eyes
as
well
as
his
ears
;
he
hung
upon
the
words
,
shuddering
at
each
danger
that
sprang
upon
Wogan
,
exclaiming
in
wonder
at
the
shift
by
which
he
escaped
from
it
,
and
at
times
he
looked
over
towards
his
books
with
a
glance
of
veritable
dislike
.
"
To
feel
the
blood
run
hot
in
one
's
veins
,
to
be
bedfellows
with
peril
,
to
go
gallantly
forward
hand
in
hand
with
endeavour
,
"
he
mused
and
broke
off
.
"
See
,
I
own
a
sword
,
being
a
gentleman
.
But
it
is
a
toy
,
an
ornament
;
it
stands
over
there
in
the
corner
from
day
to
day
,
and
my
servants
clean
it
from
rust
as
they
will
.
Now
you
,
sir
,
I
suppose
—
"
"
My
horse
and
my
sword
,
Count
,
"
said
Wogan
,
"
when
the
pinch
comes
,
they
are
one
's
only
servants
.
It
would
be
an
ill
business
if
I
did
not
see
to
their
wants
.
"
The
old
man
was
silent
for
a
while
.
Then
he
said
timidly
,
"
It
was
for
a
woman
,
no
doubt
,
that
you
ran
this
hazard
to-night
?
"
"
For
a
woman
,
yes
.
"
The
Count
folded
his
hands
and
leaned
forward
.
"
Sir
,
a
woman
is
a
strange
inexplicable
thing
to
me
.
Their
words
,
their
looks
,
their
graceful
,
delicate
shapes
,
the
motives
which
persuade
them
,
the
thoughts
which
their
eyes
conceal
,
—
all
these
qualities
make
them
beings
of
another
world
to
me
.
I
do
envy
men
at
times
who
can
stand
beside
them
,
talk
with
them
without
fear
,
be
intimate
with
them
,
and
understand
their
intricate
thoughts
.
"
"
Are
there
such
men
?
"
asked
Wogan
.
"
Men
who
love
,
such
as
Count
Königsmarck
and
yourself
.
"
