Then Misset raised his head from his hands and in a trembling voice he

said slowly, "My boy would only live to serve his King. Why should he

not serve his King before he lives? My wife will say the like."

There was a depth of quiet feeling in his words which Wogan would never

have expected from Misset; and the words themselves were words which he

felt no man, no king, however much beloved, however generous to his

servants, had any right to expect. They took Wogan's breath away, and

not Wogan's only, but Gaydon's and O'Toole's, too. A longer silence than

before followed upon them. The very simplicity with which they had been

uttered was startling, and made those three men doubt at the first

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whether they had heard aright.

O'Toole was the first to break the silence.

"It is a strange thing that there never was a father since Adam who was

not absolutely sure in his heart that his first-born must be a boy. When

you come to think philosophically about it, you'll see that if fathers

had their way the world would be peopled with sons with never a bit of

a lass in any corner to marry them."

O'Toole's reflection, if not a reason for laughter, made a pretext for

it, at which all--even Misset, who was a trifle ashamed of his display

of feeling--eagerly caught. Wogan held his hand out and clasped

Misset's.

"That was a great saying," said he, "but so much sacrifice is not to be

accepted."

Misset, however, was firm. His wife, he said, though naturally timid,

could show a fine spirit on occasion, and would never forgive one of

them if she was left behind. He argued until a compromise was reached.

Misset should lay the matter openly before his wife, and the four

crusaders, to use Wogan's term, would be bound by her decision.

"So you may take it that matter's settled," said Misset. "There will be

five of us."

"Six," said Wogan.

"There's another man to join us, then," said Gaydon. "I have it. Your

servant, Marnier."

"No, not Marnier, nor any man. Listen. It is necessary that when once

her Highness is rescued we must get so much start as will make pursuit

vain. We shall be hampered with a coach, and a coach will travel slowly

on the passes of Tyrol. The pursuers will ride horses; they must not

come up with us. From Innspruck to Italy, if we have never an accident,

will take us at the least four days; it will take our pursuers three. We

must have one clear day before her Highness's evasion is discovered.

Now, the chief magistrate of Innspruck visits her Highness's apartments

twice a day,--at ten in the morning and at ten of the night. The

Princess must be rescued at night; and if her escape is discovered in

the morning she will never reach Italy, she will be behind the bars

again."




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