Therefore I watched and found that messengers were passing between Acour and France.

One of these messengers, a priest, came a week ago to Dunwich, and spent the night in a tavern waiting for his ship to sail in the morning.

The good wife who keeps that tavern--ask not her name--would go far to serve me.

That night this priest slept sound, and while he slept a letter was cut from the lining of his cassock, and another without writing sewn there in place of it, so that he'll never know the difference till he reaches John of Normandy, and then not where he lost it.

Stay, you shall see," and he went to the wall and from some secret place behind the hangings produced a writing, which he handed to Hugh, who looked at it, then gave it back to him, saying: "Read it to me, Father, English I can spell out, but this French puzzles my eyes." So he read, Hugh listening eagerly to every word: My Lord Duke: This by a faithful hand that you know to tell you all goes well with your Grace's business, and with that of your royal father.