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.