To them he spoke in a whisper.
"The fellow brings letters from General Heister to the Governor of Trent to stop us at all costs.

But his letters are destroyed, and he's lying dead-drunk on the table." The three men quickly concerted a plan.

The Princess must be roused; a start must be made at once; and O'Toole must be left behind to keep a watch upon the courier, Wogan rapped at the door and waked Clementina; he sent Gaydon to the stables to bribe the ostlers, and with Misset went down to inform O'Toole.
O'Toole, however, was sitting with his eyes closed and his head nodding, surrounded by scraps of the letter which he had danced to pieces.

Wogan shook him by the shoulder, and he opened his eyes and smiled fatuously.
"He means to tell his wife," he said with a foolish gurgle of laughter.
"He must be an ass.

I don't think if I had a wife I should tell her.
Would you, Wogan, tell your wife if you had one?
Misset wouldn't tell his wife." Misset interrupted him.
"What have you drank since I went out of the room ?" he asked roughly.