The consternation was general. Sir Toby’s had never witnessed so much excitement in such a short time. The Trappist finally succeeded in getting a half back and sent the dog packing with a swift kick before turning to glare at the inoffensive but nonetheless offending Austrian.

Somebody suddenly remembered that this was an Inn and cries of "More Pilsner!" and "A couple of pitchers, and quickly!" again started to echo round the befuddled gathering.

An old lady sat near where the strange Easterner had ‘disappeared’. She could hardly contain her excitement, for she had seen it with her own eyes. The very secret of invisibility.

"You know" she sibilantly whispered to a middle aged candlemaker who was seated just behind her, "that was a spy". "What are you talking about? How can he be a spy, they’re supposed to blend in while all he did was stand out!". "But that’s just it" said she, "While all of you were thinking, in a split second he released his robe, and underneath he was wearing A SUIT, then his beard came off, he spat something on to the floor, and then he sat down right there. As soon as the Old Man started to shout, and everyone turned towards him, that spy slipped out".

The Candlemaker gawked at her, was it possible? Could the secret of invisibility be so simple? Yet, hadn’t that Trappist chappy fooled them all with just one moustache?

But, the really big question, and that the most philosohical of them all - Why on earth? What possible purpose could have been served by causing the Trappist to be just so slightly delayed in his delivery, or was it more to do with shaking the Old Man off of some dangerous trail? The questions piled up, and now it was the Candlemaker who looked around for someone with whom to share these delicious intrigues.  Aah, right over there was Johannes, the Baker’s assistant…

Live to serve : Serve to live