erm me, save to fit me for the
leadership of a band of _routiers_, and unfit me for the office of an
Esquire, which I do, as you say, understand indifferently well."

"Is it not the same with him?" cried Leonard. "He does not own a
palm's breadth of land, and for gold, all he will ever possess is on
those broken spurs of his brother's."

"Listen to me, Leonard," said Gaston. "Rich or poor, Sir Eustace is
the only fit leader of the Lances till the little boy is of age, but
this he could not be without knightly rank. Even in this campaign,
when I might have taken the command, I being disabled for the present,
it must have devolved on him, who might not have been so readily
obeyed."

"No, indeed," said Leonard. "Strange that the touch of the Prince's
sword should make so great a difference between him and me."

"If it was the touch of the Prince's sword that did so," said Gaston.

"What else?" sharply retorted Leonard. "Not height nor strength! His
hand and arm might belong to a girl, I could crush it in my grasp." So
saying, he extended a huge, hard, red palm.

"Ay?" said Gaston; "I should like to see whether that great paw would
have won Du Guesclin's sword."

"I tell you flatly," proceeded Ashton, "I might follow Sir Reginald,
since he was a man of substance, honoured in our country, and my father
meant to oblige and do him grace by placing me with him."

"Grace!" repeated Gaston.

"But," continued Ashton, angrily, "as to serving Eustace, the clerk, no
older than myself, half a head shorter, and a mere landless upstart,
that my father's son shall never do!"

"Say you so?" said Gaston. "I recommend you not to do so quite so
loud, or perchance the landless upstart might hand your father's son
over to the Provost Marshal, for preaching disaffection to his men.
And, in good time, here comes the Master Armourer."

The rest of the day was spent by Gaston in the arrangement of the
equipments, so important in his estimation, and scarcely another word
was spoken save on the choice of helm and shield, and the adaptation of
crests and blazonry. The next point for consideration was the disposal
of the prisoners taken by the Lances of Lynwood in the early part of
the battle. Two were Squires, the other four, rough-looking
men-at-arms who protested that they could not pay one denier towards
their ransom. Eustace liberated them, and was greatly inclined to do
the same by the Squires; but Gaston assured him it wo