It seemed to him, however, that the reward and honours were so far
beyond his deserts that he felt almost humiliated by their bestowal. The
responsibility, too, was great. Would these young knights, the youngest
of whom could be but a year his junior, serve willingly under his
orders? And, above all, would they be able to emulate the deeds of
experienced warriors, and would the galley worthily maintain the fame of
the Order?

At the end of two hours he was joined by Ralph Harcourt.

"I have been looking for you everywhere, Gervaise. You seemed to have
disappeared mysteriously. None had marked you leave the council chamber,
or knew where you had gone; and after searching everywhere I remembered
your fondness for walks upon the walls, so I climbed to the top of
St. John's tower and thence espied you. Well, I congratulate you most
heartily on the honours that have fallen to your share, especially that
of the command of a new galley."

"It is too much altogether, Ralph. I feel ashamed at being thus thrust
into a post that ought to be given to a knight of age and experience.
How can I expect a number of young knights, of whom well nigh all must
be my seniors in age, to obey me as they would an older man?"

"What has age to do with it?" Ralph said. "You have shown that you have
a head to think, and, as you before proved, you have an arm to strike.
Why, every young knight in the Order must feel proud that one of their
own age has gained such honour. It raises them all in their own esteem,
and you will see that you will get the pick among all the professed
knights, and of a good many who have finished their profession, and are
serving here in the hope of some day getting promotion to a commandery.
Not such an one as you have got; that, in the ordinary course of things,
does not fall to a knight until he is well on in years, and has served
in many commanderies of smaller value. I can tell you, directly Sir John
Kendall came back and told us that you had been appointed commander of
the new galley, and that it was to be manned wholly by young knights,
there was not one of those serving their profession in the auberge who
did not beg Sir John to put down his name for it; and ten or twelve
others, myself among them, who have obtained full knighthood also."

"You don't mean to say that you have put down your name to serve under
me, Ralph? It would be monstrous."

"I see nothing monstrous in it, Gervaise. As I said just now, year