wish you to lead. At the death of your mother and myself,
you will have no family ties in England--nothing to recall you here. If
the House of York succeeds in establishing itself firmly on the throne,
my estates will be forfeited. Therefore, regard Rhodes as your permanent
home, and devote your life to the Order. Beginning so young, you may
hope to distinguish yourself--to gain high rank in it; but remember that
though these are my wishes, they are not my orders, and that your career
must be in your own hands."

"I will be a brave knight, father," the boy said firmly.

"That is right, my boy. Now go upstairs to your bed; it is already late.
I do not regret my vow," he went on, after Gervaise had left the room,
"though I regret that he is my only son. It is singular that men should
care about what comes after them, but I suppose it is human nature.
I should have liked to think that my descendants would sit in the old
house, and that men of my race and name would long own the estates. But
doubtless it is all for the best; for at least I can view the permanent
loss of my estates, in case the Yorkists triumph, without any poignant
regret."

"Doubtless it is for the best, Tresham, and you must remember that
things may not, even now, turn out as you think. A knight who has done a
brave service does not find much difficulty in obtaining from the Pope
a dispensation from his vows. Numbers of knights have so left the Order
and have married and perpetuated their name. It is almost a necessity
that it should be so, for otherwise many princes and barons would
object to their sons entering the Order. Its object is to keep back the
irruption of the Moslems, and when men have done their share of hard
work no regret need be felt if they desire to leave the Order. Our
founder had no thought of covering Europe with monasteries, and beyond
the fact that it is necessary there should be men to administer our
manors and estates, I see no reason why any should not freely leave when
they reach the age of thirty or thirty-five, and indeed believe that it
would strengthen rather than weaken us were the vows, taken at the age
of seventeen, to be for fifteen years only."

"There is something in that," the knight said thoughtfully. "However,
that is far in the distance, and concerns me but little; still, I agree
with you, for I see no advantage in men, after their time of usefulness
to the Order is past, being bound to settle down to a monastic