d their year of probation as novices at the grand priory. With
these Gervaise was already acquainted, as they had lived, studied, and
performed their military exercises together. The three eldest of these
Gervaise liked much, but the youngest of the party, Robert Rivers, a
relation of the queen, had always shown a very different spirit from
the others. He was jealous that a member of one of the defeated and
disinherited Lancastrian families should obtain a post of such honour
and advantage as that of page to the grand master, and that thus,
although five years younger, Gervaise should enter the Order on an
equality with him.

In point of strength and stature he was, of course, greatly superior
to Gervaise; but he had been spoilt from his childhood, was averse
to exercise, and dull at learning, and while Gervaise was frequently
commended by his instructors, he himself was constantly reproved, and
it had been more than once a question whether he should be received as
a professed knight at the termination of his year of novitiate. Thus,
while the other lads treated Gervaise kindly, and indeed made rather
a pet of him, Robert Rivers ignored him as much as possible, and if
obliged to speak to him did so with a pointed rudeness that more than
once brought upon him a sharp reproof from his companions. Gervaise
himself was but little affected by Robert's manner. He was of an
exceptionally good tempered nature, and, indeed, was so occupied with
his work and so anxious to satisfy his teachers, that Robert's ill
humour passed almost unnoticed.

The journey was performed without incident. During their passage across
the south of France, Gervaise's perfect knowledge of the language gained
for him a great advantage over his companions, and enabled him to be of
much use to Sir Guy. They had fine weather during their passage up the
Mediterranean, and in the day their leader gave them their first lessons
in the management and discipline of a ship.

"You will be nearly as much at sea as you are on land for the five years
you must stay at the convent," he said; "and it is essential to the
education of a knight of our Order to know all things connected with the
management of a ship, even to its building. We construct our own galleys
at Rhodes, using, of course, the labour of slaves, but under our own
superintendence; and it is even more essential to us to know how to
fight on sea than on land. There is, too, you see, a rivalry among
our