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 ourselves, for each langue has
its duties, and each strives to perform more gallant deeds and
to bring in more rich prizes than the others. We of England are
among the smallest of the langues, and yet methinks we do a fair