occasions," Sir Guy said; "and in this packet are some sixty gold
crowns, which are the last remains of his patrimony, and which I
was to hand to you in order to pay the necessary expenses during
his pageship."

"He could have done without that," D'Aubusson said. "Recommended
to me as he is, I would have seen that he lacked nothing, but was
provided with all necessaries for his position. I will in the future
take care that in all things he is on a par with his companions."
He touched a bell on the table, and a servitor entered.

"Tell Richard de Deauville to come here," he said.

A minute later the hangings at the door were pushed aside, and a
lad about a year older than Gervaise appeared, and, bowing deeply
to the knight, stood in a respectful attitude, awaiting his orders.

"Deauville, take this youth, Gervaise Tresham to your room. He is
appointed one of the pages of the grand master. He is English,
but he speaks French as well as you do, having lived in France for
some years. Take him to your apartment and treat him kindly and
well, seeing that he is a stranger and new to all here. Tomorrow
he will go to the palace."

Gervaise bowed deeply to the two knights, and then followed the
page.

"I suppose you arrived in that ship which came in today," the latter
said, as soon as they had left the room. "You are in luck indeed
to have obtained a pageship at the grand master's. You begin to