Page 44 - A Knight of the White Cross

"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 count your time at once, while
we do not begin to count ours until we are seventeen. Still, good luck may

befall us yet, for if the grand master dies, Sir Peter is sure to be chosen to
succeed him. Then, you see, we too shall be pages of the grand master."

"How many are there of you?"

"Only De Lille and myself. Of course D'Aubusson will take on the grand
master's present pages; but as there are five vacancies on an average every
year, he will be able to find room for us among the number."

"Why, how many pages has the grand master?" Gervaise asked, in surprise.