h pirates, but
had gained no particular credit, and indeed had, in the opinion of his
comrades, been somewhat slack in the fray. He was no favourite in the
auberge, though he spared no pains to ingratiate himself with the senior
knights, and had a short time before been very severely reprimanded by
the bailiff for striking one of the servants.

"I have more than once had to reprove you for your manners to the
servants," the bailiff said. "You will now be punished by the septaine;
you will fast for seven days, on Wednesday and Friday you will receive
bread and water only, and will be confined to the auberge for that
period. The next time that I have reason to complain of you, I shall
bring the matter before the grand master, and represent to him that it
were best to send you home, since you cannot comport yourself to the
servants of the auberge as befits a knight of the Order. We have always
borne the reputation of being specially kind to our servants, and it
is intolerable that one, who has been but a short time only a professed
knight, should behave with a hauteur and insolence that not even the
oldest among us would permit himself. There is not one of the servants
here who was not in his own country of a rank and station equal, if not
superior, to your own; and though misfortune has fallen upon them, they
are to be pitied rather than condemned for it. In future, you are to
give no order whatever to the servants, nor to address them, save when
at meals you require anything. If you have any complaints to make of
their conduct to you, you will make them to me, and I will inquire into
the matter; and if I find they have failed in their duty they will be
punished. I shall keep my eye upon you in the future. There are other
faults that I have observed in you. More than once I have heard you
address Sir Gervaise Tresham in a manner which, were not duelling
forbidden by our rules, might bring about bloodshed; and from what I
have seen when I have been watching the exercises, he is as much your
superior in arms as he is in manner and disposition."

This reproof had greatly subdued Robert Rivers; and as he felt that
any display of his jealousy of Gervaise would be resented by the
other knights, and might result in serious consequences to himself, he
abstained from any exhibition of it when they returned to the auberge,
although he could not bring himself to join in the congratulations
offered to them. The next day, however, wh