. She had gone through many trials
and misfortunes, and had ever borne them bravely, but the loss of her
husband completely broke her down. Save to see his wishes concerning
their son carried out, she had no longer any interest in life or any
wish to live. But until the future of Gervaise was assured, her mission
was unfulfilled. His education was her sole care; his mornings were
spent at a monastery, where the monks instructed the sons of such of the
nobles and gentry of the neighbourhood as cared that they should be able
to read and write. In the afternoon he had the best masters in the town
in military exercises. His evenings he spent with his mother, who strove
to instill in him the virtues of patience, mercy to the vanquished, and
valour, by stories of the great characters of history. She herself spent
her days in pious exercises, in attending the services of the Church,
and in acts of charity and kindness to her poorer neighbours. But her
strength failed rapidly, and she was but a shadow of her former self
when, two years and a half after her arrival at Honfleur, she felt that
if she was herself to hand Gervaise over to the Order of St. John, she
must no longer delay. Accordingly she took ship to London, and landing
there made her way with him to the dwelling of the Order at Clerkenwell.
It was in process of rebuilding, for in 1381 it had been first plundered
and then burned by the insurgents under Wat Tyler. During the ninety
years that had elapsed since that event the work of rebuilding had
proceeded steadily, each grand prior making additions to the pile which,
although not yet fully completed, was already one of the grandest and
stateliest abodes in England.

On inquiring for the grand prior, and stating that she had a letter
of importance for him, Dame Tresham and her son were shown up to his
apartment, and on entering were kindly and courteously received by him
when informed that she was the widow of the late Sir Thomas Tresham.

"I am the bearer of a letter for you, given into my hand by my husband's
dear friend your predecessor," she said, "a few days before his murder
at Tewkesbury. It relates to my son here."

The grand prior opened the letter and read it.

"Assuredly, madam, I will carry out the wishes here expressed," he said.
"They are, that I should forward at once the letter he has given you to
Sir Peter D'Aubusson, and that until an answer is received from him, I
should take care of the boy here