The knights assembled rapidly.  None were aware of the reason for which they had been called out at such an hour, and there was a buzz of talk and conjecture until Sir John Kendall arrived.  He was followed by four of the servants, who at once lighted the torches they carried, when he proceeded to go through the roll, and found that the muster was complete.  Many of the knights had gazed in some surprise at Gervaise, whose dark complexion altogether concealed his identity, and it was supposed that he must be some newly arrived knight, though none had heard that any ship had entered the harbour that day.

Two or three minutes later fifty knights of the langue of Auvergne came down, headed by the grand master himself, whose appearance greatly heightened the surprise of the English knights.  The torches were now extinguished, the gate thrown open, and the party descended into the town.  Gervaise had purposely fallen in by the side of Harcourt.

“You are but newly arrived, Sir Knight?” the latter said, as they moved off.

“Not so very newly, Ralph,” Gervaise replied.

“What! is it you, Gervaise?” Harcourt exclaimed, with a start of surprise.  “Why, I did not know you, though I looked hard at you in the torch light.  What have you done with yourself?  Where have you been?  Do you know what all this is about?”

“I cannot tell you now, Ralph.  You must be content to know that I have been in prison, and working in the galleys.”

“The saints defend us!  Why, what on earth had you done to entail such punishment as that?  It is an outrage.  The grand master and the council have the right to expel a knight from the Order after due trial and investigation, but not to condemn him to such penalties as the galleys.  It is an outrage upon the whole Order, and I would say so to the grand master himself.”

“There was no outrage in it, Ralph.  Wait until you hear the whole story.  That I have not disgraced you, you may judge from the fact that I am in the armour and mantle of the Order, and that, as you saw, I came down with Sir John Kendall himself.”

There were no people about in the streets, though the lights still burned on a few of the roofs.  For a short distance the knights marched down towards the port, and then turned down a street to the right.  After a few minutes’ marching they halted under a high wall which all knew to be that of the prison of St. Pelagius.  Six knights were posted at the main entrance, with orders that none should be allowed to leave the prison, and that any persons who came up to the gate were to be at once seized and made prisoners.

The rest marched on to a small door leading into the governor’s house.  Here they were halted, and told to wait till called in; six knights of England, and as many of Auvergne, being told off to accompany the grand master and Sir John Kendall.  A note had been sent to the governor, informing him that the grand master intended to visit the prison at eleven o’clock, but that the matter was to be kept an absolute secret; and that the governor himself was to be down at the gate to admit him.