A Knight of the White Cross : a tale of the siege of Rhodes eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 507 pages of information about A Knight of the White Cross .

A Knight of the White Cross : a tale of the siege of Rhodes eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 507 pages of information about A Knight of the White Cross .
threshold of womanhood that she should place before herself a lofty ideal, and that she should entertain a warm feeling of friendship for one worthy of it.  So also it is good for a young knight to know that he has the trust and confidence of a pure and innocent maiden; such a knowledge will aid him to be in all ways true to the vows he has taken, and to remember always that he is bound to be not only a valiant knight of his Order, but a sincere soldier of the Cross.”

Then she went on more lightly.  “Have you heard, Sir Gervaise, that there is a question of making you a noble of Genoa?”

“No, indeed,” Gervaise replied, in great surprise; “such an idea never entered into my thoughts.”

“Nevertheless, I know that it was spoken of last night, and although it has not yet been finally settled, and will not be until the council meet this afternoon, I should not tell you if I did not think that it was as good as agreed upon; and I am pleased to be the first to whisper to you that it is intended to bestow upon you an honour that is jealously guarded and seldom granted, even to crowned heads, unless as a token of gratitude for some signal service done to the Republic.”

“I should feel most honoured and most grateful, Countess, for so extraordinary a favour, did I feel that I had done any extraordinary action to merit it.  There can be no doubt that the destruction of the corsairs has saved Genoa and all the maritime towns from immense loss by damage to their trade, and by the raids that would have been made at various points on the coast.  But I cannot see that the mere fact that we have destroyed their fleet merits any marked honour.  They were caught in a trap, and half of them burned, and this might have been done equally as well by the Sardinian fishermen, unarmed, and without our aid.  As to the fighting, it was of small account.  The first three craft we captured offered a much stouter resistance, and we lost two of our number; but in the other affair no knight was killed, or even seriously wounded, and believe me, Countess, I feel absolutely ashamed at the fuss that is made over it.  It seems to me that I am a sort of impostor, obtaining credit under false pretences.”

“No man is a fair judge of his own actions, Sir Gervaise,” Caretto said.  “A man may believe himself a Solon, or a Roland; others may consider him as a fool, or an empty braggart; and it must be taken that the general opinion of the public is the judgment from which there is no appeal.  It is not the mob of Genoa only who regard the services that you have rendered as extraordinary, but it is the opinion of the councillors and authorities of the Republic, and of those who, like myself, have borne our share in warfare, that not only is the service great, but that it is due to the singular ability with which you, in command of only a single galley, have wholly destroyed or captured the fleet that threatened our commerce.  As our councillors,

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A Knight of the White Cross : a tale of the siege of Rhodes from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.