parcel which the grand master opened, “this letter is from the Holy Father himself.  That, as you may see from the arms on the seal, is from Florence.  The others are from Pisa, Leghorn, and Naples.  Rarely, Sir Gervaise, has any potentate or knight earned the thanks of so many great cities.  These caskets accompanied them.  Sit down and read your letters.  They must be copied in our records.”

Gervaise first opened the one from the Pope.  It was written by his own hand, and expressed his thanks as a temporal sovereign for the great benefit to the commerce of his subjects by the destruction of the corsair fleet, and as the head of the Christian Church for the blow struck at the Moslems.  The other three letters were alike in character, expressing the gratitude of the cities for their deliverance from the danger, and of their admiration for the action by which a fleet was destroyed with a single galley.  Along with the letter from Pisa was a casket containing a heavy gold chain set with gems.  Florence sent a casket containing a document bestowing upon him the freedom of the city, and an order upon the treasury for five thousand ducats that had been voted to him by the grand council of the Republic; while Ferdinand, King of Naples, bestowed on him the grand cross of the Order of St. Michael.

“The armour I had hung up in the armoury, where it has been carefully kept clean.  I guessed what it was by the weight of the case when it came, and thought it best to open it, as it might have got spoilt by rust.  It is a timely gift, Sir Gervaise, for the siege has played havoc with the suit Genoa gave you; it is sorely battered, dinted, and broken, and, although you can doubtless get it repaired, if I were you I would keep it in its present state as a memorial —­ and there could be no prouder one —­ of the part you bore in the siege.  I have seen Caretto this morning.  He sails for Genoa tomorrow, where he will, I hope, soon recover his strength, for the wounds he received at St. Nicholas have healed but slowly.  He said” —­ and a momentary smile crossed the grand master’s face —­ “that he thought a change might benefit you also, for he was sure that the air here had scarce recovered from the taint of blood.  Therefore, here is a paper granting you three months’ leave.  His commandery is a pleasant one, and well situated on the slopes of the hills; and the fresh air will, doubtless, speedily set you up.  I should like nothing better than a stay there myself, but there is much to do to repair the damages caused by the siege, and to place the city in a state of defence should the Turks again lay siege to it; and methinks Mahomet will not sit down quietly under the heavy reverse his troops have met with.”

“But I should be glad to stay here to assist in the work, your Highness.”

“There are plenty of knights to see to that,” D’Aubusson replied, “and it will be long before you are fit for such work.  No, I give my orders for you to proceed with Caretto to Genoa —­ unless, indeed, you would prefer to go to some other locality to recruit your strength.”