Thus Felix, after all his aspirations, found himself serving as the knave of a mere citizen.
He had to take the horses down to water, to scour arms, to fetch wood from the forest for the fire.

He was at the beck and call of all the other men, who never scrupled to use his services, and, observing that he never refused, put upon him all the more.

On the other hand, when there was nothing doing, they were very kind and even thoughtful.

They shared the best with him, brought wine occasionally (wine was scarce, though ale plentiful) as a delicacy, and one, who had dexterously taken a purse, presented him with half a dozen copper coins as his share of the plunder.

Felix, grown wiser by experience, did not dare refuse the stolen money, it would have been considered as the greatest insult; he watched his opportunity and threw it away.
The men, of course, quickly discovered his superior education, but that did not in the least surprise them, it being extremely common for unfortunate people to descend by degrees to menial offices, if once they left the estate and homestead to which they naturally belonged.