Chapter 6: The Hut On San Nicolo.
At seven o'clock all was in readiness for a start. Signor Polani setout alone in his gondola, and picked up Francis, and four men, at asecluded spot some distance from the house. A messenger had been sent,two hours before, to the captain of one of the merchant ships lying inthe port. He at once put ten men into a large boat, and rowed down towithin half a mile of the island. Here a grapnel was thrown overboard,most of the men lay down in the bottom, and the captain, according tohis instructions, kept a sharp lookout to see that no boat left SanNicolo--his instructions being to overhaul any boat coming out, and tosee that no one was concealed on board it.
There he remained until Polani's gondola rowed past him. After it hadgone a few hundred yards, the grapnel was got up, the men took to theiroars and followed the gondola, keeping so far behind that it would notseem there was any connection between them.
Francis made for the narrow channel which separated San Nicolo from thenext island, and then directed the gondola to be run ashore, where alow sand hill, close by, hid them from the sight of anyone on thelookout. A few minutes later the ship's boat arrived.
Francis now led the way direct for the hut, accompanied by Polani andsix men, while four sailors advanced, at a distance of a hundred yardson either flank, to cut off anyone making for the water.
"We may as well go fast," he said, "for we can scarcely get therewithout being seen by a lookout, should there be one on the sand hills,and the distance is so short that there will be no possibility of theircarrying your daughters off, before we get there."
"The faster the better," the merchant said. "This suspense isterrible."
Accordingly, the party started at a brisk run. Francis kept his eyes onthe spot where he believed the hut lay.
"I see no one anywhere near there," he said, as they came over one ofthe sand ridges. "Had there been anyone on the watch I think we shouldsee him now."
On they ran, until, passing over one of the sand hills, Francis came toa standstill. The hut lay in the hollow below them.
"There is the house, signor. Now we shall soon know."
They dashed down the short slope, and gathered round the door.
"Within there, open!" the merchant shouted, hammering with the hilt ofhis sword on the door.
All was silent within.
"Break it down!" he said; and two of the sailors, who had brought axeswith them, began to hew away at the door.
A few blows, and it suddenly opened, and two men dressed as fishermenappeared in the doorway.
"What means this attack upon the house of quiet people?" they demanded.
"Bind them securely," Polani said, as he rushed in, followed closely byFrancis, while those who followed seized the men.
Polani paused as he crossed the threshold, with a cry ofdisappointment--the hut was empty. Francis was almost equallydisappointed.
"If they are not here, they are near by," Francis said to Polani. "Donot give up hope. I am convinced they are not far off; and if we searchwe may find a clue. Better keep your men outside. We can search morethoroughly by ourselves."
The merchant told his men, who had seized and were binding the twooccupants of the hut, to remain outside. The inside of the hut differedin no way from the ordinary dwelling of fishermen, except that a largetable stood in the middle of it, and there were some benches againstthe walls. Some oars stood in one corner, and some nets were piledclose to them. A fire burned in the open hearth, and a pot hung overit, and two others stood on the hearth.
"Let us see what they have got here," Francis said, while the merchantleaned against the table with an air of profound depression, paying noattention to what he was doing.
"A soup," Francis said, lifting the lid from the pot over the fire,"and, by the smell, a good one."
Then he lifted the other pots simmering among the burning brands.
"A ragout of kid and a boiled fish. Signor Polani, this is nofisherman's meal. Either these men expect visitors of a much higherdegree than themselves, or your daughters are somewhere close.
"Oh! there is a door."
"It can lead nowhere," Polani said. "The sand is piled up to the roofon that side of the house."
"It is," Francis agreed; "but there may be a lower room there,completely covered with the sand. At any rate, we will see."
He pushed against the door, but it did not give in the slightest.
"It may be the sand," he said. "It may be bolts."
He went to the outside door, and called in the sailors with thehatchets.
"Break open that door," he said.
"There is a space behind," he exclaimed, as the first blow was given."It is hollow, I swear. It would be a different sound altogether ifsand was piled up against it."
A dozen blows and the fastenings gave, and, sword in hand, the merchantand Francis rushed through.
Both gave a shout of delight. They were in a room built out at the backof the hut. It was richly furnished, and hangings of Eastern stuffscovered the walls. A burning lamp hung from the ceiling. Two men stoodirresolute with drawn swords, having apparently turned round just asthe door gave way; for as it did so, two figures struggled to theirfeet from a couch behind them, for some shawls had been wrapped roundtheir heads, and with a cry of delight rushed forward to meet theirrescuers. Seated at the end of the couch, with bowed down head, wasanother female figure.
"Maria--Giulia!" the merchant exclaimed, as, dropping his sword, heclasped his daughters in his arms.
Francis, followed by the two sailors with hatchets, advanced towardsthe men.
"Drop your swords and surrender," he said. "Resistance is useless.There are a dozen men outside."
The men threw their swords down on the ground.
"Lead them outside, and bind them securely," Francis said.
For the next minute or two, few words were spoken. The girls sobbedwith delight on their father's breast, while he himself was too movedto do more than murmur words of love and thankfulness. Francis wentquietly out and spoke to the captain, who went in to the inner room,touched the sitting figure on the shoulder, and, taking her by the arm,led her outside.
"Come in, Francis," Polani called a minute later.
"My dears, it is not me you must thank for your rescue. It is yourEnglish friend here who has again restored you to me. It is to him weowe our happiness, and that you, my child, are saved from the dreadfulfate of being forced to be the wife of that villain Mocenigo.
"Embrace him, my dears, as a brother, for he has done more than abrother for you. And now tell me all that has happened since I last sawyou."
"You know, father, the message that was brought us, that you had beenhurt and wanted us home?"
"Yes, my dears, that I learned soon afterwards. I went at five o'clockto fetch you home, and found that you had gone, and why."
"Well, father, directly we had taken our seats in the cabin of thegondola, our gouvernante closed the doors, and soon afterwards she slidto the two shutters before the windows. We cried out in surprise atfinding ourselves in the dark, but she bade us be quiet, in a tonequite different to any in which she had ever spoken to us before. Wewere both frightened, and tried to push back the shutters and open thedoor, but they were fastened firmly. I suppose there was some springwhich held them. Then we screamed; but I could feel that the inside wasall thickly padded. I suppose our voices could not be heard outside. Ithought so, because once I thought I heard the gondoliers singing, butit was so faint that I could not be sure. Then the air seemedstiflingly close, and I fainted; and when I came to myself one of thewindows was open, and Giulia said she had promised we would not scream,but I think we were beyond the canals then, for I could see nothing butthe sky as we passed along. When I was better the windows were almostshut again, so that we could not see out, though a little air could getin; then the gondola went on for a long time.
"At last it stopped, and she said we must be blindfolded. We said wewould not submit to it, and she told us unless we let
her do it, themen would do it. So we submitted, and she wrapped shawls closely overour heads. Then we were helped ashore, and walked some distance. Atlast the shawls were taken off our heads, and we found ourselves here,and here we have been ever since."
"You have not been ill treated in any way, my children?" the merchantasked anxiously.
"Not at all, father. Until today, nobody has been into this roombesides ourselves and that woman. The door was generally left a littleopen for air, for you see there are no windows here. She used to gointo the next room and come back with our food. We could see men movingabout in there, but they were very quiet, and all spoke in low tones.
"You may think how we upbraided our gouvernante for her treachery, andthreatened her with your anger. She told us we should never be found,and that I might as well make up my mind to marry Ruggiero Mocenigo,for if I did not consent quietly, means would be found to compel me todo so. I said I would die first, but she used to laugh a cruel laugh,and say he would soon be here with the priest, and that it mattered notwhether I said yes or no. The ceremony would be performed, and thenRuggiero would sail away with me to the East, and I should be gladenough then to make peace between him and you. But he never came. Ithink she became anxious, for she went away twice for three or fourhours, and locked us in here when she went.
"That, father, is all we know about it. Where are we?"
"You are at San Nicolo."
"On the island!" Maria exclaimed in surprise. "She told us we were onthe mainland. And now, how did you find us?"
"I will tell you as we go home, Maria."
"Yes, that will be better, father. Giulia and I long for a breath offresh air, and the sight of the blue sky."
"Giulia has not had so much to frighten her as you have," her fathersaid.
"Yes, I have, father; for she said I was to go across the seas withMaria, and that Ruggiero would soon find a husband for me among hisfriends. I told her she was a wicked woman, over and over again, and wetold her that we were sure you would forgive, and even reward her, ifshe would take us back again to you. When she was away, we thought wewould try to make our escape behind, and we made a little hole in theboards; but the sand came pouring in, and we found we were underground,though how we got there we didn't know, for we had not come down anysteps. So we had to give up the idea of escape."
"You are partly underground," her father said, "for, as you will seewhen you get out, the sand has drifted up at the back of the hut to theroof, and has altogether hidden this part of the hut; so that we didnot know that there was more than one room, and I should never havethought of breaking into that door, had it not been for Francisco. Andnow come along, my dears. Let us wait here no longer."
The sailors and servitors broke into a cheer as the girls came out ofthe hut.
"Shall we put a torch to this place?" Francis asked Polani.
"No, Francisco. It must be searched thoroughly first.
"Captain Lontano, do you order four of your men to remain here, untilsome of the officials of the state arrive. If anyone comes before that,they must seize them and detain them as prisoners. The state willinvestigate the matter to the bottom."
Now that they were in the open air, the merchant could see that theclose confinement and anxiety had told greatly upon his daughters. Bothwere pale and hollow eyed, and looked as if they had suffered a longillness. Seeing how shaken they were, he ordered one of the retainersto go to the gondola, and tell the men to row it round to the nearestpoint to the hut. The party then walked along down to the shore.
In a few minutes the gondola arrived. Polani, his two daughters, andFrancis took their places in it. The four men, bound hand and foot,were laid in the bottom of the ship's boat; the gouvernante was made totake her place there also, and the sailors were told to follow closelybehind the gondola, which was rowed at a very slow pace.
On the way, Polani told his daughters of the manner in which Francishad discovered the place of concealment.
"Had it not been for him, my dears, we should certainly not have foundyou, and that villain would have carried out his plans, sooner orlater. He would either have given his guards the slip, or, when noevidence was forthcoming against him, they would have been removed. Hewould then have gone outside the jurisdiction of the republic, obtaineda ship with a crew of desperadoes, sailed round to the seaward side ofSan Nicolo, and carried you off. Nothing could have saved you, and yourresistance would, as that woman told you, have been futile."
"We shall be grateful to you all our lives, Francisco," Maria said. "Weshall pray for you always, night and morning.
"Shall we not, Giulia?"
"Yes, indeed," the young girl said simply. "We shall love him all ourlives."
"Answer for yourself, Giulia," Maria said with a laugh, her spiritsreturning in the bright sunshine and fresh air. "When Francisco asksfor my love, it will be quite soon enough to say what I think aboutit."
"I should never have courage enough to do that, signora. I know whatyou would say too well."
"What should I say?" Maria asked.
"You would say I was an impudent boy."
Maria laughed.
"I cannot think of you as a boy any longer, Francisco," she said moregravely. "I have, perhaps, regarded you as a boy till now, though youdid save us so bravely before; but you see you are only my own age, anda girl always looks upon a boy of her own age as ever so much youngerthan she is herself. Besides, too, you have none of the airs of being aman, which some of my cousins have; and never pay compliments or saypretty things, but seem altogether like a younger brother. But I shallthink you a boy no more. I know you better now."
"But I am a boy," Francis said, "and I don't want to be thoughtanything else. In England we keep young longer than they do here, and aboy of my age would not think of speaking to his elders, unless he wasfirst addressed.
"What are you going to do with your prisoners, signor?"
"I shall take them direct to my house, and then go and report therecovery of my daughters, and their capture. Officials will at once besent, with a gondola, to take them off to the prison. There can be noquestion now as to the part Mocenigo has played in this business, andno doubt he will be brought here a prisoner at once. Even his nearestconnections will not dare to defend conduct so outrageous, especiallywhen public indignation has been so excited.
"You do not know, girls, what a stir has been caused in the city onyour account. If it had not been for the citizen guard, I believe theMocenigo Palace would have been burned down; and Ruggiero's connectionshave scarcely dared to show their faces in the streets, since you havebeen missing. You see, every father of a family felt personallygrieved, for if the nobles were permitted, with impunity, to carry offthe daughters of citizens, who could feel safe?
"When this is all over I shall take you, for a time, back to our homein Corfu. It is not good for girls to be the subject of public talk andattention."
"I shall be very glad, father," Giulia said. "I love our home at Corfu,with its gardens and flowers, far better than the palazzo here. The airis always soft and balmy, while here it is so hot sometimes by day, andso damp and foggy in the evening. I shall be glad to go back again."
"And you, Maria?"
"I shall be very happy there, father, but I like Venice best."
"You are getting to an age to enjoy gaiety, Maria; and it is naturalyou should do so. However, it will not be necessary for you to be longabsent. In a city like Venice there are always fresh subjects for talk,and the most exciting piece of scandal is but a three days' wonder. Afew weeks at Corfu will restore your nerves, which cannot but have beenshaken by what you have gone through, and you will come back here moredisposed than ever to appreciate the gaieties of Venice."
"As long as it is for only a few weeks, father, I shall not care; foryou know I am very fond, too, of our beautiful home there. Still, I dolike Venice."
They had now reached the steps of the Palazzo Polani. They had notproceeded by way of the Grand Canal, as the merchant w
as anxious thathis daughters should reach their home unrecognized, as, had they beennoticed, it would have given rise to no little excitement, and they hadhad more than enough of this, and needed quiet and repose. Besides,until the prisoners were in the safe custody of the officials of thestate, it was in every way desirable that the events of the morningshould remain unknown.
Their return home created quite a tumult of joy in the house. Thepreparations that had been made had been kept a profound secret, as themerchant could not be sure but that some other member of his householdwas in the pay of Mocenigo. Thus, until the girls alighted at thesteps, none in the house were aware that any clue had been obtained asto their hiding place. The women ran down with cries of joy. The menwould have shouted and cheered, had not Polani held up his hand.
"The signoras have had more than enough excitement," he said. "They aregrateful to you for your goodwill and affection, but for the presentthey need quiet. They may have more to go through today. I pray youthat no word, as to their return, be said outside the house. I wouldnot that the news were whispered in the city, till the seignory decidewhat is to be done in the matter."
As soon as the girls had gone upstairs to their rooms, the ship's boatcame alongside, and the prisoners were carried into the house, glancesof indignation and anger being cast at the gouvernante, who had, assoon as she was placed on board the boat, closely veiled herself; andsome of the women broke out into threats and imprecations.
"Captain Lontano, the servants will show you a room where your men canguard the prisoners. You had better remain with them yourself. Let noone, except your own men, enter the room."
Giuseppi was on the steps, and Francis stepped up to him and eagerlyasked, "What news of the gondola?"
"I found her, stove in and full of water, behind the piles close to thesteps. Someone must have pushed her there, to be out of the way of thetraffic. She has several holes in her bottom, besides being stove in atthe gunwale where the other boat struck her. They must have thrust theends of their oars through her planks, out of sheer spite, when theyfound that we had escaped them. Father and I have towed her round toyour steps, but I doubt whether she is worth repairing."
"Well, we can't help it, Giuseppi. She has done her work; and if everytwo ducats I lay out were to bring in as good a harvest, I should haveno reason to complain."
Having seen the prisoners safely placed, the merchant returned.
"I think, Francisco, you must go with me. They will be sure to want toquestion you."
"I shall have to say what were my reasons for thinking your daughterswere hid in that hut, signor," Francis said as the gondola rowedtowards Saint Mark's; "and I can only do that by telling of that secretmeeting. I do not want to denounce a number of people, besidesRuggiero. I have no evidence against them, and do not know what theywere plotting, nor have I any wish to create for myself more enemies.It is quite enough to have incurred the enmity of all the connectionsof the house of Mocenigo."
"That is true enough, Francisco, but I do not see how it is to beavoided. Unfortunately, you did recognize others besides Ruggiero."
"Quite so, signor, and I am not going to tell a lie about it, whateverthe consequences may be. Still, I wish I could get out of it."
"I wish you could, Francis, but I do not see any escape for it,especially as you say you did not recognize Ruggiero as the passengeryou carried."
"No, signor, I did not. It might have been he, but I cannot say. He waswrapped in a cloak, and I did not see his features."
"It is a pity, Francisco, for had you known him, the statement that,moved by curiosity, you followed him and saw him into that hut, wouldhave been sufficient without your entering into the other matter. Mostof my countrymen would not hesitate about telling a lie, to avoidmixing themselves up further in such a matter, for the dangers ofmaking enemies are thoroughly appreciated here; but you are perfectlyright, and I like your steady love of the truth, whatever theconsequences to yourself; but certainly as soon as the matter isconcluded, it will be better for you to quit Venice for a time."
"Are you going to the council direct, signor?"
"No. I am going first to the magistrates, to tell them that I have inmy hands five persons, who have been engaged in carrying off mydaughters, and beg them to send at once to take them into theircustody. Then I shall go before the council, and demand justice uponMocenigo, against whom we have now conclusive evidence. You will not bewanted at the magistracy. My own evidence, that I found them keepingguard over my daughters, will be quite sufficient for the present, andafter that the girls' evidence will be sufficient to convict them,without your name appearing in the affair at all.
"I will try whether I cannot keep your name from appearing before thecouncil also. Yes, I think I might do that; and as a first step, I giveyou my promise not to name you, unless I find it absolutely necessary.You may as well remain here in the gondola until I return."
It was upwards of an hour before Signor Polani came back to the boat.
"I have succeeded," he said, "in keeping your name out of it. I firstof all told my daughters' story, and then said that, having obtainedinformation that Ruggiero, before he was banished from Venice, was inthe habit of going sometimes at night to a hut on San Nicolo, Iproceeded thither, and found my daughters concealed in the hut whoseposition had been described to me. Of course, they inquired where I hadobtained the information; but I replied that, as they knew, I hadoffered a large reward which would lead to my daughters' discovery, andthat this reward had attracted one in the secret of Mocenigo, but that,for the man's own safety, I had been compelled to promise that I wouldnot divulge his name.
"Some of the council were inclined to insist, but others pointed outthat, for the ends of justice, it mattered in no way how I obtained theinformation. I had, at any rate, gone to the island and found mydaughters there; and their evidence, if it was in accordance with whatI had stated, was amply sufficient to bring the guilt of the abductionof my daughters home to Ruggiero, against whom other circumstances hadalready excited suspicion. A galley has already started for themainland, with orders to bring him back a prisoner, and the girls areto appear to give evidence tomorrow. The woman, Castaldi, is to beinterrogated by the council this afternoon, and I have no doubt shewill make a full confession, seeing that my daughters' evidence is, initself, sufficient to prove her guilt, and that it can be proved, fromother sources, that it was she who inveigled them away by a falsemessage from me."
"I am glad indeed, signor, that I am not to be called, and that thisaffair of the conspiracy is not to be brought up. I would, with yourpermission, now return home. Giuseppi took a message to my father fromme, the first thing, explaining my absence; and I told him, when weleft your house, to go at once to tell him that your daughters had beenrecovered, and that I should return before long. Still, he will want tohear from me as to the events of the night."
"Will you also tell him, Francisco, that I will call upon him thisafternoon. I have much to say to him."
"I am glad Signor Polani is coming," Mr. Hammond said, when his songave him the message. "I am quite resolved that you shall quit Veniceat once. I do not wish to blame you for what you have done, which,indeed, is likely to have a favourable effect upon your fortunes; butthat, at your age, you have mixed yourself up in adventures of thiskind, taken part in the affairs of great houses, and drawn uponyourself the enmity of one of the most powerful families of Venice, isaltogether strange and improper for a lad of your years, and belongingto the family of a quiet trader. I have been thinking about it all thismorning, and am quite resolved that the sooner you are out of Venicethe better. If I saw any way of sending you off before nightfall Iwould do so.
"Signor Polani has, you say, so far concealed from the council the factthat you have been mixed up in this business; but there is no sayinghow soon it may come out. You know that Venice swarms with spies, andthese are likely, before many hours, to learn the fact of your midnightarrival at Polani's house; and as no orders were given for theprepa
ration of this expedition to the island before that time, it willnot need much penetration to conclude that you were the bearer of thenews that led to the discovery of the maidens. Besides which, youaccompanied the expedition, and acted as its guide to the hut. Part ofthis they will learn from the servants of the house, part of it theymay get out from the sailors, who, over their wine cups, are not givento reticence. The council may not have pressed Polani on this point,but, take my word for it, some of them, at least, will endeavour to getto the bottom of it, especially Mocenigo's connections, who willnaturally be alarmed at the thought that there is somewhere a traitoramong their own ranks.
"The affair has become very serious, Francis, and far beyond thecompass of a boyish scrape, and no time must be lost in getting you outof Venice. I have no doubt Polani will see the matter in the samelight, for he knows the ways of his countrymen even better than I do."
The interview between the two traders was a long one. At its conclusionFrancis was sent for.
"Francis," his father said, "Signor Polani has had the kindness to makeme offers of a most generous nature."
"Not at all, Messer Hammond," the Venetian interrupted. "Let there beno mistake upon that score. Your son has rendered me servicesimpossible for me ever to repay adequately. He has laid me under anobligation greater than I can ever discharge. At the same time,fortunately, I am in a position to be able to further his interests inlife.
"I have proposed, Francisco, that you shall enter my house at once. Youwill, of course, for some years learn the business, but you will do soin the position which a son of mine would occupy, and when you come ofage, you will take your place as a partner with me.
"Your father will return to England. He informs me that he is nowlonging to return to his own country, and has for some time beenthinking of doing so. I have proposed to him that he shall act as myagent there. Hitherto I have not traded direct with England; in futureI shall do so largely. Your father has explained to me somewhat of histransactions, and I see there is good profit to be made on trade withLondon, by a merchant who has the advantage of the advice andassistance of one, like your father, thoroughly conversant in thetrade. Thus, I hope that the arrangement will be largely to our mutualadvantage. As to yourself, you will probably be reluctant to establishyourself for life in this country; but there is no reason why, in time,when your father wishes to retire from business, you should notestablish yourself in London, in charge of the English branch of ourhouse."
"I am most grateful to you for your offer, signor, which is vastlybeyond anything that my ambition could ever have aspired to. I can onlysay that I will try my best to do justice to your kindness to me."
"I have no fear as to that, Francisco," the merchant said. "You haveshown so much thoughtfulness, in this business, that I shall have nofear of entrusting even weighty affairs of business in your hands; andyou must remember always that I shall still consider myself yourdebtor. I thoroughly agree with your father's views as to the necessityfor your leaving Venice, as soon as possible. In a few months thismatter will have blown over, the angry feelings excited will calm down,and you will then be able to come and go in safety; but at present youwere best out of the town, and I have, therefore, arranged with yourfather that you shall embark tonight on board the Bonito, which sailstomorrow. You will have much to say to your father now, but I hope youwill find time to come round, and say goodbye to my daughters, thisevening."
"Your adventures, Francis," Mr. Hammond said when the merchant had leftthem, "have turned out fortunate, indeed. You have an opening nowbeyond anything we could have hoped for. Signor Polani has expressedhimself most warmly. He told me that I need concern myself no furtherwith your future, for that would now be his affair. The arrangementthat he has made with me, will enable me to hold my head as high as anyin the City, for it will give me almost a monopoly of the Venetiantrade; and although he said that he had long been thinking of enteringinto trade direct with England, there is no doubt that it is hisfeeling towards you, which has influenced him now in the matter.
"My business here has more than answered my expectations, in onerespect, but has fallen short in another. I have bought cheaply, andthe business should have been a very profitable one; but my partner inLondon is either not acting fairly by me, or he is mismanaging mattersaltogether. This offer, then, of Signor Polani is in every respectacceptable. I shall give up my own business and start anew, andselling, as I shall, on commission, shall run no risk, while theprofits will be far larger than I could myself make, for Polani willcarry it on on a great scale.
"As for you, you will soon learn the ways of trade, and will be able tocome home and join me, and eventually succeed me in the business.
"No fairer prospect could well open to a young man, and if you showyourself as keen in business, as you have been energetic in thepursuits you have adopted, assuredly a great future is open to you, andyou may look to be one of the greatest merchants in the city of London.I know not yet what offers Polani may make you here, but I hope thatyou will not settle in Venice permanently, but will always rememberthat you are an Englishman, and the son of a London citizen, and thatyou will never lose your love for your native land.
"And yet, do not hurry home for my sake. Your two brothers will soonhave finished their schooling, and will, of course, be apprenticed tome as soon as I return; and if, as I hope, they turn out steady andindustrious; they will, by the time they come to man's estate, be ofgreat assistance to me in the business.
"And now, you will be wanting to say goodbye to your friends. Becareful this last evening, for it is just when you are thinking most ofother matters, that sudden misfortune is likely to come upon you."
Delighted with his good fortune--rather because it opened up a life ofactivity, instead of the confinement to business that he had dreaded,than for the pecuniary advantages it offered--Francis ran downstairsand, leaping into his father's gondola, told Beppo to take him to thePalazzo Giustiniani. On the way he told Beppo and his son that the nextday he was leaving Venice, and was going to enter the service of SignorPolani.
Giuseppi ceased rowing, and, throwing himself down at the bottom of thegondola, began to sob violently, with the abandonment to his emotionscommon to his race. Then he suddenly sat up.
"If you are going, I will go too, Messer Francisco. You will want aservant who will be faithful to you. I will ask the padrone to let mego with you.
"You will let me go, will you not, father? I cannot leave our youngmaster, and should pine away, were I obliged to stop here to work agondola; while he may be wanting my help, for Messer Francisco is sureto get into adventures and dangers. Has he not done it here in Venice?and is he not sure to do it at sea, where there are Genoese andpirates, and perils of all kinds?
"You will take me with you, will you not, Messer Francisco? You willnever be so hard hearted as to go away and leave me behind?"
"I shall be very glad to have you with me, Giuseppi, if your fatherwill give you leave to go. I am quite sure that Signor Polani will makeno objection. In the first place, he would do it to oblige me, and inthe second, I know that it is his intention to do something to youradvantage. He has spoken to me about it several times, for you had yourshare of the danger when we first rescued his daughters, and again whenwe were chased by that four-oared gondola. He has been too busy withthe search for his daughters to give the matter his attention, but Iknow that he is conscious of his obligation to you, and that he intendsto reward you largely. Therefore, I am sure that he will offer noobjection to your accompanying me.
"What do you say, Beppo?"
"I do not like to stand in the way of the lad's wishes, MesserFrancisco; but, you see, he is of an age now to be very useful to me.If Giuseppi leaves me, I shall have to hire another hand for thegondola, or to take a partner."
"Well, we will talk it over presently," Francis said. "Here we are atthe steps of the palazzo, and here comes Matteo himself. It is lucky Iwas not five minutes later, or I should have missed him."