The Lion of Saint Mark | Page 9

keep an appointment, a gambler on a visit to some quiet
locality, where high play went on unknown to the authorities, or simply
one who had by some error missed his own gondola, and was anxious
to return home. It made no difference to him which way he rowed. It
was always possible that some adventure was to be met with, and the
fare paid was a not unwelcome addition to Giuseppi's funds.
"Yes, we may as well take him," he replied to Giuseppi's question.
"You are in no hurry to get to bed, I suppose?" the man who had hailed
them said as the boat drew up against the wall of the canal.
"It does not make much difference to us, if we are well paid, to keep
awake," Giuseppi said.
Upon such occasions he was always the spokesman.
"You know San Nicolo?"
"Yes, I know it," Giuseppi said; "but it is a long row--six miles, if it's a
foot."
"You will have to wait there for an hour or two, but I will give you half

a ducat for your night's work."
"What do you say, partner?" Giuseppi asked Francis.
"We may as well go," the lad replied after a moment's pause.
The row was certainly a long one, but the night was delightful, and the
half ducat was a prize for Giuseppi; but what influenced Francis
principally in accepting was curiosity. San Nicolo was a little sandy
islet lying quite on the outside of the group of islands. It was inhabited
only by a few fishermen; and Francis wondered that a man, evidently
by his voice and manner of address belonging to the upper class, should
want to go to such a place as this at this hour of the night. Certainly no
ordinary motives could actuate him.
As the stranger took his place in the boat, Francis saw by the light of
the stars that he was masked; but there was nothing very unusual in this,
as masks were not unfrequently worn at night by young gallants, when
engaged on any frolic in which they wished their identity to be
unrecognized. Still it added to the interest of the trip; and dipping his
oar in the water he set out at a slow, steady stroke well within his
power. He adopted this partly in view of the length of the row before
them, partly because the idea struck him that it might be as well that
their passenger should not suspect that the boat was other than an
ordinary gondola. The passenger, however, was well satisfied with the
speed, for they passed two or three other gondolas before issuing from
the narrow canals, and starting across the broad stretch of the lagoon.
Not a word was spoken until the gondola neared its destination. Then
the passenger said:
"You row well. If you like the job I may employ you again."
"We are always ready to earn money," Francis said, speaking in a gruff
voice quite unlike his own.
"Very well. I will let you know, as we return, what night I shall want
you again. I suppose you can keep your mouths shut on occasion, and

can go without gossiping to your fellows as to any job on which you
are employed?"
"We can do that," Francis said. "It's no matter to us where our
customers want to go, if they are willing to pay for it; and as to
gossiping, there is a saying, 'A silver gag is the best for keeping the
mouth closed.'"
A few minutes later the bow of the gondola ran up on the sandy shore
of San Nicolo. The stranger made his way forward and leapt out, and
with the words, "It may be two hours before I am back," walked rapidly
away.
"Why, Messer Francisco," Giuseppi said when their passenger was well
out of hearing, "what on earth possessed you to accept a fare to such a
place as this? Of course, for myself, I am glad enough to earn half a
ducat, which will buy me a new jacket with silver buttons for the next
festa; but to make such a journey as this was too much, and it will be
very late before we are back. If the padrone knew it he would be very
angry."
"I didn't do it to enable you to earn half a ducat, Giuseppi, although I
am glad enough you should do so; but I did it because it seemed to
promise the chance of an adventure. There must be something in this. A
noble--for I have no doubt he is one--would never be coming out to San
Nicolo, at this time of night, without some very strong motive. There
can be no rich heiress whom he might want to carry off living here,