The night had advanced, beyond its turn, when a gondola came gliding
through the shipping of the port with that easy and swan-like motion
which is peculiar to its slow movement, and touched the quay with its
beak, at the point where the canal of St. Mark forms its junction with
the bay.
"Thou art welcome, Antonio," said one, who approached the solitary
individual that had directed the gondola, when the latter had thrust the
iron spike of his painter between the crevices of the stones, as
gondoliers are accustomed to secure their barges; "thou art welcome,
Antonio, though late."
"I begin to know the sounds of that voice, though they come from a
masked face," said the fisherman. "Friend, I owe my success to-day to
thy kindness, and though it has not had the end for which I had both
hoped and prayed, I ought not to thank thee less. Thou hast thyself been
borne hard upon by the world, or thou would'st not have bethought thee
of an old and despised man, when the shouts of triumph were ringing in
thy ear, and when thy own young blood was stirred with the feelings of
pride and victory."
"Nature gives thee strong language, fisherman. I have not passed the
hours, truly, in the games and levities of my years. Life has been no
festa to me--but no matter. The senate was not pleased to hear of
lessening the number of the galleys' crew, and thou wilt bethink thee of
some other reward. I have here the chain and golden oar in the hope that
it will still be welcome.
Pages:
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191