red for everything, when he retired took from his
pocket two or three large screws and a screwdriver, and closed the great
strong door so that it would resist a hard assault, and left the window
open so that he could easily escape, and so went to bed.

Then the girl, when she thought he was asleep, gave the signal, and the
thieves tried to burst in, but could not. And Friar Giocondo, jumping
up, gave the girl such a beating as she had never heard of, abusing her
all the time as a song to the accompaniment of the thrashing, till at
last, when he saw they were really coming in, he jumped through the
window, ran to the stable, and finding there a fine horse, saddled it in
haste and rode away like the wind.

The thieves were so intent on the jars that they paid no heed to anything
else, not even to the girl, who was raging mad at her father for having
exposed her to such danger. So they got two deep plates, and opened both
jars at once to pour the honey out, when lo! there came swarming forth
the vipers, hissing, and squirming, and darting out their tongues like so
many devils. At which sight they all fled in fear, the girl first, nor
did she stop till she got to Fiesole, where, in great terror, she
(fearing for her soul) told the whole story to everybody and the monks.

The thief went to the stable, but found his horse gone, and so had to
content himself with Giocondo's donkey, on which, fearing the pursuit of
justice, he rode away, to be hanged somewhere else. And the Abbot of
Santa Maria Novella cheerfully absolved Brother Giocondo for stealing the
horse--and accepted it as a graceful gift, or in recompense for the load
of provisions which had been lost.

"Thus 'twas with all of them it sped,
And the Abbot came out one horse ahead!"

THE LEGEND OF THE CROCE AL TREBBIO

"The bell in the Bargello called the Montanara obtained the name of
the _Campana delle Arme_ because it was the signal for citizens to
lay aside their weapons and retire home."--_Hare's_ "_Cities of
Central Italy_."

"Where towers are crushed, and temples fair unfold
A new magnificence that vies with old,
Firm in its pristine majesty hath stood
A votive column."--_Wordsworth_, "_Pillar of Trajan_."

Very near to the Church of Santa Maria Novella is the small piazza or
open place of the _Croce al Trebbio_. This is a column with a crucifix,
the whole being of beautiful proportions and of a strikin