tano, the servants will show you a room where your men can
guard the prisoners. You had better remain with them yourself. Let no
one, except your own men, enter the room."

Giuseppi was on the steps, and Francis stepped up to him and eagerly
asked, "What news of the gondola?"

"I found her, stove in and full of water, behind the piles close to the
steps. Someone must have pushed her there, to be out of the way of the
traffic. She has several holes in her bottom, besides being stove in at
the gunwale where the other boat struck her. They must have thrust the
ends of their oars through her planks, out of sheer spite, when they
found that we had escaped them. Father and I have towed her round to
your steps, but I doubt whether she is worth repairing."

"Well, we can't help it, Giuseppi. She has done her work; and if every
two ducats I lay out were to bring in as good a harvest, I should have
no 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 to
question you."

"I shall have to say what were my reasons for thinking your daughters
were hid in that hut, signor," Francis said as the gondola rowed
towards Saint Mark's; "and I can only do that by telling of that secret
meeting. I do not want to denounce a number of people, besides
Ruggiero. I have no evidence against them, and do not know what they
were plotting, nor have I any wish to create for myself more enemies.
It is quite enough to have incurred the enmity of all the connections
of the house of Mocenigo."

"That is true enough, Francisco, but I do not see how it is to be
avoided. Unfortunately, you did recognize others besides Ruggiero."

"Quite so, signor, and I am not going to tell a lie about it, whatever
the 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 passenger
you carried."

"No, signor, I did not. It might have been he, but I cannot say. He was
wrapped 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, would
have been sufficient without your entering into the other matter. Most
of my countrymen would not hesitate about telling a lie, to avoid
mixing themselves up further in such a matt