ung 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, so
that can't be what he has come for. I th