appeared not to pay
the slightest heed to the song; on the contrary, he was relating to the
Dogess with much prolixity the meaning and history of the solemnity
which takes place on Ascension Day when the Doge throws his ring from
the Bucentaur and is married to the sea.

He spoke of the victories of the republic, and how she had formerly
conquered Istria and Dalmatia under the rule of Peter Urseolus the
Second,[24] and how this ceremony had its origin in that conquest But
if old Falieri heeded not the song, so now his tales were lost upon the
Dogess. She sat with her mind completely wrapped up in the sweet sounds
which came floating along the sea. When the song came to an end her
eyes wore a strange far-off look, as if she were awakening from a
profound dream and striving to see and interpret the images which
sportively mocked her efforts to hold them fast. "_Senza amare, senza
amare, non puo consolare_," she whispered softly, whilst the tears
glistened like bright pearls in her heavenly eyes, and sighs escaped
her breast as it heaved and sank with the violence of her emotions.
Still smirking and smiling and talking away, the old man, with the
Dogess at his side, stepped out upon the balcony of his house near
San Giorgio Maggiore, without noticing that Annunciata stood at his
side like one in a dream, speechless, her tearful eyes fixed upon some
far-off land, whilst her heart was agitated by feelings of a singular
and mysterious character. A young man in gondolier's costume blew a
blast on a conch-shaped horn, till the sounds echoed far away over the
sea. At this signal another gondola drew near. Meanwhile an attendant
bearing a sunshade and a maid had approached the Doge and Dogess; and
thus attended they went towards the palace. The second gondola came to
shore, and from it stepped forth Marino Bodoeri and several other
persons, amongst whom were merchants, artists, nay people out of the
lowest classes of the populace even; and they followed the Doge.

Antonio could hardly wait until the following evening, since he hoped
then to have the desired message from his beloved Annunciata. At
last--at last the old woman came limping in, dropped panting into the
arm-chair, and clapped her thin bony hands together again and again,
crying. "Tonino, O Tonino! what in the world has happened to our dear
darling? When I went into her room, there she lay on the couch with her
eyes half closed, her pretty head resting on her arm, nei