probably obtained under
the same sort of circumstances as the yarn, and, moving from his pillar,
came suddenly upon Tito, who, if he had had time, would have chosen to
avoid recognition.

"By the head of San Giovanni, now," said Bratti, drawing Tito back to
the pillar, "this is a piece of luck. For I was talking of you this
morning, Messer Greco; but, I said, he is mounted up among the signori
now--and I'm glad of it, for I was at the bottom of his fortune--but I
can rarely get speech of him, for he's not to be caught lying on the
stones now--not he! But it's your luck, not mine, Messer Greco, save
and except some small trifle to satisfy me for my trouble in the
transaction."

"You speak in riddles, Bratti," said Tito. "Remember, I don't sharpen
my wits, as you do, by driving hard bargains for iron rings: you must be
plain."

"By the Holy 'Vangels! it was an easy bargain I gave them. If a Hebrew
gets thirty-two per cent, I hope a Christian may get a little more. If
I had not borne a conscience, I should have got twice the money and
twice the yarn. But, talking of rings, it is your ring--that very ring
you've got on your finger--that I could get you a purchaser for; ay, and
a purchaser with a deep money-bag."

"Truly?" said Tito, looking at his ring and listening.

"A Genoese who is going straight away into Hungary, as I understand. He
came and looked all over my shop to see if I had any old things I didn't
know the price of; I warrant you, he thought I had a pumpkin on my
shoulders. He had been rummaging all the shops in Florence. And he had
a ring on--not like yours, but something of the same fashion; and as he
was talking of rings, I said I knew a fine young man, a particular
acquaintance of mine, who had a ring of that sort. And he said, `Who is
he, pray? Tell him I'll give him his price for it.' And I thought of
going after you to Nello's to-morrow; for it's my opinion of you, Messer
Greco, that you're not one who'd see the Arno run broth, and stand by
without dipping your finger."

Tito had lost no word of what Bratti had said, yet his mind had been
very busy all the while. Why should he keep the ring? It had been a
mere sentiment, a mere fancy, that had prevented him from selling it
with the other gems; if he had been wiser and had sold it, he might
perhaps have escaped that identification by Fra Luca. It was true that
it had been taken from Baldassarre's finger and put on his own as soon
as