A Golden Book of Venice

cture stirring impatience within his soul, found a maiden sitting under the vine-covered pergola of the Traghetto San Maur

was hidden beneath the folds of her mantle, which, in the graceful fashion of those days, passed over her head and fell below the knees; her

out her, like a suggestion of an aureole; and in the arbor, as in one of those homely shrines which everywhere make part of th

l the gondola of Giambattista or of Jacopo should close the colloquy; an older peasant, tranquilly kneeling to the Madonna of the traghetto, amid the clatter, while steaming greasy odors from her housewifely basket of Venetian dainties mount slowly, like some travesty of incense, and cloud the humble shrine. Two or three comers swell the group from the recesses of the dark little shop behind, for no other reason

and Marina of Murano bending over him a face glorified with

that he had found the face he had been seeking for his Madonna for the altar of the Servi. "What d

a moment, in gratitude for the sympathy. "Eccellenza, thanks," she answered simply; "he has a

ld be greater, more compassionate, nearer to the people than any Madonna he had ever painted; for never had he noted in any face before such a passion of love and pity. In that moment of stillness the sunset lights, intensifying, cast a glow about her; the child, half-waking, stretched up his tiny hand and touched her cheek with a rare caress, and the light

cheme of his picture; for this grave, sweet face, with its pale, fair tones and profusion of soft brown hair, would not bear the vivid draperies that the Veronese was wont to fashion-the mantle must be a gray cloud, pi

ed him, translating him into the poetic atmosphere which he rarely attained; the harmonies of the vision were so per

ngered on the step for a word of adieu to this stranger who wished to give the little one pleasure, but she dared not

t immortal; he uncovered his head with a motion of courtly deference he did not often assume as he started forwar

ithout hesitation, lifting the baby in her arms to escape the rough help

id and incongruous figure amid these lowly surroundings, leaned against the paltry column that supported the shrine, wrapped in

said, "I will

*

ddenly. "He spoke to thee like a queen-and it w

e him flowers. I knew he must be great to care thu

t too much like a cherub that the

ms that held him closer, his face drawn with sudden pain; for a moment he fough

ndolier softly, while M

ondola glided noisel

thy prayers as well as mine-wilt thou not ask our Lady of San Donato to be kinder to him? And I hav

promised; "but the lamps are already too many in San Donato. And for the bambino, I will go not only once, but twice this year t

r, and they float

o at length, "there is

tel

and her beautiful fa

to me," she a

and Messer Magagnati

, there are othe

, as she did not answer him. His voice was not the pleasant

she said. "And for the

er, never na

ed under his breath; "it is the women

the black cap and sash of the "Nicolotti" accentuated the lines of the strong, lithe figure as he sprang forward on the sloping foot-rest of his gondola with that perfect grace and ease which proved him master of a

stooped her face wistfully to touch his cheek, but sh

ato per chi

. His voice was pleasanter in singing, and song is almost a needful expression of the content of motion in Venice-the necessary complement of life t

him who knows

growing dark over the water and her face was turned from him; but she straigh

zza, where she was called the "donzel of Murano," though there were others with blacker eyes and redder cheeks. Piero did not think her very beautiful; he liked more color and sparkle and quickness of retort-a chance to quarrel and forgive. He was not in sympathy with so many aves, such continual pilgrimages to the cathedral, such brooding over the lives of the saints-above all, he did not like being kept in order, and Marina knew well how to do this, in spite of her quiet ways. But he liked the best for himself, and there was no one like Marina in all Murano. During all this time he had been coming more and more under her sway, changing his modes of living to suit her whims, and t

at rendered him at least a safe, if a moody and unpleasant, member of the traghetto in which Piero had since become a rising star. A man with a home to keep may not "cast away his chestnuts," and so when Piero, in that masterful way of his, swept everything before him i

was a little pause. They were nea

n women are in the way, 'to tou

ng for control, turned back without a word, drawing the child closer and caressing him un

quite the end of all this talk. It can never be. Thou hast no understanding of such matters, so I forgive

riage," Piero retorted sull

st not stop for the right of it. She was such a child, she knew no better, poverina! And thou-a man-not for love, nor right, nor any nob

e searching, persistent disapproval of an entire class, whose code, if viewed from the moral

once for all-thou

ro in Castello made me forget. It came over me quite suddenly, that this is how thou spendest the beautiful, great strength God g

esitating only for a moment between anger and gratification, and choosing the way that min

Venice who hath greater opportunities, but thou must use them well. They spoil thee at the

have me to do?" he

the traghetti-thou must use thy strength and thy will for the good

a forward stroke. "Forget not," he said, poising, "that I need not listen to thee if I d

dost quiet this disorder of the t

urn; for there is

tone, responding to the appeal for his

o misunderstand him, and she was resolute. "If this is n

pless, suffering morsel of humanity that called him "babbo!" He did not know what might happen if the wrath of the redoubtable Magagnati were to be invoked against him, for this quarrel could not be disposed of as those small matters with the gondoliers had invariably been. So far from threatening this befor

to submit to Marina's influence. It was she who had, in some unaccountable way, persuaded him out of his unlawful trade of barcariol toso, and had forced his reluctant acceptance of the overtures that were made to him from the Guild of Santa Maria Zobenigo, where he had risen to be one of the bancali or governors, his qualities of force and daring making him useful

l take more than aves to make a saint of thee! And thou mayst hold thy head too high, looking for better than wheaten bread! But I'm not the man to wea

uldst do better. See wh

hing to be a governo

whoever tries it would wish it less. The bancali are 'like asses who carr

rande, or one may wait long for the landing! And there was a scandal about a friar of San Zanipolo, of whom they had asked a fare for the cro

ies had not the exciting novelty that might have been expected, and Marina had a curiou

Gabri

tter to 'beat the fishes' like a galley-slave than to

e was great talk of quarrels along the Riva, and how that yesterday they

ys ready for any mention of this great rival faction of the peopl

omisingly; "among themselves it is told they break the laws like men

n; "the bancali and gastaldi are enough

sh for safety in their water-streets. For centuries these confraternities of gondoliers who presided over the ferries, or traghetti, of Venice had been corporations, self-governing, with officers and endowments recognized by the Republic, and with a standard of gondolier morals admirably

osi, who lived in open rebellion against this goodly system of law, poaching upon the dearly bought rights of the traghetto gondoliers, yet escaping all taxes. And because of the abuses which had bee

ch his wrath had been growing. "The Consiglio hath its ow

dwelling of Girolamo Magagnati; the others of this little block of three were used as show-rooms and offices for the great establishment which was connected with t

ate, with treble-twisted cords deeply carved, or a window of fourteenth century workmanship relieved the severity of the lines; while in this short arcade, where the houses rose but a storey in height abo

ose polished marble shafts, for the familiar vision of a wonderful young face, beautiful as a Madonna from some high alt

s share of petting before the great dark man who tossed him so restfully in his strong arms went away. There was no one who could make the