who looked at life from such different standpoints, soothing
the wounded pride of her father by her perfect sympathy while striving
to rouse Piero to nobler ideals.

And now that it was all over--was it all over?--there lay the poor
little Zuane; and Piero, over the water at his traghetto, was a great
care. But he should do his best yet for the people!

A deep voice with a ring of wistfulness came through the darkness:

"Doth he not sleep yet, the little Zuane? The evening hath been long,
and I have somewhat to show thee."

"I come, my father," she answered very tenderly, as she followed him
through the narrow, dark corridor, into a large chamber which served as
a private office, but where the father and daughter often sat alone in
the evening; for here Girolamo kept many designs and papers relating to
his work, and they often discussed his plans together.

He unlocked an old carved cabinet and brought out a roll of parchments,
spreading them upon the table and explaining: "I could not leave them
while I went to call thee, for it is an order from the Senate--thou
see'st the seal--and a copy of the letter of the Ambassador of the
Republic to the Levant, with this folded therein--truly a curious scheme
of color, but very rich, and the lines are somewhat uneven. What
thinkest thou of the design?"

"The outline is good," she answered, after a careful scrutiny, for she
had been trained in copying his best designs. This was a pattern
furnished by the grand vizier of the sultan for a mosque lamp of a
peculiar shape, wrought over with verses from the Koran, in various
colored enamels. "The outline is well; but the colors--mayst thou not
change this yellow? there is too much of it."

"Nay, for the colors have a meaning; methinks this yellow is their
sacred color. But the texts are fine; the broken lines of the characters
have a charm, and the scrolls relieve the surface, making semblance of
shadow. Yet I will make thee a prettier one for thine own chamber, with
some thought of thy choosing."

She looked up at him with shining eyes; their trouble, combated and
borne together, had brought them very near to one another.

"I have often wished for a lamp with the colors soft like moonlight; and
the design shall be of thine own hand, and the verse upon it shall be an
ave, and in it there shall be always a light. It shall be a prayer for
the little one!" she said in quick response. "The Senate wished thee to
make a lamp of t