o them; while
Tutti stood by, lost in admiration at his brother's acuteness.

Finally, a brown pot, with yellow stripes and spots, was chosen and
paid for, wrapped in the red handkerchief, and carried off in triumph
towards the Porta Camolla.

"Whatever will grandmother say!" cried Tuttu, almost shouting for joy,
"I wish I could run all the way. There'll be a big bean in the
_fiasco_ for each of us to-night, won't there, Tutti?"

"You've got a little money left, haven't you, Tuttu?" enquired Tutti,
who was always practical; "Couldn't we buy some cakes. I really feel
very hungry."

"Certainly not," said Tuttu, firmly, "I shall put it inside the
_scaldino_ for grandmother. That'll be the second surprise. Don't you
see, Tutti?"

"But it's only two half-pennies," argued Tutti.

"Oh, she'll be glad enough of that!" said Tuttu, and tramped on
steadily up the street. "Come along, Tutti, we'll go into the
Cathedral."

Tutti remonstrated no more, he knew it was useless; and the two little
boys, ascending a steep flight of steps, entered the Cathedral at a
side door, and knelt down in the dim light in one of the chapels.

Tuttu repeated a prayer he had been taught, and then continued
rapidly, "Thank you, too, very much, for making me and Tutti good; and
please let us go on putting beans into the _fiasco_ till it can't hold
any more--and then we'll find something else...." He paused to
meditate. "Make grandmother pleased with us, and bless the cats."

Here Tuttu could think of nothing else, and nudged Tutti.

"You go on, Tutti."

"I think Tuttu's said everything," commenced Tutti in a whisper. "But
please keep us out of the pond, and make us grow so that we can be
artillery; and take us home safe, for the road's rather long, and
we've never been there alone, and there's oxen about."

"You shouldn't say that, Tutti," said Tuttu, reprovingly. "Oxen won't
hurt you, and you shouldn't be a coward."

"Well, shall I pray not to be a coward?" enquired Tutti.

"If you think it's necessary," said Tuttu. "But you can save that for
another time--we ought to be going now"--so Tutti got up, and the
children pushed their way through the heavy curtain by the door, and
found themselves once more in the bright sunshine.

Certainly Bianca had been no trouble to them. In the Cathedral she
behaved in the most serious manner, sitting by their side, and never
moving until they pulled the string to which she was fastened; when
she got