le-looking and
kind. He, and every one in the house, spoke Italian. Once, when there
had been several weeks when I had not seen him, a day came when
repulsive-looking strangers arrived, who made a great disturbance,
turning everything upside down. When they saw me they asked who I was,
and what I was doing there. I said I was Antonio, the son of the house.
On my repeating this they laughed in my face, tore the clothes off my
back, and turned me out of doors, telling me that I should be beaten if
I showed my face there any more. I ran away, crying loudly. Scarce a
hundred paces from the house an old man met me whom I recognized as one
of my foster-father's servants. 'Come, Antonio; come, poor boy!' he
cried, taking me by the hand. 'That house is closed to both of us for
ever. We must do the best we can to get a bit of bread.' This old man
brought me here. Scarce had we come when I saw that he pulled out
_zecchini_ from his ragged doublet, and went up and down all day on the
Rialto, doing business, sometimes as a broker, sometimes as a merchant.
I had to be always close at his heels; and whenever he did a bit of
business, he always asked for a trifle for the _figliulo_, as he called
me. Everybody whom I looked boldly in the eyes would pull out a
_quattrino_ or two, which he used to pocket with much satisfaction,
stroking my cheeks, and saying he was saving them up to buy me a new
doublet. I was happy enough with this old man, whom people called
'Father Bluenose,' I don't know why.

"'"You remember that terrible time when one day the earth began to
tremble; when the palaces and the towers wavered backwards and forwards
as if shaken to their foundations, and the bells tolled as if swayed by
invisible giant arms. It must be about seven years ago; or not quite so
long. Fortunately the old man and I escaped in safety from the house
where we were living; it fell almost about our ears. But this terrible
event was merely the announcement of the coming of the monster which
soon breathed its poison over town and country. It was known that the
plague, which had been brought to Sicily from the Levant, had reached
Tuscany. Venice was still free from it. One day Father Bluenose was
bargaining on the Rialto with an Armenian. They settled their business,
and shook hands warmly. Bluenose had sold some goods at a favourable
rate to the Armenian, and, as usual, asked for a trifle for the
'_figliulo_.' The Armenian--a big strong man, with a