hether the padroni will go out to-day in the boat?"

"I think they will not," answered the girl. "But I will ask. But I think
they will not, because there is the devil in the house to-day, and the
Signorina looks as though she would eat us all, and that is a bad sign."

"What has happened?" asked Bastianello. "You can tell me, because I will
tell nobody."

"The truth is this," answered Teresina, lowering her voice. "They have
betrothed her to the Count, and she does not like it. But if you say
anything--." She laughed a little and shook her finger at him.

Bastianello threw his head back to signify that he would not repeat what
he had heard. Then he gazed into Teresina's eyes for a moment.

"The Count is worse than an animal," he said quietly.

"If you knew how true that is!" exclaimed Teresina, blushing deeply and
turning away. "I will ask the Marchesa if she will go out," she added,
as she walked quickly away.

Bastianello waited and in a few moments she came back.

"Not to-day," she said.

"So much the better. I want to say something to you, Teresina. Will you
listen to me? Can I say it here?" Bastianello felt unaccountably
nervous, and when he had spoken he regretted it.

"I hope it is good news," answered the girl. "Come to the window at the
end of the corridor. We shall be further from the door there, and there
is more air. Now what is it?" she asked as they reached the place she
had chosen.

"It is this, Teresina," said Bastianello, summoning all his courage for
what was the most difficult undertaking of his life. "You know my
brother Ruggiero."

"Eh! I should think so! I see him every day."

"Good. He also sees you every day, and he sees how beautiful you are,
and now he knows how good you are, because the little boy of the Son of
the Fool saw you with that apoplexy of a Count in the garden to-day, and
heard what you said, and came and told me, and I told Ruggiero because
I knew how glad he would be."

"Dio mio!" cried Teresina. She had blushed scarlet while he was
speaking, and she covered her face with both hands.

"You need not hide your face, Teresina," said Bastianello, with a little
emotion. "You can show it to every one after what you have done. And so
I will go on, and you must listen. Ruggiero is not a great signore like
the Count of San Miniato, but he is a man. And he has two arms which are
good, and two fists as hard as an ox's hoofs, and he can break
horse-shoes with his hands."