g the enamel he had seen on a Saracen cup. Palissy also made some
fine old stained glass, although few people seem to know this. Many
another Frenchman tried to discover the Venetian's great secret. They
sought to bribe our people to tell the process, but without success.
Then Colbert, the chief minister under Louis the Fourteenth, wrote the
French ambassador at Venice that he must obtain for France some
Venetian workmen. The ambassador was upset enough, as you may imagine,
when he received the order. He said he could not do it. He dared not.
If found out he would be thrown into the sea."

"He ought to have been!" Jean cried. "He would have deserved it."

"I think so too," Uncle Bob agreed.

"It would have been far better for Venice had he been drowned in the
Adriatic," Giusippe answered slowly. "But he wasn't. Instead he began
cautiously to look about. There are always in the world, senor, men who
have no pride in their fatherland and can be bought with money. The
next year the ambassador succeeded in bribing eighteen glass-makers to
go to France and make mirrors for Versailles, the palace of the French
king. And no sooner had these men got well to work and passed the
mystery on to the French than Colbert forbade the French people to
import any more mirrors from Venice, as mirrors could now be made at
home. Some of these early French mirrors are now in the Cluny Museum in
France, my father told me. In consequence of the treachery of these
workmen Germany also soon learned how to make mirrors, and the fame of
the Venetian artisans declined just as the Council had predicted it
would. But it will be long before any other country can equal mine in
the making of filigree or spun glass. You will, senorita, see much of
this beautiful work while you are here in Venice."

"I want to, Giusippe; and I want to get some to take home. May I, Uncle
Bob?"

Mr. Cabot nodded.

"Your story is like a fairy tale, Giusippe," said he.

The boy smiled with pleasure.

"It is a wonderful story to me because it is the story of my people.
And, senor, there is much more to tell, but I must not weary you. Some
of our filigree glass, it is true, became too elaborate to be
beautiful. It is simply interesting because it is wonderful that out of
glass could be fashioned ships, flowers, fruits, fish, and decorations
of all kinds. It shows most delicate workmanship. But the drinking
glasses with their fragile stems are really beautiful; and so a