! It will make Hannah think of Boston," begged Jean. "But we
have nothing to give them," she added in dismay.

"I will find you something, senorita," Giusippe declared.

Darting up to an old Italian who was standing near he soon returned
with a small paper cornucopia filled with grain.

"The pigeons of St. Mark's are very tame. See!"

He put some kernels of corn on the top of his hat, and holding more in
his outstretched hands stood motionless. There was a whirr of wings,
and in an instant the boy was quite hidden beneath an eager multitude
of fluttering whiteness.

"I never saw so many pigeons," Jean whispered. "You have many more than
we do at home."

"We Venetians are very fond of the birds," was Giusippe's reply. "So,
too, are the tourists who come to Venice, for they never seem to be
tired of having their pictures taken surrounded by flocks of pigeons."

"Doesn't this make you think of Boston Common, Hannah?" asked Uncle
Bob.

"Yes, a little. But I should feel more as if I were in Massachusetts if
there were not such a babel of foreign tongues about me." Then turning
to Giusippe she demanded: "How did you come to speak English, young
man?"

"I have been expecting you would ask me that," smiled Giusippe. "You
see, I have an uncle who went to America; yes, to Pennsylvania, to seek
his fortune. He stayed there five years and in that time he learned to
speak English well. When he came back he taught me all he knew. Then he
returned with his wife to the United States, and I got books and
studied. When they found at Murano that I could speak English they
often called on me to show tourists over the glass works. In this way I
picked up many words and their pronunciation. Since then I have found
that I could sometimes serve as interpreter for English or American
travelers if I watched for the chance. I was eager for such
opportunities, for it gave me practice, and I often learned new words."

"And why are you so anxious to learn English, Giusippe?" Jean
questioned.

"I hope, senorita, to go some day to the United States. My uncle told
me what a wonderful country it is, and I desire to see it. Perhaps in
that beautiful great land where everything is in abundance I might grow
rich. I now have nothing to keep me here; my parents are dead and I
have no other kinsmen. I want to join my uncle in Pennsylvania as soon
as I have enough money. Part of my passage I have already saved."

"Why, Giusippe!"

"Yes, senori