is your cabin, Francisco."

He opened the door of a roomy cabin in the poop of the ship. It was
fitted up with every luxury.

"Thank you very much indeed, Signor Polani," Francis said. "The only
fault is that it is too comfortable. I would as lief have roughed it as
other aspirants have to do."

"There was no occasion, Francisco. When there is rough work to be done,
you will, I have no doubt, do it; but as you are going to be a trader,
and not a sailor, there is no occasion that you should do so more than
is necessary. You will learn to command a ship just as well as if you
began by dipping your hands in tar. And it is well that you should
learn to do this, for unless a man can sail a vessel himself, he is not
well qualified to judge of the merits of men he appoints to be
captains; but you must remember that you are going as a representative
of my house, and must, therefore, travel in accordance with that
condition.

"You will be sorry to hear that bad news has just been received from
the mainland. The state galley sent to fetch Ruggiero Mocenigo has
arrived with the news that, on the previous night, a strong party of
men who are believed to have come from Padua, fell upon the guard and
carried off Ruggiero. My sailors came up and fought stoutly, but they
were overpowered, and several of them were killed; so Ruggiero is again
at large.

"This is a great disappointment to me. Though the villain is not likely
to show his face in the Venetian territory again, I shall be anxious
until Maria is safely married, and shall lose no time in choosing a
husband for her. Unless I am mistaken, her liking is turned in the
direction of Rufino, brother of your friend Matteo Giustiniani, and as
I like none better among the suitors for her hand, methinks that by the
time you return you will find that they are betrothed.

"And now I hear the sailors are heaving the anchor, and therefore,
Messer Hammond, it is time we took to our boats."

There was a parting embrace between Francis and his father. Then the
merchants descended into their gondolas, and lay waiting alongside
until the anchor was up, the great sails shaken out, and the Bonito
began to move slowly through the water towards the entrance of the
port. Then, with a final wave of the hand, the gondolas rowed off and
Francis turned to look at his surroundings. The first object that met
his eye was Giuseppi, who was standing near him waving his cap to his
father.

"Well, Gi