he remembered that he had held her hand in his
yesterday, and the memory was a force in itself, outside of him, drawing
him in spite of himself, lifting his arm when he commanded it to lie
still. His eyes could not take themselves from the beautiful white
fingers, so delicately curved as they hung down, so softly shaded to
pale rose colour at their tapering tips. She stood quite still, looking
down at his bent head.

"You would not refuse my friendship, now," she said, in a low voice, so
low that when she had spoken she doubted whether he could have
understood.

He took her hand then, for he had no resistance left, and she let him
take it, and did not blush. He held it in both his own and silently drew
it to him, till he was pressing it to his heart as he had never hoped to
do.

"You are too good to me," he said, scarcely knowing that he pronounced
the words.

Nella passed the window, coming back from her errand. Instantly Marietta
drew her hand away, and when the serving-woman entered she was speaking
to Zorzi in the most natural tone in the world.

"Is the testing plate quite clean?" she asked, and she was already
beside it.

Zorzi looked at her with amazement. She had almost been seen with her
hand in his, a catastrophe which he supposed would have entailed the
most serious consequences; yet there she was, perfectly unconcerned and
not even faintly blushing, and she had at once pretended that they had
been talking about the glass.

"Yes--I believe it is clean," he answered, almost hesitating. "I cleaned
it yesterday morning."

Nella had brought the copper ladle. There were always several in the
glass-works for making tests. Marietta took it and went to the furnace,
while Nella watched her, in great fear lest she should burn herself. But
the young girl was in no danger, for she had spent half her life in the
laboratory and the garden, watching her father. She wrapped the wet
cloth round her hand and held the ladle by the end.

"We will begin with the one on the right," she said, thrusting the
instrument through the aperture.

Bringing it out with some glass in it, she supported it with both hands
as she went quickly to the iron table, and she instantly poured out the
stuff and began to watch it.

"It is just what you had the other day," she said, as the glass rapidly
cooled.

Zorzi was seated high enough to look over the table.

"Another failure," he said. "It is always the same. We have scarcely had