ey, and you shall pay for it, you lubberly
ours."

But the men pounded away with a good will.

"Open the door!" cried Giovanni from the opposite window, at the top of
his lungs.

The sight of the destruction of property for which he might have to
account to his father was very painful to him. But he could not make
himself heard in the terrific din, or else Pasquale suspected the truth
and pretended that he could not hear. The porter had seen Marietta a
moment in the gloom, and he knew that she had gone back to warn Zorzi.
He hoped to give them both time to hide themselves, and he now retired
from the grating and began to strengthen the door, first by putting two
more heavy oak bars in their places across it near the top and bottom,
and further by bringing the scanty furniture from his lodge and piling
it up against the panels.

Meanwhile the pounding continued at a great rate, and Giovanni thought
it better to go down and interfere in person, since he could not make
himself heard. The servants were all roused by this time, and many heads
were looking out of upper windows, not only from Beroviero's house, but
from the houses higher up, beyond the wooden bridge. Two men who were
walking up the footway from the opposite direction stopped at a little
distance and looked on, their hoods drawn over their eyes.

Giovanni came out hurriedly and crossed the bridge. He laid his hand on
the lieutenant's shoulder anxiously and spoke close to his ear, for the
pounding was deafening. The six men had strapped their halberds firmly
together in a solid bundle with their belts, and standing three on each
side they swung the whole mass of wood and iron like a battering ram, in
regular time.

"Stop them, sir! Stop them, pray!" cried Giovanni. "I will have the door
opened for you."

Suddenly there was silence as the officer caught one of his men by the
arm and bade them all wait.

"Who are you, sir?" he inquired.

"I am Giovanni Beroviero," answered Giovanni, sure that his name would
inspire respect.

The officer took off his cap politely and then replaced it. The two men
who were looking on nudged each other.

"I have a warrant to arrest a certain Zorzi," began the lieutenant.

"I know! It is quite right, and he is within," answered Giovanni.
"Pasquale!" he called, standing on tiptoe under the grating. "Pasquale!
Open the door at once for these gentlemen."

"Gentlemen!" echoed one of the men softly, with a low laugh and di