ng
is repeated in the square Victor Emanuele, near the Pazzi palace.

"And afterwards all the men buy new hats, and wear them home in honor
of the event.

"I have heard that it rained last Easter-time, and that the burning
was not so good as usual," she said with a smile, "perhaps your
friends will not find plentiful harvests."

Rafael smiled in answer, and looked at Edith's letter, where his eyes
fell upon her words about the tomb of the Scaligers.

"Why do foreigners always find it hard to understand our Italian
history?" he asked.

"Because for many centuries Italy was made up of small states, each
one governed by a different ruler,--sometimes a family, and sometimes
a Doge, as here in Venice. The Scaligers were a famous family which
ruled Verona for many years during the middle ages.

"When I was a girl, Cavour, one of Italy's greatest statesmen, brought
about the unification of the many states into one kingdom under one
king, and since then our people have become happier and more
prosperous. Italy is now one of the important nations in Europe."

She would have said more, but Rafael was tired of listening to the
stories of the past, and wished to plan for his journey.

"I must get ready to go to Florence at once," he said.

"It cannot be done in one day," replied his mother. "Write to your
friends that you will come on Thursday."

So on Thursday he bade his mother good-bye and started on his journey.
He was taken to the station in his little boat, poled by his friend
Nicolo; and his last words to Nicolo as he left the boat were, "I am
so glad to go!"

CHAPTER X

GATHERING GRAPES IN TUSCANY

TO MADRE MIA IN VENICE:--

I am still glad! Yet it would not be so if you were not also glad for
me.

It was the joy of the morning to find a letter from you to-day. Two
letters have I now had in my life, and both from Italy. I had thought
we Italians had letters from nobody but "friends in America," as
Paolo, the fruit-man, always says.

And you say that Nicolo wishes to buy my boat; and that he will pay
for it after he has carried many passengers under the three bridges of
the Grand Canal, and to the Lido.

Well, say to him that I cannot sell my boat. Did I not make it myself,
from an old fisherman's boat, with only a little help from Carlo, in
his workshop on the canal of the chestnut trees? And of a truth I will
not sell it to Nicolo. But I shall give it to him for his birthday
gift, if in retu