iso, Nenolo had not even thought of marrying, and
that's"---- "Twenty-five years ago," interposed Bodoeri, laughing;
"come, you are getting all at sea with your memory of the flight of
time, it goes so rapidly with you. Annunciata is a maiden of nineteen,
beautiful as the sun, modest, submissive, inexperienced in love, for
she has hardly ever seen a man. She will cling to you with childlike
affection and unassuming devotion." "I will see her, I will see her,"
exclaimed the Doge, whose eyes again beheld the picture of the
beautiful Annunciata which Bodoeri had sketched.

His desire was gratified the self-same day; for immediately he got back
to his own apartments from the meeting of the Great Council, the crafty
Bodoeri, who no doubt had many reasons for wishing to see his niece
Dogess at Falieri's side, brought the lovely Annunciata to him
secretly. Now, when old Falieri saw the angelic maiden, he was quite
taken aback by her wonderful beauty, and was scarcely able to stammer
out a few unintelligible words as he sued for her hand. Annunciata, no
doubt well instructed by Bodoeri beforehand, fell upon her knees before
the princely old man, her cheeks flushing crimson. She grasped his hand
and pressed it to her lips, softly whispering, "O sir, will you indeed
honour me by raising me to a place at your side on your princely
throne? Oh! then I will reverence you from the depths of my soul, and
will continue your faithful handmaiden as long as I have breath." Old
Falieri was beside himself with happiness and delight. As Annunciata
took his hand he felt a convulsive throb in every limb; and then his
head and all his body began to tremble and totter to such a degree that
he had to sink hurriedly into his great arm-chair. It seemed as if he
were about to refute Bodoeri's good opinion as to the strength and
toughness of his eighty summers. Bodoeri, in fact, could not keep back
the peculiar smile that darted across his lips; innocent, un*
sophisticated Annunciata observed nothing; and happily no one else was
present Finally it was resolved for some reason--either because old
Falieri felt in what an uncomfortable position he would appear in the
eyes of the people as the betrothed of a maiden of nineteen, or because
it occurred to him as a sort of presentiment that the Venetians, who
were so prone to mockery, ought not to be so directly challenged to
indulge in it, or because he deemed it better to say nothing at all
about the criti