all who stood near to
admire and wonder. As he was about to take his seat on the chair of
state he perceived Michele Steno actually on the same balcony with him,
and saw that he had chosen a position whence he could keep his eyes
constantly fixed upon the Dogess, and must of necessity be observed by
her. Completely overmastered by furious rage, and wild with jealousy,
Falieri shouted in a loud and commanding tone that Steno was to be at
once removed from the balcony. Michele Steno raised his hand against
Falieri, but that same moment the guards appeared, and compelled him to
quit his place, which he did, foaming with rage and grinding his teeth,
and threatening revenge in the most horrible imprecations.

Meanwhile Antonio, utterly beside himself at sight of his beloved
Annunciata, had made his way out through the crowd, and was striding
backwards and forwards in the darkness of the night alone along the
edge of the sea, his heart rent by unutterable anguish. He debated
within himself whether it would not be better to extinguish the
consuming fire within him in the ice-cold waves than to be slowly
tortured to death by hopeless pain. But little was wanting, and he had
leapt into the sea; he was already standing on the last step that goes
down to the water, when a voice called to him from a little boat, "Ay,
a very good evening to you, Signor Antonio." By the reflection cast by
the illuminations of the Square, he recognised that it was merry
Pietro, one of his former comrades. He was standing in the boat, his
new cap adorned with feathers and tinsel, and his new striped jacket
gaily decorated with ribbons, whilst he held in his hand a large and
beautiful nosegay of sweet-scented flowers. "Good evening, Pietro,"
shouted Antonio back, "what grand folks are you going to row to-night
that you are decked off so fine?" "Oh!" replied Pietro, dancing till
his boat rocked; "see you, Signor Antonio, I am going to earn my three
sequins to-day; for I'm going to make the journey up to St. Mark's
Tower and then down again, to take this nosegay to the beautiful
Dogess." "But isn't that a risky and break-neck adventure, Pietro, my
friend?" asked Antonio. "Well," he replied, "there is some little
chance of breaking one's neck, especially as we go to-day right through
the middle of the artificial fire. The Greek says, to be sure, that he
has arranged everything so that the fire will not hurt a hair of
anybody's head, but"---- Pietro shrugg