ace as might have fretted many a man that was brave
enough, for Simone was out of the common tall and strong, but it fretted
our Dante no whit, and he only smiled derisively at the giant.

By this time the brawl--for such it was proving to be--had begun to
attract public notice, and those that walked halted to watch the
altercation between the big man and the slim youth. I caught a glimpse
of Monna Vittoria beneath the arcade, and saw amusement on her face and
wonder, and some scorn of Simone and much admiration of Dante. But I had
no time to concern myself with Vittoria, for now Messer Simone's fingers
were gripping at the hilt of his weapon, but he did no more than grip
the hilt of it. Indeed, I do not think that he would have drawn on an
unarmed man, and very likely he meant no more than to frighten the
scholar. If this were Messer Simone's purpose, it was frankly baffled by
the fact that Dante did not seem to be frightened at all, but just stood
his ground and watched his adversary with a light of quiet amusement in
his eyes that was very exasperating to Simone. The whole quarrel had
kindled and thriven so quickly that Messer Guido, who was standing apart
and talking with certain of his friends, had as yet no knowledge of it,
but now I moved to him and plucked him by the sleeve and told him what
was toward. In truth, I felt no small alarm for my friend, for I knew
him to have no more than that passable facility with the sword which is
essential to gentility. Then Messer Guido turned and came with me, and
his friends followed him, and our numbers added to the circle that was
forming about the disputants. So now, while Messer Simone was still
angrily handling his sword-hilt, and while the smile still lingered on
Dante's lips, Messer Guido stepped nimbly between the two, being eager
to keep the peace for the sake of his new-made friend that seemed so
slight a thing by the side of Simone.

"How now!" Guido cried, aloud. "I hear shrill words that seem to squeak
of weapons. What is your quarrel, gentles?"

If every man there present knew who Messer Simone of the Bardi was and
what he stood for in Florence, so also every man there present knew who
Messer Guido of the Cavalcanti was and what he stood for, and there were
few that would have denied him the right to speak his mind or to
question the cause of the quarrel. So Messer Guido stood between Dante
and Simone, looking from one to the other of the pair and waiting for