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thou wilt do wisely to let the same be known, with little delay, to the
guardians of the public weal. We must deal tenderly with those who prop
the state, but we must also deal discreetly with those who will shortly
compose it. Hast thou aught to say in the matter?"
"I have heard men speak of Signor Giacomo as paying dearest for their
favors."
"Gesu Maria! my son and heir! Dost thou not deceive me, man, to gratify
thine own displeasure against the Hebrews?"
"I have no other malice against the race, Signore, than the wholesome
disrelish of a Christian. Thus much I hope may be permitted to a
believer, but beyond that, in reason, I carry hatred to no man. It is
well known that your heir is disposing freely of his hopes, and at
prices that lower expectations might command."
"This is a weighty concern! The boy must be speedily admonished of the
consequences, and care must be had for his future discretion. The Hebrew
shall be punished, and as a solemn warning to the whole tribe, the debt
confiscated to the benefit of the borrower. With such an example before
their eyes, the knaves will be less ready with their sequins. Holy St.
Theodore! 'twere self-destruction to suffer one of such promise to be
lost for the want of prudent forethought. I will charge myself with the
matter, as an especial duty, and the senate shall have no cause to say
that its interests have been neglected. Hast thou had applications of
late, in thy character of avenger of private wrongs?"
"None of note--there is one that seeks me earnestly, though I am not yet
wholly the master of his wishes."
"Thy office is of much delicacy and trust, and, as thou art well aware,
the reward is weighty and sure." The eyes of the Bravo kindled with an
expression which caused his companion to pause. But observing that the
repose, for which the features of Jacopo were so remarkable, again
presided over his pallid face, he continued, as if there had been no
interruption, "I repeat, the bounty and clemency of the state will not
be forgotten. If its justice is stern and infallible, its forgiveness is
cordial, and its favors ample. Of these facts I have taken much pains to
assure thee, Jacopo. Blessed St. Mark! that one of the scions of thy
great stock should waste his substance for the benefit of a race of
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unbelievers! But thou hast not named him who seeks thee with this
earnestness?"
"As I have yet to learn his errand, before I go further, Signore, it may
be well to know more of his wishes."
"This reserve is uncalled for. Thou art not to distrust the prudence of
the Republic's ministers, and I should be sorry were the Inquisitors to
get an unfavorable opinion of thy zeal. The individual must be
denounced."
"I denounce him not. The most that I can say is, that he hath a desire
to deal privately with one, with whom it is almost criminal to deal at
all."
"The prevention of crime is better than its punishment, and such is the
true object of all government. Thou wilt not withhold the name of thy
correspondent?"
"It is a noble Neapolitan, who hath long sojourned in Venice, on matters
touching a great succession, and some right even to the senate's
dignity."
"Ha! Don Camillo Monforte! Am I right, sirrah?"
"Signore, the same!"
The pause which followed was only broken by the clock of the great
square striking eleven, or the fourth hour of the night, as it is
termed, by the usage of Italy. The senator started, consulted a
time-piece in his own apartment, and again addressed his companion.
"This is well," he said; "thy faith and punctuality shall be remembered.
Look to the fisherman Antonio; the murmurs of the old man must not be
permitted to awaken discontent, for a cause so trifling as this transfer
of his descendant from a gondola to a galley; and most of all, keep thy
ears attentive to any rumors on the Rialto. The glory and credit of a
patrician name must not be weakened by the errors of boyhood. As to this
stranger--quickly, thy mask and cloak--depart as if thou wert merely a
friend bent on some of the idle pleasantries of the hour."
The Bravo resumed his disguise with the readiness of one long practised
in its use, but with a composure that was not so easily disconcerted as
that of the more sensitive senator. The latter did not speak again,
though he hurried Jacopo from his presence by an impatient movement of
the hand.
When the door was closed and the Signor Gradenigo was again alone, he
once more consulted the time-piece, passed his hand slowly and
thoughtfully across his brow, and resumed his walk. For nearly an hour
this exercise, or nervous sympathy of the body with a mind that was
possibly overworked, continued without any interruption from without.
Then came a gentle tap at the door, and, at the usual bidding, one
entered, closely masked like him who had departed, as was so much the
usage of that city in the age of which we write. A glance at the figure
of his guest seemed to apprise the senator of his character, for the
reception, while it was distinguished by the quaint courtesy of the age,
was that of one expected.
"I am honored in the visit of Don Camillo Monforte," said the host,
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while the individual named laid aside his cloak and silken visor;
"though the lateness of the hour had given me reason to apprehend that
some casualty had interfered between me and the pleasure."
"A thousand excuses, noble senator, but the coolness of the canals, and
the gaiety of the square, together with some apprehension of intruding
prematurely on time so precious, has, I fear, kept me out of season. But
I trust to the known goodness of the Signor Gradenigo for my apology."
"The punctuality of the great lords of Lower Italy is not their greatest
merit," the Signor Gradenigo drily answered. "The young esteem life so
endless, that they take little heed of the minutes that escape them;
while we, whom age begins to menace, think chiefly of repairing the
omissions of youth. In this manner, Signor Duca, does man sin and repent
daily, until the opportunities of doing either are imperceptibly lost.
But we will not be more prodigal of the moments than there is need--are
we to hope for better views of the Spaniard?"
"I have neglected little that can move the mind of a reasonable man, and
I have, in particular, laid before him the advantage of conciliating the
senate's esteem."
"Therein have you done wisely, Signore, both as respects his interests
and your own. The senate is a liberal paymaster to him who serves it
well, and a fearful enemy to those who do harm to the state. I hope the
matter of the succession draws near a conclusion?"
"I wish it were possible to say it did. I urge the tribunal in all
proper assiduity, omitting no duty of personal respect nor of private
solicitation. Padua has not a doctor more learned than he who presents
my right to their wisdom, and yet the affair lingers like life in the
hectic. If I have not shown myself a worthy son of St. Mark, in this
affair with the Spaniard, it is more from the want of a habit of
managing political interests than from any want of zeal."
"The scales of justice must be nicely balanced to hang so long, without
determining to one side or the other! You will have need of further
assiduity, Don Camillo, and of great discretion in disposing the minds
of the patricians in your favor. It will be well to make your attachment
to the state be observed by further service near the ambassador. You are
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