“But why should Captain Aristarchi care whether Zorzi were arrested or not?” asked Beroviero.

“This the saints may know in paradise,” answered Pasquale, “but not I.”

“Has the captain been here again?” asked Beroviero, completely puzzled.

“No, sir.  But I should have told you that one morning there came a patrician of Venice, Messer Zuan Venier, who wished to see you, being a friend of Messer Jacopo Contarini, and when he heard that you were away he desired to see Zorzi, and stayed some time.”

“I know him by name,” said Beroviero, nodding.  “But there can be no connection between him and this Greek.”

Pasquale snarled and showed his teeth at the mere idea, for his instinct told him that Aristarchi was a pirate, or had been one, and he was by no means sure that the Greek had carried off Zorzi for any good purpose.

“Pasquale,” said Beroviero, “it is long since you have had a holiday.  Take the skiff to-morrow morning, and go over to Venice.  You are a seaman and you can easily find out from the sailors about the Giudecca who this Aristarchi really is, and where he lives.  Then try to see him and tell him that Zorzi is innocent of all the charges against him, and that if he will come back I will protect him.  Can you do that?”

Pasquale gave signs of great satisfaction, by growling and grinning at the same time, and his lids drew themselves into a hundred wrinkles till his eyes seemed no bigger than two red Murano beads.

Then Beroviero and Marietta went back to the house, and the young girl carried the folded mantle under her cloak.  Before going to her own room she opened it out, as if it had been worn, and dropped it behind a bench-box in the large room, as if it had fallen from her shoulders while she had been sitting there; and in due time it was found by one of the men-servants, who brought it back to Nella.

“You are so careless, my pretty lady!” cried the serving-woman, holding up her hands.

“Yes,” answered Marietta, “I know it.”

“So careless!” repeated Nella.  “Nothing has any value for you!  Some day you will forget your face in the mirror and go away without it, and then they will say it is Nella’s fault!”

Marietta laughed lightly, for she was happy.  It was clear that everything was to end well, though it might be long before her father would consent to let her marry Zorzi.  She felt quite sure that he was safe, though he might lie far away by this time.

Beroviero returned at once to the Governor’s house, and did his best to undo the mischief.  But to his unspeakable disappointment he found that the Governor’s report had already gone to the Council of Ten, so that the matter had passed altogether out of his hands.  The Council would certainly find Zorzi, if he were in Venice, and within two or three days, at the utmost, if not within a few hours; for the Signors of the Night were very vigilant and