More than a year had passed since then; the strong Greek knew every corner of the house of the Agnus Dei, and every foothold under Arisa’s windows, from the water to the stone sill, by which he could help himself a little as he went up hand over hand by the knotted silk rope that would have cut to the bone any hands but his.  She kept it hidden in a cushioned footstool in her inner room.  Many a risk he had run, and more than once in winter he had slipped down the rope with haste to let himself gently into the icy water, and he had swum far down the dark canal to a landing-place.  For he was a man of iron.

So it came about that Jacopo Contarini lived in a fool’s paradise, in which he was not only the chief fool himself, but was moreover in bodily danger more often than he knew.  For though Aristarchi had hitherto managed to escape being seen, he would have killed Jacopo with his naked hands if the latter had ever caught him, as easily as a boy wrings a bird’s neck, and with as little scruple of conscience.

The Georgian loved him for his hirsute strength, for his fearlessness, even his violence and dangerous temper.  He dominated her as naturally as she controlled her master, whose vacillating nature and love of idle ease filled her with contempt.  It was for the sake of gold that she acted her part daily and nightly, with a wisdom and unwavering skill that were almost superhuman; and the Greek ruffian agreed to the bargain, and had been in no haste to carry her off, as he might have done at any time.  She hoarded the money she got from Jacopo, to give it by stealth to Aristarchi, who hid their growing wealth in a safe place where it was always ready; but she kept her jewels always together, in case of an unexpected flight, since she dared not sell them nor give them to the Greek, lest they should be missed.

Of late it had seemed to them both that the time for their final action was at hand, for it had been clear to Arisa that Jacopo was near the end of his resources, and that his father was resolved to force him to change his life.  There were days when he was reduced to borrowing money for his actual needs, and though an occasional stroke of good fortune at play temporarily relieved him, Arisa was sure that he was constantly sinking deeper into debt.  But within the week, the aspect of his affairs had changed.  The marriage with Marietta had been proposed, and Arisa had made a discovery.  She told Aristarchi everything, as naturally as she would have concealed everything from Contarini.

“We shall be rich,” she said, twining her white arms round his swarthy neck and looking up into his murderous eyes with something like genuine adoration.  “We shall get the wife’s dowry for ourselves, by degrees, every farthing of it, and it shall be the dower of Aristarchi’s bride instead.  I shall not be portionless.  You shall not be ashamed of me when you meet your old friends.”

“Ashamed!” His arm pressed her to him till she longed to cry out for pain, yet she would not have had him less rough.