The San Francisco call., 1908-05-10


described - her as fresher than spring
roses; so that the sacrifice was, after
all, not so great as it might have
been.
Tell me what you see." she said to
the maids.
Lucilia turned up her sallow little
face.
There is the Venetian lord, and his
lady and a young lady. AT least,
suppose she is young"
Il should think you could see that"
Zoe said.
Her face is yelled" Lucilla replied.
after peering down: but I can see her
hair. 1t is red, and she has great
deal of it"
Red like Gullabrs wifes hair?"
asked Zoe
'Oh. no. 1t is red like a ladys. for
it is well dyed with the good khenna
that comes from Alexandria Now they
are getting out-the old lady first-she
is fat-the secretary and her husband
help her on each side. She is all
wrapped IN a long green silk mantle
embroidered with red roses. She is like
a dish of spinach in flames. How fat
she isr
Lucilla shook a little. as If she were
laughing internally.
What does her daughter wear?"
asked Zoe.
"A dark purple cloak. with a broad
silver trimming.
How hideous," exclaimed Zoe, for
no particular reason.
The secretary bows to the ground"
Lucilla said. He is saying something"
She stopped speaking. and all three
listened. Zoe could hear Omobono's
voice quite distinctly.
by a most unfortunate circum-
stance" he was saying, "Messer Carlo
Zeno was obliged TO go out on very
urgent business and has not yet re-
turned. I am his secretary and major
domo. as your lordship may deign to
remember. In my masters absence
have the honor to welcome his guests
and to wait upon them"
Sebastian Palo said something in an
swer to this fine speech. but in low
tone and Zoe could not hear the words.
Then a peculiarly disagreeable wom-
ans voice asked a question. Zoe
thought it sounded like something be-
tween the croaking of many frogs and
the clucking of an old hen.
I'VE hope you will give US our din
ner, whatever happens said the lady.
who seemed to be Of a practical turn
of mind
rs that the girls voice?" asked Zoe
OF Lucilla. in a whisper.
The maid shook her head
The mother she answered. Now
they are going in. I cannot hear what
Omobono says. for he is leading the
way. They are all gone"
Zoe did not care who else came, and
now that the moment was over she was
much less disturbed by the fact thai
Giustina was under the same roof with
her than she had expected to be. She
did not believe that Zeno had ever
kfSSad 6a fad iTIt
never stepped on her.
She let her maids do what they would
with her now, hardly noticing the skill
they showed in helping her to move,
and in smoothing away the pain she
felt, as only the people of the east
know how to do it. AS she did not
speak TO them, they dared not ask
questions about the masters absence.
They had left him with her when they
had been sent away; they had slept till
morning; when they awoke they found
Zoe lying on the divan asleep in her
clothes and the master had gone out
OF the house unseen and had not re-
turned. That was as far as their
knowledge went but they were sure
that she knew everything and they
hoped that il they pleased her even
more than usual she would let fall
some words of explanation. as mis-
tresses sometimes do when their serv-
ants are particularly satisfactory.
Most young women, when they are In
good humor. let their maids know what
they have been doing and as soon as
they are cross the maids revenge them
selves by telling the other servants
everything In this way the balance
of power is maintained between the
employer and the employed, like the
hydrostatic equilibrium in the human
body, which cannot be destroyed with
out bringing on a syncope.
But though Zoe felt very much less
pain after Yulia and Lucilla had bathed
her and. rubbed her, and had gently
pulled at all her joints till she felt sup
PIE and light again, she said nothing
about Zeno; and though they dressed
her SO skillfully that she could not help
smiling with pleasure when they showed
ner 70 herself in the large mirror thev
helo up between them, yet she only
thanked them kindly and gave each
two spoonfuls of roseleaf preserve
which represented to them an almost
heavenly delight, as she we'll knew
and which she herself did not at ali de,
ospise- That was all. however: and
they were little disappointed. he
cause she did not condescend TO tall
TO them about the masters disapnear-
ance, which was the greatest event
that had happened since they had ali
Three 1iNSO uHoeT LenOS roof.
Meanwhile Omobono was PLAYING his
part of majordomo downstairs. and
had Installed the guests at the table set
for them in the large hall looking over
the Golden Horn. After Polo and his
wife. another Venetian merchant had
arrived, the rich old banker Marin
Corner, long established in CONSTANT
nople, and friend of Sebastian Polo.
The three older guests were moder-
ately sorry that Zeno was not present.
But Giustina was inconsolable.
She was big, sleepy creature with
quantities of handsomely dyed hair. as
Lucilla had told Zoe. She had large
and regular features. a perfectly color
less white skin and a discontented
mouth. She often turned her eyes to
see what was going on, without turn
ing her head at all. as II she were too
lazy to make even that small effort
She was terribly disappointed and
deeply offended by what seemed to her
a deliberate insult, for she did not be-
lieve a word of Omobono's polite apol-
ogy. The truth was that Zeno had
only invited the party because her
mother had invited herself in the hope
OF bringing him to the point OF Offer
ing to marry Giustina. As a matter
OF fact nothing had ever been farther
from his thoughts. Sebastian Polo.
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