To her surprise Zorzi showed no embarrassment. He had made up the fire
and now sat down at a little distance, on one of the flat arms of the
glass-blower's working-stool. His face was pale and quiet, and his eyes
did not avoid hers.

"If I caught any one using my boat without my leave, I would make him
pay dear," said Beroviero, but without anger, as if he were stating a
general truth.

"Whoever it was who took the boat brought it back an hour after
midnight, locked the padlock again and went away," said Marietta.

"Tell Nella that I am much indebted to her for her watchfulness. She is
as good as a house-dog. Tell her to come and wake me if she sees any one
taking the boat again."

"She says she knows who took it last night," observed Marietta, who was
puzzled by the attitude of the two men; she had now decided that it had
not been Zorzi who had used the boat, but on the other hand the story
did not rouse her father's anger as she had expected.

"Did she tell you the man's name?"

"Yes."

"Who was it?"

"She said it was Zorzi." Marietta laughed incredulously as she spoke,
and Zorzi smiled quietly.