[Footnote: Crickets.] in a tiny cage, but a pigeon! Why, you play with them
all day long on St. Mark's Square."

"But that is not like having one of one's own," the boy protested.

He made a gesture of disgust. "A parrot, a singing bird, a couple of
grilli! What was his father thinking of?" and in another moment he was
explaining how he would train his bird to be a carrier pigeon, and how
bright its eyes would be, and how strong its wings, until his father
laughed and declared himself convinced that it would be the most wonderful
thing in all the world to own a pigeon.

The fish had quite disappeared from the platter when Giovanni again spoke:

"To-morrow is the Sabbath, and it is the little Maria's birthday--what say
you?"--he addressed himself particularly to Luisa--"shall we go to the
Lido?"

To the Lido! The children's eyes sparkled. There was nothing they loved
more to do than to play on the sand at the Lido.

"Si!" Luisa answered with ready acquiescence; "and on the way let us spend
a little time at the Accademia--it has been long since I have seen the
pictures of the great Titian and even Maria is quite old enough."

So it was settled, and the children talked of nothing else the rest of the
evening, dropping off to sleep without once giving a thought to the lapping
of the water.

When they woke, it was late; their mother had been up for a long time,