"
Once she followed an American woman into the shop and stood by her side
watching her bargain for an exquisite collar. So intently she looked that
the woman turned and met her gaze, remarking to her companion:
"Even the children have it in them--I mean the love for beautiful things;
and did you see her fingers?--any one could tell they were meant for
lace-making."
Sometimes the children lingered so long in this way that the bronze figures
would strike twelve, and they would have to hurry back so as not to keep
old Paolo waiting for his noonday lunch.
Then, in some little recess around the corner of the church, with countless
pigeons waiting for the crumbs, they would sit with him, sharing his frugal
meal. When they had finished, he would sometimes take them for a ride in
his shabby gondola on the Grand Canal, and on the way they would beg to
stop for just a moment at the famous well with two porphyry lions. Andrea
was tall enough to clamber by himself after the manner of young Venetians,
and nothing would do but Paolo must lift Maria, so she, too, would proudly
straddle one of the fierce figures. There they would sit while the old
caretaker would count the pigeons bathing and splashing in the water.
But, better than anything else, the children liked to snuggle close to
their companion while he told them wonderful stories until it was time for
him to go back to work.
While they watched with fascinated eyes, he would trace a diagram in the
pavement to show how the Grand Canal, in its wanderings, exactly describes
the letter "S.
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