The boatman asked
whither he should go.
"To Murano," answered the Greek. "And keep over by Saint Michael's, for
the tide is low."
The boatman had already understood that his passenger knew Venice almost
as well as he. The boat shot forward at a good rate under the bending
oar, and in twenty minutes Aristarchi was at the entrance to the canal
of San Piero and within sight of Beroviero's house.
"Easy there," said the Greek, holding up his hand. "Do you know Murano
well, my man?"
"As well as Venice, sir."
"Whose house is that, which has the upper story built on columns over
the footway?"
"It belongs to Messer Angelo Beroviero. His glass-house takes up all the
left aide of the canal as far as the bridge."
"And beyond the bridge I can see two new houses, on the same side. Whose
are they?"
"They belong to the two sons of Messer Angelo Beroviero, who have
furnaces of their own, all the way to the corner of the Grand Canal."
"Is there a Grand Canal in Murano?" asked Aristarchi.
"They call it so," answered the boatman with some contempt. "The
Beroviero have several houses on it, too."
"It seems to me that Beroviero owns most of Murano," observed the Greek.
"He must be very rich."
"He is by far the richest. But there is Alvise Trevisan, a rich man,
too, and there are two or three others.
Pages:
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116