The
gondolier had crossed the bridge, to tell his story to Pasquale, whose
view of the case seemed to differ from Nella's. He listened with
approving interest, but without comment, until the gondolier had
finished.
"I could tell you many such stories," he said. "Things of this kind
often happen at sea."
"Really!" exclaimed the gondolier, who was only a boatman and regarded
real sailors with a sort of professional reverence.
"Yes," answered Pasquale. "Especially on Sundays. You must know that
when the priests are all saying mass, and the people are all praying,
the devils cannot bear it, and are driven out to sea for the day. Very
strange things happen then, I assure you. Some day I will tell you how
the boatswain of a ship I once sailed in rove the end of the devil's
tail through a link of the chain, made a Flemish knot at the end to stop
it, and let go the anchor. So the devil went to the bottom by the run.
We unshackled the chain and wore the ship to the wind, and after that we
had fair weather to the end of the voyage. It happened on a Sunday."
"Marvellous!" cried the gondolier. "I should like to hear the whole
story! But if you will allow me, I will go in and tell the Signor
Giovanni what has happened, for he does not know yet.
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