"Don't be afraid of me. I am steward to the
Marquis Melani, and well known in Pisa as an eminently
respectable man. I have something to say to you which may be
greatly for your benefit. Don't look surprised; I am coming to
the point at once. Do you want to earn a little money? honestly,
of course. You don't look as if you were very rich, child."
"I am very poor, and very much in want of some honest work to
do," answered the girl, sadly.
"Then we shall suit each other to a nicety; for I have work of
the pleasantest kind to give you, and plenty of money to pay for
it. But before we say anything more about that, suppose you tell
me first something about yourself--who you are, and so forth. You
know who I am already."
"I am only a poor work-girl, and my name is Nanina. I have
nothing more, sir, to say about myself than that."
"Do you belong to Pisa?"
"Yes, sir--at least, I did. But I have been away for some time. I
was a year at Florence, employed in needlework."
"All by yourself?"
"No, sir, with my little sister. I was waiting for her when you
came up."
"Have you never done anything else but needlework? never been out
at service?"
"Yes, sir. For the last eight months I have had a situation to
wait on a lady at Florence, and my sister (who is turned eleven,
sir, and can make herself very useful) was allowed to help in the
nursery.
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