Where is Maddalena? I thought she
was here a minute ago."
"She is in Fabio's room," answered Father Rocco, softly. "Shall I
call her?"
"No, no!" returned Luca. He stopped, looked round at the workmen,
who were chipping away mechanically at their bit of drapery;
then advanced close to the priest, with a cunning smile, and
continued in a whisper, "If Maddalena can only get from Fabio's
room here to Fabio's palace over the way, on the Arno--come,
come, Rocco! don't shake your head. If I brought her up to your
church door one of these days, as Fabio d'Ascoli's betrothed, you
would be glad enough to take the rest of the business off my
hands, and make her Fabio d'Ascoli's wife. You are a very holy
man, Rocco, but you know the difference between the clink of the
money-bag and the clink of the chisel for all that!"
"I am sorry to find, Luca," returned the priest, coldly, "that
you allow yourself to talk of the most delicate subjects in the
coarsest way. This is one of the minor sins of the tongue which
is growing on you. When we are alone in the studio, I will
endeavor to lead you into speaking of the young man in the room
there, and of your daughter, in terms more becoming to you, to
me, and to them. Until that time, allow me to go on with my
work."
Luca shrugged his shoulders, and went back to his statue. Father
Rocco, who had been engaged during the last ten minutes in mixing
wet plaster to the right consistency for taking a cast, suspended
his occupation; and crossing the room to a corner next the
partition, removed from it a cheval-glass which stood there.
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