It
was a pretty romance--all those noble councillors, trembling from fear
of the extinction of this most ancient and princely house, framing
humble petitions to the Holy Father; the youthful monk, leaving the
tranquil solitude of his island sanctuary, unfrocked with honor by a
Pope's decree, to don the crimson robe of senator and wed the daughter
of the Doge! And later, when sons and daughters many had risen up to
call them blessed, the old haunting charm of the convent reasserting
itself, the return of the Giustinian--this solitary link between the
long lines of his noble house, before and after--to his lonely cell on
San Nicolo; the retirement of the Lady Anna from the sweet motherhood of
her home to reign as Lady Abbess in the convent of Sant' Elena; the
nimbus of sainthood for the pair when their quiet days were closed--it
was a pretty story, leading easily to thoughts of Marina.
"To-morrow," said Giustinian Giustiniani, as if in answer to his
thoughts, "at dawn of day, there will be Mass in the capello Giustiniani
on Sant' Elena; and later we must visit the shrines of San Nicolo and
San Lorenzo.
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