He was first named with terms of endearment strange upon the lips of
that stately assembly--"Il caro Padre," "Teologo amato di Venezia"--yet
the guards had failed to seize those villains who lay in wait at the
Ponte della Pugna! The bridges and traghetti must be closely
watched.--Ah--the gastaldo grande!
"Hath one yet been named _Condottiere_ for this frontier service?"
questioned one of the older senators, among a group of the more
important men who had detached themselves from the others and strolled
out into the great loggia on the sea facade for a reviving breath of the
morning air. "For such an employ there is none like Piero Salin for
daring and intrigue; and the assassins may linger long in hiding on the
route to Rome."
And so they first remembered Piero in these crowded days and discussed
his fault with a degree of leniency that would have been foreign to the
traditions of Venice had he not been needed for important secret
service.
Meanwhile, Fra Paolo was still the theme among the senators at large in
the Council Chamber.
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