"
"I will not unmask till we are fairly and decently embarked, Enrico,"
whispered the Signor Grimaldi; "nay--by the mass! not till we are fairly
disembarked! The laugh against him will never be forgotten. Signore,"
addressing the Bernese with affected composure, endeavoring to assume the
manner of a stranger, though his voice trembled with eagerness at each
syllable, "we are indeed of Genoa, and most anxious to be of the party in
your bark--but--he little suspects who speaks to him, Marcelli!--but,
Signore, there has been some small oversight touching the city
signatures, and we have need of friendly assistance, either to pass the
gate, or to detain the bark until the forms of the place shall have been
respected.'
"Signore, the city of Geneva hath need to be watchful, for it is an
exposed and weak state, and I have little hope that my influence can cause
this trusty watchman to dispense with his duty. Touching the bark, a small
gratuity will do much with honest Baptiste, should there not be a question
of the stability of the breeze, in which case he might be somewhat of a
loser.
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