"Thou seest," said Maso, tauntingly, when the disappointed clavier
admitted the differences in the latter particulars, "This is an
imposition that will not pass. I swear to you, as there is faith in man,
and hope for the dying Christian, that so far as any know their parentage,
I am the child of Gaetano Grimaldi, the present Doge of Genoa, and of no
other man! May the saints desert me!--the blessed Mother of God be deaf to
my prayers!--and all men hunt me with their curses, if I say aught in this
but holy truth!"
The fearful energy with which Maso uttered this solemn appeal, and a
certain sincerity that marked his manner, and perhaps we might even say
his character, in spite of the dissolute recklessness of his principles,
served greatly to weaken the growing opinion in favor of his competitor.
"And this noble youth?" asked the sorrowing Doge--"this generous and
elevated boy, whom I have already held next to my heart, with so much of a
father's joy--who and what is he?"
"Eccellenza, I wish to say nothing against the Signor Sigismondo. He is a
gallant swimmer, and a staunch support in time of need.
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