He
remained silent, looking up at the tyrant with troubled eyes.
"Why do you not speak? Did you hear my question?" asked the
padrone, with a threatening gesture.
Had the question been asked of some of the other boys present,
they would not have scrupled to answer falsely; but Giacomo had a
religious nature, and, neglected as he had been, he could not
make up his mind to tell a falsehood. So, after a pause, he
faltered out a confession that Phil had spoken of flight.
"Do you hear that, Pietro?" said the padrone, turning to his
nephew. "The little wretch has doubtless run away."
"Shall I look for him to-morrow?" asked Pietro, with alacrity,
for to him it would be a congenial task to drag Phil home, and
witness the punishment.
"Yes, Pietro. I will tell you where to go in the morning. We
must have him back, and I will beat him so that he will not dare
to run away again."
The padrone would have been still more incensed could he have
looked into Mrs. Hoffman's room and seen the little fiddler the
center of a merry group, his brown face radiant with smiles as he
swept the chords of his violin. It was well for Phil that he
could not see him.
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