She wanted so much to tell her father about the poor boy. She really did not think that her father would be unkind to him. Yet she had promised to say nothing, and she must keep her word.
"Papa," she suddenly asked. "If you had a little boy who told stories and did not obey, what would you do to him?"
Her father hesitated a moment. Then he answered, "I would try to teach him the beauty of truth and I would discipline him."
His voice had a very severe ring. He continued:
"There are too many lazy little beggars in the streets of Naples, like that lying young son of the Marionette Man. They have never been properly trained, and they are a disgrace to a beautiful city. They should be taught. They should be made to obey!"
Upon the word "obey," his hand came down with a bang on the arm of the chair. It made Tony jump.
Tony, under the window, squirmed unhappily. He was everything that Anna's father had called him. Lazy! He begged! He did not always tell the truth. He was a disgrace to beautiful Naples!
But he did not want to be disciplined. He did not want to obey. He was afraid of Anna's father with his ideas of discipline.
He shivered and huddled up closer to the house. It was growing colder, and his nose felt stuffy. How warm and cosy it looked inside!
Anna's father found the page he had been looking for.
"Now," said he, "we are going to hear about a strange mixture of things. Statues, sailors, music, and cheese!"
Tony forgot the cold. He even forgot Anna's father except for his deep voice.
"The city of Genoa," read the deep voice, "is Italy's chief seaport. Its streets are lined with palaces. It seems that everything in Genoa takes place in a palace. Even schools are sometimes found in palaces!
"The city is surrounded by forts and strong walls.
"The Palazzo San Giorgio is the oldest bank in Europe. Here there is a curious collection of statues.
"They are the statues of men who have given money for public good. If you see a seated statue, you will know that this man gave a large gift.
"If a statue is standing, it means that the gift was not so large. No doubt, they wish to make the generous ones more comfortable.
"Genoa might be called 'America's Cradle.' Do you know why?"
Anna did not know. But Anna was an Italian girl. You, who are Americans, surely know that Genoa was the birthplace of Christopher Columbus.