"Silver!" sneered Giovanni contemptuously.
"Gold, then?" suggested Zorzi, drawing him on.
"Gold? Well—possibly," admitted Giovanni with caution. "But of course I was exaggerating. Ten thousand gold pounds would be too much, of course. Say, five thousand."
"I thought you were richer than that," said Zorzi coolly.
"Do you mean that five thousand would not be enough to pay for the manuscript?" asked Giovanni.
"The profits of glass-making are very large when one possesses a valuable secret," said Zorzi. "Five thousand—" He paused, as though in doubt, or as if making a mental calculation. Giovanni fell into the trap.
"I would give six," he said, lowering his voice to a still more confidential tone, and watching his companion eagerly.
"For six thousand gold lires," said Zorzi, smiling, "I am quite sure that you could hire a ruffian to break in and cut the throat of the man who has charge of the manuscript."
Giovanni's face fell, but he quickly assumed an expression of righteous indignation.
"How can you dare to suggest that I would employ such means to rob my father?" he cried.