"Oh!" exclaimed Giovanni. "Have you just made it?"
"Yes."
"It is the finest glass I ever saw. It is much better than what they had in the main furnaces the day you were hurt. Did you not find it so yourself, in working with it?"
Zorzi began to feel anxious as to the result of so much questioning. Whatever happened he must hide from Giovanni the fact that he had discovered a new glass of his own.
"Yes," he answered, with affected indifference. "I thought it was unusually good. I daresay there may be some slight difference in the proportions."
"Do you mean to say that my father does not follow any exact rule?"
"Oh yes. But he is always making experiments."
"He mixes all the materials for the main furnaces himself, does he not?" inquired Giovanni.
"Yes. He does it alone, in the room that is kept locked. When he has finished, the men come and carry out the barrows. The materials are stirred and mixed together outside."
"Yes. I do it in the same way myself. Have you ever helped my father in that work?"