"Pablo! Don't you remember me?"
The man by the way halted in surprise. For a moment he regarded the stranger blankly, then some memory out of his boyhood seemed to awaken, for suddenly he seized the horse's bridle with both hands, and shouted,—
"Tonin Canova! By all the fates and furies, you are the last man in the world I expected to see to-day!"
"I knew you by your quick and springy step. I suppose you are still the leader of the town, Pablo, the foremost citizen of Passagno."
A flush of pride crept into the peasant's cheek, but he merely waved his hand toward the extensive vineyard lying further down the slope.
"That is mine. That's all."
"And enough, too, old friend. Your purse must be ready to overflow, after a harvest from that fine vineyard."
The peasant blushed again and nodded. Then half timidly he addressed the other,—