Zanti looked him in the eyes:
"I repeat, if you like to look round, you can. But there is not much to see. Everything is so simple. We make no secret of what we do. And the estate is not mine: it belongs to all of them."
Othomar dismounted, the others followed; with difficulty Leoni and Thesbia found a couple of boys to hold the horses in return for a tip.
Othomar and Herman had already walked ahead with the old man:
"I hear that you are doing much good work to mitigate the disaster of the inundations," said Othomar.
"The inundation is not a disaster."
"Not a disaster!" asked Herman, surprised. "What then?"
"A just punishment of heaven. And there will be more punishments. We live in sinful times."
The princes exchanged a quick glance; they saw that the conversation would not go very easily.
"But the sinners whom heaven punishes you assist for all that, Mr. Zanti," said Herman. "For all these huts...."