"Maybe they buried the book which Mr. Shakespeare wrote!" decided Anna.
Just then there came a queer, muffled noise under the window. Tony had sneezed! Anna's father, turning the pages of the book, did not seem to hear it. But Anna, who had been thinking of Tony, did.
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.