"Signore," he began, in a low voice, "what do you wish me to do?"
"Bid for a good donkey."
"Si, signore."
"For the best donkey they put up for sale."
Salvatore began to look passionately eager.
"Si, signore. And if I get it?"
"Come to me and I will give you the money to pay."
"Si, signore. How high shall I go?"
Gaspare was listening intently, with a hard face and sullen eyes. His whole body seemed to be disapproving what Maurice was doing. But he said nothing. Perhaps he felt that to-day it would be useless to try to govern the actions of his padrone.
"How high? Well"—Maurice felt that, before Gaspare, he must put a limit to his price, though he did not care what it was—"say a hundred. Here, I'll give it you now."