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"But I have never been into the Piazza without leave," said Tessa, in a frightened, pleading tone, "since the Holy Saturday, and I think Nofri is dead, for you know the poor madre died; and I shall never forget the Carnival I saw once; it was so pretty all roses and a king and queen under them and singing. I liked it better than the San Giovanni." "But there's nothing like that now, my Tessa.
"Ah, then, you've fallen on your feet! Nofri said you were good-for-nothing vermin; but what then? An ass may bray a good while before he shakes the stars down. I always said you did well to run away, and it isn't often Bratti's in the wrong. Well, and so you've got a husband and plenty of money? Then you'll never think much of giving four white quattrini for a red cross.
What! you've done none the worse, then, for running away from father Nofri? You were in the right of it, for he goes on crutches now, and a crabbed fellow with crutches is dangerous; he can reach across the house and beat a woman as he sits." "I'm married," said Tessa, rather demurely, remembering Naldo's command that she should behave with gravity; "and my husband takes great care of me."
At the end of a year Messer Rinaldo left Florence, and Maestro Tomaso wishing to remain in the city, he arranged for him to enter the service of Messer Palla di Nofri Strozzi; and from him he had a very good salary.
"Yes, I will not be angry only sit down, and tell me what sort of old man this is." "I can't think how to tell you: he is not like my stepfather Nofri, or anybody.
That mistaken supposition was very amusing to Tessa. She laughed and clapped her hands as she said "No, indeed! But I must not tell you anything about my husband. You would never think what he is not at all like Nofri!" She laughed again at the delightful incongruity between the name of Nofri which was not separable from the idea of the cross-grained stepfather and the idea of her husband.
Tessa did not believe that. Naldo had said nothing against strangers who lived nowhere; and this old man knew nobody except one person, who was not Nofri. "Well," conceded Monna Lisa, at last, "if I let him stay for a while and carry things up the hill for me, thou must keep thy counsel and tell nobody." "No," said Tessa, "I'll only tell the bimbo."
It was true her obedience had been a little helped by her own dread lest the alarming stepfather Nofri should turn up even in this quarter, so far from the Por' del Prato, and beat her at least, if he did not drag her back to work for him.
It seemed unlikely that good beings would be angry and punish her, as it was the nature of Nofri and the devil to do. And now that Monna Lisa had spoken freely about Lillo's legs and Romola had laughed, Tessa was more at her ease. "Ninna's in the cradle," she said. "She's pretty too."
"Yes," she said, carrying on her thought aloud, "you are a stranger; you don't live anywhere or know anybody, do you?" "No," said Baldassarre, also thinking aloud, rather than consciously answering, "I only know one man." "His name is not Nofri, is it?" said Tessa, anxiously. "No," said Baldassarre, noticing her look of fear. "Is that your husband's name?"
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