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Updated: June 20, 2025
Grandmother Maddalena devised numerous punishments for the children, such as tacking a cow's head cut out of red stuff, on their backs, when they had teazed Aunt Eucilda's cow or tieing them up by one leg, with a long cord to the table, for stone-throwing; but Tuttu and Tutti were incorrigible.
"Well, shall I pray not to be a coward?" enquired Tutti. "If you think it's necessary," said Tuttu. "But you can save that for another time we ought to be going now" so Tutti got up, and the children pushed their way through the heavy curtain by the door, and found themselves once more in the bright sunshine. Certainly Bianca had been no trouble to them.
It was certainly a fact that Tuttu and Tutti were constantly in mischief; and yet their curly black heads, red cheeks, and great brown eyes, were so attractive, that people even those whose property had been seriously injured by them treated them leniently, and let them off with a scolding.
But even in the midst of his ungovernable rage, Tutti's voice reached him. "Oh, Tuttu, Tuttu! the scaldino!" Tuttu darted across the street towards the stone where he had left the precious red bundle. There it was, lying unhurt, and he was about to seize it and carry it to a place of safety, when a fast-trotting horse with one of the light country gigs behind him, dashed down the street.
"To Siena!" said Tutti in an awe-struck whisper, "We've never been there by ourselves." "Never mind, we're older now," replied Tuttu. "Don't you say anything about it, it's to be a surprise from beginning to end." Tutti agreed, as he always did with his brother. Of course Tuttu knew best, and it would sure to be all right.
That night he went to sleep with his arm thrown round Tuttu's neck, his curly head resting against his shoulder and though Tuttu was cramped and uncomfortable, and his thumb pained him, he remained heroically still until he also dropped asleep, and the two little brothers dreamed peacefully of pleasant things until the morning.
To avoid his grandmother's arm, Tuttu hastily scrambled under the stone seat, but his unfortunate rider thrown off his balance, fell head first against the earthen scaldino, which was broken, and its ashes scattered on the path in all directions.
His last basket of weeds had been handed in to Father Giacomo, and the entire sum for the scaldino lay in small copper pieces in a crumpled scarlet pocket handkerchief. "It's all here," whispered Tuttu, one great smile stretching across his good-tempered little face. "Every penny of it! Shall it be brown or yellow? It must have a pattern. We'll go into Siena to-morrow and buy it."
In the Cathedral she behaved in the most serious manner, sitting by their side, and never moving until they pulled the string to which she was fastened; when she got up solemnly, and followed them on to the Piazza. "I'm glad I prayed for you, Bianca, good cat!" said Tuttu. "You would never have allowed anyone to touch that scaldino, would you?" Bianca mewed.
Tutti held out the bean with a trembling hand, and as it dropped into the old bottle, little Tuttu gave a quiet sigh. "It only wants four more," he said happily. Only four more! But Tuttu might never put them in.
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