1.Antenore was one of the proudest nobles of Venice.No one was so jealous as he of the rights of his class；no one was so much displeased when any of the lower orders began to show signs of wealth.
2.Among those whom he most disliked was the merchant Galbajo，a man who was much liked among those of his own rank，on account of his simple andunaffectedmanners.His wealth was great，and he hadmade it all himself，yet he showed none of the vanity which often marks self-made men.
But Galbajo was too prosperous；his success causedjealousy.By means of dark hints dropped by Antenore，suspicion was aroused，and many began to look on Galbajo as a man who had made his fortune by fraud and crime.
3.Such was the state of affairs when war broke outbetween the Venetians and the Turks.All trade wasbrought to a standstill；the ships of Venice lay idle in the docks.It was no wonder，then，that the arrivalof one of Galbajo’s ships from Smyrnamade theVenetian merchants very suspicious.Who was this Galbajo？Why were his ships spared by the Turks？Washe a traitorand in leaguewith the enemy？Suchwere the questions Antenore kept asking，until the unfortunate merchant was arrested and thrown into prison.
4.Galbajo made a simple and straightfor ward statement.His ship had sailed from Smyrna before war had been declared.Having been forced to put intoCorfufor repairs，it had been kept there for sometime，and had not reached Venice until the war had begun.But through the influence of Antenore this story was not believed，and Galbajo was sentencedto banishmentfor life.He knew well who was thecause of his misfortunes，but he submitted without a word.
5.The war went on.The Turks were everywhere victorious.At length came the tidings that the last fleet of Venice had been defeated，and that thousands of Venetians had been carried off as slaves.Among those captured was the only son of Antenore，the pride of hisfather，the last of his line.Antenore was crushed under the blow.For some time he waited anxiously for tidings of his son，but as the weeks passed by he gave up all hope of his return.
6.One day，a few months later，there came a boat to Venice.A young man disembarked and proceeded in a gondola to the Palace Antenore.He rushed past the servants at the door，ascended the grand staircase，and entered the room at the end of it.
7.Here sat an old man with his head bowed in his hands.So deep in thought was he，that he neither saw nor heard the new-comer.The young man stood for a moment，and then went up to him.“Father！”The old man started to his feet with a white face.He could not say one word，but holding his beloved son in his armshe clung to him and sobbed like a child.
8.Then came eager questions about his escape，or whether he had ever been a captive.“Captive 1”exclaimed the lad；“ay，that I have been，but I was saved by a rich Greek named Angelus.He is the noblest of men.He found me in prison，sick and dying，bought me as his slave，took me home with him，and nursed me back to life and health.Then he gave me my freedom and sent me back to Venice，bearing this letter for you.”
9.Antenore eagerly broke the seal of the letter and read the following：-“With this letter you will receive back to your heart your only son，the last of your line.Banished by you，I came to Alexandria，and here I live in disguise as a Greek；but my heart clings to my country.I met your son by chance，and I loved him as my own son，for he was a Venetian.Willingly would I have kept him with me to soothe my exile，but I loved him too well for that，and so I send him home.Take him，then，for you are his father；take him-a gift from the man you mosthate；for know，O Antenore，that the deliverer of youronly son from slavery is-the banished GALBAJO.”
10.Antenore dropped the letter from his tremblinghands.He was filled with remorseand bitter self-reproach，and he felt that he could never know peaceof mind again，until he should see Galbajo restored to his home in Venice.To this work he now devoted himself.The story of Galbajo‘s noble conduct，to-gether with the influence which Antenore possessed，led to the recall of the merchant from banishment.Galbajo returned to Venice，and the old jealous hatred of Antenore gave way to respectful and intimate friendship.