Mattina, her empty hand stretched out as though still holding the stone, looked at him. "No,--I come from Athens. Only just now we have arrived." "Now?" "Yes, in Capetan Thanassi's caique." "You are from Athens?" "Oh, no; from the island. I was only serving in the town." The man put his hand under Mattina's chin, turned her face up, and took a long look at her. "If you are not Aristoteli's daughter, may they never call me Petro again." Mattina stared in wonderment. How came this well-dressed stranger to know her? "Yes; I am Aristoteli Dorri's the sponge diver's." "God rest his soul," added the man, "and your mother's also! Little did I think to return to the island and find them both under the soil. And when I looked for you, they told me you had gone to serve in the town! How did this good thing happen that you should just have come back today? Now I need not take the steamer for Athens to go and search for you." "For me?" "For who else? Do you think I mean to return to America all alone, and leave my brother's daughter working for strange folk in strange houses!" Mattina was beyond speech. The young man put his arm round her shoulders. "So you do not know me? Your uncle Petro? Truly how should you? You were a babe in swaddling clothes when I left the island. But look at me! Look at me, then! Have I not the same face as your father--the blessed one? All have told me so." A sudden enlightenment came into Mattina's eyes. Of course he had her father's face! The hair which came down in a point, the eyes that laughed; that was why he had not seemed strange. But her father had never worn such fine clothes, and his back had not been so straight. Timidly she crept a little closer. "My uncle," she whispered looking up into the laughing boyish eyes, "are you my 'family' now?" "Is it a question? Of course I am your family; and you are mine. Your mother's cousins here and her brother in Athens, they good people, I do not say the contrary, but they have their own families for which to provide. I have no one, and you are mine now, and I shall work for you. It is ended now that you should work for strangers. You did well to leave them!" "I did not mean to leave them; I did not know you were here on the island, my uncle, but I was afraid, and I ran away from their house." "Afraid! Why?" Mattina flushed very red. "They said I stole their money." "They called you a thief! My brother's daughter! A bad year to them! But why did you run away as thieves run? You should have stayed and told them that they lied." "I told them. But they would not believe me though I swore it on my father's soul; and the master was going to fetch the men to take me to prison, and I was afraid." "It is true, you are but a little one. But rest easy; no one shall make you afraid, now that I am here! We will go together to these people and if the master dares to say you stole, I will break his face for him!"