The Birthday Party, parts 3855 - 3858

 3855. He was asked to cast some gold and silver into coinage for the Papal treasury. The issue of coins was to include a gold coin with the portrait of the Pope on it and a dove on the reverse. The silver coin was to feature the previous Pope, and have an owl on the reverse side. He was given a pound of gold and a pound of silver to do the job.

 3856. Halfway through the job the directions were changed by the comptroller of the finances, and the weight of the coins was reduced from 3 grams per coin down to two grams per coin.

 3857. At this point in the painter’s story the sculptor suddenly interrupted and started saying, “And then Salvino was accused of stealing a third of the gold and silver, causing him to flee to Russia where he became a celebrated architect, specializing in the construction of Orthodox Churches.

 3858. The painter looked at the sculptor with consternation but the sculptor continued the story in an abbreviated form, saying, “Then Salvino was blinded by the Tsar because the Tsar did not want him to create works for anyone else.”