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he buys for two and gets rid of it for four; he plays at pitch-penny, and never loses; he sells old newspapers over again to the tobacconist; and he keeps a little blank-book, in which he sets down his transactions, which is completely filled with sums and subtractions. At school he studies nothing but arithmetic; and if he desires the medal, it is only that he may have a free entrance into the puppet-show. But he pleases me; he amuses me. We played at keeping a market, with weights and scales. He knows the exact price of everything; he understands weighing, and makes handsome paper horns, like shopkeepers, with great expedition. He declares that as soon as he has finished school he shall set up in business--in a new business which he has invented himself. He was very much pleased when I gave him some foreign postage-stamps; and he informed me exactly how each one sold for collections.
他善做投錢的游戲，一向沒有輸過。集了舊報紙，也可以拿到紙煙店里去賣錢。他帶著一本小小的手冊，把帳目細細地記在里面。在學校，算術以外，他什么都不用功。他也想得貸牌，但這不過因為想不出錢去看傀儡戲的緣故。他雖是這樣的一個奇人，我卻很喜歡他。今天，我和他做買賣游戲，他很熟悉物品的市公，稱也知道，至于折疊喇叭形的包物的紙袋，恐怕一般商店里的伙計也不及他。他自己說，出了學校要去經營一種新奇的商店。我贈了他四五個外國的舊郵票，他那臉上的歡喜，真是了不得，還把每張郵票的賣價說給我聽。
My father pretended to be reading the newspaper; but he listened to him, and was greatly diverted. His pockets are bulging, full of his little wares; and he covers them up with a long black cloak, and always appears thoughtful and preoccupied with business, like a merchant. But the thing that he has nearest his heart is his collection of postage-stamps. This is his treasure; and he always speaks of it as though he were going to get a fortune out of it. His companions accuse him of miserliness and usury. I do not know: I like him; he teaches me a great many things; he seems a man to me. Coretti, the son of the wood-merchant, says that he would not give him his postage-stamps to save his mother's life. My father does not believe it.
我們正在這樣玩著的時候，父親雖在看報紙，卻靜聽著卡洛斐的話，看他那樣子好像聽得很有趣味似的。卡洛斐口袋里滿裝著物品，外面罩了長的黑外套。他平時總是商人似的在心里打算著什么。他最看重的要算那郵票簿了，好像是他的最大的財產，平日不時和人談及這東西。大家都罵他是慳吝者，說他盤剝重利，我不知道為什么卻歡喜他。他教給我種種的事情，嚴然像個大人、柴店里的兒子可萊諦說他即使到用了那郵票簿可以救母親生命的時候，也不肯舍棄那郵票簿的。我的父親卻不信這話。父親說：
"Wait a little before you condemn him," he said to me; "he has this passion, but he has heart as well."
“不要那樣批評人，那孩子雖然氣量不大，但也有親切的地方哩！”
