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The Little Florentine Scribe.
少年筆耕
(Monthly Story.)
（每月例話）
He was in the fourth elementary class. He was a graceful Florentine lad of twelve, with black hair and a white face, the eldest son of an employee on the railway, who, having a large family and but small pay, lived in straitened circumstances. His father loved him and was tolerably kind and indulgent to him--indulgent in everything except in that which referred to school: on this point he required a great deal, and showed himself severe, because his son was obliged to attain such a rank as would enable him to soon obtain a place and help his family; and in order to accomplish anything quickly, it was necessary that he should work a great deal in a very short time. And although the lad studied, his father was always exhorting him to study more.
敘利亞是小學五年生，十二歲，是個黑發白皮膚的小孩。他父親在鐵路做雇員，在敘利亞以下還有許多兒女，一家營著清苦的生計，還是拮據不堪。父親不以兒女為累贅，一味愛著他們，對敘利亞百事依從，唯有學校的功課，卻毫不放松地督促他用功。這是因為想他快些畢業，得著較好的位置，來幫助一家生計的緣故。
His father was advanced in years, and too much toil had aged him before his time. Nevertheless, in order to provide for the necessities of his family, in addition to the toil which his occupation imposed upon him, he obtained special work here and there as a copyist, and passed a good part of the night at his writing-table. Lately, he had undertaken, in behalf of a house which published journals and books in parts, to write upon the parcels the names and addresses of their subscribers, and he earned three lire for every five hundred of these paper wrappers, written in large and regular characters. But this work wearied him, and he often complained of it to his family at dinner.
父親年紀大了，并區因為一向辛苦，面容更老。一家生計全負在他肩上。他于日間在鐵路工作以外，又從別處接了書件來抄寫，每夜執筆伏案到很遲才睡。近來，某雜志社托他寫封寄雜志給走戶的封條，用了大大的正指字寫，每五百條寫費六角。這工作好像很辛苦，老人每于食桌上向自己家里人叫苦：
"My eyes are giving out," he said; "this night work is killing me."
“我眼睛似乎壞起來了。這個夜工，要縮短我的壽命呢！”
One day his son said to him, "Let me work instead of you, papa; you know that I can write like you, and fairly well." But the father answered:
有一天，敘利亞向他父親說：“父親！我來替你寫吧。我能寫得和你一樣好。”
"No, my son, you must study; your school is a much more important thing than my wrappers; I feel remorse at robbing you of a single hour; I thank you, but I will not have it; do not mention it to me again."
父親終不許可：“不要，你應該用你的功。功課，在你是大事，就是一小時，我也不愿奪了你的時間。你雖有這樣的好意，但我決不愿累你。以后不要再說這話了。”
