評論
打印
And Giulio, silent but content, said to himself, "Poor daddy, besides the money, I am giving him some satisfaction in the thought that he has grown young again. Well, courage!"
敘利亞雖不說什么，心里卻快活。他想：“父親不知道我在替他寫，卻自己以為還未老呢。好！以后就這樣去做吧。”
Encouraged by these good results, when night came and twelve o'clock struck, he rose once more, and set to work. And this he did for several nights. And his father noticed nothing; only once, at supper, he uttered this exclamation, "It is strange how much oil has been used in this house lately!" This was a shock to Giulio; but the conversation ceased there, and the nocturnal labor proceeded.
那夜到了十二時，敘利亞仍起來工作。這樣經過了好幾天，父親依然不曾知道。只有一次，父親在晚餐時說：“真是奇怪！近來打油突然費多了。”敘利亞聽了暗笑，幸而父親不再說別的，此后他就每夜起來抄寫。
However, by dint of thus breaking his sleep every night, Giulio did not get sufficient rest: he rose in the morning fatigued, and when he was doing his school work in the evening, he had difficulty in keeping his eyes open. One evening, for the first time in his life, he fell asleep over his copy- book.
敘利亞因為每夜起來，漸漸睡眠不足，朝起覺著疲勞，晚間復習要打瞌睡。有一夜，敘利亞伏在案上睡熟了，那是他有生以來第一次的打噸。
"Courage! courage!" cried his father, clapping his hands; "to work!"
“喂！用心！用心！做你的功課！”
He shook himself and set to work again. But the next evening, and on the days following, the same thing occurred, and worse: he dozed over his books, he rose later than usual, he studied his lessons in a languid way, he seemed disgusted with study. His father began to observe him, then to reflect seriously, and at last to reprove him. He should never have done it!
父親拍著手叫。敘利亞張開了眼。再用功復習。可是第二夜，第三夜，又同樣打腔，愈弄愈不好：決是伏在書上睡熟了，或早晨晏起，復習功課的時候，總是帶著倦容，好像對功課很厭倦似的。父親見這情形，屢次注意他，結果至于動氣，雖然他一向不責罵小孩。有一天早晨，父親對他說：
"Giulio," he said to him one morning, "you put me quite beside myself; you are no longer as you used to be. I don't like it. Take care; all the hopes of your family rest on you. I am dissatisfied; do you understand?"
“敘利亞！你真對不起我！你和從前不是變了樣子嗎？當心！一家的希望都在你身上呢。你知道嗎？”
At this reproof, the first severe one, in truth, which he had ever received, the boy grew troubled. "Yes," he said to himself, "it is true; it cannot go on so; this deceit must come to an end."
敘利亞有生以來第一次受著叱罵，很是難受。心里想：“是的，那樣的事不能夠長久做下去的，非停止不可。”
