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But at dinner, on the evening of that very same day, his father said with much cheerfulness, "Do you know that this month I have earned thirty-two lire more at addressing those wrappers than last month!" and so saying, he drew from under the table a paper package of sweets which he had bought, that he might celebrate with his children this extraordinary profit, and they all hailed it with clapping of hands. Then Giulio took heart again, courage again, and said in his heart, "No, poor papa, I will not cease to deceive you; I will make greater efforts to work during the day, but I shall continue to work at night for you and for the rest." And his father added, "Thirty-two lire more! I am satisfied. But that boy there," pointing at Giulio, "is the one who displeases me." And Giulio received the reprimand in silence, forcing back two tears which tried to flow; but at the same time he felt a great pleasure in his heart.
這天晚餐的時候，父親很高興地說。“大家聽啊！這月比前月多賺六元四角錢呢。”他從食桌抽屜里取出一袋果子來，說是買來讓一家人慶祝的。小孩們都拍手歡樂，敘利亞也因此把心重新振作起來，元?dú)庖不謴?fù)許多，心里自語道：“咿呀！再繼續(xù)做吧。日間多用點(diǎn)功。夜里依舊工作吧。”父親又接著說：“六元四角哩！這雖很好，只有這孩子——”說著指了敘利亞：“我實(shí)在覺得可厭！”敘利亞默然受著責(zé)備，忍住了要迸出來的眼淚，心里卻覺得歡喜。
And he continued to work by main force; but fatigue added to fatigue rendered it ever more difficult for him to resist. Thus things went on for two months. The father continued to reproach his son, and to gaze at him with eyes which grew constantly more wrathful. One day he went to make inquiries of the teacher, and the teacher said to him: "Yes, he gets along, he gets along, because he is intelligent; but he no longer has the good will which he had at first. He is drowsy, he yawns, his mind is distracted. He writes short compositions, scribbled down in all haste, in bad chirography. Oh, he could do a great deal, a great deal more."
從此以后，敘利亞仍是拼了命工作，可是，疲勞之上更加疲勞，終究難以支持。這樣過了兩個月，父親仍是叱罵他，對他的臉色更漸漸擔(dān)起憂來。有一天，父親到學(xué)校去訪先生，和先生商量敘利亞的事。先生說：“是的，成績好是還好，因?yàn)樗锹斆鞯摹５遣患耙郧暗臒嵝牧耍咳湛偸谴蛑乔罚坪跻ィ牟荒芗⒃诠φn上。叫他作文，他只是短短地寫了點(diǎn)就算，字體也草率了，他原可以更好的。”
That evening the father took the son aside, and spoke to him words which were graver than any the latter had ever heard.
那夜父親喚敘利亞到他旁邊，用了比平常更嚴(yán)厲的態(tài)度對敘利亞說：
