But he never says, "I am hungry; my father does not give me anything to eat." His father sometimes comes for him, when he chances to be passing the schoolhouse,--pallid, unsteady on his legs, with a fierce face, and his hair over his eyes, and his cap awry; and the poor boy trembles all over when he catches sight of him in the street; but he immediately runs to meet him, with a smile; and his father does not appear to see him, but seems to be thinking of something else. Poor Precossi! He mends his torn copy-books, borrows books to study his lessons, fastens the fragments of his shirt together with pins; and it is a pity to see him performing his gymnastics, with those huge shoes in which he is fairly lost, in those trousers which drag on the ground, and that jacket which is too long, and those huge sleeves turned back to the very elbows. And he studies; he does his best; he would be one of the first, if he were able to work at home in peace. This morning he came to school with the marks of finger-nails on one cheek, and they all began to say to him:--
可是，他決不說“父親不給食物”的話。他父親也曾到學校里來過，臉色蒼白，兩腳抖抖的，一副怒容，發長長地垂在眼前，歪戴著帽子。潑來可西在路上一見父親，雖戰懼發震，可是立刻走近前去。父親呢，他并不顧著兒子，好像心里在想著別的什么似的。可憐！潑來可西把破的筆記補好了，或是借了別人的書來用功。他把破了的襯衣用針別牢了穿著，他拖著太大的皮鞋，系著長得拖到地上的褲子，穿著太長的上衣，袖口高高地卷到肘上。見了他那樣子真是可憐！雖然如此，他卻很勤勉，如果他在家里能許他自由用功，必定能得到優良的成績的。今天早晨，他頰上帶了抓痕到學校里來，大家見了說：
"It is your father, and you cannot deny it this time; it was your father who did that to you. Tell the headmaster about it, and he will have him called to account for it."
“又是你父親吧，這次可不能再說‘沒有的事’了。把你弄得這步田地的，一定是你父親。你去告訴校長先生，校長先生就會叫你父親來，替你勸說他的。”
But he sprang up, all flushed, with a voice trembling with indignation:--
潑來可西跳立起來，紅著臉，抖索著，發怒地說：
"It's not true! it's not true! My father never beats me!"
“沒有的事，父親是不打我的。”
But afterwards, during lesson time, his tears fell upon the bench, and when any one looked at him, he tried to smile, in order that he might not show it. Poor Precossi! Tomorrow Derossi, Coretti, and Nelli are coming to my house; I want to tell him to come also; and I want to have him take luncheon with me: I want to treat him to books, and turn the house upside down to amuse him, and to fill his pockets with fruit, for the sake of seeing him contented for once, poor Precossi! who is so good and so courageous.
話雖如此，后來上課時他究竟眼淚落在桌上了。人家去看他，他就抑住眼淚。他還要硬裝笑臉給人看呢！可憐！明天，代洛西與可萊諦、耐利原定要到我家里來，我打算約潑來可西一塊兒來。我想明天請他吃東西，給他書看，領他到家里各處去玩耍，回去的時候，把水果給他裝進口袋帶回去。那樣善良而勇敢的小孩，應該使他快樂快樂，至少一次也好。
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