第11章 THE LITTLE PATRIOT OF PADUA.（The Monthly Story.）Saturday,29th.
I will not be a cowardly soldier,no;but I should be much more willing to go to school if the master would tell us a story every day,like the one he told us this morning.“Every month,”said he,"I shall tell you one;I shall give it to you in writing,and it will always be the tale of a fine and noble deed performed by a boy.This one is called The Little Patriot of Padua.Here it is.A French steamer set out from Barcelona,a city in Spain,for Genoa;there were on board Frenchmen,Italians,Spaniards,and Swiss.Among the rest was a lad of eleven,poorly clad,and alone,who always held himself aloof,like a wild animal,and stared at all with gloomy eyes.He had good reasons for looking at every one with forbidding eyes.Two years previous to this time his parents,peasants in the neighborhood of Padua,had sold him to a company of mountebanks,who,after they had taught him how to perform tricks,by dint of blows and kicks and starving,had carried him all over France and Spain,beating him continually and never giving him enough to eat.On his arrival in Barcelona,being no longer able to endure ill treatment and hunger,and being reduced to a pitiable condition,he had fled from his slave-master and had betaken himself for protection to the Italian consul,who,moved with compassion,had placed him on board of this steamer,and had given him a letter to the treasurer of Genoa,who was to send the boy back to his parents—to the parents who had sold him like a beast.The poor lad was lacerated and weak.He had been assigned to the second-class cabin.Every one stared at him;some questioned him,but he made no reply,and seemed to hate and despise every one,to such an extent had privation and affliction saddened and irritated him.Nevertheless,three travellers,by dint of persisting in their questions,succeeded in making him unloose his tongue;and in a few rough words,a mixture of Venetian,French,and Spanish,he related his story.These three travellers were not Italians,but they understood him;and partly out of compassion,partly because they were excited with wine,they gave him soldi,jesting with him and urging him on to tell them other things;and as several ladies entered the saloon at the moment,they gave him some more money for the purpose of making a show,and cried:‘Take this!Take this,too!’as they made the money rattle on the table.
“The boy pocketed it all,thanking them in a low voice,with his surly mien,but with a look that was for the first time smiling and affectionate.Then he climbed into his berth,drew the curtain,and lay quiet,thinking over his affairs.With this money he would be able to purchase some good food on board,after having suffered for lack of bread for two years;he could buy a jacket as soon as he landed in Genoa,after having gone about clad in rags for two years;and he could also,by carrying it home,insure for himself from his father and mother a more humane reception than would have fallen to his lot if he had arrived with empty pockets.This money was a little fortune for him;and he was taking comfort out of this thought behind the curtain of his berth,while the three travellers chatted away,as they sat round the dining-table in the second-class saloon.They were drinking and discussing their travels and the countries which they had seen;and from one topic to another they began to discuss Italy.One of them began to complain of the inns,another of the railways,and then,growing warmer,they all began to speak evil of everything.One would have preferred a trip in Lapland;another declared that he had found nothing but swindlers and brigands in Italy;the third said that Italian officials do not know how to read.”
“‘It's an ignorant nation,’repeated the first.‘A filthy nation,’added the second.‘Ro—’exclaimed the third,meaning to say ‘robbers’；but he was not allowed to finish the word:a tempest of soldi and half-lire descended upon their heads and shoulders,and leaped upon the table and the floor with a demoniacal noise.All three sprang up in a rage,looked up,and received another handful of coppers in their faces.”
“‘Take back your soldi!’said the lad,disdainfully,thrusting his head between the curtains of his berth;‘I do not accept alms from those who insult my country.’”
少年爱国者（每月例话） 二十九日
做卑怯的兵士吗？决不做！可是，先生如果每日把像今日那种有趣的话讲给我们听，我还要更加喜欢这学校呢。先生说，以后每月要讲一次像今天这样的高尚的少年故事给我们听，并且叫我们用笔记下来。下面就是今天所讲的《少年爱国者》的故事：
一只法兰西轮船从西班牙的巴塞罗那开到意大利的热那亚来。船里乘客有法兰西人、意大利人、西班牙人，还有瑞士人。其中有个十一岁的少年，服装褴褛，远离了人们，只像野兽似的用白眼看着人家。他所以用这种眼色看人，也不是无因。原来他是在两年前被他在乡间种田的父母卖给戏法班子，戏法班子里的人打他，踢他，叫他受饿，强迫他学会把戏，带他到法兰西、西班牙到处跑，一味虐待，连食物都不充分供给他。这戏法班到了巴塞罗那的时候，他因为受不住虐待与饥饿，终于逃出来，到意大利领事馆去请求保护。领事很可怜他，叫他乘上这只船里，并且给他一封到热那亚的出纳官那里去的介绍信，意思是要送他回到残忍的父母那里去。少年遍体受伤，非常衰弱，因为住的是二等舱，人们都很奇怪，大家对着他看。有人和他讲话，他也不回答，好像是把一切的人都憎恶了的。他的心已变到这地步了。
有三个乘客种种地探问他，他才开了口。他用了在意大利语中夹杂法兰西语和西班牙语的乱杂的言语，大略地把自己的经历讲了。这三个乘客虽不是意大利人，却听懂了他的话，于是就一半因为怜悯，一半因为吃酒以后的高兴，给他少许的金钱，一面仍继续着和他谈话。这时有大批的妇人正从舱室走出来，她们听了少年的话，也就故意要人看见似的拿出若干的钱来掷在桌上，说：“这给了你！这也拿了去！”
少年低声答谢，把钱收入袋里，苦郁的脸上到这时才现出喜欢的笑容。他回到自己的床位里，拉拢了床幕，卧了静静地沉思：有了这些钱，可以在船里买点好吃的东西，饱一饱两年来饥饿的肚子；到了热那亚，可以买件上衣换上；拿了钱回家，比空手回去也总可以多少好见于父母，多少可以得着像人的待遇。在他，这金钱竟是一注财产。他在床上正沉思得高兴，这时那三个旅客围坐在二等舱的食桌边，在那里谈论着。他们一面饮酒，一面谈着旅行中所经过的地方的情形。谈到意大利的时候，一个说意大利的旅馆不好，一个攻击火车。酒渐渐喝多了，他们的谈论也就渐渐地露骨了。一个说，与其到意大利，还是到北极去好，意大利住着的都是骗子、土匪。后来又说意大利的官吏是不识字的。
“愚笨的国民！”一个说。
“下等的国民！”另一个说。
“强盗……”
还有一个正在说出“强盗”的时候，忽然银币、铜币像雹子一般落到他们的头上和肩上，同时在桌上地板上滚着，发出可怕的声音来。三个旅客愤怒了举头看时，一把铜币又被飞掷到脸上来了。
“拿回去！”少年从床幕里探出头来怒叫，“我不要那说我国坏话的人的东西。”