第5章 THE CALABRIAN BOY.Saturday,22d.
Yesterday afternoon,while the master was telling us the news of poor Robetti,who will have to go on crutches,the director entered with a new pupil,a lad with a very brown face,black hair,large black eyes,and thick eyebrows which met on his forehead:he was dressed entirely in dark clothes,with a black morocco belt round his waist.The director went away,after speaking a few words in the master's ear,leaving beside the latter the boy,who glanced about with his big black eyes as though frightened.The master took him by the hand,and said to the class:“You ought to be glad.To-day there enters our school a little Italian born in Reggio,in Calabria,more than five hundred miles from here.Love your brother who has come from so far away.He was born in a glorious land,which has given illustrious men to Italy,and which now furnishes her with stout laborers and brave soldiers;in one of the most beautiful lands of our country,where there are great forests,and great mountains,inhabited by people full of talent and courage.Treat him well,so that he shall not perceive that he is far away from the city in which he was born;make him see that an Italian boy,in whatever Italian school he sets his foot,will find brothers there.”So saying,he rose and pointed out on the wall map of Italy the spot where lay Reggio,in Calabria.Then he called loudly:—
“Ernesto Derossi!”—the boy who always has the first prize.Derossi rose.
“Come here,”said the master.Derossi left his bench and stepped up to the little table,facing the Calabrian.
“As the head boy in the school,”said the master to him,“bestow the embrace of welcome on this new companion,in the name of the whole class—the embrace of the sons of Piedmont to the son of Calabria.”
Derossi embraced the Calabrian,saying in his clear voice,“Welcome!”and the other kissed him impetuously on the cheeks.All clapped their hands.“Silence!”cried the master;“don't clap your hands in school!”But it was evident that he was pleased.And the Calabrian was pleased also.The master assigned him a place,and accompanied him to the bench.Then he said again:—
“Bear well in mind what I have said to you.In order that this case might occur,that a Calabrian boy should be as though in his own house at Turin,and that a boy from Turin should be at home in Calabria,our country fought for fifty years,and thirty thousand Italians died.You must all respect and love each other;but any one of you who should give offence to this comrade,because he was not born in our province,would render himself unworthy of ever again raising his eyes from the earth when he passes the tricolored flag.”
Hardly was the Calabrian seated in his place,when his neighbors presented him with pens and a print;and another boy,from the last bench,sent him a Swiss postage-stamp.
格拉勃利亚的小孩 二十二日
洛佩谛到底做了非拄了杖不能行走的人了。昨日午后，先生正在说这消息给我们听的时候，校长先生忽然领了一个陌生的小孩到教室里来。那是一个黑皮肤、浓发、大眼而眉毛浓黑的小孩。校长先生将这小孩交给先生，低声地说了一二句什么话就出去了。小孩用他黑而大的眼看着室中的一切。先生携了他的手向我们说：
“你们大家应该欢喜。今天有一个从五百英里以外的格拉勃利亚的莱奇阿地方来的意大利小孩进了这学校了。因为是远道来的，请你们要特别爱这同胞。他的故乡很有名，是意大利名人的产生地，又是产生强健的劳动者和勇敢的军人的地方，也是我国风景区之一。那里也有森林，也有山岳，居民都富于才能和勇气。请你们亲爱地对待这小孩，使他忘记自己是离了故乡的，使他知道在意大利无论到什么地方的学校里去，都是同胞。”
先生说着，在意大利地图上指着格拉勃利亚的莱奇阿的位置给我们看。又用了大声叫：“尔耐斯托·代洛西！”——他是每次都得一等奖的学生——代洛西起立了。
“到这里来！”先生说着，代洛西就离了座位走近格拉勃利亚小孩面前。
“你是级长，请对这新学友致欢迎辞！请代表譬特蒙脱的小孩，表示欢迎格拉勃利亚的小孩！”
代洛西听见先生这样说，就抱了那小孩的头颈，用了响亮的声音说：“来得很好！”格拉勃利亚小孩也热烈地吻代洛西的颊。我们都拍手喝彩了。先生虽然说“静些静些！在教室里拍手是不可以的！”而自己也很欢喜。格拉勃利亚小孩也欢喜。一等到先生指定了座位，那个小孩就归座了。先生又说：
“请你们好好记着我方才的话。格拉勃利亚的小孩到了丘林，要同住在自己家里一样。丘林的小孩到了格拉勃利亚，也应该毫不觉得寂寞。实对你们说，我国为此，曾打了五十年的仗。有三万的同胞，为此战死。所以你们大家要互相敬爱，如果有谁因为他不是本地人，对这新学友无礼，那就没有资格来见我们的三色旗！”
格拉勃利亚小孩回到座位，和他邻席的学生们，有送他钢笔的，有送他画片的，又有送他瑞士的邮票的。