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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 send the boy back to his parents—to the parents who had sold him like a beast.
我决不会做个怯懦的士兵，但是要是老师每天都给我们讲一个像今早讲的这样的故事的话，我会更愿意去上学的。“每个月，”他说，“我会讲一个故事，我会给你们书面的版本，每个故事都是关于一个男孩所做的高尚的好事。今天的故事叫‘帕多瓦的小爱国者’。故事是这样的。一艘法国蒸汽轮船从西班牙城市巴塞罗那启航，驶向热那亚，船上有法国人、意大利人、西班牙人和瑞士人。乘客中有个十一岁的小男孩，衣衫褴褛，形单影只，他总是远离人群，像一只野兽，用阴郁的眼神看着所有的人。他有理由用令人生畏的眼神看每一个人。两年前，他在帕多瓦一带务农的父母把他卖给了一伙江湖骗子，这伙人对他拳打脚踢，让他挨饿，教会了他如何变戏法，之后带着他走遍法国和西班牙去表演，一直打他，不给他吃饱。他到了巴塞罗那，再也忍受不了虐待和饥饿，已经沦落到一个可悲的境地。他从主人那里逃了出来，到意大利领事那里去寻求保护，领事怜悯他，安排他乘上这艘轮船，并叫他带一封信给热那亚的财务长官，这人会把男孩送回把他像牲畜一般卖掉的亲生父母身边。
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.
可怜的男孩遍体鳞伤，十分虚弱。他被安排在二等船舱。所有人都盯着他看。有些人问他事情，他也不回答，他似乎憎恶和鄙视每一个人。贫困和不幸已使他悲伤和恼怒到这般田地了。然而，三个旅客坚持不懈地向他提问，还是成功地让他开了口。他用粗暴的只言片语，夹杂着威尼斯语、法语和西班牙语，讲述了他的故事。这三个旅客并非意大利人，但他们听懂了他的话。一半是出于同情，一半是出于喝了酒兴奋，他们给了他一些铜币，一边打趣他，一边叫催促他讲些别的事情，正在这时几位女士走进厅里，他们为了显摆又给了他更多的钱，喊着：“拿去！这也拿去！”他们把钱叮叮咚咚地撒在桌子上。
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.
男孩把钱全都装进口袋里，阴沉着脸低声谢过他们，但是第一次脸上有了笑意和温情。随后他爬上自己的铺位，放下帘布，静静地躺着，想着自己的事情。在过了两年缺吃少喝的苦日子之后，有了这些钱，他上岸后就能买些好吃的了；在过了两年衣衫褴褛的日子之后，他一到热那亚就能买件夹克穿了；拿了钱回去，也能保证父母比他空口袋回家接待他时多点儿人性。这笔钱是他的小小财富。他在铺位的帘布后面这样想着，略觉安慰，此时那三个旅客正坐在二等舱大厅的餐桌前不停地闲扯。他们喝着酒，谈起自己的旅行和看过的国家，从一个话题聊到另一个话题，开始谈起了意大利。他们中的一个开始抱怨起旅馆，另一个抱怨起铁路，情绪高涨起来，他们开始大嚼舌根。一个说他宁愿去拉普兰旅行，另一个宣称他在意大利净遇到骗子和土匪了，第三个说意大利官员不识字。
"'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.
“‘那是个无知的国家。’第一个说。‘一个肮脏的国家。’第二个补充道。‘强——’第三个嚷道，想说‘强盗’，但是他没能说完那个词：铜币和银币像暴风雨一样砸在他们的头上和肩上，在桌上和地板上滚着，响声大作。三个人都暴怒地跳起来，向上看去，又吃了一脸的铜币。
"'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.'"
“‘把你的铜币拿回去！’男孩猛地从铺位的帘布间伸出头来，轻蔑地说，‘我不要侮辱我祖国的人的施舍。’”