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Yesterday afternoon I went to the girls' school building, near ours, to give the story of the boy from Padua to Silvia's teacher, who wished to read it. There are seven hundred girls there. Just as I arrived, they began to come out, all greatly rejoiced at the holiday of All Saints and All Souls; and here is a beautiful thing that I saw: Opposite the door of the school, on the other side of the street, stood a very small chimney-sweep, his face entirely black, with his sack and scraper, with one arm resting against the wall, and his head supported on his arm, weeping copiously and sobbing. Two or three of the girls of the second grade approached him and said, "What is the matter, that you weep like this?" But he made no reply, and went on crying.
昨天下午，我去了我们学校附近的女子学校，把帕多瓦男孩的故事带给西尔维娅的老师，她想读读这个故事。那里有七百个女孩。当我到达的时候，她们正开始往外走，大家都因为万圣节和万灵节要放假而欢欣雀跃。我在那里看到一件很美的事情：校门对面，街的另一边，站着一个扫烟囱的小家伙，他满脸黑乎乎的，拿着麻袋和刮刀，一只手臂抵着墙壁，头枕在手臂上，大滴大滴地掉着眼泪，啜泣着。两三个三年级的女孩走到他跟前问：“出什么事啦？怎么哭成这样呢？”但是他没有回答，继续哭着。
"Come, tell us what is the matter with you and why you are crying," the girls repeated. And then he raised his face from his arm,—a baby face,—and said through his tears that he had been to several houses to sweep the chimneys, and had earned thirty soldi, and that he had lost them, that they had slipped through a hole in his pocket,—and he showed the hole,—and he did not dare to return home without the money.
“告诉我们，你怎么了，为什么哭啊？”女孩们再问他。他把头从手臂上抬起来——他长着一张婴儿似的脸——哭着告诉她们他去了好几处房屋扫烟囱，赚到了三十枚铜币，但是全掉了，铜币从口袋的破洞里漏出去了——他把那破洞翻给她们看——他没有了钱不敢回家。
"The master will beat me," he said, sobbing; and again dropped his head upon his arm, like one in despair. The children stood and stared at him very seriously. In the meantime, other girls, large and small, poor girls and girls of the upper classes, with their portfolios under their arms, had come up; and one large girl, who had a blue feather in her hat, pulled two soldi from her pocket, and said:—
“师父会打我的。”他啜泣着说，又一次把头枕在手臂上，像绝望中的人一样。女孩们站在那里很严肃地看着他。就在这时，其他的女孩也都走过来了，她们手臂下夹着书包，高的、矮的、贫困的和上层阶级的都有。一个帽子上插着蓝色羽毛的大个子女孩从口袋中掏出两枚铜币说道：
"I have only two soldi; let us make a collection."
“我只有两枚铜币。我们大家来把钱凑在一起吧。”
"I have two soldi, also," said another girl, dressed in red; "we shall certainly find thirty soldi among the whole of us"; and then they began to call out:—
“我也有两枚铜币，”另一个穿红衣的女孩说，“我们大家肯定能凑到三十枚铜币。”随后她们开始叫道：
"Amalia! Luigia! Annina!—A soldo. Who has any soldi? Bring your soldi here!"
“阿马利娅！露易琪雅！亚尼娜！——一枚铜币。谁那里有铜币？拿到这里来呀！”
Several had soldi to buy flowers or copy-books, and they brought them; some of the smaller girls gave centesimi; the one with the blue feather collected all, and counted them in a loud voice:—
好几个带了铜币要去买花或字帖的，也把钱拿出来了；一些年纪小些的女孩拿出了辅币；那个戴蓝羽毛的女孩把钱都汇总起来，大声地数着：
"Eight, ten, fifteen!" But more was needed. Then one larger than any of them, who seemed to be an assistant mistress, made her appearance, and gave half a lira; and all made much of her. Five soldi were still lacking.
“八，十，十五！”但是还需要更多的钱。这时，一个个头比她们任何一个都要高、看上去像是助教的女孩出现了，她拿出了半个里拉，大家都称赞她。还差五枚铜币。
"The girls of the fourth class are coming; they will have it," said one girl. The members of the fourth class came, and the soldi showered down. All hurried forward eagerly; and it was beautiful to see that poor chimney-sweep in the midst of all those many-colored dresses, of all that whirl of feathers, ribbons, and curls. The thirty soldi were already obtained, and more kept pouring in; and the very smallest who had no money made their way among the big girls, and offered their bunches of flowers, for the sake of giving something. All at once the portress made her appearance, screaming:—
“五年级的女孩们来了，她们一定有的。”一个女孩说。五年级的女孩们来了，铜币纷纷洒落。大家都急急地往前跑去。我看到那个可怜的扫烟囱的小家伙在那些五颜六色的裙子中，在飞旋的羽毛、丝带和卷发中，那画面真美啊。三十枚铜币已经凑齐了，还有更多铜币涌进来。最小的女孩们身上没有钱，为了捐点儿东西，她们在大女孩中间往前挤，把一束束鲜花献了出来。突然女看门人出来喊到：
"The Signora Directress!" The girls made their escape in all directions, like a flock of sparrows; and then the little chimney-sweep was visible, alone, in the middle of the street, wiping his eyes in perfect content, with his hands full of money, and the button-holes of his jacket, his pockets, his hat, were full of flowers; and there were even flowers on the ground at his feet.
“校长来了！”女孩们像一群麻雀一样向四面八方逃散开了，剩下扫烟囱的小家伙独自站在街中央，十分满足地拭去眼泪，双手捧着满满的钱币。他夹克的扣眼里、口袋里、帽子里都插满了鲜花，甚至还有许多鲜花落在他脚边的地面上。