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Garrone would certainly never have uttered the words which Carlo Nobis spoke yesterday morning to Betti. Carlo Nobis is proud, because his father is a great gentleman; a tall gentleman, with a black beard, and very serious, who accompanies his son to school nearly every day. Yesterday morning Nobis quarrelled with Betti, one of the smallest boys, and the son of a charcoal-man, and not knowing what retort to make, because he was in the wrong, said to him vehemently, "Your father is a tattered beggar!" Betti reddened up to his very hair, and said nothing, but the tears came to his eyes; and when he returned home, he repeated the words to his father; so the charcoal-dealer, a little man, who was black all over, made his appearance at the afternoon session, leading his boy by the hand, in order to complain to the master. While he was making his complaint, and every one was silent, the father of Nobis, who was taking off his son's coat at the entrance, as usual, entered on hearing his name pronounced, and demanded an explanation.
卡隆绝不会说出昨天早晨卡洛·诺琵斯对贝蒂说的话。卡洛·诺琵斯骄傲自大，因为他父亲是一位了不起的绅士：一位高大的绅士，留着黑色的胡子，非常严肃，几乎每天早上都要陪他儿子来学校。昨天早晨诺琵斯与贝蒂吵了一架。贝蒂是年纪最小的男孩之一，是一个卖炭人的儿子。诺琵斯因为理亏，不知道该如何反驳，狠狠地对他说：“你父亲是个衣衫褴褛的乞丐！”贝蒂的脸红到了发梢，一言不发，眼泪夺眶而出。他回到家里，对父亲复述了这番话，于是这个卖炭人——一个浑身上下黑乎乎的小个子男人，在下午上课的时候，牵着他儿子的手到学校里来，要找班主任讨个说法。他向班主任抱怨的时候，大家一片安静，诺琵斯的父亲像往常一样正在门口给儿子脱外套，听到别人提到自己的名字，就走进来问问怎么回事。
"This workman has come," said the master, "to complain that your son Carlo said to his boy, 'Your father is a tattered beggar.'"
“这位工人是来，”班主任说，“投诉你儿子卡洛对他儿子说‘你父亲是个衣衫褴褛的乞丐’的事情的。”
Nobis's father frowned and reddened slightly. Then he asked his son, "Did you say that?"
诺琵斯的父亲皱了眉头，脸微微泛红了。接着他问自己的儿子：“你说过这话吗？”
His son, who was standing in the middle of the school, with his head hanging, in front of little Betti, made no reply.
他儿子站在教室中央，在小贝蒂面前耷拉着脑袋，没答话。
Then his father grasped him by one arm and pushed him forward, facing Betti, so that they nearly touched, and said to him, "Beg his pardon."
随后他父亲抓住了他一只手臂，把他推到贝蒂面前，差点儿让他俩撞到一起，并对他说：“去乞求他的原谅。”
The charcoal-man tried to interpose, saying, "No, no!" but the gentleman paid no heed to him, and repeated to his son, "Beg his pardon. Repeat my words. 'I beg your pardon for the insulting, foolish, and ignoble words which I uttered against your father, whose hand my father would feel himself honored to press.'"
卖炭人试图阻止，说道：“不，不必！”但是那位绅士没理会他，对他儿子重复道：“去乞求他的原谅。按照我的话说。‘对你父亲我说了无礼的、愚蠢的、不光彩的话，我乞求你的原谅，若能让我父亲紧握你父亲的手，他会感到荣幸的。’”
The charcoal-man made a resolute gesture, as though to say, "I will not allow it." The gentleman did not second him, and his son said slowly, in a very thread of a voice, without raising his eyes from the ground, "I beg your pardon—for the insulting—foolish—ignoble—words which I uttered against your father, whose hand my father—would feel himself honored—to press."
卖炭人做了一个很坚决的手势，好像在说：“那可不敢当。”绅士不同意，于是他的儿子眼睛盯着地面，用缓慢的、微弱的声音说：“对你父亲我说了无礼的——愚蠢的——不光彩的话——我乞求你的原谅，若能让我父亲——紧握你父亲的手——他会感到荣幸的。”
Then the gentleman offered his hand to the charcoal-man, who shook it vigorously, and then, with a sudden push, he thrust his son into the arms of Carlo Nobis.
随后绅士向卖炭人伸出了手，卖炭人用力地握了握这手，接着他突然把自己的儿子推进了卡洛·诺琵斯的怀里。
"Do me the favor to place them next each other," said the gentleman to the master. The master put Betti on Nobis's bench. When they were seated, the father of Nobis bowed and went away.
“请帮我一个忙，把他们两人安排坐在一起。”绅士对班主任说。班主任就让贝蒂坐到诺琵斯的长凳上去了。他们坐好时，诺琵斯的父亲就鞠躬离开了。
The charcoal-man remained standing there in thought for several moments, gazing at the two boys side by side; then he approached the bench, and fixed upon Nobis a look expressive of affection and regret, as though he were desirous of saying something to him, but he did not say anything; he stretched out his hand to bestow a caress upon him, but he did not dare, and merely stroked his brow with his large fingers. Then he made his way to the door, and turning round for one last look, he disappeared.
卖炭人仍站在那里，看着并肩坐着的两个男孩，沉思了一会儿；然后他走近了他们的座位，用带着爱意和抱歉的表情怔怔地看着诺琵斯，好像想要说些什么，却什么也没有说；他伸出手想要抚摸他，却又不敢，只是用他大大的手指轻抚了一下诺琵斯的额头。接着他走向门口，转回头又看了最后一眼，才离去了。
"Fix what you have just seen firmly in your minds, boys," said the master; "this is the finest lesson of the year."
“牢牢记住你们刚刚看到的，孩子们，”班主任说，“这是今年最好的一课。”