December
十二月
The Trader.
商人
Thursday, 1st.
星期四,1日。
MY father wishes me to have some one of my companions come to the house every holiday, or that I should go to see one of them, in order that I may gradually become friends with all of them. Sunday I shall go to walk with Votini, the well-dressed boy who is always polishing himself up, and who is so envious of Derossi. In the meantime, Garoffi came to the house to-day,--that long, lank boy, with the nose like an owl's beak, and small, knavish eyes, which seem to be ferreting everywhere. He is the son of a grocer; he is an eccentric fellow; he is always counting the soldi that he has in his pocket; he reckons them on his fingers very, very rapidly, and goes through some process of multiplication without any tables; and he hoards his money, and already has a book in the Scholars' Savings Bank. He never spends a soldo, I am positive; and if he drops a centesimo under the benches, he is capable of hunting for it for a week. He does as magpies do, so Derossi says. Everything that he finds--worn-out pens, postage-stamps that have been used, pins, candle-ends--he picks up.
父亲叫我以休假日招待朋友来家或去访问他们,使彼此更加亲密。所以这次星期日,我预备和那漂亮人物华梯尼去散步。今天卡洛斐来访——就是那身材瘦长,长着鸦嘴鼻,生着狡猾的眼睛的。他是杂货店里的儿子,真是一个奇人,袋里总带着钱,数钱的本领要算一等,心算之快更无人能及了。他又能储蓄,无论怎样断不滥用一钱。即使有五厘铜币落在座位下面,他虽费了一礼拜的工夫,也必须寻得了才肯罢休。不论是用旧了的钢笔头、编针、点剩的蜡烛或是旧邮票,他都好好地收藏起来。
He has been collecting postage-stamps for more than two years now; and he already has hundreds of them from every country, in a large album, which he will sell to a bookseller later on, when he has got it quite full. Meanwhile, the bookseller gives him his copy-books gratis, because he takes a great many boys to the shop. In school, he is always bartering; he effects sales of little articles every day, and lotteries and exchanges; then he regrets the exchange, and wants his stuff back;
他已费两年的工夫收集旧邮票了,好几百张地粘在大大的自筹上,各国的都有,说粘满了就去卖给书店。他常拉了同学们到书店购物,所以书店肯把笔记簿送他。他在学校里,也做着种种的交易,有时买进别人的东西,有时卖给别人;有时发行彩票;有时把东西和别人交换;交换了以后有时懊悔了,还要调回来。