But he never says, "I am hungry; my father does not give me anything to eat." His father sometimes comes for him, when he chances to be passing the schoolhouse,--pallid, unsteady on his legs, with a fierce face, and his hair over his eyes, and his cap awry; and the poor boy trembles all over when he catches sight of him in the street; but he immediately runs to meet him, with a smile; and his father does not appear to see him, but seems to be thinking of something else. Poor Precossi! He mends his torn copy-books, borrows books to study his lessons, fastens the fragments of his shirt together with pins; and it is a pity to see him performing his gymnastics, with those huge shoes in which he is fairly lost, in those trousers which drag on the ground, and that jacket which is too long, and those huge sleeves turned back to the very elbows. And he studies; he does his best; he would be one of the first, if he were able to work at home in peace. This morning he came to school with the marks of finger-nails on one cheek, and they all began to say to him:--
可是，他决不说“父亲不给食物”的话。他父亲也曾到学校里来过，脸色苍白，两脚抖抖的，一副怒容，发长长地垂在眼前，歪戴着帽子。泼来可西在路上一见父亲，虽战惧发震，可是立刻走近前去。父亲呢，他并不顾着儿子，好像心里在想着别的什么似的。可怜！泼来可西把破的笔记补好了，或是借了别人的书来用功。他把破了的衬衣用针别牢了穿着，他拖着太大的皮鞋，系着长得拖到地上的裤子，穿着太长的上衣，袖口高高地卷到肘上。见了他那样子真是可怜！虽然如此，他却很勤勉，如果他在家里能许他自由用功，必定能得到优良的成绩的。今天早晨，他颊上带了抓痕到学校里来，大家见了说：
"It is your father, and you cannot deny it this time; it was your father who did that to you. Tell the headmaster about it, and he will have him called to account for it."
“又是你父亲吧，这次可不能再说‘没有的事’了。把你弄得这步田地的，一定是你父亲。你去告诉校长先生，校长先生就会叫你父亲来，替你劝说他的。”
But he sprang up, all flushed, with a voice trembling with indignation:--
泼来可西跳立起来，红着脸，抖索着，发怒地说：
"It's not true! it's not true! My father never beats me!"
“没有的事，父亲是不打我的。”
But afterwards, during lesson time, his tears fell upon the bench, and when any one looked at him, he tried to smile, in order that he might not show it. Poor Precossi! Tomorrow Derossi, Coretti, and Nelli are coming to my house; I want to tell him to come also; and I want to have him take luncheon with me: I want to treat him to books, and turn the house upside down to amuse him, and to fill his pockets with fruit, for the sake of seeing him contented for once, poor Precossi! who is so good and so courageous.
话虽如此，后来上课时他究竟眼泪落在桌上了。人家去看他，他就抑住眼泪。他还要硬装笑脸给人看呢！可怜！明天，代洛西与可莱谛、耐利原定要到我家里来，我打算约泼来可西一块儿来。我想明天请他吃东西，给他书看，领他到家里各处去玩耍，回去的时候，把水果给他装进口袋带回去。那样善良而勇敢的小孩，应该使他快乐快乐，至少一次也好。
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