The old man stared at him in amazement. Then he said: "You do me too much honor. I do not know--When were you my scholar? Excuse me; your name, if you please."
老人惊异地注视着父亲!“真难为你!我不知道你是哪时候的学生?对不起!你名字是——”
My father mentioned his name, Alberto Bottini, and the year in which he had attended school, and where, and he added: "It is natural that you should not remember me. But I recollect you so perfectly!"
父亲把亚尔培脱·动谛尼的姓名和曾在什么时候什么地方的学校说明了,又说:“难怪先生记不起来。但是我总记得先生的。”
The master bent his head and gazed at the ground in thought, and muttered my father's name three or four times; the latter, meanwhile, observed him with intent and smiling eyes.
老人垂了头沉思了一会儿,把父亲的名字念了三四遍,父亲只是微笑地看着先生。
All at once the old man raised his face, with his eyes opened widely, and said slowly: "Alberto Bottini? the son of Bottini, the engineer? the one who lived in the Piazza della Consolata?"
老人忽然抬起头来,眼睛张得大大的,徐徐地说:“亚尔培脱·勃谛尼?技师勃谛尼君的儿子?曾经住在配寨·代拉·孔沙拉泰,是吗?”
"The same," replied my father, extending his hands.
“是的。”父亲说着伸出手去。
"Then," said the old man, "permit me, my dear sir, permit me"; and advancing, he embraced my father: his white head hardly reached the latter's shoulder. My father pressed his cheek to the other's brow.
“原来这样!真对不起!”老人跨近一步抱住父亲,那白发正垂在父亲的发上。父亲把自己的颊贴住了先生的颈。
"Have the goodness to come with me," said the teacher. And without speaking further he turned about and took the road to his dwelling.
“请跟我到这边来!”老人说着移步向自己的住所走去。
In a few minutes we arrived at a garden plot in front of a tiny house with two doors, round one of which there was a fragment of whitewashed wall. The teacher opened the second and ushered us into a room. There were four white walls: in one corner a cot bed with a blue and white checked coverlet; in another, a small table with a little library; four chairs, and one ancient geographical map nailed to the wall. A pleasant odor of apples was perceptible.
不久,我们走到小屋前面的一个花园里。老人开了自己的房门,引我们进去。四壁粉得雪白,室的一角摆着小床,别一角排着桌子和书架,四张椅子。壁上挂着旧地图。室中充满苹果的香气。
We seated ourselves, all three. My father and his teacher remained silent for several minutes.
我们三个人都坐了下来。我父亲和他的先生沉默了几分钟。