And Giulio, silent but content, said to himself, "Poor daddy, besides the money, I am giving him some satisfaction in the thought that he has grown young again. Well, courage!"

叙利亚虽不说什么，心里却快活。他想：“父亲不知道我在替他写，却自己以为还未老呢。好！以后就这样去做吧。”

Encouraged by these good results, when night came and twelve o'clock struck, he rose once more, and set to work. And this he did for several nights. And his father noticed nothing; only once, at supper, he uttered this exclamation, "It is strange how much oil has been used in this house lately!" This was a shock to Giulio; but the conversation ceased there, and the nocturnal labor proceeded.

那夜到了十二时，叙利亚仍起来工作。这样经过了好几天，父亲依然不曾知道。只有一次，父亲在晚餐时说：“真是奇怪！近来打油突然费多了。”叙利亚听了暗笑，幸而父亲不再说别的，此后他就每夜起来抄写。

However, by dint of thus breaking his sleep every night, Giulio did not get sufficient rest: he rose in the morning fatigued, and when he was doing his school work in the evening, he had difficulty in keeping his eyes open. One evening, for the first time in his life, he fell asleep over his copy- book.

叙利亚因为每夜起来，渐渐睡眠不足，朝起觉着疲劳，晚间复习要打瞌睡。有一夜，叙利亚伏在案上睡熟了，那是他有生以来第一次的打吨。

"Courage! courage!" cried his father, clapping his hands; "to work!"

“喂！用心！用心！做你的功课！”

He shook himself and set to work again. But the next evening, and on the days following, the same thing occurred, and worse: he dozed over his books, he rose later than usual, he studied his lessons in a languid way, he seemed disgusted with study. His father began to observe him, then to reflect seriously, and at last to reprove him. He should never have done it!

父亲拍着手叫。叙利亚张开了眼。再用功复习。可是第二夜，第三夜，又同样打腔，愈弄愈不好：决是伏在书上睡熟了，或早晨晏起，复习功课的时候，总是带着倦容，好像对功课很厌倦似的。父亲见这情形，屡次注意他，结果至于动气，虽然他一向不责骂小孩。有一天早晨，父亲对他说：

"Giulio," he said to him one morning, "you put me quite beside myself; you are no longer as you used to be. I don't like it. Take care; all the hopes of your family rest on you. I am dissatisfied; do you understand?"

“叙利亚！你真对不起我！你和从前不是变了样子吗？当心！一家的希望都在你身上呢。你知道吗？”

At this reproof, the first severe one, in truth, which he had ever received, the boy grew troubled. "Yes," he said to himself, "it is true; it cannot go on so; this deceit must come to an end."

叙利亚有生以来第一次受着叱骂，很是难受。心里想：“是的，那样的事不能够长久做下去的，非停止不可。”