When Nelli drops a pen or a book under the bench, Garrone stoops quickly, to prevent his stooping and tiring himself, and hands him his book or his pen, and then he helps him to put his things in his bag and to twist himself into his coat. For this Nelli loves him, and gazes at him constantly; and when the master praises Garrone he is pleased, as though he had been praised himself. Nelli must at last have told his mother all about the ridicule of the early days, and what they made him suffer; and about the comrade who defended him, and how he had grown fond of the latter; for this is what happened this morning. The master had sent me to carry to the director, half an hour before the close of school, a programme of the lesson, and I entered the office at the same moment with a small blond woman dressed in black, the mother of Nelli, who said, "Signor Director, is there in the class with my son a boy named Garrone?"

卡隆也一样，耐利的钢笔书班落到地下，卡隆不要耐利费力，立刻俯下去替他抬起来，还处处帮他的忙，或替他把用具装入革囊，或替他着外套。耐利常看着卡隆，听见先生称赞卡隆，就欢喜得如同称赞自己一样。后来，好像耐利把从前受人捉弄、自己暗泣，幸赖一个朋友保护的事告诉了母亲。今天学校里发生了这样一件事：先生有事差我到校长室去，恰巧来了一个着黑衣服的小而白色的妇人，这就是耐利的母亲。“校长先生，有个名叫卡隆的，和我的儿子在一级里吗了”她这样问。

"Yes," replied the head-master.

“是的。”校长回答。

"Will you have the goodness to let him come here for a moment, as I have a word to say to him?"

“有句话要和他说，可否请叫了他来？”

The head-master called the beadle and sent him to the school, and after a minute Garrone appeared on the threshold, with his big, close-cropped head, in perfect amazement. No sooner did she catch sight of him than the woman flew to meet him, threw her arms on his shoulders, and kissed him a great many times on the head, saying:

校长命校工去叫卡隆。不一会，长隆的大而短发的头已出现在门框间了。他不知叫他为了何事，露出吃惊的样子。那妇人一看见他，就跳了过去。将腕弯在他的肩上，不绝地吻他的额：

"You are Garrone, the friend of my little son, the protector of my poor child; it is you, my dear, brave boy; it is you!" Then she searched hastily in all her pockets, and in her purse, and finding nothing, she detached a chain from her neck, with a small cross, and put it on Garrone's neck, underneath his necktie, and said to him:

“你就是卡隆！是我儿子的好友！帮助我儿子的！就是你！好勇敢的人！就是你！”接着，急忙地用手去摸衣袋，又取出荷包来看，一时找不出东西，就从颈间取下带着小小十字架的链子来，套上卡隆的项颈：

"Take it! wear it in memory of me, my dear boy; in memory of Nelli's mother, who thanks and blesses you."

“将这给你吧，当做我的纪念！——当做感谢你，时时为你祈祷着的耐利的母亲的纪念！请你悬挂了！”