Vanity

虚荣心

Monday, 5th.

星期日，5日。

Yesterday I went to take a walk along the Rivoli road with Votini and his father. As we were passing through the Via Dora Grossa we saw Stardi, the boy who kicks disturbers, standing stiffly in front of the window of a book-shop, with his eyes fixed on a geographical map; and no one knows how long he had been there, because he studies even in the street. He barely returned our salute, the rude fellow!

昨日与华梯尼及华梯尼的父亲，同在利华利街方面散步。斯带地立在书店的窗外看着地图。他是无论在街上或别的什么地方也会用功的人，不晓得什么时候到了此地。我们和他招呼，他只把头一回就算，好不讲礼啊！

Votini was well dressed--even too much so. He had on morocco boots embroidered in red, an embroidered coat, small silken frogs, a white beaver hat, and a watch; and he strutted. But his vanity was destined to come to a bad end on this occasion. After having run a tolerably long distance up the Rivoli road, leaving his father, who was walking slowly, a long way in the rear, we halted at a stone seat, beside a modestly clad boy, who appeared to be weary, and was meditating, with drooping head. A man, who must have been his father, was walking to and fro under the trees, reading the newspaper. We sat down. Votini placed himself between me and the boy. All at once he recollected that he was well dressed, and wanted to make his neighbor admire and envy him. He lifted one foot, and said to me, "Have you seen my officer's boots?" He said this in order to make the other boy look at them; but the latter paid no attention to them.

华梯尼的装束不用说是很漂亮的。他穿着绣花的摩洛哥长皮靴，着了绣花的衣裳，纽扣是绢包的，戴了白海狸的帽子，挂了时计，阔步地走着。可是昨天，华横尼因了虚荣遭遇了很大的失败：他父亲走路很缓，我们两个一直走在前，在路旁石凳上坐下。那里又坐了一个衣服质素的少年，好像很疲倦了，垂下了头在沉思。华横尼坐在我和那少年的中间，忽然似乎记起自己的服装华美，想向少年夸耀，举起脚来对我说：“你见了我的军靴了吗？”他的意思是给那少年看的，可是少年竟毫不注意。

Then he dropped his foot, and showed me his silk frogs, glancing askance at the boy the while, and said that these frogs did not please him, and that he wanted to have them changed to silver buttons; but the boy did not look at the frogs either.

华梯尼放下了脚，指绢包的纽扣给我看，一面眼瞟着那少年说：“这纽扣不合我意，我想换银铸的。”那少年仍旧不向他看一眼。