The Little Florentine Scribe.

少年笔耕

(Monthly Story.)

（每月例话）

He was in the fourth elementary class. He was a graceful Florentine lad of twelve, with black hair and a white face, the eldest son of an employee on the railway, who, having a large family and but small pay, lived in straitened circumstances. His father loved him and was tolerably kind and indulgent to him--indulgent in everything except in that which referred to school: on this point he required a great deal, and showed himself severe, because his son was obliged to attain such a rank as would enable him to soon obtain a place and help his family; and in order to accomplish anything quickly, it was necessary that he should work a great deal in a very short time. And although the lad studied, his father was always exhorting him to study more.

叙利亚是小学五年生，十二岁，是个黑发白皮肤的小孩。他父亲在铁路做雇员，在叙利亚以下还有许多儿女，一家营着清苦的生计，还是拮据不堪。父亲不以儿女为累赘，一味爱着他们，对叙利亚百事依从，唯有学校的功课，却毫不放松地督促他用功。这是因为想他快些毕业，得着较好的位置，来帮助一家生计的缘故。

His father was advanced in years, and too much toil had aged him before his time. Nevertheless, in order to provide for the necessities of his family, in addition to the toil which his occupation imposed upon him, he obtained special work here and there as a copyist, and passed a good part of the night at his writing-table. Lately, he had undertaken, in behalf of a house which published journals and books in parts, to write upon the parcels the names and addresses of their subscribers, and he earned three lire for every five hundred of these paper wrappers, written in large and regular characters. But this work wearied him, and he often complained of it to his family at dinner.

父亲年纪大了，并区因为一向辛苦，面容更老。一家生计全负在他肩上。他于日间在铁路工作以外，又从别处接了书件来抄写，每夜执笔伏案到很迟才睡。近来，某杂志社托他写封寄杂志给走户的封条，用了大大的正指字写，每五百条写费六角。这工作好像很辛苦，老人每于食桌上向自己家里人叫苦：

"My eyes are giving out," he said; "this night work is killing me."

“我眼睛似乎坏起来了。这个夜工，要缩短我的寿命呢！”

One day his son said to him, "Let me work instead of you, papa; you know that I can write like you, and fairly well." But the father answered:

有一天，叙利亚向他父亲说：“父亲！我来替你写吧。我能写得和你一样好。”

"No, my son, you must study; your school is a much more important thing than my wrappers; I feel remorse at robbing you of a single hour; I thank you, but I will not have it; do not mention it to me again."

父亲终不许可：“不要，你应该用你的功。功课，在你是大事，就是一小时，我也不愿夺了你的时间。你虽有这样的好意，但我决不愿累你。以后不要再说这话了。”