Fear was added to his consciousness of illness and to the cold; his fancy, already perturbed, became distorted: the three men kept on staring at him; one of them moved towards him; then his reason wandered, and rushing towards him with arms wide open, he shrieked, "I have nothing; I am a poor boy; I have come from Italy; I am in quest of my mother; I am alone: do not do me any harm!"

疑虑像电光似的在头脑中闪着。精神不好，寒冷，又加之以恐怖，想像因而愈加错乱。三人们注视着他，其中一个竟走近他。他几乎狂了，张开两手奔到那人前面叫说：“我没有什么行李，我是个穷孩子！是独自从意大利来寻母亲的！请不要把我怎样！”

They instantly understood the situation; they took compassion on him, caressed and soothed him, speaking to him many words which he did not hear nor comprehend; and perceiving that his teeth were chattering with cold, they wrapped one of their shawls around him, and made him sit down again, so that he might go to sleep. And he did fall asleep once more, when the twilight was descending. When they aroused him, he was at Cordova. Ah, what a deep breath he drew, and with what impetuosity he flew from the car!

三个旅客因玛尔可是孩子，起了怜悯之心，抚拍他，安慰他，和他说种种话，可是他不懂。他们见玛尔可冷得牙齿发抖，用毛毡给他盖了叫他躺倒安睡。玛尔可到傍晚又睡去，等三个旅客叫醒他时，火车已到了可特淮了。他深深地吸了一口气，飞跑下车。

He inquired of one of the station employees where the house of the engineer Mequinez was situated; the latter mentioned the name of a church; it stood beside the church: the boy hastened away. It was night. He entered the city, and it seemed to him that he was entering Rosario once more; that he again beheld those straight streets, flanked with little white houses, and intersected by other very long and straight streets. But there were very few people, and under the light of the rare street lanterns, he encountered strange faces of a hue unknown to him, between black and greenish; and raising his head from time to time, he beheld churches of bizarre architecture which were outlined black and vast against the sky.

向铁路职员问美贵耐治技师的住址。职员告诉他一个教会的名词，说技师就住在这教会的近旁。他急忙前进。天已夜了。走入街市，好像又回到了洛赛留，这里仍是街道纵横，两旁也都是白而低的房子，可是行人极少，只偶然在灯光中看见苍黑的怪异的人面罢了。他一边走，一边举头张望，忽见异样建筑的教会高高地耸立在夜空中。

The city was dark and silent, but after having traversed that immense desert, it appeared lively to him. He inquired his way of a priest, speedily found the church and the house, pulled the bell with one trembling hand, and pressed the other on his breast to repress the beating of his heart, which was leaping into his throat. An old woman, with a light in her hand, opened the door. The boy could not speak at once. "Whom do you want?" demanded the dame in Spanish. "The engineer Mequinez," replied Marco. The old woman made a motion to cross her arms on her breast, and replied, with a shake of the head: "So you, too, have dealings with the engineer Mequinez! It strikes me that it is time to stop this. We have been worried for the last three months. It is not enough that the newspapers have said it. We shall have to have it printed on the corner of the street, that Signor Mequinez has gone to live at Tucuman!"

市街虽寂寞昏暗，但他在荒漠中旅行了一整日，眼里仍觉得闹热。遇见一个僧侣，问了路，急忙寻到了教会和住家，用震栗着的手按铃，一手按住那快要跳到喉间来的鼓动的心。一个老妇人携了洋灯出来开门，玛尔可一时说不出话来。“你找谁？”老妇人用西班牙语问。“美贵耐治先生。”玛尔可回答。老妇人摇着头。“你也找美贵耐治先生吗？真讨厌极了！这三个月中，木知费了多少无谓的口舌。早已登过报纸哩，如果不看见，街的转角里还贴着他已移居杜克曼的告白哩。”

The boy gave way to a gesture of despair. Then he gave way to an outburst of passion. "So there is a curse upon me! I am doomed to die on the road, without having found my mother! I shall go mad! I shall kill myself! My God! what is the name of that country? Where is it? At what distance is it situated?" "Eh, poor boy," replied the old woman, moved to pity; "a mere trifle! We are four or five hundred miles from there, at least." The boy covered his face with his hands; then he asked with a sob, "And now what am I to do!" "What am I to say to you, my poor child?" responded the dame: "I don't know."

玛尔可绝望了，心乱如麻地说：“有谁在诅咒我！我若不见母亲，要倒在路上死了！要发狂了！还是死了吧！那叫什么地名？在什么地方？从这里去有多少路？”老妇人悯怜地回答道：“可怜！那不得了，四五百英里至少是有的吧！”“那么我怎样好呢！”玛尔可掩面哭着问。“叫我怎样说呢？可怜！有什么法子呢？”