Garrone would certainly never have uttered the words which Carlo Nobis spoke yesterday morning to Betti. Carlo Nobis is proud, because his father is a great gentleman; a tall gentleman, with a black beard, and very serious, who accompanies his son to school nearly everyday. Yesterday morning, Carlo had words with Betti, one of the smallest boys, and the son of a charcoal-man, and did not know what retort to2 make, because he was in the wrong3, said to him, “Your father is a tattered4 beggar!” Betti reddened up to his very hair, and when he returned home, he repeated the words to his father; so the charcoal dealer, a little man, who was black all over, made his appearance at the afternoon session, leading his boy by the hand, in order to complain to the master. While he was making his complaint, and everyone was silent, the father of Nobis, who was taking off his son’s coat at the entrance, as usual, entered on hearing his name pronounced, and demanded an explanation.
“This workman has come,” said the master, “to complain that your son Carlo said to his boy, ‘Your father is a tattered beggar.’”
Nobis’s father frowned and reddened slightly. Then he asked his son, “Did you say that?”
His son, who was standing in the middle of the school, with his head hanging, in front of little Betti, made no reply.
Then his father grasped him by one arm and pushed him forward, facing Betti, so that they nearly touched, and said to him, “Beg his pardon.”
The charcoal-man tried to interpose5, saying, “No, no!” But the gentleman paid no heed to6 him, and repeated to his son, “Beg his pardon. Repeat my words： I beg your pardon for the insulting foolish and ignoble7 words which I uttered against your father, whose hand my father would feel himself honored to press.”
The charcoal-man made a resolute gesture, as though to say, “I will not allow it.” The gentleman did not second8 him, and his son said slowly, in a very thread of a voice, without raising his eyes from the ground, “I beg your pardon—for the insulting—foolish—ignoble—words which I uttered against your father, whose hand my father—would feel himself honored—to press.”
Then the gentleman offered his hand to the charcoal-man, who shook it vigorously9, and then, with a sudden push, he thrust his son into the arms of Carlo Nobis.
“Do me the favor to place them next to each other.” Said the gentleman to the master. The master put Betti on Nobis’s bench. When they were seated, the father of Nobis bowed and went away.
The charcoal-man remained standing there in thought for several moments, gazing at the two boys side by side; then he approached the bench, and fixed upon Nobis a look expressive of affection and regret, as though he were desirous of saying something to him, but he did not say anything; he stretched out his hand10 to hug him, but he did not dare, and merely stroked his brow with his large fingers. Then he made his way to the door, and turning round for one last look, he disappeared.
“Fix what you have just seen firmly in your minds, boys.” said the master, “This is the finest lesson of the year.”
要是加龙，他就绝不会讲昨天早上加洛·罗比斯对贝蒂说的那些话。加洛·罗比斯是那么骄傲，因为他父亲是位上等绅士，一位身材高大、留着黑胡须，非常严肃的人，他几乎每天都陪儿子来学校。昨天上午罗比斯跟贝蒂吵架了。贝蒂在班里年龄最小，他父亲是个卖木炭的。罗比斯因为自己没理，无话可辩，竟然骂贝蒂：“你父亲是个破叫花子！”贝蒂连发根都涨红了。他回家以后，就把这话告诉了父亲；而这位卖炭的，一位矮个子、全身乌黑的男人，在下午上课前牵着孩子的手，来找老师诉苦。他发牢骚的时候大家都默不作声，这时罗比斯的父亲像往常一样在门口为他的孩子脱下外套，正好听见有人提起自己的名字，就问究竟发生了什么事。
“这位工人来这儿，”老师说，“他说您的孩子加洛对他的儿子说：‘你父亲是个破叫花子’。”
罗比斯的父亲皱起眉头，脸微微红了起来。他问自己的儿子：“你说过这样的话吗？”
他的儿子站在教室中间，耷拉着脑袋立在小贝蒂面前，一言不发。
接着罗比斯的父亲抓住儿子的一只胳膊，把他推到贝蒂面前，俩人面对面几乎就要挨在一起了。他命令加洛：“向他道歉！”
卖炭夫插嘴道：“不必了，不必了！”但绅士根本不理会他，坚持对自己的儿子说：“向你的同学道歉，跟着我说：‘我对你的父亲说了那样恶毒的话，请原谅我的粗鄙和愚蠢。请你的父亲和我的父亲握手，如果你的父亲能原谅我的话。’”
卖炭夫做了个断然拒绝的手势，似乎在说：“那怎么行？”可是绅士无论如何都要道歉，于是罗比斯用像细丝一样的声音，头都不敢抬地缓缓说道：“我——对你的父亲，说了——那样恶毒——的话，请你——原谅我——我的粗鄙和——愚蠢，请你的父亲——和我的父亲——握手——如果你的父亲能原谅我的话。”
随后绅士向卖炭夫伸出手，卖炭夫也用力地握紧绅士的手，然后突然把自己的儿子猛地推进加洛·罗比斯怀里。
“请安排他们坐在一块儿吧！”绅士向老师请求道。老师让贝蒂坐在罗比斯身边的座位上。等他们坐好，罗比斯的父亲鞠了一躬，然后离开了。
卖炭夫仍若有所思地站在那儿，注视着两个肩并肩坐在一起的男孩好大一会儿。然后他走到他们座位旁边，和善又歉意地看着罗比斯，像有什么话想对他说，但还是没说出来；他张开双臂，似乎要去抱罗比斯，但还是不敢。他只是用他粗大的手指，轻轻碰了碰罗比斯的眉毛，然后朝门口走去。临走时，回过头又看了一眼，接着就消失了。
“孩子们，记住你们刚才看到的这一幕吧，”老师说，“这是今年最宝贵的一课！”
1. 艾得蒙多·德·亚米契斯（1846—1908），意大利作家。他从小喜爱军旅生活，16岁进入军事学院学习，毕业后成为军官。1868年发表处女作《军营生活》，并由此出名。《爱的教育》由他耗时近十年完成。
2. retort v. 反驳
3. be in the wrong 理亏
4. tattered adj. 破烂的；褴褛的
5. interpose v. 打断谈话
6. pay no heed to 不加注意
7. ignoble adj. 不光彩的
8. second v. 支持；赞成
9. vigorously adv. 热情地
10. stretch out one’s hand 伸手
11. melancholy adj. 忧郁的
12. intoxicated adj. 喝醉的
13. black and blue 遍体鳞伤的
14. garret n. 顶楼
15. terrace n. 露台
16. soldo n. 意大利铜币
17. nibble v. 轻啃
18. fierce adj. 暴躁的
19. call sb. to account for sth. 要求某人对某事进行解释
20. spring up 跳起来
21. indignation n. 愤慨