《安徒生童话英文版》第237章

　　she asked. when she saw the boy.

　　"Don't be angry," he pleaded; "I received nothing, I havenothing at all;" and he seized his mother's dress and would havekissed it. Then they went into a little room. I need not describeit, but only say that there stood in it an earthen pot with handles,made for holding fire, which in Italy is called a marito. This pot shetook in her lap, warmed her fingers, and pushed the boy with herelbow.

　　"Certainly you must have some money," she said. The boy began tocry, and then she struck him with her foot till he cried out louder.

　　"Will you be quiet? or I'll break your screaming head;" and sheswung about the fire-pot which she held in her hand, while the boycrouched to the earth and screamed.

　　Then a neighbor came in, and she had also a marito under herarm. "Felicita," she said, "what are you doing to the child?"

　　"The child is mine," she answered; "I can murder him if I like,and you too, Giannina." And then she swung about the fire-pot. Theother woman lifted up hers to defend herself, and the two pots clashedtogether so violently that they were dashed to pieces, and fire andashes flew about the room. The boy rushed out at the sight, spedacross the courtyard, and fled from the house. The poor child ran tillhe was quite out of breath; at last he stopped at the church, thedoors of which were opened to him the night before, and went in.Here everything was bright, and the boy knelt down by the first tombon his right, the grave of Michael Angelo, and sobbed as if hisheart would break. People came and went, mass was performed, but noone noticed the boy, excepting an elderly citizen, who stood still andlooked at him for a moment, and then went away like the rest. Hungerand thirst overpowered the child, and he became quite faint and ill.At last he crept into a corner behind the marble monuments, and wentto sleep. Towards evening he was awakened by a pull at his sleeve;he started up, and the same old citizen stood before him.

　　"Are you ill? where do you live? have you been here all day?" weresome of the questions asked by the old man. After hearing his answers,the old man took him home to a small house close by, in a back street.They entered a glovemaker's shop, where a woman sat sewing busily. Alittle white poodle, so closely shaven that his pink skin couldplainly be seen, frisked about the room, and gambolled upon the boy.

　　"Innocent souls are soon intimate," said the woman, as shecaressed both the boy and the dog. These good people gave the childfood and drink, and said he should stay with them all night, andthat the next day the old man, who was called Giuseppe, would go andspeak to his mother. A little homely bed was prepared for him, butto him who had so often slept on the hard stones it was a royal couch,and he slept sweetly and dreamed of the splendid pictures and of theMetal Pig. Giuseppe went out the next morning, and the poor childwas not glad to see him go, for he knew that the old man was gone tohis mother, and that, perhaps, he would have to go back. He wept atthe thought, and then he played with the little, lively dog, andkissed it, while the old woman looked kindly at him to encouragehim. And what news did Giuseppe bring back? At first the boy could nothear, for he talked a great deal to his wife, and she nodded andstroked the boy's cheek.

　　Then she said, "He is a good lad, he shall stay with us, he maybecome a clever glovemaker, like you. Look what delicate fingers hehas got; Madonna intended him for a glovemaker." So the boy stayedwith them, and the woman herself taught him to sew; and he ate well,and slept well, and became very merry. But at last he began to teaseBellissima, as the little dog was called. This made the woman angry,and she scolded him and threatened him, which made him very unhappy,and he went and sat in his own room full of sad thoughts. This chamberlooked upon the street, in which hung skins to dry, and there werethick iron bars across his window. That night he lay awake, thinkingof the Metal Pig; indeed, it was always in his thoughts. Suddenly hefancied he heard feet outside going pit-a-pat. He sprung out of bedand went to the window. Could it be the Metal Pig?