Page:De Amicis - Heart, translation Hapgood, 1922.djvu/102

 “Bravo, Stardi! he who endures, conquers.”

But Stardi did not appear in the least puffed up with pride—he did not smile; and no sooner had he returned to his seat, with the medal, than he planted his fists on his temples again, and became more motionless and more attentive than before. But the finest thing happened when he went out of school; for his father, who is as big and squat as himself, with a huge face and a huge voice, was there waiting for him. He had not expected this medal, and he was not willing to believe in it, so that it was necessary for the master to reassure him, and then he began to laugh heartily, and tapped his son on the back of the neck, saying energetically, “Bravo! good! my dear pumpkin; you'll do!” and he stared at him, astonished and smiling. And all the boys around him smiled too, except Stardi. He was already running over the lesson for to-morrow morning in that huge head of his.

Saturday, 31st.

Your schoolmate Stardi never complains of his teacher; I am sure of that.. “The master was in a bad humor, was impatient,”—you say it in a tone of resentment. Think an instant how often you give way to acts of impatience, and towards whom? towards your father and your mother, where your impatience is a crime. Your master has very good cause to be impatient at times! Reflect that he has been laboring for boys these many years, and that if he has found many affectionate and noble individuals among them, he has also found many ungrateful ones, who have abused his kindness and