Page:De Amicis - Heart, translation Hapgood, 1922.djvu/138

 We all turned to look at Franti; and that infamous boy smiled.

Sunday, 29th.

Very beautiful, Enrico, was the impulse which made you fling yourself on your mother's heart on your return from your lesson on religion. Yes, your master said grand and consoling things to you. God threw us in each other's arms; he will never part us. When I die, when your father dies, we shall not speak to each other those despairing words, “Mamma, papa, Enrico, I shall never see you again!” We shall see each other again in another life, where he who has suffered much in this life will receive reward; where he who has loved much on earth will find again the souls whom he has loved, in a world without sin, without sorrow, and without death.

But we must all render ourselves worthy of that other life. Reflect, my son. Every good action of yours, every impulse of affection for those who love you, every courteous act towards your companions, every noble thought of yours, is like a leap towards that other world. And every misfortune, also, serves to raise you towards that world; every sorrow, since it is the expiation of a sin, just as every tear blots out a stain. Make it your rule to become better and more loving every day than the day before. Say every morning, “To-day I shall do something for which my conscience will praise me, and with which my father will be satisfied; something which will render me beloved by such or such a comrade, by my teacher, by my brother, or by others.” And pray God to give you the strength to put your resolution into practice. “Lord, I wish to be good, noble, courageous,