Page:De Amicis - Heart, translation Hapgood, 1922.djvu/338

304 Her father was troubled.

The teacher laughed. Then she said: “My good man, she does not answer you, because she did not see the movements of your lips; you spoke in her ear! Repeat your question, keeping your face well before hers.”

The father, gazing straight in her face, repeated, “Are you glad that your father has come back? that he is not going away again?”

The girl, who had watched his lips closely, seeking even to see inside his mouth, replied frankly:—

“Yes, I am de-light-ed that you have returned, that you are not go-ing a-way a-gain nev-er a-gain.”

Her father embraced her impetuously, and then in great haste, in order to make quite sure, he overwhelmed her with questions.

“What is mamma's name? ”

“An-to-nia. ”

“What is the name of your little sister? ”

“Ad-e-laide. ”

“What is the name of this college? ”

“The Deaf-mute Insti-tution. ”

“How many are two times ten? ”

“Twen-ty.”

While we thought that he was laughing for joy, he suddenly burst out crying. But it was from joy.

“Take courage,” said the teacher to him; “you have reason to rejoice, not to weep. You see that you are making your daughter cry also. You are pleased, then?”

The gardener grasped the teacher's hand and kissed it two or three times, saying: “Thank you! a hundred