November 1st.
Yesterday afternoon I went to the girls' school building, near ours, to
give the story of the boy from Padua to Silvia's teacher, who wished to
read it. There are seven hundred girls there. Just as I arrived, they
began to come out, all greatly rejoiced at the holiday of All Saints and
All Souls; and here is a beautiful thing that I saw: Opposite the door
of the school, on the other side of the street, stood a very small
chimney-sweep, his face entirely black, with his sack and scraper, with
one arm resting against the wall, and his head supported on his arm,
weeping copiously and sobbing. Two or three of the girls of the second
grade approached him and said, "What is the matter, that you weep like
this?" But he made no reply, and went on crying.
"Come, tell us what is the matter with you and why you are crying," the
girls repeated. And then he raised his face from his arm,--a baby
face,--and said through his tears that he had been to several houses to
sweep the chimneys, and had earned thirty soldi, and that he had lost
them, that they had slipped through a hole in his pocket,--and he showed
the hole,--and he did not dare to return home without the money.
"The master will beat me," he said, sobbing; and again dropped his head
upon his arm, like one in despair. The children stood and stared at him
very seriously. In the meantime, other girls, large and small, poor
girls and girls of the upper classes, with their portfolios under their
arms, had come up; and one large girl, who had a blue feather in her
hat, pulled two soldi from her pocket, and said:--
"I have only two soldi; let us make a collection."
"I have two soldi, also," said another girl, dressed in red; "we shall
certainly find thirty soldi among the whole of us"; and then they began
to call out:--
"Amalia! Luigia! Annina!--A soldo. Who has any soldi? Bring your soldi
here!"
Several had soldi to buy flowers or copy-books, and they brought them;
some of the smaller girls gave centesimi; the one with the blue feather
collected all, and counted them in a loud voice:--
"Eight, ten, fifteen!" But more was needed. Then one larger than any of
them, who seemed to be an assistant mistress, made her appearance, and
gave half a lira; and all made much of her. Five soldi were still
lacking.
"The girls of the fourth class are coming; they will have it," said one
girl. The members of the fourth class came, and the soldi showered down.
All hurried forward eagerly; and it was beautiful to see that poor
chimney-sweep in the midst of all those many-colored dresses, of all
that whirl of feathers, ribbons, and curls. The thirty soldi were
already obtained, and more kept pouring in; and the very smallest who
had no money made their way among the big girls, and offered their
bunches of flowers, for the sake of giving something. All at once the
portress made her appearance, screaming:--
"The Signora Directress!" The girls made their escape in all directions,
like a flock of sparrows; and then the little chimney-sweep was visible,
alone, in the middle of the street, wiping his eyes in perfect content,
with his hands full of money, and the button-holes of his jacket, his
pockets, his hat, were full of flowers; and there were even flowers on
the ground at his feet.