d to him, "Sleep, sleep, my little son!" and
Giulio, being weak, fell asleep at last, and slumbered many hours,
enjoying, for the first time in many months, a tranquil sleep, enlivened
by pleasant dreams; and as he opened his eyes, when the sun had already
been shining for a tolerably long time, he first felt, and then saw,
close to his breast, and resting upon the edge of the little bed, the
white head of his father, who had passed the night thus, and who was
still asleep, with his brow against his son's heart.

WILL.

Wednesday, 28th.

There is Stardi in my school, who would have the force to do what the
little Florentine did. This morning two events occurred at the school:
Garoffi, wild with delight, because his album had been returned to him,
with the addition of three postage-stamps of the Republic of Guatemala,
which he had been seeking for three months; and Stardi, who took the
second medal; Stardi the next in the class after Derossi! All were
amazed at it. Who could ever have foretold it, when, in October, his
father brought him to school bundled up in that big green coat, and said
to the master, in presence of every one:--

"You must have a great deal of patience with him, because he is very
hard of understanding!"

Every one credited him with a wooden head from the very beginning. But
he said, "I will burst or I will succeed," and he set to work doggedly,
to studying day and night, at home, at school, while walking, with set
teeth and clenched fists, patient as an ox, obstinate as a mule; and
thus, by dint of trampling on every one, disregarding mockery, and
dealing kicks to disturbers, this big thick-head passed in advance of
the rest. He understood not the first thing of arithmetic, he filled his
compositions with absurdities, he never succeeded in retaining a phrase
in his mind; and now he solves problems, writes correctly, and sings his
lessons like a song. And his iron will can be divined from the seeing
how he is made, so very thickset and squat, with a square head and no
neck, with short, thick hands, and coarse voice. He studies even on
scraps of newspaper, and on theatre bills, and every time that he has
ten soldi, he buys a book; he has already collected a little library,
and in a moment of good humor he allowed the promise to slip from his
mouth that he would take me home and show it to me. He speaks to no one,
he plays with no one, he is always on hand, on his bench, with his fists
pres