im as he passed, touched his hand. When he passed
before the schoolboys, they all waved their caps in the air. Those from
Borgo Po made a great uproar, pulling him by the arms and by his jacket
and shouting. "_Pin! hurrah for Pin! bravo, Pinot!_" I saw him pass very
close to me. His face was all aflame and happy; his medal had a red,
white, and green ribbon. His mother was crying and smiling; his father
was twirling his mustache with one hand, which trembled violently, as
though he had a fever. And from the windows and the balconies the people
continued to lean out and applaud. All at once, when they were on the
point of entering the portico, there descended from the balcony of the
_Daughters of military men_ a veritable shower of pansies, of bunches of
violets and daisies, which fell upon the head of the boy, and of his
father and mother, and scattered over the ground. Many people stooped to
pick them up and hand them to the mother. And the band at the further
end of the courtyard played, very, very softly, a most entrancing air,
which seemed like a song by a great many silver voices fading slowly
into the distance on the banks of a river.

MAY.

CHILDREN WITH THE RICKETS.

Friday, 5th.

TO-DAY I took a vacation, because I was not well, and my mother took me
to the Institution for Children with the Rickets, whither she went to
recommend a child belonging to our porter; but she did not allow me to
go into the school.

You did not understand, Enrico, why I did not permit you to enter?
In order not to place before the eyes of those unfortunates, there
in the midst of the school, as though on exhibition, a healthy,
robust boy: they have already but too many opportunities for making
melancholy comparisons. What a sad thing! Tears rushed from my
heart when I entered. There were sixty of them, boys and girls.
Poor tortured bones! Poor hands, poor little shrivelled and
distorted feet! Poor little deformed bodies! I instantly perceived
many charming faces, with eyes full of intelligence and affection.
There was one little child's face with a pointed nose and a sharp
chin, which seemed to belong to an old woman; but it wore a smile
of celestial sweetness. Some, viewed from the front, are handsome,
and appear to be without defects: but when they turn round--they
cast a weight upon your soul. The doctor was there, visiting them.
He set the