d Giacomo, bewildered. But, as he asked this question,
his eyes met the dark look of his tyrant, and he clasped his hands in
terror.

"Do not beat me!" he pleaded. "I feel sick."

"He is only shamming," said Pietro, who was worthy to be the servant and
nephew of such a master. But the padrone thought it would not be prudent
to continue the punishment.

"Help him put on his clothes, Pietro," he said. "I will let you off this
time, little rascal, but take heed that you never again steal a single
cent of my money."

Giacomo was allowed to seek his uncomfortable bed. His back was so sore
with the beating he had received that he was compelled to lie on his
side. During the night the feverish symptoms increased, and before
morning he was very sick. The padrone was forced to take some measures
for his recovery, not from motives of humanity, but because Giacomo's
death would cut off a source of daily revenue, and this, in the eyes of
the mercenary padrone, was an important consideration.

Phil went to bed in silence. Though he was suffering from the brutal
blows he had received, the thought of the punishment and suffering of
Giacomo affected him more deeply than his own. As I have said, the two
boys came from the same town in southern Italy. They had known each
other almost from infancy, and something of a fraternal feeling had
grown up between them. In Phil's case, since he was the stronger, it was
accompanied by the feeling that he should be a protector to the younger
boy, who, on his side, looked up to Phil as stronger and wiser than
himself. Though only a boy of twelve, what had happened led Phil to
think seriously of his position and prospects. He did not know for how
long his services had been sold to the padrone by his father, but he
felt sure that the letter of the contract would be little regarded as
long as his services were found profitable.

What hope, then, had he of better treatment in the future? There seemed
no prospect except of continued oppression and long days of hardship,
unless--and here the suggestion of Mr. Pomeroy occurred to him--unless
he ran away. He had known of boys doing this before. Some had been
brought back, and, of course, were punished severely for their temerity,
but others had escaped, and had never returned. What had become of them
Phil did not know, but he rightly concluded that they could not be any
worse off than in the service of the padrone. Thinking of all this, Phil
began to