尼诺和忠狗2

Years passed in this way, and Nello and Patrasche lived together happily and safely. They were as poor and hungry as before, but they were always very happy.

　　But Patrasche became uneasy about something.

　　There were a lot of majestic old stone buildings in Antwerp. Little Nello went into one of the buildings many times, but Patrasche had to stay on the sidewalk and wait for him to come out. Once or twice Patrasche tried to follow him with his milk cart behind him in order to see what made Nello go into the building, but Patrasche was stopped by a guard in black clothes.

　　When Nello came out of the building, he was not quite himself. He always had a red or pale face. The building was a church. On those days when he went to the church, he never played. Instead, he sat silently and looked up at the evening skies beyond the line of the canal.

　　Patrasche wondered. He thought it was not good or natural for a young boy like Nello to be so serious. So he tried to keep Nello beside him in the sunny fields or in the busy market. But Nello often went to the church. When the time for the doors to close came, Nello came out. The child always put his arms around the dog's neck and kissed him on the forehead, and in a low voice he said the same words, "How I wish to see them, Patrasche! How I wish to see them!"

　　"What are they?" thought Patrasche, and looked up with his large, friendly eyes.

　　One day, when the guard was not around and the door was left open a little, Patrasche went into the church after his little friend. "They" were two large pictures which had covers on them. They were on each side of the altar. When Nello saw Patrasche, he took him gently out into the street, and his face was wet with tears. As he passed the two covered pictures, he looked up at them and said to Patrasche, "I am sorry I can't see them, Patrasche, because I'm poor. I'm sure that Rubens never thought that the poor should not see them when he painted them. I'm sure that he thought he would let us see them every day. How I wish to see the pictures!"

　　But Nello could not see them. He had to pay some money in order to see the two pictures. He was too poor. He didn't have any cash to spare.

　　Nello was born into a poor family, was treated very cruelly by fortune, and was not taught how to write. But he was given something which is called genius. No one knew it. He himself didn't know that he had genius. Only Patrasche knew it. He saw the boy draw pictures of many plants and animals with chalk on the stones. He heard the boy say his prayers to the spirit of the great artists in his little bed of hay.

　　Old Jehan Daas always said in his bed to Nello, "When you grow up, you must own this hut and this little piece of ground, and plow the land, and be called 'sir' by your neighbors."

　　But Nello said nothing. He wanted to be a painter.

The district of Flanders had great artists such as Rubens, Van Dyck and others. Something that ran in their blood was in Nello's blood, too.

　　Nello didn't dream of plowing the little land, living under the wattle roof, and being called "sir" by neighbors who were a little poorer or a little richer than Nello. He dreamed of other things. He told these dreams only to Patrasche.

　　Nello had another friend whom he could tell his dreams to. She was a girl named Alois. She lived at the old red mill on the green hill. Her father was a miller and was the richest man in the village. Little Alois was a pretty girl with soft dark eyes.

　　Little Alois was often with Nello and Patrasche. They played in the fields, they ran around in the snow, they collected daisies, they went to the gray old church together, or they often sat together by the fireside in the millhouse.

　　Little Alois was the richest child in the village. She had neither a brother nor a sister. Though she was only twelve, the people in the village said to each other that she would make a good wife. She was a simple child and loved Jehan Daas's grandson most of all her playmates.

　　Her father Cogez had a good heart, but he was somewhat severe. One day he found his little daughter sitting among the hay with the great head of Patrasche on her lap. Nello was drawing on a clean smooth board of pine wood with a piece of charcoal.

　　The miller stood looking at the picture with tears in his eyes. It was a perfect likeness of his daughter.

　　But soon he scolded the girl and roughly said, "Your mother is calling you. Can't you hear? You must not stay here."

　　Alois was afraid and began to cry, but her father made her go back home. And he turned to Nello and took the board of pine wood from Nello's hands and said, "Do you always do such foolish things?" But there was a tremble in his voice.

　　"I draw everything I see," Nello said in a low voice.

　　The miller was silent for a while. Then he said, "It's a very foolish thing, indeed. It's a waste of time, too. Nevertheless, it looks very much like Alois. Her mother will be very glad to see this picture. Will you give me the picture for this coin?" He took a franc and gave it to him.

　　Nello lifted his head and put his hands behind his back. "Keep the money and the picture, Mr. Cogez," he said. "You have been good to me." Then he called Patrasche, and went away across the field.

　　Nello didn't take the money and so he couldn't see the pictures in the church. But he said to Patrasche, "I wish to see those pictures very much, but I couldn't sell her picture for money."

　　Mr. Cogez was worried as he went into his millhouse. "We must not let that boy be with Alois so often," he said to his wife that night, "because it may invite trouble. He is fifteen now and she is twelve. And the boy is handsome."

　　"But he is good and loyal," said his wife.

　　"You are a woman, so you are a fool." The miller struck his pipe hard on the table. "That boy is no better than a beggar. And he poses as a painter─he's worse than a beggar! Take care that they will not be married in the future, or else I will send her to a convent."

　　The poor mother was surprised and promised to do as she was told. Thus Alois was kept away from her good friend.

　　日子就这样过了好几年。尼洛和帕特拉斯基快乐又安全地生活在一起。他们和以前一样贫穷而饥饿，但却总是很快乐。

　　但有件事使帕特拉斯基感到不安。

　　安特卫普市里有着很多富丽堂皇的石造古老建筑物。有很多次小尼洛走进其中一栋建筑物，但帕特拉斯基却必须留在人行道上等他出来。有一两次，帕特拉斯基拖着身后的牛奶车想跟着他进去看看是什幺东西使尼洛走进这栋建筑物，但都被一个穿黑色衣服的守卫拦住了。

　　尼洛走出那栋建筑物时，他就像变了一个人似的。他不是满脸通红就是脸色苍白。这栋建筑物是一座教堂。在那些他到这教堂的日子里，他从来都不想玩耍。相反地，他会静静地坐着，抬头望着运河那边的夜空。

　　帕特拉斯基百思不解。它认为像尼洛这样的小男孩却变得这幺严肃，是件不好或不寻常的事。所以，在阳光普照的田野或繁忙的市集里，它都会设法把尼洛留在身边。但尼洛还是时常跑去教堂。教堂要关门时，尼洛便会走出来。这小男孩总会搂着这只狗的脖子，亲吻它的前额并低声说着相同的话：『我多幺希望看它们啊！帕特拉斯基，我多幺希望看它们啊！』

　　『它们是什幺东西？』帕特拉斯基边心想，边睁着友善的大眼抬头望着。

　　有一天，当守卫不在而门也打开一点点时，帕特拉斯基跟在它的小朋友后面跑进教堂里去。『它们』是两幅有东西遮着的巨大图画。它们挂在圣坛的两边。当尼洛看到帕特拉斯基时，他就轻柔地把它带到外面街上，而他的脸庞则被泪水沾湿了。在他经过那两幅遮住的图画时，他抬头望着它们并对帕特拉斯基说：『我很难过我看不到它们，帕特拉斯基，因为我很穷。我敢说大画家鲁宾斯画这些画时，绝不会认为穷人不可以来看它们。我敢说他会想让我们每天都看它们。我多幺希望看到这些画啊！』

　　但尼洛无法看到它们。他必须付一些钱才能看到这两幅画。他太穷了，根本不能省下任何多余的现金。

　　尼洛生在一个贫穷的家庭，被命运无情地摆布着，也没人教他写过字。但他生来就有着所谓的天份。没有人知道这点，他自己也不知道他有天份。只有帕特拉斯基知道。它看过这男孩用粉笔在石头上画很多植物和动物的图案，也听过他在稻草铺的小床上对那些伟大艺术家的灵魂所作的祷告。

　　老耶汉‧达斯总是躺在他的床上对尼洛说：『等你长大时，你必须拥有这间茅屋和这一小块土地，并耕作它，让邻居们叫你「先生」。』

　　但尼洛沉默不语。他要当一位画家。

　　法兰德斯地区出过诸如鲁宾斯、范代克和其它伟大的艺术家。他们血液中流着的东西在尼洛的血液中也有。

　　尼洛没有想过要耕作那一小块土地，生活在茅草屋顶下，并被稍微比自己贫穷或富有的邻居们称做『先生』。他梦想着其它的事情。他只对帕特拉斯基诉说这些梦想。

　　尼洛还有一个可以倾诉梦想的朋友。她是一个名叫爱露薏丝的女孩。她住在翠绿山丘上的老旧红磨坊里。她父亲是个磨坊主人，是村子里最富有的人。小爱露薏丝是个有一双柔和又乌溜溜眼睛的美丽女孩。

　　小爱露薏丝经常跟尼洛和帕特拉斯基在一起。他们在田野里玩耍，在雪地中四处奔跑；他们采野菊，一起到那间灰色的老教堂，或者时常一起坐在磨坊的火炉旁。

　　小露薏丝是村子里最有钱的小孩。她没有兄弟姐妹。虽然她只有十二岁，但村民们在交谈时都说她将来会是个好太太。她是个单纯的孩子，而在所有玩伴当中，她最喜爱耶汉‧达斯的孙子。

　　她的父亲寇盖兹心地不错，但有点严厉。有一天，他看见他女儿坐在干草堆里，膝上还抱着帕特拉斯基巨大的头。尼洛则正用一根炭笔在一块平滑的松木板上作画。

　　这磨坊主人站着看那幅画，他的眼眶中含着泪水。那张画和他女儿真是像极了。

　　不过很快地，他便斥责女儿并粗暴地说：『你妈妈在叫你，你没听见吗？你不可以待在这里。』

　　爱露薏丝很害怕并开始哭了起来，但她父亲仍把她赶回家去。他转向尼洛，把他手中的那块松木板抢过来并且说：『你经常做这种傻事吗？』但他的声音却带着颤抖。

　　『我画我看到的每一件事物，』尼洛低声地说。

　　磨坊主人沈默了一会儿，然后说：『作画实在是一件很愚蠢的事，而且也是在浪费时间。不过，这张画看起来非常像爱露薏丝。她母亲看到这幅画一定会很高兴。我出这枚硬币，你愿意把这幅画给我吗？』他拿出一法朗要给他。

　　尼洛抬起头并把双手放到背后。『把钱和这幅画都留着吧，寇盖兹先生，』他说。『您一直都对我很好。』然后他呼唤帕特拉斯基，穿过田野离开。

　　尼洛没有收下那个钱，所以他不能去看教堂里的那两幅画。但他对帕特拉斯基说：『我非常想去看那两幅画，但我不能用她的画像去卖钱。』

寇盖兹先生回到他的磨坊时很担心。『我们不能让那个男孩这幺常和爱露薏丝在一起，』当晚他对太太说，『因为那样可能会带来麻烦。他现在十五岁而她十二岁。而且他还很英俊。』

　　『可是他人很好又忠实，』他太太说。

　　『你是个女人家，所以你是个傻子。』这磨坊主人用他的烟斗重重地敲着桌子。『那个男孩比乞丐好不到那儿去。而他竟摆出画家的姿态──他比乞丐还糟！要注意将来别让他们两个结婚，否则，我会把她送到女修道院去。』

　　那可怜的母亲吃了一惊，答应照吩咐去做。就这样，爱露薏丝和她的好朋友被分开了。