i, seized him by the legs, lifted him on
high, and set out to carry him in triumph, shouting, "Hurrah for the
Deputy of Calabria!" by way of making a noise, of course; and not in
jest, but quite the contrary, for the sake of making a celebration for
him, and with a good will, for he is a boy who pleases every one; and he
smiled. And thus we bore him as far as the corner, where we ran into a
gentleman with a black beard, who began to laugh. The Calabrian said,
"That is my father." And then the boys placed his son in his arms and
ran away in all directions.

THE DISTRIBUTION OF PRIZES.

March 14th.

Towards two o'clock the vast theatre was crowded,--pit, gallery, boxes,
stage, all were thronged; thousands of faces,--boys, gentlemen,
teachers, workingmen, women of the people, babies. There was a moving of
heads and hands, a flutter of feathers, ribbons, and curls, and loud and
merry murmur which inspired cheerfulness. The theatre was all decorated
with festoons of white, red, and green cloth. In the pit two little
stairways had been erected: one on the right, which the winners of
prizes were to ascend in order to reach the stage; the other, on the
left, which they were to descend after receiving their prizes. On the
front of the platform there was a row of red chairs; and from the back
of the one in the centre hung two laurel crowns. At the back of the
stage was a trophy of flags; on one side stood a small green table, and
upon it lay all the certificates of premiums, tied with tricolored
ribbons. The band of music was stationed in the pit, under the stage;
the schoolmasters and mistresses filled all one side of the first
balcony, which had been reserved for them; the benches and passages of
the pit were crammed with hundreds of boys, who were to sing, and who
had written music in their hands. At the back and all about, masters and
mistresses could be seen going to and fro, arranging the prize scholars
in lines; and it was full of parents who were giving a last touch to
their hair and the last pull to their neckties.

[Illustration: "HURRAH FOR THE DEPUTY OF CALABRIA!"--Page 166.]

No sooner had I entered my box with my family than I perceived in the
opposite box the young mistress with the red feather, who was smiling
and showing all the pretty dimples in her cheeks, and with her my
brother's teacher and "the little nun," dressed wholly in black, and my
kind mistress of the upper first; but she was so pale,