at a run, and remained
standing there in line, with a smile. The whole theatre, three thousand
persons, sprang up simultaneously, breaking into applause which sounded
like a clap of thunder. The boys stood for a moment as though
disconcerted. "Behold Italy!" said a voice on the stage. All at once I
recognized Coraci, the Calabrian, dressed in black as usual. A gentleman
belonging to the municipal government, who was with us and who knew them
all, pointed them out to my mother. "That little blond is the
representative of Venice. The Roman is that tall, curly-haired lad,
yonder." Two or three of them were dressed like gentlemen; the others
were sons of workingmen, but all were neatly clad and clean. The
Florentine, who was the smallest, had a blue scarf round his body. They
all passed in front of the mayor, who kissed them, one after the other,
on the brow, while a gentleman seated next to him smilingly told him the
names of their cities: "Florence, Naples, Bologna, Palermo." And as each
passed by, the whole theatre clapped. Then they all ran to the green
table, to take the certificates. The master began to read the list,
mentioning the schoolhouses, the classes, the names; and the
prize-winners began to mount the stage and to file past.

The foremost ones had hardly reached the stage, when behind the scenes
there became audible a very, very faint music of violins, which did not
cease during the whole time that they were filing past--a soft and
always even air, like the murmur of many subdued voices, the voices of
all the mothers, and all the masters and mistresses, giving counsel in
concert, and beseeching and administering loving reproofs. And
meanwhile, the prize-winners passed one by one in front of the seated
gentlemen, who handed them their certificates, and said a word or
bestowed a caress on each.

The boys in the pit and the balconies applauded loudly every time that
there passed a very small lad, or one who seemed, from his garments, to
be poor; and also for those who had abundant curly hair, or who were
clad in red or white. Some of those who filed past belonged to the upper
primary, and once arrived there, they became confused and did not know
where to turn, and the whole theatre laughed. One passed, three spans
high, with a big knot of pink ribbon on his back, so that he could
hardly walk, and he got entangled in the carpet and tumbled down; and
the prefect set him on his feet again, and all laughed and clap