"It is all, signore."
"You have not done well this afternoon, then. When I met you at
twelve o'clock you had more than a dollar."
"It was because a good signora gave me fifty cents."
The padrone, still suspicious, plunging his hands into Phil's
pockets, but in vain. He could not find another penny.
"Take off your shoes and stockings," he said, still unsatisfied.
Phil obediently removed his shoes and stockings, but no money was
found concealed, as the padrone half suspected. Sometimes these
poor boys, beset by a natural temptation, secrete a portion of
their daily earnings. Whenever they are detected, woe betide
them. The padrone makes an example of them, inflicting a cruel
punishment, in order to deter other boys from imitating them.
Having discovered nothing, he took Phil's violin, and proceeded
to Giacomo.
"Now for you," he said.
Giacomo handed over his money. The padrone was surprised in
turn, but his surprise was of a different nature. He had
expected to find him deficient, knowing that he was less
enterprising than Phil. He was glad to get more money than he
expected, but a little disappointed that he had no good excuse
for beating him; for he had one of those hard, cruel natures that
delight in inflicting pain and anguish upon others.
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