you wicked child! Do you know that an orphan is a wretched child, who
has neither father nor mother, and no home on all the earth?"

Rico's black eyes were fixed on Mrs. Menotti's face, and then seemed to
grow blacker and more black every minute; but she did not notice them.
She had ceased to think about the lad while she was giving this
explanation of an orphan to her son. The little fellow slipped quietly
and unperceived away.

When Mrs. Menotti observed his absence, she thought he had stolen away
in order not to excite Silvio further by taking leave, and she was
pleased at his thoughtfulness. Seating herself by the bedside of her
child, she said, "I want to make you understand how it is, Silvio; and
then you will stop being so naughty, I hope. It is not possible to take
a child away from any one; and, even if I took Rico from the landlady,
she would have a right to come and take you away from me. Then you would
not be able to see the garden nor the flowers any more, and would have
to sleep quite alone in the room with the harnesses where Rico dislikes
so much to sleep. Don't you remember what he has told you about that?
What would you do then?"

"Come right home again," said the child decidedly; but he was quite
still after that, and soon lay down and slept.

Rico passed through the garden, along the street, and down to the lake.
There he sat down on his favorite spot, leaned his head upon his hands,
and said, in tones of utter despair, "Now I know the truth, mother. Now
I know that I have no home,--none in the whole world."

And there he sat until late in the night, alone with his sad thoughts;