Military life in Italy : sketches - Societa italiana di storia militare

36 M1LITAR Y LIFE.
And they all moved toward the sentinel. At the distance of
about thirty paces they stopped, drew up in line, and began to
look at him out of the corner of their eyes.
The soldier stood
there, near his box, motionless and firmly, with his head erect and
his eyes fixed on those provoking faces which were ranged before
him. Suddenly, out of the group steps a ragged youth, with a hat
crushed over one ear, the stump of a cigar in his mouth, moves
forward with his
hands in his pockets, humming in a mocking
way, and comes and plants himself within fifteen paces
of the
sentinel, looking insolently into his face, crossing his arms and
assuming an attitude of defiant impertinence.
The soldier looked at him.
Then the man whirled suddenly on his heel, turned his back,
bursting into a concerted laugh with the others, who stood
watching him and urging him on by signs.
The soldier shook his head two or three times, bit his lips,
uttered a sigh, tapping the ground impatiently with his foot as
if to "
say : Ah, patience
!
patience ! it is hard to bear "
!
The rough turned, facing the soldier once more, and,
after a moment's hesitation, took from his mouth the cigar
stump and threw it at his feet, retreating eight or ten paces to
place himself beyond the reach of a sudden assault.
The soldier turned pale, raised his eyes to heaven, clinched
his fists, and ground his teeth ;
his mind was growing confused.
"Why do you do this to me ? " he then said sadly to himself,
turning his eyes and face toward those people as if he were
really speaking to them. " What have you against me ? Have
I done any thing to you ? I have done nothing. Why did I
give that boy a blow ? But why did he come and insult me ?
Who had provoked him ? Who was annoying you
? What do