Appearances are deceptive. Nicola and Jacopo both were two little boys aged 13 and 12. They were shabbily dressed. The very first time when the author met them, they were selling wild strawberries but after that they were seen shining shoes, arranging seats for the Opera, showing visitors through the town and so on. Nobody could expect such hard work from two little boys of their age. They always wore shabby clothes and ate black bread and figs. Looking at the amount they earned, they could have had much better meals and clothes. No doubt, they earned quite a lot but had to make payments for the hospital bills of their sister so they never spent anything on themselves.
