When their mother caught them at this pursuit, she began in Levin's presence to impress on them how much trouble what they were wasting had cost grown-up people, that that trouble had been taken for them, that if they broke cups they would not have anything to drink tea out of, and if they spilt milk they would not have anything to eat and would die of hunger.
La madre, coltili sul fatto, in presenza di Levin aveva cominciato a predicare loro quanta fatica costasse ai grandi quello che loro distruggevano, e che questa fatica si faceva per loro, che se avessero rotto le tazze, non avrebbero avuto dove bere il tè, e se avessero versato il latte, non avrebbero avuto nulla da mangiare e sarebbero morti di fame.