Produced by Mark C. Orton, Melissa Er-Raqabi and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net. PINOCCHIO THE TALE OF A PUPPET By C COLLODI [Illustration: "HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO GO IN?"] [Illustration] PINOCCHIO THE TALE OF A PUPPET By C COLLODI Illustrated By ALICE CARSEY WHITMAN PUBLISHING CO. RACINE, WISCONSIN COPYRIGHT 1916 BY WHITMAN PUBLISHING CO. RACINE, WISCONSIN PRINTED IN U.S.A. Transcriber's Note: The untitled illustration on page 26 was not listed in the List of Illustrations of the source book. In several cases, missing punctuation was added or wrong punctuation removed. The following typos were fixed: thouand to thousand Harelquin to Harlequin pretrified to petrified CONTENTS Chap. Page I THE PIECE OF WOOD THAT LAUGHED AND CRIED LIKE A CHILD 9 II MASTER CHERRY GIVES THE WOOD AWAY 12 III GEPPETTO NAMES HIS PUPPET PINOCCHIO 16 IV THE TALKING-CRICKET SCOLDS PINOCCHIO 23 V THE FLYING EGG 26 VI PINOCCHIO'S FEET BURN TO CINDERS 29 VII GEPPETTO GIVES HIS OWN BREAKFAST TO PINOCCHIO 31 VIII GEPPETTO MAKES PINOCCHIO NEW FEET 35 IX PINOCCHIO GOES TO SEE A PUPPET-SHOW 39 X THE PUPPETS RECOGNIZE THEIR BROTHER PINOCCHIO 42 XI FIRE-EATER SNEEZES AND PARDONS PINOCCHIO 45 XII PINOCCHIO RECEIVES A PRESENT OF FIVE GOLD PIECES 49 XIII THE INN OF THE RED CRAW-FISH 57 XIV PINOCCHIO FALLS AMONG ASSASSINS 61 XV THE ASSASSINS HANG PINOCCHIO TO THE BIG OAK 65 XVI THE BEAUTIFUL CHILD RESCUES THE PUPPET 71 XVII PINOCCHIO WILL NOT TAKE HIS MEDICINE 75 XVIII PINOCCHIO AGAIN MEETS THE FOX AND THE CAT 81 XIX PINOCCHIO IS ROBBED OF HIS MONEY 87 XX PINOCCHIO STARTS BACK TO THE FAIRY'S HOUSE 91 XXI PINOCCHIO ACTS AS WATCH-DOG 94 XXII PINOCCHIO DISCOVERS THE ROBBERS 97 XXIII PINOCCHIO FLIES TO THE SEASHORE 101 XXIV PINOCCHIO FINDS THE FAIRY AGAIN 109 XXV PINOCCHIO PROMISES THE FAIRY TO BE GOOD 116 XXVI THE TERRIBLE DOG-FISH 120 XXVII PINOCCHIO IS ARRESTED BY THE GENDARMES 126 XXVIII PINOCCHIO ESCAPES BEING FRIED LIKE A FISH 133 XXIX HE RETURNS TO THE FAIRY'S HOUSE 139 XXX THE "LAND OF BOOBIES" 147 XXXI PINOCCHIO ENJOYS FIVE MONTHS OF HAPPINESS 153 XXXII PINOCCHIO TURNS INTO A DONKEY 160 XXXIII PINOCCHIO IS TRAINED FOR THE CIRCUS 167 XXXIV PINOCCHIO IS SWALLOWED BY THE DOG-FISH 178 XXXV A HAPPY SURPRISE FOR PINOCCHIO 186 XXXVI PINOCCHIO AT LAST CEASES TO BE A PUPPET AND BECOMES A BOY 194 LINE ILLUSTRATIONS DECORATIVE TITLE PAGE 1 THE RUNAWAY PUPPET 9 GEPPETTO CARRIED OFF HIS FINE PIECE OF WOOD 12 HE SET TO WORK TO CUT OUT HIS PUPPET 16 A LITTLE CHICKEN POPPED OUT 17 PINOCCHIO THREW HIS HAMMER AT THE TALKING-CRICKET 23 UNTITLED 26 POOR PINOCCHIO'S FEET BURN TO CINDERS 29 GEPPETTO MAKES HIS PUPPET SOME CLOTHES 35 THE PUPPETS BEGAN TO DANCE MERRILY 45 PINOCCHIO MEETS THE CAT AND THE FOX 49 SPLASH! SPLASH! THEY FELL INTO THE DITCH 52 DINNER AT THE RED CRAW-FISH INN 57 PINOCCHIO ESCAPES FROM HIS ASSASSINS 61 THEY HUNG PINOCCHIO TO THE BIG OAK TREE 65 FOUR RABBITS AS BLACK AS INK ENTERED 69 THE FALCON SAVES PINOCCHIO 71 PINOCCHIO REFUSES TO TAKE HIS MEDICINE 75 TREACHEROUS COMPANIONS 81 THE JUDGE WAS A BIG APE 87 PINOCCHIO GETS HIS FOOT CAUGHT IN A TRAP 94 THE NEW WATCH-DOG 97 PINOCCHIO'S WILD RIDE ON THE PIGEON'S BACK 101 AN IMMENSE SERPENT STRETCHED ACROSS THE ROAD 104 PINOCCHIO BRAVES THE SEA TO SAVE HIS FATHER 109 "SCHOOL GIVES ME PAIN ALL OVER THE BODY" 116 PINOCCHIO STARTS OFF HAPPILY FOR SCHOOL 120 "OH, I AM SICK OF BEING A PUPPET!" 121 THE BOYS THREW THEIR BOOKS AT POOR PINOCCHIO 126 THE FISHERMAN PUT HIS HAND INTO THE NET 133 THE DOG SEIZES PINOCCHIO AND ESCAPES 139 "HERE IS THE COACH!" SHOUTED CANDLEWICK 147 THEY ARRIVE IN THE "LAND OF THE BOOBIES" 153 THE BOYS ARE TURNED INTO DONKEYS 160 THE LITTLE DONKEYS ARE SOLD 167 ALL HIS FRIENDS WERE INVITED 172 THE PUPPET WAS WRIGGLING LIKE AN EEL 178 SWALLOWED BY THE DOG-FISH 186 IT WOULD BE MORE COMFORTABLE ON THE TUNNY'S BACK 189 THE BLIND CAT AND THE TAILLESS FOX 194 [Illustration] PINOCCHIO CHAPTER I THE PIECE OF WOOD THAT LAUGHED AND CRIED LIKE A CHILD There was once upon a time a piece of wood in the shop of an old carpenter named Master Antonio. Everybody, however, called him Master Cherry, on account of the end of his nose, which was always as red and polished as a ripe cherry. No sooner had Master Cherry set eyes on the piece of wood than his face beamed with delight, and, rubbing his hands together with satisfaction, he said softly to himself: "This wood has come at the right moment; it will just do to make the leg of a little table." He immediately took a sharp axe with which to remove the bark and the rough surface, but just as he was going to give the first stroke he heard a very small voice say imploringly, "Do not strike me so hard!" He turned his terrified eyes all around the room to try and discover where the little voice could possibly have come from, but he saw nobody! He looked under the bench--nobody; he looked into a cupboard that was always shut--nobody; he looked into a basket of shavings and sawdust--nobody; he even opened the door of the shop and gave a glance into the street--and still nobody. Who, then, could it be? "I see how it is," he said, laughing and scratching his wig, "evidently that little voice was all my imagination. Let us set to work again." And, taking up the axe, he struck a tremendous blow on the piece of wood. "Oh! oh! you have hurt me!" cried the same little voice dolefully. This time Master Cherry was petrified. His eyes started out of his head with fright, his mouth remained open, and his tongue hung out almost to the end of his chin, like a mask on a fountain. As soon as he had recovered the use of his speech he began to say, stuttering and trembling with fear: "But where on earth can that little voice have come from that said 'Oh! oh!'? Is it possible that this piece of wood can have learned to cry and to lament like a child? I cannot believe it. This piece of wood is nothing but a log for fuel like all the others, and thrown on the fire it would about suffice to boil a saucepan of beans. How then? Can anyone be hidden inside it? If anyone is hidden inside, so much the worse for him. I will settle him at once." So saying, he seized the poor piece of wood and commenced beating it without mercy against the walls of the room. Then he stopped to listen if he could hear any little voice lamenting. He waited two minutes--nothing; five minutes--nothing; ten minutes--still nothing! "I see how it is," he then said, forcing himself to laugh, and pushing up his wig; "evidently the little voice that said 'Oh! oh!' was all my imagination! Let us set to work again." Putting the axe aside, he took his plane, to plane and polish the bit of wood; but whilst he was running it up and down he heard the same little voice say, laughing: "Stop! you are tickling me all over!" This time poor Master Cherry fell down as if he had been struck by lightning. When he at last opened his eyes he found himself seated on the floor. His face was changed, even the end of his nose, instead of being crimson, as it was nearly always, had become blue from fright. [Illustration] CHAPTER II MASTER CHERRY GIVES THE WOOD AWAY At that moment some one knocked at the door. "Come in," said the carpenter, without having the strength to rise to his feet. A lively little old man immediately walked into the shop. His name was Geppetto, but when the boys of the neighborhood wished to make him angry they called him Pudding, because his yellow wig greatly resembled a pudding made of Indian corn. Geppetto was very fiery. Woe to him who called him Pudding! He became furious and there was no holding him. "Good-day, Master Antonio," said Geppetto; "what are you doing there on the floor?" "I am teaching the alphabet to the ants." "Much good may that do you." "What has brought you to me, neighbor Geppetto?" "My legs. But to tell the truth. Master Antonio, I came to ask a favor of you." "Here I am, ready to serve you," replied the carpenter, getting on his knees. "This morning an idea came into my head." "Let us hear it." "I thought I would make a beautiful wooden puppet; one that could dance, fence, and leap like an acrobat. With this puppet I would travel about the world to earn a piece of bread and a glass of wine. What do you think of it?" "Bravo, Pudding!" exclaimed the same little voice, and it was impossible to say where it came from. Hearing himself called Pudding, Geppetto became as red as a turkey-cock from rage and, turning to the carpenter, he said in a fury: "Why do you insult me?" "Who insults you?" "You called me Pudding!" "It was not I!" "Do you think I called myself Pudding? It was you, I say!" "No!" "Yes!" "No!" "Yes!" And, becoming more and more angry, from words they came to blows, and, flying at each other, they bit and fought, and scratched. When the fight was over Master Antonio was in possession of Geppetto's yellow wig, and Geppetto discovered that the grey wig belonging to the carpenter remained between his teeth. "Give me back my wig," screamed Master Antonio. "And you, return me mine, and let us be friends again." The two old men having each recovered his own wig, shook hands and swore that they would remain friends to the end of their lives. "Well, then, neighbor Geppetto," said the carpenter, to prove that peace was made, "what is the favor that you wish of me?" "I want a little wood to make my puppet; will you give me some?" Master Antonio was delighted, and he immediately went to the bench and fetched the piece of wood that had caused him so much fear. But just as he was going to give it to his friend the piece of wood gave a shake and, wriggling violently out of his hands, struck with all of its force against the dried-up shins of poor Geppetto. "Ah! is that the courteous way in which you make your presents, Master Antonio? You have almost lamed me!" "I swear to you that it was not I!" "Then you would have it that it was I?" "The wood is entirely to blame!" "I know that it was the wood; but it was you that hit my legs with it!" "I did not hit you with it!" "Liar!" "Geppetto, don't insult me or I will call you Pudding!" "Knave!" "Pudding!" "Donkey!" "Pudding!" "Baboon!" "Pudding!" On hearing himself called Pudding for the third time Geppetto, mad with rage, fell upon the carpenter and they fought desperately. When the battle was over, Master Antonio had two more scratches on his nose, and his adversary had lost two buttons off his waistcoat. Their accounts being thus squared, they shook hands and swore to remain good friends for the rest of their lives. Geppetto carried off his fine piece of wood and, thanking Master Antonio, returned limping to his house. [Illustration] CHAPTER III GEPPETTO NAMES HIS PUPPET PINOCCHIO Geppetto lived in a small ground-floor room that was only lighted from the staircase. The furniture could not have been simpler--a rickety chair, a poor bed, and a broken-down table. At the end of the room there was a fireplace with a lighted fire; but the fire was painted, and by the fire was a painted saucepan that was boiling cheerfully and sending out a cloud of smoke that looked exactly like real smoke. As soon as he reached home Geppetto took his tools and set to work to cut out and model his puppet. [Illustration: A Little Chicken Popped Out, Very Gay and Polite] "What name shall I give him?" he said to himself; "I think I will call him Pinocchio. It is a name that will bring him luck. I once knew a whole family so called. There was Pinocchio the father, Pinocchia the mother, and Pinocchi the children, and all of them did well. The richest of them was a beggar." Having found a name for his puppet he began to work in good earnest, and he first made his hair, then his forehead, and then his eyes. The eyes being finished, imagine his astonishment when he perceived that they moved and looked fixedly at him. Geppetto, seeing himself stared at by those two wooden eyes, said in an angry voice: "Wicked wooden eyes, why do you look at me?" No one answered. He then proceeded to carve the nose, but no sooner had he made it than it began to grow. And it grew, and grew, and grew, until in a few minutes it had become an immense nose that seemed as if it would never end. Poor Geppetto tired himself out with cutting it off, but the more he cut and shortened it, the longer did that impertinent nose become! The mouth was not even completed when it began to laugh and deride him. "Stop laughing!" said Geppetto, provoked; but he might as well have spoken to the wall. "Stop laughing, I say!" he roared in a threatening tone. The mouth then ceased laughing, but put out its tongue as far as it would go. Geppetto, not to spoil his handiwork, pretended not to see and continued his labors. After the mouth he fashioned the chin, then the throat, then the shoulders, the stomach, the arms and the hands. The hands were scarcely finished when Geppetto felt his wig snatched from his head. He turned round, and what did he see? He saw his yellow wig in the puppet's hand. "Pinocchio! Give me back my wig instantly!" But Pinocchio, instead of returning it, put it on his own head and was in consequence nearly smothered. Geppetto at this insolent and derisive behavior felt sadder and more melancholy than he had ever been in his life before; and, turning to Pinocchio, he said to him: "You young rascal! You are not yet completed and you are already beginning to show want of respect to your father! That is bad, my boy, very bad!" And he dried a tear. The legs and the feet remained to be done. When Geppetto had finished the feet he received a kick on the point of his nose. "I deserve it!" he said to himself; "I should have thought of it sooner! Now it is too late!" He then took the puppet under the arms and placed him on the floor to teach him to walk. Pinocchio's legs were stiff and he could not move, but Geppetto led him by the hand and showed him how to put one foot before the other. When his legs became limber Pinocchio began to walk by himself and to run about the room, until, having gone out of the house door, he jumped into the street and escaped. Poor Geppetto rushed after him but was not able to overtake him, for that rascal Pinocchio leaped in front of him like a hare and knocking his wooden feet together against the pavement made as much clatter as twenty pairs of peasants' clogs. "Stop him! stop him!" shouted Geppetto; but the people in the street, seeing a wooden puppet running like a race-horse, stood still in astonishment to look at it, and laughed and laughed. At last, as good luck would have it, a soldier arrived who, hearing the uproar, imagined that a colt had escaped from his master. Planting himself courageously with his legs apart in the middle of the road, he waited with the determined purpose of stopping him and thus preventing the chance of worse disasters. When Pinocchio, still at some distance, saw the soldier barricading the whole street, he endeavored to take him by surprise and to pass between his legs. But he failed entirely. The soldier without disturbing himself in the least caught him cleverly by the nose and gave him to Geppetto. Wishing to punish him, Geppetto intended to pull his ears at once. But imagine his feelings when he could not succeed in finding them. And do you know the reason? In his hurry to model him he had forgotten to make any ears. He then took him by the collar and as he was leading him away he said to him, shaking his head threateningly: "We will go home at once, and as soon as we arrive we will settle our accounts, never doubt it." At this information Pinocchio threw himself on the ground and would not take another step. In the meanwhile a crowd of idlers and inquisitive people began to assemble and to make a ring around them. Some of them said one thing, some another. "Poor puppet!" said several, "he is right not to wish to return home! Who knows how Geppetto, that bad old man, will beat him!" And the others added maliciously: "Geppetto seems a good man! but with boys he is a regular tyrant! If that poor puppet is left in his hands he is quite capable of tearing him in pieces!" It ended in so much being said and done that the soldier at last set Pinocchio at liberty and led Geppetto to prison. The poor man, not being ready with words to defend himself, cried like a calf and as he was being led away to prison sobbed out: "Wretched boy! And to think how I labored to make him a well-conducted puppet! But it serves me right! I should have thought of it sooner!" [Illustration] CHAPTER IV THE TALKING-CRICKET SCOLDS PINOCCHIO While poor Geppetto was being taken to prison for no fault of his, that imp Pinocchio, finding himself free from the clutches of the soldier, ran off as fast as his legs could carry him. That he might reach home the quicker he rushed across the fields, and in his mad hurry he jumped high banks, thorn hedges and ditches full of water. Arriving at the house he found the street door ajar. He pushed it open, went in, and having fastened the latch, threw himself on the floor and gave a great sigh of satisfaction. But soon he heard some one in the room who was saying: "Cri-cri-cri!" "Who calls me?" said Pinocchio in a fright. "It is I!" Pinocchio turned round and saw a big cricket crawling slowly up the wall. "Tell me, Cricket, who may you be?" "I am the Talking-Cricket, and I have lived in this room a hundred years or more." "Now, however, this room is mine," said the puppet, "and if you would do me a pleasure go away at once, without even turning round." "I will not go," answered the Cricket, "until I have told you a great truth." "Tell it me, then, and be quick about it." "Woe to those boys who rebel against their parents and run away from home. They will never come to any good in the world, and sooner or later they will repent bitterly." "Sing away, Cricket, as you please, and as long as you please. For me, I have made up my mind to run away tomorrow at daybreak, because if I remain I shall not escape the fate of all other boys; I shall be sent to school and shall be made to study either by love or by force. To tell you in confidence, I have no wish to learn; it is much more amusing to run after butterflies, or to climb trees and to take the young birds out of their nests." "Poor little goose! But do you not know that in that way you will grow up a perfect donkey, and that every one will make fun of you?" "Hold your tongue, you wicked, ill-omened croaker!" shouted Pinocchio. But the Cricket, who was patient and philosophical, instead of becoming angry at this impertinence, continued in the same tone: "But if you do not wish to go to school why not at least learn a trade, if only to enable you to earn honestly a piece of bread!" "Do you want me to tell you?" replied Pinocchio, who was beginning to lose patience. "Amongst all the trades in the world there is only one that really takes my fancy." "And that trade--what is it?" "It is to eat, drink, sleep and amuse myself, and to lead a vagabond life from morning to night." "As a rule," said the Talking-Cricket, "all those who follow that trade end almost always either in a hospital or in prison." "Take care, you wicked, ill-omened croaker! Woe to you if I fly into a passion!" "Poor Pinocchio! I really pity you!" "Why do you pity me?" "Because you are a puppet and, what is worse, because you have a wooden head." At these last words Pinocchio jumped up in a rage and, snatching a wooden hammer from the bench, he threw it at the Talking-Cricket. Perhaps he never meant to hit him, but unfortunately it struck him exactly on the head, so that the poor Cricket had scarcely breath to cry "Cri-cri-cri!" and then he remained dried up and flattened against the wall. [Illustration] CHAPTER V THE FLYING EGG Night was coming on and Pinocchio, remembering that he had eaten nothing all day, began to feel a gnawing in his stomach that very much resembled appetite. After a few minutes his appetite had become hunger and in no time his hunger became ravenous. Poor Pinocchio ran quickly to the fireplace, where a saucepan was boiling, and was going to take off the lid to see what was in it, but the saucepan was only painted on the wall. You can imagine his feelings. His nose, which was already long, became longer by at least three inches. He then began to run about the room, searching in the drawers and in every imaginable place, in hopes of finding a bit of bread. If it was only a bit of dry bread, a crust, a bone left by a dog, a little moldy pudding of Indian corn, a fish bone, a cherry stone--in fact, anything that he could gnaw. But he could find nothing, nothing at all, absolutely nothing. And in the meanwhile his hunger grew and grew. Poor Pinocchio had no other relief than yawning, and his yawns were so tremendous that sometimes his mouth almost reached his ears. And after he had yawned he spluttered and felt as if he were going to faint. Then he began to cry desperately, and he said: "The Talking-Cricket was right. I did wrong to rebel against my papa and to run away from home. If my papa were here I should not now be dying of yawning! Oh! what a dreadful illness hunger is!" Just then he thought he saw something in the dust-heap--something round and white that looked like a hen's egg. To give a spring and seize hold of it was the affair of a moment. It was indeed an egg. Pinocchio's joy was beyond description. Almost believing it must be a dream he kept turning the egg over in his hands, feeling it and kissing it. And as he kissed it he said: "And now, how shall I cook it? Shall I make an omelet? No, it would be better to cook it in a saucer! Or would it not be more savory to fry it in the frying-pan? Or shall I simply boil it? No, the quickest way of all is to cook it in a saucer: I am in such a hurry to eat it!" Without loss of time he placed an earthenware saucer on a brazier full of red-hot embers. Into the saucer instead of oil or butter he poured a little water; and when the water began to smoke, tac! he broke the egg-shell over it and let the contents drop in. But, instead of the white and the yolk a little chicken popped out very gay and polite. Making a beautiful courtesy it said to him: "A thousand thanks, Master Pinocchio, for saving me the trouble of breaking the shell. Adieu until we meet again. Keep well, and my best compliments to all at home!" Thus saying, it spread its wings, darted through the open window and, flying away, was lost to sight. The poor puppet stood as if he had been bewitched, with his eyes fixed, his mouth open, and the egg-shell in his hand. Recovering, however, from his first stupefaction, he began to cry and scream, and to stamp his feet on the floor in desperation, and amidst his sobs he said: "Ah, indeed, the Talking-Cricket was right. If I had not run away from home, and if my papa were here, I should not now be dying of hunger! Oh! what a dreadful illness hunger is!" And, as his stomach cried out more than ever and he did not know how to quiet it, he thought he would leave the house and make an excursion in the neighborhood in hopes of finding some charitable person who would give him a piece of bread. [Illustration] CHAPTER VI PINOCCHIO'S FEET BURN TO CINDERS It was a wild and stormy night. The thunder was tremendous and the lightning so vivid that the sky seemed on fire. Pinocchio had a great fear of thunder, but hunger was stronger than fear. He therefore closed the house door and made a rush for the village, which he reached in a hundred bounds, with his tongue hanging out and panting for breath like a dog after game. But he found it all dark and deserted. The shops were closed, the windows shut, and there was not so much as a dog in the street. It seemed the land of the dead. Pinocchio, urged by desperation and hunger, took hold of the bell of a house and began to ring it with all his might, saying to himself: "That will bring somebody." And so it did. A little old man appeared at a window with a night-cap on his head and called to him angrily: "What do you want at such an hour?" "Would you be kind enough to give me a little bread?" "Wait there, I will be back directly," said the little old man, thinking it was one of those rascally boys who amuse themselves at night by ringing the house-bells to rouse respectable people who are sleeping quietly. After half a minute the window was again opened and the voice of the same little old man shouted to Pinocchio: "Come underneath and hold out your cap." Pinocchio pulled off his cap; but, just as he held it out, an enormous basin of water was poured down on him, soaking him from head to foot as if he had been a pot of dried-up geraniums. He returned home like a wet chicken, quite exhausted with fatigue and hunger; and, having no longer strength to stand, he sat down and rested his damp and muddy feet on a brazier full of burning embers. And then he fell asleep, and whilst he slept his feet, which were wooden, took fire, and little by little they burnt away and became cinders. Pinocchio continued to sleep and to snore as if his feet belonged to some one else. At last about daybreak he awoke because some one was knocking at the door. "Who is there?" he asked, yawning and rubbing his eyes. "It is I!" answered a voice. And Pinocchio recognized Geppetto's voice. CHAPTER VII GEPPETTO GIVES HIS OWN BREAKFAST TO PINOCCHIO Poor Pinocchio, whose eyes were still half shut from sleep, had not as yet discovered that his feet were burnt off. The moment, therefore, that he heard his father's voice he slipped off his stool to run and open the door; but, after stumbling two or three times, he fell his whole length on the floor. And the noise he made in falling was as if a sack of wooden ladles had been thrown from a fifth story. "Open the door!" shouted Geppetto from the street. "Dear papa, I cannot," answered the puppet, crying and rolling about on the ground. "Why can't you?" "Because my feet have been eaten." "And who has eaten your feet?" "The cat," said Pinocchio, seeing the cat, who was amusing herself by making some shavings dance with her forepaws. "Open the door, I tell you!" repeated Geppetto. "If you don't, when I get into the house you shall have the cat from me!" "I cannot stand up, believe me. Oh, poor me! poor me! I shall have to walk on my knees for the rest of my life!" Geppetto, believing that all this lamentation was only another of the puppet's tricks, thought of a means of putting an end to it, and, climbing up the wall, he got in at the window. He was very angry and at first he did nothing but scold; but when he saw his Pinocchio lying on the ground and really without feet he was quite overcome. He took him in his arms and began to kiss and caress him, and to say a thousand endearing things to him, and as the big tears ran down his cheeks he said, sobbing: "My little Pinocchio! how did you manage to burn your feet?" "I don't know, papa, but it has been such a dreadful night that I shall remember it as long as I live. It thundered and lightened, and I was very hungry, and then the Talking-Cricket said to me: 'It serves you right; you have been wicked and you deserve it,' and I said to him: 'Take care, Cricket!' and he said: 'You are a puppet and you have a wooden head,' and I threw the handle of a hammer at him, and he died, but the fault was his, for I didn't wish to kill him, and the proof of it is that I put an earthenware saucer on a brazier of burning embers, but a chicken flew out and said: 'Adieu until we meet again, and many compliments to all at home': and I got still more hungry, for which reason that little old man in a night-cap, opening the window, said to me: 'Come underneath and hold out your hat,' and poured a basinful of water on my head, because asking for a little bread isn't a disgrace, is it? and I returned home at once, and because I was always very hungry I put my feet on the brazier to dry them, and then you returned, and I found they were burnt off, and I am always hungry, but I have no longer any feet! Oh! oh! oh! oh!" And poor Pinocchio began to cry and to roar so loudly that he was heard five miles off. Geppetto, who from all this jumbled account had only understood one thing, which was that the puppet was dying of hunger, drew from his pocket three pears and, giving them to him, said: "These three pears were intended for my breakfast, but I will give them to you willingly. Eat them, and I hope they will do you good." "If you wish me to eat them, be kind enough to peel them for me." "Peel them?" said Geppetto, astonished. "I should never have thought, my boy, that you were so dainty and fastidious. That is bad! In this world we should accustom ourselves from childhood to like and to eat everything, for there is no saying to what we may be brought. There are so many chances!" "You are no doubt right," interrupted Pinocchio, "but I will never eat fruit that has not been peeled. I cannot bear rind." So good Geppetto peeled the three pears and put the rind on a corner of the table. Having eaten the first pear in two mouthfuls, Pinocchio was about to throw away the core, but Geppetto caught hold of his arm and said to him: "Do not throw it away; in this world everything may be of use." "But core I am determined I will not eat," shouted the puppet, turning upon him like a viper. "Who knows! there are so many chances!" repeated Geppetto, without losing his temper. And so the three cores, instead of being thrown out of the window, were placed on the corner of the table, together with the three rinds. Having eaten, or rather having devoured the three pears, Pinocchio yawned tremendously, and then said in a fretful tone: "I am as hungry as ever!" "But, my boy, I have nothing more to give you!" "Nothing, really nothing?" "I have only the rind and the cores of the three pears." "One must have patience!" said Pinocchio; "if there is nothing else I will eat a rind." And he began to chew it. At first he made a wry face, but then one after another he quickly disposed of the rinds: and after the rinds even the cores, and when he had eaten up everything he clapped his hands on his sides in his satisfaction and said joyfully: "Ah! now I feel comfortable." "You see, now," observed Geppetto, "that I was right when I said to you that it did not do to accustom ourselves to be too particular or too dainty in our tastes. We can never know, my dear boy, what may happen to us. There are so many chances!" [Illustration] CHAPTER VIII GEPPETTO MAKES PINOCCHIO NEW FEET No sooner had the puppet satisfied his hunger than he began to cry and to grumble because he wanted a pair of new feet. But Geppetto, to punish him for his naughtiness, allowed him to cry and to despair for half the day. He then said to him: "Why should I make you new feet? To enable you, perhaps, to escape again from home?" "I promise you," said the puppet, sobbing, "that for the future I will be good." "All boys," replied Geppetto, "when they are bent upon obtaining something, say the same thing." "I promise you that I will go to school and that I will study and bring home a good report." "All boys, when they are bent on obtaining something, repeat the same story." "But I am not like other boys! I am better than all of them and I always speak the truth. I promise you, papa, that I will learn a trade and that I will be the consolation and the staff of your old age." Geppetto's eyes filled with tears and his heart was sad at seeing his poor Pinocchio in such a pitiable state. He did not say another word, but, taking his tools and two small pieces of well-seasoned wood, he set to work with great diligence. In less than an hour the feet were finished: two little feet--swift, well-knit and nervous. They might have been modelled by an artist of genius. Geppetto then said to the puppet: "Shut your eyes and go to sleep!" And Pinocchio shut his eyes and pretended to be asleep. And whilst he pretended to sleep, Geppetto, with a little glue which he had melted in an egg-shell, fastened his feet in their place, and it was so well done that not even a trace could be seen of where they were joined. No sooner had the puppet discovered that he had feet than he jumped down from the table on which he was lying and began to spring and to cut a thousand capers about the room, as if he had gone mad with the greatness of his delight. "To reward you for what you have done for me," said Pinocchio to his father, "I will go to school at once." "Good boy." "But to go to school I shall want some clothes." Geppetto, who was poor and who had not so much as a penny in his pocket, then made him a little dress of flowered paper, a pair of shoes from the bark of a tree, and a cap of the crumb of bread. Pinocchio ran immediately to look at himself in a crock of water, and he was so pleased with his appearance that he said, strutting about like a peacock: "I look quite like a gentleman!" "Yes, indeed," answered Geppetto, "for bear in mind that it is not fine clothes that make the gentleman, but rather clean clothes." "By the bye," added the puppet, "to go to school I am still in want--indeed, I am without the best thing, and the most important." "And what is it?" "I have no spelling-book." "You are right: but what shall we do to get one?" "It is quite easy. We have only to go to the bookseller's and buy it." "And the money?" "I have got none." "Neither have I," added the good old man, very sadly. And Pinocchio, although he was a very merry boy, became sad also, because poverty, when it is real poverty, is understood by everybody--even by boys. "Well, patience!" exclaimed Geppetto, all at once rising to his feet, and putting on his old corduroy coat, all patched and darned, he ran out of the house. He returned shortly, holding in his hand a spelling-book for Pinocchio, but the old coat was gone. The poor man was in his shirt-sleeves and out of doors it was snowing. "And the coat, papa?" "I have sold it." "Why did you sell it?" "Because I found it too hot." Pinocchio understood this answer in an instant, and unable to restrain the impulse of his good heart he sprang up and, throwing his arms around Geppetto's neck, he began kissing him again and again. CHAPTER IX PINOCCHIO GOES TO SEE A PUPPET-SHOW As soon as it stopped snowing Pinocchio set out for school with his fine spelling-book under his arm. As he went along he began to imagine a thousand things in his little brain and to build a thousand castles in the air, one more beautiful than the other. And, talking to himself, he said: "Today at school I will learn to read at once; then tomorrow I will begin to write, and the day after tomorrow to figure. Then, with my acquirements, I will earn a great deal of money, and with the first money I have in my pocket I will immediately buy for my papa a beautiful new cloth coat. But what am I saying? Cloth, indeed! It shall be all made of gold and silver, and it shall have diamond buttons. That poor man really deserves it, for to buy me books and have me taught he has remained in his shirt-sleeves. And in this cold! It is only fathers who are capable of such sacrifices!" Whilst he was saying this with great emotion, he thought that he heard music in the distance that sounded like fifes and the beating of a big drum: Fi-fie-fi, fi-fi-fi; zum, zum, zum. He stopped and listened. The sounds came from the end of a cross street that led to a little village on the seashore. "What can that music be? What a pity that I have to go to school, or else--" And he remained irresolute. It was, however, necessary to come to a decision. Should he go to school? or should he go after the fifes? "Today I will go and hear the fifes, and tomorrow I will go to school," finally decided the young scapegrace, shrugging his shoulders. The more he ran the nearer came the sounds of the fifes and the beating of the big drum: Fi-fi-fi; zum, zum, zum, zum. At last he found himself in the middle of a square quite full of people, who were all crowded round a building made of wood and canvas, and painted a thousand colors. "What is that building?" asked Pinocchio, turning to a little boy who belonged to the place. "Read the placard--it is all written--and then you will know." "I would read it willingly, but it so happens that today I don't know how to read." "Bravo, blockhead! Then I will read it to you. The writing on that placard in those letters red as fire is: "THE GREAT PUPPET THEATER." "Has the play begun long?" "It is beginning now." "How much does it cost to go in?" "A dime." Pinocchio, who was in a fever of curiosity, lost all control of himself, and without any shame he said to the little boy to whom he was talking: "Would you lend me a dime until tomorrow?" "I would lend it to you willingly," said the other, "but it so happens that today I cannot give it to you." "I will sell you my jacket for a dime," the puppet then said to him. "What do you think that I could do with a jacket of flowered paper? If there were rain and it got wet, it would be impossible to get it off my back." "Will you buy my shoes?" "They would only be of use to light the fire." "How much will you give me for my cap?" "That would be a wonderful acquisition indeed! A cap of bread crumb! There would be a risk of the mice coming to eat it whilst it was on my head." Pinocchio was on thorns. He was on the point of making another offer, but he had not the courage. He hesitated, felt irresolute and remorseful. At last he said: "Will you give me a dime for this new spelling-book?" "I am a boy and I don't buy from boys," replied his little interlocutor, who had much more sense than he had. "I will buy the spelling-book for a dime," called out a hawker of old clothes, who had been listening to the conversation. And the book was sold there and then. And to think that poor Geppetto had remained at home trembling with cold in his shirt-sleeves in order that his son should have a spelling-book. CHAPTER X THE PUPPETS RECOGNIZE THEIR BROTHER PINOCCHIO When Pinocchio came into the little puppet theater, an incident occurred that almost produced a revolution. The curtain had gone up and the play had already begun. On the stage Harlequin and Punch were as usual quarrelling with each other and threatening every moment to come to blows. All at once Harlequin stopped short and, turning to the public, he pointed with his hand to some one far down in the pit and exclaimed in a dramatic tone: "Gods of the firmament! Do I dream or am I awake? But surely that is Pinocchio!" "It is indeed Pinocchio!" cried Punch. "It is indeed himself!" screamed Miss Rose, peeping from behind the scenes. "It is Pinocchio! it is Pinocchio!" shouted all the puppets in chorus, leaping from all sides on to the stage. "It is Pinocchio! It is our brother Pinocchio! Long live Pinocchio!" "Pinocchio, come up here to me," cried Harlequin, "and throw yourself into the arms of your wooden brothers!" At this affectionate invitation Pinocchio made a leap from the end of the pit into the reserved seats; another leap landed him on the head of the leader of the orchestra, and he then sprang upon the stage. The embraces, the friendly pinches, and the demonstrations of warm brotherly affection that Pinocchio received from the excited crowd of actors and actresses of the puppet dramatic company are beyond description. The sight was doubtless a moving one, but the public in the pit, finding that the play was stopped, became impatient and began to shout: "We will have the play--go on with the play!" It was all breath thrown away. The puppets, instead of continuing the recital, redoubled their noise and outcries, and, putting Pinocchio on their shoulders, they carried him in triumph before the footlights. At that moment out came the showman. He was very big, and so ugly that the sight of him was enough to frighten anyone. His beard was as black as ink, and so long that it reached from his chin to the ground. I need only say that he trod upon it when he walked. His mouth was as big as an oven, and his eyes were like two lanterns of red glass with lights burning inside them. He carried a large whip made of snakes and foxes' tails twisted together, which he cracked constantly. At his unexpected appearance there was a profound silence: no one dared to breathe. A fly might have been heard in the stillness. The poor puppets of both sexes trembled like so many leaves. "Why have you come to raise a disturbance in my theater?" asked the showman of Pinocchio, in the gruff voice of a hobgoblin suffering from a severe cold in the head. "Believe me, honored sir, it was not my fault!" "That is enough! Tonight we will settle our accounts." As soon as the play was over the showman went into the kitchen, where a fine sheep, preparing for his supper, was turning slowly on the spit in front of the fire. As there was not enough wood to finish roasting and browning it, he called Harlequin and Punch, and said to them: "Bring that puppet here: you will find him hanging on a nail. It seems to me that he is made of very dry wood and I am sure that if he were thrown on the fire he would make a beautiful blaze for the roast." At first Harlequin and Punch hesitated; but, appalled by a severe glance from their master, they obeyed. In a short time they returned to the kitchen carrying poor Pinocchio, who was wriggling like an eel taken out of water and screaming desperately: "Papa! papa! save me! I will not die, I will not die!" [Illustration] CHAPTER XI FIRE-EATER SNEEZES AND PARDONS PINOCCHIO The showman, Fire-Eater--for that was his name--looked like a wicked man, especially with his black beard that covered his chest and legs like an apron. On the whole, however, he had not a bad heart. In proof of this, when he saw poor Pinocchio brought before him, struggling and screaming "I will not die, I will not die!" he was quite moved and felt very sorry for him. He tried to hold out, but after a little he could stand it no longer and he sneezed violently. When he heard the sneeze, Harlequin, who up to that moment had been in the deepest affliction and bowed down like a weeping willow, became quite cheerful and, leaning towards Pinocchio, he whispered to him softly: "Good news, brother. The showman has sneezed and that is a sign that he pities you, and consequently you are saved." Most men, when they feel compassion for somebody, either weep or at least pretend to dry their eyes. Fire-Eater, on the contrary, whenever he was really overcome, had the habit of sneezing. After he had sneezed, the showman, still acting the ruffian, shouted to Pinocchio: "Have done crying! Your lamentations have given me a pain in my stomach. I feel a spasm that almost--Etchoo! etchoo!" and he sneezed again twice. "Bless you!" said Pinocchio. "Thank you! And your papa and your mamma, are they still alive?" asked Fire-Eater. "Papa, yes; my mamma I have never known." "Who can say what a sorrow it would be for your poor old father if I were to have you thrown amongst those burning coals! Poor old man! I pity him! Etchoo! etchoo! etchoo!" and he sneezed again three times. "Bless you" said Pinocchio. "Thank you! All the same, some compassion is due to me, for as you see I have no more wood with which to finish roasting my mutton, and, to tell you the truth, under the circumstances you would have been of great use to me! However, I have had pity on you, so I must have patience. Instead of you I will burn under the spit one of the puppets belonging to my company. Ho there, gendarmes!" At this call two wooden gendarmes immediately appeared. They were very long and very thin, and had on cocked hats, and held unsheathed swords in their hands. The showman said to them in a hoarse voice: "Take Harlequin, bind him securely, and then throw him on the fire to burn. I am determined that my mutton shall be well roasted." Only imagine that poor Harlequin! His terror was so great that his legs bent under him, and he fell with his face on the ground. At this agonizing sight Pinocchio, weeping bitterly, threw himself at the showman's feet and, bathing his long beard with his tears, he began
{'title': 'Pinocchio: The Tale of a Puppet by Carlo Collodi', 'source': 'Project Gutenberg', 'lang': 'en'}