The play continued for a few minutes, and then suddenly, without anywarning, Harlequin stopped talking. Turning toward the audience, hepointed to the rear of the orchestra, yelling wildly at the same time:
"Look, look! Am I asleep or awake? Or do I really see Pinocchio there?"
"Yes, yes! It is Pinocchio!" screamed Pulcinella.
"It is! It is!" shrieked Signora Rosaura, peeking in from the side ofthe stage.
"It is Pinocchio! It is Pinocchio!" yelled all the Marionettes, pouringout of the wings. "It is Pinocchio. It is our brother Pinocchio! Hurrahfor Pinocchio!"
"Pinocchio, come up to me!" shouted Harlequin. "Come to the arms of yourwooden brothers!"
At such a loving invitation, Pinocchio, with one leap from the back ofthe orchestra, found himself in the front rows. With another leap,he was on the orchestra leader's head. With a third, he landed on thestage.
It is impossible to describe the shrieks of joy, the warm embraces, theknocks, and the friendly greetings with which that strange company ofdramatic actors and actresses received Pinocchio.
It was a heart-rending spectacle, but the audience, seeing that the playhad stopped, became angry and began to yell:
"The play, the play, we want the play!"
The yelling was of no use, for the Marionettes, instead of going onwith their act, made twice as much racket as before, and, lifting upPinocchio on their shoulders, carried him around the stage in triumph.
At that very moment, the Director came out of his room. He had such afearful appearance that one look at him would fill you with horror. Hisbeard was as black as pitch, and so long that it reached from his chindown to his feet. His mouth was as wide as an oven, his teeth likeyellow fangs, and his eyes, two glowing red coals. In his huge, hairyhands, a long whip, made of green snakes and black cats' tails twistedtogether, swished through the air in a dangerous way.
At the unexpected apparition, no one dared even to breathe. One couldalmost hear a fly go by. Those poor Marionettes, one and all, trembledlike leaves in a storm.
"Why have you brought such excitement into my theater;" the huge fellowasked Pinocchio with the voice of an ogre suffering with a cold.
"Believe me, your Honor, the fault was not mine."
"Enough! Be quiet! I'll take care of you later."
As soon as the play was over, the Director went to the kitchen, wherea fine big lamb was slowly turning on the spit. More wood was needed tofinish cooking it. He called Harlequin and Pulcinella and said to them:
"Bring that Marionette to me! He looks as if he were made ofwell-seasoned wood. He'll make a fine fire for this spit."
Harlequin and Pulcinella hesitated a bit. Then, frightened by a lookfrom their master, they left the kitchen to obey him. A few minuteslater they returned, carrying poor Pinocchio, who was wriggling andsquirming like an eel and crying pitifully:
"Father, save me! I don't want to die! I don't want to die!"
CHAPTER 11
Fire Eater sneezes and forgives Pinocchio, who saves his friend,Harlequin, from death.
In the theater, great excitement reigned.
Fire Eater (this was really his name) was very ugly, but he was far frombeing as bad as he looked. Proof of this is that, when he saw the poorMarionette being brought in to him, struggling with fear and crying, "Idon't want to die! I don't want to die!" he felt sorry for him and beganfirst to waver and then to weaken. Finally, he could control himself nolonger and gave a loud sneeze.
At that sneeze, Harlequin, who until then had been as sad as a weepingwillow, smiled happily and leaning toward the Marionette, whispered tohim:
"Good news, brother mine! Fire Eater has sneezed and this is a sign thathe feels sorry for you. You are saved!"
For be it known, that, while other people, when sad and sorrowful, weepand wipe their eyes, Fire Eater, on the other hand, had the strangehabit of sneezing each time he felt unhappy. The way was just as good asany other to show the kindness of his heart.
After sneezing, Fire Eater, ugly as ever, cried to Pinocchio:
"Stop crying! Your wails give me a funny feeling down here in my stomachand--E--tchee!--E--tchee!" Two loud sneezes finished his speech.
"God bless you!" said Pinocchio.
"Thanks! Are your father and mother still living?" demanded Fire Eater.
"My father, yes. My mother I have never known."
"Your poor father would suffer terribly if I were to use you asfirewood. Poor old man! I feel sorry for him! E--tchee! E--tchee!E--tchee!" Three more sneezes sounded, louder than ever.
"God bless you!" said Pinocchio.
"Thanks! However, I ought to be sorry for myself, too, just now. My gooddinner is spoiled. I have no more wood for the fire, and the lambis only half cooked. Never mind! In your place I'll burn some otherMarionette. Hey there! Officers!"
At the call, two wooden officers appeared, long and thin as a yard ofrope, with queer hats on their heads and swords in their hands.
Fire Eater yelled at them in a hoarse voice:
"Take Harlequin, tie him, and throw him on the fire. I want my lamb welldone!"
Think how poor Harlequin felt! He was so scared that his legs doubled upunder him and he fell to the floor.
Pinocchio, at that heartbreaking sight, threw himself at the feet ofFire Eater and, weeping bitterly, asked in a pitiful voice which couldscarcely be heard:
"Have pity, I beg of you, signore!"
"There are no signori here!"
"Have pity, kind sir!"
"There are no sirs here!"
"Have pity, your Excellency!"
On hearing himself addressed as your Excellency, the Director of theMarionette Theater sat up very straight in his chair, stroked his longbeard, and becoming suddenly kind and compassionate, smiled proudly ashe said to Pinocchio:
"Well, what do you want from me now, Marionette?"
"I beg for mercy for my poor friend, Harlequin, who has never done theleast harm in his life."
"There is no mercy here, Pinocchio. I have spared you. Harlequin mustburn in your place. I am hungry and my dinner must be cooked."
"In that case," said Pinocchio proudly, as he stood up and flung awayhis cap of dough, "in that case, my duty is clear. Come, officers!Tie me up and throw me on those flames. No, it is not fair for poorHarlequin, the best friend that I have in the world, to die in myplace!"
These brave words, said in a piercing voice, made all the otherMarionettes cry. Even the officers, who were made of wood also, criedlike two babies.
Fire Eater at first remained hard and cold as a piece of ice; but then,little by little, he softened and began to sneeze. And after four orfive sneezes, he opened wide his arms and said to Pinocchio:
"You are a brave boy! Come to my arms and kiss me!"
Pinocchio ran to him and scurrying like a squirrel up the long blackbeard, he gave Fire Eater a loving kiss on the tip of his nose.
"Has pardon been granted to me?" asked poor Harlequin with a voice thatwas hardly a breath.
"Pardon is yours!" answered Fire Eater; and sighing and wagging hishead, he added: "Well, tonight I shall have to eat my lamb only halfcooked, but beware the next time, Marionettes."
At the news that pardon had been given, the Marionettes ran to the stageand, turning on all the lights, they danced and sang till dawn.
CHAPTER 12
Fire Eater gives Pinocchio five gold pieces for his father, Geppetto;but the Marionette meets a Fox and a Cat and follows them.
The next day Fire Eater called Pinocchio aside and asked him:
"What is your father's name?"
"Geppetto."
"And what is his trade?"
"He's a wood carver."
"Does he earn much?"
"He earns so much that he never has a penny in his pockets. Just thinkthat, in order to buy me an A-B-C book for school, he had to sell theonly coat he owned, a coat so full of darns and patches that it was apity."
"Poor fellow! I feel sorry for him.
Here, take these five gold pieces.Go, give them to him with my kindest regards."
Pinocchio, as may easily be imagined, thanked him a thousand times. Hekissed each Marionette in turn, even the officers, and, beside himselfwith joy, set out on his homeward journey.
He had gone barely half a mile when he met a lame Fox and a blind Cat,walking together like two good friends. The lame Fox leaned on the Cat,and the blind Cat let the Fox lead him along.
"Good morning, Pinocchio," said the Fox, greeting him courteously.
"How do you know my name?" asked the Marionette.
"I know your father well."
"Where have you seen him?"
"I saw him yesterday standing at the door of his house."
"And what was he doing?"
"He was in his shirt sleeves trembling with cold."
"Poor Father! But, after today, God willing, he will suffer no longer."
"Why?"
"Because I have become a rich man."
"You, a rich man?" said the Fox, and he began to laugh out loud. The Catwas laughing also, but tried to hide it by stroking his long whiskers.
"There is nothing to laugh at," cried Pinocchio angrily. "I am verysorry to make your mouth water, but these, as you know, are five newgold pieces."
And he pulled out the gold pieces which Fire Eater had given him.
At the cheerful tinkle of the gold, the Fox unconsciously held out hispaw that was supposed to be lame, and the Cat opened wide his two eyestill they looked like live coals, but he closed them again so quicklythat Pinocchio did not notice.
"And may I ask," inquired the Fox, "what you are going to do with allthat money?"
"First of all," answered the Marionette, "I want to buy a fine new coatfor my father, a coat of gold and silver with diamond buttons; afterthat, I'll buy an A-B-C book for myself."
"For yourself?"
"For myself. I want to go to school and study hard."
"Look at me," said the Fox. "For the silly reason of wanting to study, Ihave lost a paw."
"Look at me," said the Cat. "For the same foolish reason, I have lostthe sight of both eyes."
At that moment, a Blackbird, perched on the fence along the road, calledout sharp and clear:
"Pinocchio, do not listen to bad advice. If you do, you'll be sorry!"
Poor little Blackbird! If he had only kept his words to himself! In thetwinkling of an eyelid, the Cat leaped on him, and ate him, feathers andall.
After eating the bird, he cleaned his whiskers, closed his eyes, andbecame blind once more.
"Poor Blackbird!" said Pinocchio to the Cat. "Why did you kill him?"
"I killed him to teach him a lesson. He talks too much. Next time hewill keep his words to himself."
By this time the three companions had walked a long distance. Suddenly,the Fox stopped in his tracks and, turning to the Marionette, said tohim:
"Do you want to double your gold pieces?"
"What do you mean?"
"Do you want one hundred, a thousand, two thousand gold pieces for yourmiserable five?"
"Yes, but how?"
"The way is very easy. Instead of returning home, come with us."
"And where will you take me?"
"To the City of Simple Simons."
Pinocchio thought a while and then said firmly:
"No, I don't want to go. Home is near, and I'm going where Father iswaiting for me. How unhappy he must be that I have not yet returned! Ihave been a bad son, and the Talking Cricket was right when he said thata disobedient boy cannot be happy in this world. I have learned thisat my own expense. Even last night in the theater, when Fire Eater. . .Brrrr!!!!! . . . The shivers run up and down my back at the mere thoughtof it."
"Well, then," said the Fox, "if you really want to go home, go ahead,but you'll be sorry."
"You'll be sorry," repeated the Cat.
"Think well, Pinocchio, you are turning your back on Dame Fortune."
"On Dame Fortune," repeated the Cat.
"Tomorrow your five gold pieces will be two thousand!"
"Two thousand!" repeated the Cat.
"But how can they possibly become so many?" asked Pinocchio wonderingly.
"I'll explain," said the Fox. "You must know that, just outside the Cityof Simple Simons, there is a blessed field called the Field of Wonders.In this field you dig a hole and in the hole you bury a gold piece.After covering up the hole with earth you water it well, sprinkle a bitof salt on it, and go to bed. During the night, the gold piece sprouts,grows, blossoms, and next morning you find a beautiful tree, that isloaded with gold pieces."
"So that if I were to bury my five gold pieces," cried Pinocchio withgrowing wonder, "next morning I should find--how many?"
"It is very simple to figure out," answered the Fox. "Why, you canfigure it on your fingers! Granted that each piece gives you fivehundred, multiply five hundred by five. Next morning you will findtwenty-five hundred new, sparkling gold pieces."
"Fine! Fine!" cried Pinocchio, dancing about with joy. "And as soon asI have them, I shall keep two thousand for myself and the other fivehundred I'll give to you two."
"A gift for us?" cried the Fox, pretending to be insulted. "Why, ofcourse not!"
"Of course not!" repeated the Cat.
"We do not work for gain," answered the Fox. "We work only to enrichothers."
"To enrich others!" repeated the Cat.
"What good people," thought Pinocchio to himself. And forgetting hisfather, the new coat, the A-B-C book, and all his good resolutions, hesaid to the Fox and to the Cat:
"Let us go. I am with you."
CHAPTER 13
The Inn of the Red Lobster
Cat and Fox and Marionette walked and walked and walked. At last, towardevening, dead tired, they came to the Inn of the Red Lobster.
"Let us stop here a while," said the Fox, "to eat a bite and rest fora few hours. At midnight we'll start out again, for at dawn tomorrow wemust be at the Field of Wonders."
They went into the Inn and all three sat down at the same table.However, not one of them was very hungry.
The poor Cat felt very weak, and he was able to eat only thirty-fivemullets with tomato sauce and four portions of tripe with cheese.Moreover, as he was so in need of strength, he had to have four morehelpings of butter and cheese.
The Fox, after a great deal of coaxing, tried his best to eat a little.The doctor had put him on a diet, and he had to be satisfied with asmall hare dressed with a dozen young and tender spring chickens. Afterthe hare, he ordered some partridges, a few pheasants, a couple ofrabbits, and a dozen frogs and lizards. That was all. He felt ill, hesaid, and could not eat another bite.
Pinocchio ate least of all. He asked for a bite of bread and a few nutsand then hardly touched them. The poor fellow, with his mind on theField of Wonders, was suffering from a gold-piece indigestion.
Supper over, the Fox said to the Innkeeper:
"Give us two good rooms, one for Mr. Pinocchio and the other for me andmy friend. Before starting out, we'll take a little nap. Remember tocall us at midnight sharp, for we must continue on our journey."
"Yes, sir," answered the Innkeeper, winking in a knowing way at the Foxand the Cat, as if to say, "I understand."
As soon as Pinocchio was in bed, he fell fast asleep and began to dream.He dreamed he was in the middle of a field. The field was full ofvines heavy with grapes. The grapes were no other than gold coins whichtinkled merrily as they swayed in the wind. They seemed to say, "Let himwho wants us take us!"
Just as Pinocchio stretched out his hand to take a handful of them, hewas awakened by three loud knocks at the door. It was the Innkeeper whohad come to tell him that midnight had struck.
"Are my friends ready?" the Marionette asked him.
"Indeed, yes! They went two hours ago."
"Why in such a hurry?"
"Unfortunately the Cat received a telegram which said that hisfirst-born was suffering from chilblains and was on the
point of death.He could not even wait to say good-by to you."
"Did they pay for the supper?"
"How could they do such a thing? Being people of great refinement, theydid not want to offend you so deeply as not to allow you the honor ofpaying the bill."
"Too bad! That offense would have been more than pleasing to me," saidPinocchio, scratching his head.
"Where did my good friends say they would wait for me?" he added.
"At the Field of Wonders, at sunrise tomorrow morning."
Pinocchio paid a gold piece for the three suppers and started on his waytoward the field that was to make him a rich man.
He walked on, not knowing where he was going, for it was dark, so darkthat not a thing was visible. Round about him, not a leaf stirred. A fewbats skimmed his nose now and again and scared him half to death. Onceor twice he shouted, "Who goes there?" and the far-away hills echoedback to him, "Who goes there? Who goes there? Who goes. . . ?"
As he walked, Pinocchio noticed a tiny insect glimmering on the trunk ofa tree, a small being that glowed with a pale, soft light.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"I am the ghost of the Talking Cricket," answered the little being in afaint voice that sounded as if it came from a far-away world.
"What do you want?" asked the Marionette.
"I want to give you a few words of good advice. Return home and give thefour gold pieces you have left to your poor old father who is weepingbecause he has not seen you for many a day."