Part 3 (2/2)
”Have pity, kind sir!”
”There are no sirs here!”
”Have pity, your Excellency!”
On hearing himself addressed as your Excellency, the Director of the Marionette Theater sat up very straight in his chair, stroked his long beard, and beco suddenly kind and compassionate, smiled proudly as he said to Pinocchio: ”Well, what do you want fro for mercy for my poor friend, Harlequin, who has never done the least harm in his life”
”There is no mercy here, Pinocchio I have spared you Harlequin ry and my dinner must be cooked”
”In that case,” said Pinocchio proudly, as he stood up and flung away his 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 poor Harlequin, the best friend that I have in the world, to die invoice, made all the other Marionettes cry Even the officers, ere made of wood also, cried like 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 or five sneezes, he opened wide his arms and said to Pinocchio: ”You are a brave boy! Come tolike a squirrel up the long black beard, 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 that was hardly a breath
”Pardon is yours!” answered Fire Eater; and sighing and wagging his head, he added: ”Well, tonight I shall have to eat my lamb only half cooked, but beware the next tiiven, the Marionettes ran to the stage and, 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 think that, in order to buy me an A-B-C book for school, he had to sell the only coat he owned, a coat so full of darns and patches that it was a pity”
”Poor fellow! I feel sorry for hiive theards”
Pinocchio, as ined, thanked him a thousand times He kissed each Marionette in turn, even the officers, and, beside himself with joy, set out on his hoone barely half a ether like two good friends The lame Fox leaned on the Cat, and the blind Cat let the Fox lead hireeting him courteously
”How do you know my name?” asked the Marionette
”I know your father well”
”Where have you seen hi at the door of his house”
”And as he doing?”
”He was in his shi+rt sleeves tre with cold”
”Poor Father! But, after today, God willing, he will suffer no longer”
”Why?”
”Because I have become a rich an to laugh out loud The Cat was laughing also, but tried to hide it by stroking his long whiskers
”There is nothing to laugh at,” cried Pinocchio angrily ”I am very sorry to old pieces”
And he pulled out the gold pieces which Fire Eater had given hiold, the Fox unconsciously held out his paw that was supposed to be lame, and the Cat opened wide his two eyes till they looked like live coals, but he closed theain so quickly that Pinocchio did not notice
”Andto do with all that money?”
”First of all,” answered the Marionette, ”I want to buy a fine new coat for old and silver with diamond buttons; after that, I'll buy an A-B-C book for o to school and study hard”
”Look atto study, I have lost a paw”
”Look at me,” said the Cat ”For the saht of both eyes”
At thatthe road, called out 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 hi of an eyelid, the Cat leaped on hi the bird, he cleaned his whiskers, closed his eyes, and became blind once more