Part 12 (1/2)
Pinocchio went straight to the Fairy's house, firmly resolved to knock at the door
When he found hie and ran back a few steps A second tiain he ran back A third time he repeated his perfore, he grasped the knocker and made a faint sound with it
He waited and waited and waited Finally, after a full half hour, a top-floor(the house had four stories) opened and Pinocchio saw a large Snail look out A tiny light glowed on top of her head ”Who knocks at this late hour?” she called
”Is the Fairy home?” asked the Marionette
”The Fairy is asleep and does not wish to be disturbed Who are you?”
”It is I”
”Who's I?”
”Pinocchio”
”Who is Pinocchio?”
”The Marionette; the one who lives in the Fairy's house”
”Oh, I understand,” said the Snail ”Wait for me there I'll co of you, for I a of cold”
”My boy, I am a snail and snails are never in a hurry”
An hour passed, two hours; and the door was still closed Pinocchio, as tre from the cold rain on his back, knocked a second time, this time louder than before
At that second knock, aon the third floor opened and the same Snail looked out
”Dear little Snail,” cried Pinocchio fro two hours for you! And two hours on a dreadful night like this are as long as two years Hurry, please!”
”My boy,” answered the Snail in a calm, peaceful voice, ”my dear boy, I am a snail and snails are never in a hurry” And theclosed
A few ht struck; then one o'clock--two o'clock And the door still rerabbed the knocker with both hands, fully determined to awaken the whole house and street with it As soon as he touched the knocker, however, it becaled away into the darkness
”Really?” cried Pinocchio, blind with rage ”If the knocker is gone, I can still use ave the door a ht through the door and his leg followed aled, he could not pull it out There he stayed as if nailed to the door
Poor Pinocchio! The rest of the night he had to spend with one foot through the door and the other one in the air
As daas breaking, the door finally opened That brave little anio from the fourth floor to the street How shewith your foot through the door?” she asked the Marionette, laughing
”It was a misfortune Won't you try, pretty little Snail, to free me from this terrible torture?”
”My boy, we need a carpenter here and I have never been one”
”Ask the Fairy to help me!”
”The Fairy is asleep and does not want to be disturbed”
”But what do you want me to do, nailed to the door like this?”
”Enjoy yourself counting the ants which are passing by”
”Bring er”
”Immediately!”
In fact, after three hours and a half, Pinocchio saw her return with a silver tray on her head On the tray there was bread, roast chicken, fruit
”Here is the breakfast the Fairy sends to you,” said the Snail
At the sight of all these good things, the Marionette felt ust, however, when on tasting the food, he found the bread to be made of chalk, the chicken of cardboard, and the brilliant fruit of colored alabaster!
He wanted to cry, he wanted to give himself up to despair, he wanted to throay the tray and all that was on it Instead, either from pain or weakness, he fell to the floor in a dead faint
When he regained his senses, he found himself stretched out on a sofa and the Fairy was seated near hiive you,” said the Fairy to hiain”
Pinocchio promised to study and to behave himself And he kept his word for the remainder of the year At the end of it, he passed first in all his exaood that the Fairy said to him happily: ”Tomorrow your ill come true”
”And what is it?”
”Tomorrow you will cease to be a Marionette and will become a real boy”