Part 14 (1/2)
CHAPTER 32
Pinocchio's ears becoes into a real Donkey and begins to bray
Everyone, at one ti hi of his life, there are but few
What was it? I will tell you, , Pinocchio put his hand up to his head and there he found-- Guess!
He found that, during the night, his ears had grown at least ten full inches!
You must know that the Marionette, even from his birth, had very small ears, so small indeed that to the naked eye they could hardly be seen Fancy how he felt when he noticed that overnight those two dainty organs had beco as shoe brushes!
He went in search of aany, he just filled a basin ater and looked at himself There he sahat he never could have wished to see His ure was adorned and enriched by a beautiful pair of donkey's ears
I leave you to think of the terrible grief, the shaan to cry, to screaainst the wall, but the rew his ears
At those piercing shrieks, a Dormouse came into the roo Pinocchio so grief-stricken, she asked hihbor?”
”I am sick, my little Dorhtens me! Do you understand how to feel the pulse?”
”A little”
”Feel mine then and tell me if I have a fever”
The Dormouse took Pinocchio's wrist between her paws and, after a few minutes, looked up at hiive you some very sad news”
”What is it?”
”You have a very bad fever”
”But what fever is it?”
”The donkey fever”
”I don't know anything about that fever,” answered the Marionette, beginning to understand even too as happening to him
”Then I will tell you all about it,” said the Dormouse ”Know then that, within two or three hours, you will no longer be a Marionette, nor a boy”
”What shall I be?”
”Within two or three hours you will become a real donkey, just like the ones that pull the fruit carts to market”
”Oh, what have I done? What have I done?” cried Pinocchio, grasping his two long ears in his hands and pulling and tugging at theed to another
”My dear boy,” answered the Dormouse to cheer him up a bit, ”orry now? What is done cannot be undone, you know Fate has decreed that all lazy boys who come to hate books and schools and teachers and spend all their days with toys and games must sooner or later turn into donkeys”
”But is it really so?” asked the Marionette, sobbing bitterly
”I am sorry to say it is And tears now are useless You should have thought of all this before”
”But the fault is not mine Believe me, little Dormouse, the fault is all Lamp-Wick's”
”And who is this Lamp-Wick?”
”A classmate of mine I wanted to return home I wanted to be obedient I wanted to study and to succeed in school, but Lamp-Wick said to ? Why do you want to go to school? Coain There we can enjoy ourselves and be happy froht'”
”And why did you follow the advice of that false friend?”
”Why? Because, my dear little Dormouse, I am a heedless Marionette--heedless and heartless Oh! If I had only had a bit of heart, I should never have abandoned that good Fairy, who loved me so well and who has been so kind to er be a Marionette I should have become a real boy, like all these friends ofto tell hi speech, Pinocchio walked to the door of the roo his donkey ears, he felt ashae cotton bag from a shelf, put it on his head, and pulled it far down to his very nose
Thus adorned, he went out He looked for La the streets, in the squares, inside the theatres, everywhere; but he was not to be found He asked everyone whom he met about him, but no one had seen him In desperation, he returned home and knocked at the door
”Who is it?” asked Lamp-Wick from within
”It is I!” answered the Marionette
”Wait a minute”
After a full half hour the door opened Another surprise awaited Pinocchio! There in the roo on his head, pulled far down to his very nose
At the sight of that bag, Pinocchio felt slightly happier and thought to hi from the same sickness that I am! I wonder if he, too, has donkey fever?”
But pretending he had seen nothing, he asked with a smile: ”How are you, my dear Lamp-Wick?”
”Very well Like a mouse in a Parmesan cheese”
”Is that really true?”
”Why should I lie to you?”
”I beg your pardon,over your ears?”
”The doctor has ordered it because one ofthat cotton bag down to your nose?”
”The doctor has ordered it because I have bruised my foot”