Карло Коллоди
Приключения Пиноккио / The adventures of Pinocchio. Уровень 1

Carlo Collodi

The adventures of Pinocchio

© Матвеев С.А., адаптация текста, комментарии и словарь

© ООО «Издательство, АСТ», 2021

Carlo Collodi
The Adventures of Pinocchio

Chapter 1
Master Cherry found a piece of wood that wept and laughed like a child

Centuries ago there lived-

“A king!” my little readers will say immediately.

No, children, you are wrong. It was a piece of wood. It was not an expensive piece of wood. Far from it. Just a common block of firewood that can make cold rooms cozy and warm.

I do not know how this really happened, but one fine day this piece of wood found itself in the shop[1] of an old carpenter. His real name was Master Antonio, but everyone called him Master Cherry. The tip of his nose was so round and red and shiny that it looked like a ripe cherry.

As soon as he saw that piece of wood, Master Cherry enjoyed it. He mumbled to himself happily:

“Very well. I shall use it to make the leg of a table.”

He grasped the hatchet quickly to peel off the bark[2] and shape the wood. But suddenly he heard a wee, little voice:

“Please be careful! Do not hit me so hard!”

Master Cherry was very surprised! He turned frightened eyes about the room to find out where that wee, little voice came from. And he saw no one! He looked under the bench-no one! He peeped inside the closet-no one! He searched among the shavings-no one! He opened the door-and still no one!

“Oh, I see!” he then said. “It is a hallucination! Well, well-to work once more.”

He tried to cut the piece of wood.

“Oh, oh! You hurt!” cried the same little voice.

Master Cherry was dumb. His eyes popped out of his head, his mouth opened wide, and his tongue hung down on his chin. Then he said:

“Where did that voice come from? There is no one around. Maybe this piece of wood can weep and cry like a child. I can hardly believe it. Here it is-a piece of firewood, the same as any other. Yet someone is in it. I’ll find him!”

With these words, he grabbed the log with both hands and started to beat it unmercifully. He threw it to the floor, against the walls of the room, and even up to the ceiling.

Where is the tiny voice? He waited two minutes-nothing; five minutes-nothing; ten minutes-nothing.

“Oh, I see,” he said. “It is just a hallucination! Well, well-to work once more.”

He picked up the plane[3] to make the wood smooth and even. But as he drew it to and fro[4], he heard the same tiny voice. This time it giggled:

“Stop it! Oh, stop it! Ha, ha, ha! You tickle my stomach.”

This time poor Master Cherry fell down on the floor.

Chapter 2
Master Cherry gives the piece of wood to his friend Geppetto

In that very instant, a loud knock sounded on the door.

“Come in,” said the carpenter.

The door opened and a dapper little old man came in. His name was Geppetto, but to the boys of the neighborhood he was Polendina (Cornmeal mush)[5], because his wig was just the color of yellow corn.

Geppetto had a very bad temper. He hated that name, Polendina. He became as wild as a beast easily.

“Good day, Master Antonio,” said Geppetto. “What are you doing on the floor?”

“I am teaching the ants their ABC’s.”

“Good luck to you!”

“What brought you here, friend Geppetto?”

“My legs. Master Antonio, I want to beg for a favor[6].”

“I am at your service,” answered the carpenter, and raised himself on to his knees.

“This morning a fine idea came to me.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“I want to make myself a beautiful wooden Marionette. It will be able to dance, fence, and turn somersaults[7]. With it I intend to go around the world, to earn my bread. What do you think of it?”

“Bravo, Polendina!” cried the same tiny voice.

Master Geppetto was red and said to the carpenter angrily:

“Why do you insult me?”

“Who? I don’t.”

“You called me Polendina.”

“I did not.”

“I know it was you.”

“No!”

“Yes!”

“No!”

“Yes!”

And finally they began to fight. When the fight was over, Master Antonio took Geppetto’s yellow wig and Geppetto found the carpenter’s curly wig in his mouth.

“Give me back my wig!” shouted Master Antonio.

“You return mine and we’ll be friends.”

The two little old men shook hands and swore to be good friends for the rest of their lives.

“Well then, Master Geppetto,” said the carpenter, “what is it you want?”

“I want a piece of wood to make a Marionette. Will you give it to me?”

Master Antonio, very glad indeed, went immediately to his bench to get the piece of wood which frightened him so much. But as he gave it to his friend, it slipped out of his hands and hit against poor Geppetto’s legs.

“Ah! Master Antonio, this is how you make your gifts! I’m almost lame!”

“I swear to you I did not do it!”

“It was I, of course!”

“This piece of wood.”

“You’re right; but remember you threw it at my legs.”

“I did not throw it!”

“Liar!”

“Geppetto, do not insult me or I’ll call you Polendina.”

“Idiot.”

“Polendina!”

“Donkey!”

“Polendina!”

“Ugly monkey!”

“Polendina!”

Geppetto lost his head with rage and threw himself upon the carpenter. The fight continued.

After this fight, Master Antonio and Geppetto shook hands and swore to be good friends again.

Then Geppetto took the fine piece of wood, thanked Master Antonio, and went home.

Chapter 3
The first pranks of the Marionette

Geppetto’s house was little, but neat and comfortable. It was a small room on the ground floor, with a tiny window under the stairway. The furniture was very simpler: a very old chair, a rickety old bed, and an old table. A fireplace was painted on the wall opposite the door. Over the fire, there was painted a pot full.

When Geppetto reached home, he took his tools and began to cut and shape the wood into a Marionette.

“What shall I call him?” he said to himself. “I think I’ll call him Pinocchio. This name will make his fortune. I knew a whole family of Pinocchi once-Pinocchio the father, Pinocchia the mother, and Pinocchi the children-and they were all lucky. The richest of them was the beggar.”

Then Geppetto began to work, he made the hair, the forehead, the eyes. These eyes moved and then stared fixedly at him. Geppetto asked:

“Ugly wooden eyes, why do you stare so?”

There was no answer.

After the eyes, Geppetto made the nose. It stretched and stretched and stretched till it became so long, it seemed endless.

Next he made the mouth. The mouth began to laugh.

“Stop it!” said Geppetto angrily.

In vain.

“Stop it, I say!” he roared in a voice of thunder.

The mouth stopped to laugh, but showed a long tongue.

After the mouth, Geppetto made the chin, then the neck, the shoulders, the stomach, the arms, and the hands. When he finished the finger tips, they pulled his wig off.

“Pinocchio, give me my wig!”

But Pinocchio put it on his own head.

Geppetto became very sad and downcast.

“Pinocchio, you wicked boy!” he cried out. “You are impudent to your poor old father. Very bad, my son, very bad! I deserve it!” he said to himself. “Now it’s too late.”

He put the Marionette on the floor to teach him to walk.

But Pinocchio’s legs were very stiff and did not move. Geppetto taught him to walk.

Finally, Pinocchio started to walk by himself and ran all around the room. He came to the open door, and away he ran!

Poor Geppetto ran after him but was unable to catch him.

“Catch him! Catch him!” Geppetto shouted. But the people in the street laughed.

At last, a Carabineer grabbed the Marionette by the nose and returned him to Master Geppetto. Geppetto seized Pinocchio by the back of the neck and took him home. He said to him angrily:

“When we get home, I’ll give you a good lesson!”

Pinocchio threw himself on the ground and refused to go. The people gathered around them.

Some said one thing, some another.

“Poor Marionette,” said a man. “I am not surprised he doesn’t want to go home. Geppetto, no doubt, will beat him unmercifully. He is very mean and cruel!”

“Geppetto looks like a good man,” added another, “but with boys he’s a real tyrant. Poor Marionette!”

The Carabineer heard that and dragged Geppetto to prison. The poor old Geppetto did not know how to defend himself. He wept and wailed like a child and said between his sobs:

“Ungrateful boy! I wanted to make you a good Marionette! I deserve it, however!”

What happened after this is an almost unbelievable story.

Chapter 4
The story of Pinocchio and the Cricket

So poor old Geppetto was in prison. In the meantime that rascal, Pinocchio, ran wildly across fields and meadows, and reached home. The house door was half open. He slipped into the room, locked the door, and threw himself on the floor.

Then he heard:

“Cri-cri-cri!”

“Who is this?” asked Pinocchio, greatly frightened.

“I am!”

Pinocchio turned and saw a large cricket on the wall.

“Tell me, Cricket, who are you?”

“I am the Cricket. I live in this room. One hundred years.”

“Today, however, this room is mine,” said the Marionette, “so get out[8] now.”

“I refuse to leave this spot,” answered the Cricket, “I want to tell you a great truth.”

“Tell it, then, and hurry.”

“Woe to boys who refuse to obey their parents and run away from home! They will never be happy in this world. When they are older they will be very sorry for it.”

“Nonsense. What I know is, that tomorrow, at dawn, I leave this place forever. If I stay here they will send me to school, like other boys and girls. As for me, let me tell you, I hate to study! I think, it’s more interesting to chase after butterflies, climb trees, and steal birds’ nests.”

“Poor little silly! Don’t you know that if you do all that, you will grow into a perfect donkey?”

“Keep still[9], you ugly Cricket!” cried Pinocchio.

But the Cricket, who was a wise old philosopher, continued:

“If you do not like to go to school, why don’t you learn a trade?”

“Shall I tell you something?” asked Pinocchio. “Of all the trades in the world, there is only one that I really like.”

“And what is that?”

“To eat, to drink, to sleep, to play and to wander around from morning till night.”

“Let me tell you, Pinocchio,” said the Cricket in his calm voice, “that you can end up in the hospital or in prison.”

“Careful, ugly Cricket! If you make me angry, you’ll be sorry!”

“Poor Pinocchio, I am sorry for you.”

“Why?”

“Because you are a Marionette and you have a wooden head.”

At these last words, Pinocchio jumped up, took a hammer from the bench, and threw it with all his strength at the Cricket.

Oh, my dear children, he hit the Cricket, straight on its head. With a last weak “cri-cri-cri” the poor Cricket fell from the wall, dead!

Chapter 5
Pinocchio is hungry and cooks an egg

But the Marionette was hungry. A boy’s appetite grows very fast. Pinocchio ran to the fireplace with the pot and stretched out his hand to take the cover off. To his amazement, the pot was only painted! His long nose became at least two inches longer.

He ran about the room, dug in all the boxes and drawers, and even looked under the bed. No piece of bread, or a cookie, or perhaps a bit of fish! He found nothing.

And meanwhile his hunger grew and grew. Pinocchio began to yawn. Soon he became dizzy and faint. He wept and wailed to himself:

“The Cricket was right. It was wrong of me to disobey Father and to run away from home. Oh, how horrible it is to be hungry!”

Suddenly, he saw in a corner something round and white that looked like a hen’s egg. It was an egg! The Marionette turned the egg over and over in his hands, fondled it, kissed it, and talked to it:

“And now, how shall I cook you? Shall I make an omelet? No, it is better to fry you in a pan! Or shall I drink you? No, the best way is to fry you in the pan.”

He placed a little pan over a foot warmer[10]. In the pan, instead of oil or butter, he poured a little water. As soon as the water started to boil-tac! – he broke the eggshell. But in place of the white and the yolk of the egg, a little yellow chicken escaped from it. The chicken bowed politely to Pinocchio and said to him:

“Many, many thanks, indeed, Signor Pinocchio. Now I’m free! Good-bye!”

With these words he darted to the open window and flew away.

Pinocchio began to cry and shriek:

“The Cricket was right! Oh, how horrible it is to be hungry!”

He decided to go to the nearby village to find some charitable person who might give him a bit of bread.

Chapter 6
Pinocchio sleeps with his feet on a foot warmer

Pinocchio hated the dark street, but he was very hungry and he ran out of the house. The night was black. It thundered. An angry wind blew cold, while the trees shook and moaned in a weird way.

Pinocchio was greatly afraid of thunder and lightning, but the hunger was greater than his fear. He came to the village. The village was dark and deserted. The stores, the doors, the windows were closed. It seemed the Village of the Dead.

Pinocchio, in desperation, ran up to a doorway and pulled the bell wildly. He said to himself: “Someone will surely answer that!”

He was right. An old man in a nightcap opened the window and looked out angrily:

“What do you want at this hour of night?”

“Will you give me a bit of bread? I am hungry.”

“Wait a minute,” answered the old man.

After a minute or two, the same voice cried:

“Get under the window and hold out your hat[11]!”

Pinocchio had no hat. When he got under the window, he felt a shower of ice-cold water on his poor wooden head, his shoulders, and over his whole body. He returned home as wet as a rag.

He sat down on a little stool and put his two feet on the stove to dry them.

There he fell asleep, and while he slept, his wooden feet began to burn. Slowly, very slowly, they blackened and turned to ashes.

At dawn Pinocchio opened his eyes. He heard a loud knocking at the door.

“Who is it?” he called.

“It is I,” answered a voice.

It was the voice of Geppetto.

Chapter 7
Geppetto returns home

The poor Marionette did not noticed that he had no legs anymore. As soon as he heard his Father’s voice, he jumped up from his seat to open the door, but staggered and fell headlong to the floor.

“Open the door for me!” Geppetto shouted from the street.

“Father, dear Father, I can’t,” answered the Marionette in despair.

“Why can’t you?”

“Because someone ate my feet.”

“And who ate them?”

“The cat,” answered Pinocchio. He saw that little animal in the corner of the room.

“Open! I say,” repeated Geppetto.

“Father, believe me, I can’t stand up. Oh, dear! Oh, dear! I shall walk on my knees all my life.”

Geppetto thought that all these tears and cries were only other pranks of the Marionette. So he climbed up the side of the house and went in through the window.

At first he was very angry, but then he saw Pinocchio on the floor and really without feet. Geppetto felt very sad and sorrowful. He picked Pinocchio up from the floor, fondled and caressed him:

“My little Pinocchio, my dear little Pinocchio! How did you burn your feet?”

“I don’t know, Father, but believe me, is was a terrible night. The thunder was so noisy and the lightning so bright-and I was hungry. And then the Cricket said to me, ‘You deserve it; you were bad;’ and I said to him, ‘Careful, Cricket.’ Then he said to me, ‘You are a Marionette and you have a wooden head;’ and I threw the hammer at him and killed him. It was his own fault, for I didn’t want to kill him. And I put the pan on the coals, but the Chick flew away. I went out, very hungry, and the old man with a nightcap looked out of the window and threw water on me. I came home and put my feet on the stove to dry them. Now I have no legs and I’m still hungry. Oh! – Oh!-Oh!”

And poor Pinocchio began to scream and cry loudly. Geppetto understood nothing of all that talk, except that the Marionette was hungry. He took three pears out of his pocket and offered them to Pinocchio:

“These three pears were for my breakfast, but I give them to you gladly. Eat them and don’t cry.”

“If you want me to eat them, please peel them for me.”

“Peel them?” asked Geppetto, very much surprised. “My dear boy, you are dainty and fussy. Bad, very bad! In this world, even children must eat everything.”

“You may be right,” answered Pinocchio, “but I will not eat the pears if they are not peeled. I don’t like them.”

And good old Geppetto took out a knife, peeled the three pears, and put the skins on the table. Pinocchio ate one pear and started to throw the core away, but Geppetto held his arm.

“Oh, no, don’t throw it away! Everything in this world may be useful!”

“But the core I will not eat!” cried Pinocchio angrily.

“Who knows?” repeated Geppetto calmly.

And later the three cores were placed on the table next to the skins.

Pinocchio devoured the three pears. Then he yawned deeply, and wailed:

“I’m still hungry.”

“But I have no more to give you.”

“Really, nothing-nothing?”

“I have only these three cores and these skins.”

“Very well, then,” said Pinocchio, “if there is nothing else I’ll eat them.”

At first he made a wry face, but then ate the skins and the cores.

“Ah! Now I feel fine!” he said.

“You see,” observed Geppetto, “I was right. Don’t be too fussy and too dainty!”

Chapter 8
Geppetto makes Pinocchio a new pair of feet, and buys him an ABC book[12]

Soon the Marionette started to grumble and cry that he wanted a new pair of feet. After dinner Master Geppetto said to him:

“What for? To run away from home once more?”

“I promise you,” answered the Marionette, “that I’ll be good.”

“Boys always promise that when they want something,” said Geppetto.

“I promise to go to school every day, to study.”

“Boys always sing that song when they want something.”

“But I am not like other boys! I am better than all of them. I always tell the truth. I promise you, Father, that I’ll learn a trade, and I’ll help you in your old age.”

Geppetto’s eyes filled with tears and his heart softened. He said no more, but took his tools and two pieces of wood.

In less than an hour the feet were ready, two slender, nimble little feet, strong and quick. The Marionette jumped from the table.

“I am grateful to you, Father, I’ll go to school now. But I need some clothes.”

Geppetto did not have a penny in his pocket, so he made him a little suit of flowered paper, a pair of shoes from the bark of a tree, and a tiny cap from a bit of dough.

Pinocchio ran to look at himself in a bowl of water, and he felt so happy that he said proudly:

“Now I look like a gentleman.”

“Truly,” answered Geppetto.

“But, in order to go to school,” answered Pinocchio, “I still need something very important.”

“What is it?”

“An ABC book.”

“You’re right. But how shall we get it?”

“That’s easy. We’ll go to a bookstore and buy it.”

“And the money?”

“I have none.”

“Neither have I,” said the old man sadly.

Pinocchio became sad and downcast.

Suddenly Geppetto ran out of the house without another word. After a while he returned. In his hands he had the ABC book for his son. But he did not have his old coat anymore. The poor fellow was in his shirt and the day was cold.

“Where’s your coat, Father?”

“I sold it.”

“Why did you sell your coat?”

“It was too warm.”

Pinocchio understood the answer, and he jumped on his father’s neck and kissed him.

Chapter 9
Pinocchio sells his ABC book

Pinocchio hurried off to school with his new ABC book under his arm. He said:

“In school today, I’ll learn to read, tomorrow to write, and the day after tomorrow I’ll do arithmetic. I’ll become clever and earn a lot of money. I’ll buy Father a new coat. It will be of gold and silver with diamond buttons. That poor man certainly deserves it. He sold his coat and bought a book for me! On this cold day, too! Fathers are indeed good to their children!”

Then he heard sounds of pipes and drums:

“Pi-pi-pi, pi-pi-pi! Zum, zum, zum, zum!”

He stopped to listen. Those sounds came from a little street that led to a small village.

“What is that noise?”

He was very much puzzled.

“Today I’ll follow the pipes, and tomorrow I’ll go to school,” decided the little rascal.

He went down the street. Soon, he found himself in a large square. There was a little wooden building in brilliant colors.

“What is that house?” Pinocchio asked a little boy near him.

“Read the sign and you’ll know.”

“I can’t read.”

“Oh, really? Listen. It says: Great Marionette Theater.

“When will the show start?”

“Now.”

“And how much is it?”

“Four pennies.”

Pinocchio lost all his pride and said to the boy shamelessly:

“Will you give me four pennies until tomorrow?”

“Gladly,” answered the other, “but not now.”

“For the price of four pennies, I’ll sell you my coat.”

“If it rains, what shall I do with a coat of paper?”

“Do you want to buy my shoes?”

“To light a fire?”

“What about my hat?”

“A cap of dough! The mice will eat it from my head!”

Pinocchio was almost in tears. At last he said:

“Will you give me four pennies for the book?”

“I am a boy and I buy nothing from boys,” said the little fellow.

“I’ll give you four pennies for your ABC book,” said a ragpicker who stood nearby.

Chapter 10
The Marionettes recognize their brother Pinocchio

So Pinocchio disappeared into the Marionette Theater. And then something happened. The performance started. Harlequin and Pulcinella were on the stage. The theater was full of people.

The play continued for a few minutes, and then suddenly Harlequin pointed to Pinocchio and yelled wildly:

“Look, look! Am I asleep? Or do I really see Pinocchio there?”

“Yes, yes! It is Pinocchio!” screamed Pulcinella.

“It is! It is!” shrieked Signora Rosaura.

“It is Pinocchio! It is Pinocchio!” yelled all the Marionettes. “It is Pinocchio. It is our brother Pinocchio! Hurrah for Pinocchio!”

“Pinocchio, come up to me!” shouted Harlequin. “Come to the arms of your wooden brothers!”

Pinocchio, with one leap, landed on the stage. It is impossible to describe the shrieks of joy and the friendly greetings with which actors and actresses received Pinocchio.

But the audience became angry and began to yell:

“The play, the play, we want the play!”

The Marionettes lifted up Pinocchio on their shoulders, and carried him around the stage in triumph. At that very moment, the Director came out of his room. He had a fearful appearance. His beard was as black as pitch, and it reached from his chin down to his feet. His mouth was as wide as an oven, his teeth like yellow fangs, and his eyes like two red coals. The poor Marionettes trembled like leaves in a storm.

“Why are you here, in my theater?” the Director asked Pinocchio with the voice of an ogre.

“Believe me, your Honor, this is not my fault.”

“Enough! Be quiet! I’ll talk to you later.”

As soon as the play was over, the Director went to the kitchen. There was a fine big lamb on the spit. The Director called Harlequin and Pulcinella and said to them:

“Bring that Marionette to me! He is made of wood. That’s good for the fire.”

Harlequin and Pulcinella, frightened, left the kitchen. A few minutes later they returned with poor Pinocchio.

“Father, save me! I don’t want to die! I don’t want to die!” cried Pinocchio.

Chapter 11
The Director sneezes and forgives Pinocchio

The Director was very ugly, but he was not very bad. When he saw the poor Marionette he felt sorry for him and began to sneeze. At that sneeze, Harlequin smiled happily and whispered to the Marionette:

“Good news, my brother! The Director feels sorry for you.”

When other people are sad and sorrowful, they weep and wipe their eyes. The Director sneezed each time he felt unhappy. So the Director, ugly as ever, cried to Pinocchio:

“Stop it! Your wails-E-tchee! – E-tchee!”

Two loud sneezes finished his speech.

“God bless you!” said Pinocchio.

“Thanks! Are your father and mother alive?” demanded The Director.

“My father, yes.”

“Your poor father… 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 have no more wood for the fire, and the lamb is only half cooked. Never mind![13] I’ll burn some other Marionette. Hey there! Officers!”

Two wooden officers appeared, long and thin, with queer hats on their heads and swords in their hands. The Director yelled at them in a hoarse voice:

“Take Harlequin, tie him, and throw him on the fire!”

Poor Harlequin was so scared that he fell to the floor. Pinocchio threw himself at the feet of the Director and asked him:

“Have pity, signore!”

“There are no signori here!”

“Have pity, kind sir!”

“There are no sirs here!”

“Have pity, your Excellency!”

The Director of the Marionette Theater sat up very straight in his chair, stroked his long beard, and became suddenly kind and compassionate. He smiled proudly as he said to Pinocchio:

“Well, what do you want from me now, Marionette?”

“I beg for mercy for my poor friend, Harlequin.”

“There is no mercy here, Pinocchio. Harlequin must burn in your place[14]. I am hungry and my dinner is not ready yet.”

“In that case,” said Pinocchio proudly, “in that case, my duty is clear. Come, officers! Tie me up and throw me on those flames. In poor Harlequin’s place!”

All the Marionettes cried. Even the officers, who were made of wood also, cried like two babies.

The Director 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 to my arms and kiss me!”

Pinocchio ran to him and kissed the Director on the tip of his nose.

“Well, tonight I shall eat my lamb only half cooked,” said The Director and sighed and wagged his head. He added: “But beware the next time, Marionettes.”

The Marionettes ran to the stage and danced and sang till dawn.

Chapter 12
Pinocchio meets a Fox and a Cat

The next day The Director 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 never has a penny in his pockets. In order to buy[15] me an ABC book for school, he sold his coat.”

“Poor fellow! I feel sorry for him. Here, take these five gold pieces[16]. Go, give them to him.”

Pinocchio thanked him a thousand times. He kissed each Marionette, even the officers, and went home.

Soon he met a lame Fox and a blind Cat. The lame Fox leaned on the Cat, and the blind Cat leaned on the Fox.

“Good morning, Pinocchio,” said the Fox courteously.

“How do you know my name?” asked the Marionette.

“I know your father well.”

“Where did you see him?”

“I saw him yesterday.”

“And what did he do?”

“He was in his shirt. He trembled with cold.”

“Poor Father! But, after today, he will suffer no longer.”

“Why?”

“Because I am a rich man.”

“You, a rich man?” said the Fox. The Cat laughed also, and stroked his long whiskers.

“Why do you laugh?” cried Pinocchio angrily. “Look: here are five gold pieces!”

And he pulled out the gold pieces. The Fox held out his paw, and the Cat opened wide his two eyes, but he closed them again so quickly that Pinocchio did not notice.

“And may I ask,” inquired the Fox, “what will you do with all that money?”

“First of all,” answered the Marionette, “I want to buy a fine new coat for my father, a coat of gold and silver with diamond buttons. After that, I’ll buy an ABC book for myself.”

“For yourself?”

“For myself. I want to go to school and study hard.”

“Look at me,” said the Fox. “I wanted to study and I lost a paw.”

“Look at me,” said the Cat. “For the same foolish reason, I lost the sight of both eyes.”

At that moment, a Blackbird on the fence along the road said:

“Pinocchio, do not listen to bad advice! You’ll be sorry!”

Poor little Blackbird! The Cat leaped on him, and ate him. Then he cleaned his whiskers, closed his eyes, and became 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 he will be silent.”

Suddenly, the Fox turned to the Marionette and said to him:

“Do you want to double your gold pieces?”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you want one hundred, a thousand, two thousand gold pieces?”

“Yes, but how?”

“It is very easy. Just come with us.”

“And where will you take me?”

“To the City of Sillies.”

Pinocchio thought a while and then said firmly:

“No, I don’t want to go. Home is near. The Cricket was right when he said that a disobedient boy could not be happy in this world. Even last night in the theater, when The Director… Brrrr!”

“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. Tomorrow your five gold pieces will be two thousand!” said the Fox.

“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 City of Simple Sillies, 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. Then cover up the hole with earth and water it well, sprinkle a bit of salt on it, and go to bed. During the night, the gold piece sprouts, grows, blossoms. Next morning you find a beautiful tree with gold pieces.”

“Really? Fine! Fine!” cried Pinocchio. “If it’s true, I’ll give you a gift.”

“A gift for us?” cried the Fox. “Why, of course not!”

“Of course not!” repeated the Cat.

“We work absolutely unselfishly,” answered the Fox. “We work only to enrich others.”

“To enrich others!” repeated the Cat.

“What good people,” thought Pinocchio. And he said 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, toward evening, tired, they came to the Inn of the Red Lobster.

“Let us stop here a while,” said the Fox, “to eat and rest. At midnight we’ll start out again, for at dawn tomorrow we must be at the Field of Wonders.”

They went into the Inn and all three sat down at the table. The poor Cat felt very weak, and he was able to eat only thirty-five mullets with tomato sauce and four portions of tripe with cheese and butter.

The Fox ate a little: a small hare with a dozen young chickens. After that, the Fox ordered some partridges, a few pheasants, a couple of rabbits, and a dozen frogs and lizards. That was all.

Pinocchio asked for a piece of bread and a few nuts.

Then the Fox said to the Innkeeper:

“Give us two good rooms, one for Signor Pinocchio and the other for me and my friend. Wake us at midnight, for we must continue our journey.”

“Yes,” answered the Innkeeper, “I understand.”

As soon as Pinocchio was in bed, he began to dream. He dreamed he was in the middle of a field. The field was full of vines with grapes. The grapes were gold coins which tinkled merrily as they swayed in the wind.

Just as Pinocchio stretched out his hand to take a handful of them, three loud knocks at the door awakened him. It was the Innkeeper.

“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 his kitten was ill. He could not even wait to say good-bye to you.”

“Did they pay for the supper?”

“How could they do it? They did not want to offend you as not to allow you to pay the bill.”

“Too bad!” said Pinocchio and scratched his head.

“Where will my good friends wait for me?” he added.

“At the Field of Wonders, at sunrise tomorrow morning.”

Pinocchio paid a gold piece for the three suppers and went toward the wonderful field.

It was dark, nothing was visible. A few bats skimmed his nose and scared him. Once or twice he shouted, “Who goes there? Who goes there? Who goes…?”

As he walked, Pinocchio noticed a tiny insect on the trunk of a tree. It glowed with a pale, soft light.

“Who are you?” he asked.

“I am the ghost of the Cricket,” answered it.

“What do you want?” asked the Marionette.

“I want to give you some good advice. Return home and give the four gold pieces to your poor old father.”

“Tomorrow my father will be a rich man, for these four gold pieces will become two thousand.”

“Don’t listen to those who promise you wealth overnight, my boy. As a rule they are either fools or swindlers! Listen to me and go home.”

“But I want to go on!”

“The hour is late!”

“I want to go on.”

“The night is very dark.”

“I want to go on.”

“The road is dangerous. There are many robbers in the dark.”

“I want to go on. The same nonsense. Good-bye, Cricket.”

“Good night, Pinocchio.”

There was silence for a minute and the ghost of the Cricket disappeared. Once again the road was dark.

Chapter 14
Pinocchio and the Robbers

“We boys are really very unlucky,” said the Marionette to himself, “Everybody scolds us, everybody gives us advice, everybody warns us. Everyone tries to be father and mother to us; everyone, even the Cricket. Robbers indeed! I think that fathers and mothers invented robbers to frighten children. Even if I meet them on the road, I’ll say, ‘Well, signori, what do you want? Run along and mind your business[17].’ If they don’t run away, I can always run myself.”

Suddenly Pinocchio heard a slight rustle among the leaves behind him. He turned to look and saw two big black shadows. The two figures in black coal sacks leaped toward him softly.

“Here they come!” Pinocchio said to himself, and hid the gold pieces under his tongue. He tried to run away, but deep voices said to him:

“Your money or your life!”

Pinocchio could not say a word, because the gold pieces were in his mouth. Pinocchio’s head and hands said,

“I haven’t a coin.”

“Give us your money or you’re a dead man,” said the taller of the two Robbers.

“Dead man,” repeated the other.

“And we will kill your father also.”

“Your father also!”

“No, no, no, not my Father!” cried Pinocchio. And the gold pieces tinkled together in his mouth.

“Ah, you rascal! You have the money under your tongue!”

But Pinocchio was silent again.

“Are you deaf? Wait, young man, we’ll get it from you!”

One of them grabbed the Marionette by the nose and the other by the chin, and they pulled him unmercifully from side to side in order to open his mouth.

But they couldn’t do it. In desperation the smaller of the two Robbers pulled out a long knife from his pocket, and tried to open Pinocchio’s mouth with it.

The Marionette sank his teeth deep into the Robber’s hand, and bit it off. Suddenly he saw that it was not a hand, but a cat’s paw!

Pinocchio freed himself from the claws of his assailers and ran swiftly across the fields. He climbed up a giant pine tree and sat there. The Robbers tried to climb also, but they slipped and fell.

They gathered a bundle of wood, and set fire to it[18]. The tree began to sputter and burn. The flames climbed higher and higher. Pinocchio jumped quickly to the ground and ran away.

But soon Pinocchio saw a deep pool full of dirty water. With a “One, two, three!” he jumped clear across it. The Robbers jumped also, but-splash! – they fell right into the middle of the pool.

“A pleasant bath to you, signori!” Pinocchio cried.

Chapter 15
The Robbers chase Pinocchio and catch him

Suddenly the Marionette saw a little cottage among the trees of the forest. He darted swiftly through the woods, the Robbers still after him.

Finally Pinocchio reached the door of the cottage and knocked. No one answered. He knocked again. The same silence followed.

Pinocchio, in despair, began to kick and bang against the door. At the noise, a window opened and a lovely maiden looked out. She had azure hair and a face white as wax. She whispered:

“No one lives in this house. Everyone is dead.”

“Won’t you open the door for me?” cried Pinocchio.

“I also am dead.”

“Dead? What do you do here, then?”

“I wait for the coffin.”

After these words, the little girl disappeared and the window closed.

“Oh, Lovely Maiden with Azure Hair,” cried Pinocchio, “please, open the door! I’m just a poor boy and two Rob-”

He did not finish, for two powerful hands grasped him by the neck and the same two horrible voices growled:

“Now we have you!”

The Marionette trembled and the coins tinkled under his tongue.

“Well,” the Robbers asked, “will you open your mouth now or not? Ah! You do not answer? Very well, this time you will open it. We’ll hang you.”

They tied Pinocchio’s hands behind his shoulders and slipped the noose around his neck. Then they sat on the grass. But after three hours the Marionette’s eyes were still open, his mouth still shut.

The Robbers told him mockingly:

“Good-bye till tomorrow. When we return in the morning, we hope you’ll be polite enough to open your mouth.”

With these words they went. A few minutes went by and then a wild wind started to blow. As it shrieked and moaned, the poor little sufferer went to and fro. The Marionette murmured to himself:

“Oh, Father, dear Father! Where are you?”

These were his last words. He closed his eyes, opened his mouth, and stretched out his legs.

Chapter 16
The Lovely Maiden with Azure Hair puts the poor Marionette to bed

Luckily for the poor Marionette, the Lovely Maiden with Azure Hair once again looked out of her window. She saw him and clapped her hands sharply together three times. At the signal, a large Falcon came and settled itself on the window ledge.

“What do you command, my charming Fairy?” asked the Falcon (for the Lovely Maiden with Azure Hair was a very kind Fairy who lived in the forest).

“Do you see that Marionette?”

“I see him.”

“Very well. Fly immediately to him. With your strong beak, break the knot which holds him, take him down, and lay him softly on the grass.”

The Falcon flew away and after two minutes returned,

“Ready.”

“How did you find him? Alive or dead?”

“I thought he was dead. But he mumbled with a faint voice, ‘Now I feel better!’”

The Fairy clapped her hands twice. A magnificent Poodle appeared. He was dressed in court livery. He wore a jaunty coat of velvet, with diamond buttons, and his huge pockets were always full of bones.

“Come, Medoro,” said the Fairy to him. “Take my best coach and go to the forest. Near the oak tree, you will find a poor Marionette on the grass. Lift him up tenderly, place him on the silken cushions of the coach, and bring him here to me.”

In a few minutes, a lovely little coach pulled out of the stable. One hundred pairs of white mice drew it. The Poodle sat on the coachman’s seat.

In a quarter of an hour the coach was back. The Fairy lifted the poor little Marionette in her arms, put him to bed, and sent immediately for the most famous doctors. They were a Crow, and Owl, and a Cricket.

“I want to know, signori,” said the Fairy, “if this poor Marionette is dead or alive.”

The Crow stepped out and felt Pinocchio’s pulse, his nose, his little toe. Then he solemnly pronounced the following words:

“To my mind this Marionette is dead and gone. But if he, by any evil chance, is not dead, then that will be a sign that he is still alive!”

“I am sorry,” said the Owl, “to contradict the Crow, my famous friend and colleague. I think that this Marionette is alive. But if he, by any evil chance, is not alive, then that will be a sign that he is dead!”

“And what is your opinion?” the Fairy asked the Cricket.

“This Marionette is not a stranger to me. I know him well!”

Pinocchio shuddered so hard that the bed shook.

“That Marionette,” continued the Cricket, “is a rascal.”

Pinocchio opened his eyes and closed them again.

“He is rude, lazy, a runaway.”

Pinocchio hid his face under the sheets.

“That Marionette is a disobedient son!”

They heard long sobs, cries, and deep sighs. Then they raised the sheets and discovered Pinocchio in tears!

“When the dead weep, they recover,” said the Crow solemnly.

“I am sorry to contradict my famous friend and colleague,” said the Owl, “but I think that when the dead weep, it means they do not want to die.”

Chapter 17
Pinocchio eats sugar, but refuses to take medicine

The doctors left the room. The Fairy went to Pinocchio’s bed and touched him on the forehead. A fever!

She took a glass of water, put a white powder into it, and handed it to the Marionette:

“Drink this, and in a few days you’ll be well.”

Pinocchio looked at the glass, made a wry face, and asked:

“Is it sweet or bitter?”

“It is bitter, but it is good for you.”

“If it is bitter, I don’t want it.”

“Drink it!”

“I don’t like anything bitter.”

“Drink it and I’ll give you a lump of sugar.”

“Where’s the sugar?”

“Here it is,” said the Fairy, and took a lump from a golden sugar bowl.

“I want the sugar first, then I’ll drink the bitter water.”

“Do you promise?”

“Yes.”

The Fairy gave him the sugar and Pinocchio swallowed it. Then he took the glass in both hands and stuck his nose into it.

“It is too bitter, much too bitter! I can’t drink it. I want another lump of sugar, then I’ll drink it.”

The Fairy gave him more sugar.

“I can’t drink it like that,” the Marionette said.

“Why?”

“Because that feather pillow on my feet bothers me.”

The Fairy took away the pillow.

“I can’t drink it even now.”

“What’s the matter now?”

“I don’t like that door. It’s half open.”

The Fairy closed the door.

“I won’t drink it,” cried Pinocchio. “I won’t drink this awful water. I won’t. I won’t! No, no, no, no!”

“My boy, you are very sick.”

“I don’t care.”

“In a few hours you’ll die.”

“I don’t care.”

“Aren’t you afraid of death?”

“Not a bit. Better to die than drink that awful medicine.”

At that moment, the door of the room opened and four Rabbits as black as ink, brought a small black coffin on their shoulders.

“What do you want from me?” asked Pinocchio.

“We want you,” said the largest Rabbit.

“Me? But I’m not dead yet!”

“No, not dead yet; but you will be in a few moments.”

“Oh, Fairy, my Fairy,” the Marionette cried, “give me that glass! Quick, please! I don’t want to die! No, no, not yet-not yet!”

And he swallowed the medicine at one gulp. The four Rabbits turned on their heels and marched solemnly out of the room.

With one leap Pinocchio was out of bed. The Fairy said to him:

“My medicine was good for you, after all, wasn’t it?”

“Good indeed!”

“But you didn’t want to drink it.”

“I’m a boy, you see, and all boys hate medicine.”

“What a shame! Medicine can save them from much pain and even from death.”

“Next time I’ll remember those black Rabbits with the black coffin on their shoulders and I’ll take the glass easily!”

“Come here now and tell me about yourself.”

“Well, the Director gave me five gold pieces to give to my Father. On the way, I met a Fox and a Cat, who asked me, ‘Do you want the five pieces to become two thousand?’ And I said, ‘Yes.’ And they said, ‘Come with us to the Field of Wonders.’ And I said, ‘Let’s go.’ Then they said, ‘Let us stop at the Inn of the Red Lobster for dinner.’ We ate and went to sleep. When I awoke they were absent and I walked alone. On the road I met two Robbers in black coal sacks, who said to me, ‘Your money or your life!’ and I said, ‘I haven’t any money’. You see, the money was under my tongue. One of them tried to put his hand in my mouth and I bit it off. But it wasn’t a hand, it was a cat’s paw. And they ran after me and I ran and ran, till at last they caught me and tied my neck with a rope and hanged me to a tree.”

“Where are the gold pieces now?” the Fairy asked.

“I lost them,” answered Pinocchio, but he told a lie, for he had them in his pocket.

As he spoke, his nose became at least two inches longer.

“And where did you lose them?”

“In the wood.”

At this second lie, his nose grew a few more inches.

“If you lost them in the wood,” said the Fairy, “we’ll look for them and find them.”

“Ah, now I remember,” replied the Marionette. “I did not lose the gold pieces, but I swallowed them when I drank the medicine.”

At this third lie, his nose became longer than ever. The Fairy laughed.

“Why do you laugh?” the Marionette asked her.

“I laugh at your lies.”

“How do you know?”

“My boy, there are two kinds of lies, lies with short legs and lies with long noses. Your lies have long noses.”

Pinocchio tried to escape from the room, but his nose was very long.

Chapter 18
Pinocchio finds the Fox and the Cat again

The Marionette mourned for hours over the length of his nose. But it did not go through the door. The Fairy began to feel sorry for him and clapped her hands together. A thousand woodpeckers flew in through the window and settled themselves on Pinocchio’s nose. They pecked and pecked so hard at that enormous nose that in a few moments, it was the same size as before.

“How good you are, my Fairy,” said Pinocchio, “and how much I love you!”

“I love you, too,” answered the Fairy, “and if you wish to stay with me, you may be my little brother and I’ll be your good little sister.”

“I want to stay-but what about my poor father?”

“Before night your father will be here.”

“Really?” cried Pinocchio joyfully. “Then, my good Fairy, I’ll go to meet him. I cannot wait to kiss the dear old man.”

“Surely; go ahead, but be careful! Take the wood path and you’ll surely meet him.”

Pinocchio went out. As soon as he found himself in the wood, he ran like a hare. When he reached the giant oak tree he stopped. He heard a rustle in the brush. He was right. There stood the Fox and the Cat.

“Here comes our dear Pinocchio!” cried the Fox. “How did you happen here?”

“How did you happen here?” repeated the Cat.

“It is a long story,” said the Marionette. “Let me tell it to you. When you left me alone at the Inn, I met the Robbers on the road-”

“The Robbers? Oh, my poor friend! And what did they want?”

“They wanted my gold pieces.”

“Rascals!” said the Fox.

“Yes, rascals!” added the Cat.

“But I began to run,” continued the Marionette, “and they caught me and hanged me to the limb of that oak.”

Pinocchio pointed to the giant oak.

“What an awful world!” said the Fox. “Where shall we find a safe place for gentlemen like ourselves?”

Pinocchio noticed that the Cat carried his right paw in a sling.

“What happened to your paw?” he asked.

The Cat tried to answer, but the Fox helped him,

“My friend is too modest to answer. I’ll answer for him. About an hour ago, we met an old wolf on the road. He was hungry and begged for help. What do you think my friend did kindly? With his teeth, he bit off the paw of his front foot and threw it at that poor beast. So the wolf ate that.”

The Fox wiped off a tear. Pinocchio was almost in tears himself.

“And what do you do here?” the Fox asked the Marionette.

“I want to meet my father, who will be here soon.”

“And your gold pieces?”

“I still have them in my pocket, except one which I spent at the Inn of the Red Lobster.”

“Think that those four gold pieces may become two thousand tomorrow. Why don’t you listen to me? Why don’t you sow them in the Field of Wonders?”

“Today it is impossible. I’ll go with you some other time.”

“Another day will be too late,” said the Fox.

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Примечания

1

  found itself in the shop – оказался в мастерской

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2

  to peel off the bark – чтобы очистить кору

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3

  picked up the plane – взял рубанок

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4

  to and fro – туда-сюда

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5

  Polendina (Cornmeal mush) – кукурузная лепёшка

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6

  beg for a favor – попросить об одолжении

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7

  turn somersaults – кувыркаться

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8

  get out – убирайся

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9

  keep still – замолчи

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10

  a foot warmer – жаровня

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11

  hold out your hat – подставь свою шляпу

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12

  ABC book = букварь

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13

  Never mind! – Не беда!

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14

  in your place – вместо тебя

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15

  In order to buy – чтобы купить

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16

  five gold pieces – пять золотых (монет)

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17

  mind your business – занимайтесь своим делом

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18

  set fire to it – подожгли

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