“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: