Pinafore

“ The boys traveled two weeks longer, and at last Marsovino thought himself near his destination. So he dived into the water to a great depth.
After a while, as he sank deeper and deeper into the sea, Pinocchio became frightened. They were down so far that no light from the sun could reach them.
“Where are you carrying me to, my dear?” he asked. “If we go any farther, we cannot possibly live. How could we, with this immense amount of water over us?”
“We’ll be all right, my boy, never fear. If little fish like that can live here, why, so can we.” ”

“ As he swam away, he called out:
“Good-by, Alidoro, good luck and remember me to the family!”
“Good-by, little Pinocchio,” answered the Dog. “A thousand thanks for having saved me from death. You did me a good turn, and, in this world, what is given is always returned. If the chance comes, I shall be there.”
Pinocchio went on swimming close to shore. At last he thought he had reached a safe place. Glancing up and down the beach, he saw the opening of a cave out of which rose a spiral of smoke.
“In that cave,” he said to himself, “there must be a fire. So much the better. ”

“ When they were white with it, he threw them into the pan. The first to dance in the hot oil were the mullets, the bass followed, then the whitefish, the flounders, and the anchovies. Pinocchio’s turn came last. Seeing himself so near to death (and such a horrible death!) he began to tremble so with fright that he had no voice left with which to beg for his life.
The poor boy beseeched only with his eyes. But the Green Fisherman, not even noticing that it was he, turned him over and over in the flour until he looked like a Marionette made of chalk. ”

“ They were a Crow, an Owl, and a Talking Cricket.
“I should like to know from you, gentlemen,” said the Fairy, turning to the three doctors who surrounded the bed of Pinocchio,—“I should like to know if this unhappy marionette is dead or alive.” At this invitation the Crow stepped forward, tested the pulse of Pinocchio, tested his nose, and then his little toe. When he had tested him thoroughly he pronounced these words: “It is my
belief that the marionette is quite dead; but if through some awkwardness he should not be dead, then it would be a sure sign that he is alive.” ”

“ But Pinocchio, thinking his father was frightened, tried to comfort him by saying:
“Courage, Father! In a few moments we shall be safe on land.”
“But where is that blessed shore?” asked the little old man, more and more worried as he tried to pierce the faraway shadows. “Here I am searching on all sides and I see nothing but sea and sky.”
“I see the shore,” said the Marionette. “Remember, Father, that I am like a cat. I see better at night than by day.” ”

“ Please hurry, won’t you?”
“My boy,” replied the Snail, “I am a snail; and snails never hurry.”
Some time afterward it struck midnight; then one; then two; but the door remained always closed. Then Pinocchio, losing patience, took hold of the knocker and was about to strike with all his might when the knocker became an eel and, slipping through his hands, dropped into a stream of water that ran in the street.
“Ho! ho!” cried Pinocchio, more enraged than ever. “If the knocker disappears I will use my foot.” He then kicked the door so hard that his foot went through the wood and stuck there. ”

“ Then it was she—it was—my dear little Fairy,” cried out Pinocchio, sobbing bitterly. After he had cried a long time, he wiped his eyes and then he made a bed of straw for old Geppetto. He laid him on it and said to the Talking Cricket:
“Tell me, little Cricket, where shall I find a glass of milk for my poor Father?”
“Three fields away from here lives Farmer John. He has some cows. Go there and he will give you what you want.”
Pinocchio ran all the way to Farmer John’s house. The Farmer said to him:
“How much milk do you want?”
“I want a full glass.”
“A full glass costs a penny. ”

“ No greater love for a task nor happiness in doing it, no more ardent wish to please a child or meet a mother's need, ever went into a book than have been wrought into this volume and its three predecessors. We hope that it will find its way into the nurseries where wealth has provided every means of ministering to the young child's growth in body, mind, and soul ”

“ Will you come with us? In half an hour you will be there. You can bury your money at once, and in a few minutes you will collect two thousand, and this evening you will return with your pockets full. Will you come with us?"
Pinocchio thought of the good Fairy, old Geppetto, and the warning of the Talking-cricket, and he hesitated a little before answering. He ended however, by doing as all boys do who have not a grain of sense and who have no heart—he ended by giving his head a little shake, and saying to the Fox and Cat:
"Let us go: I will come with you." ”

“ His foot caught Cutemup right in the stomach and knocked him breathless into the arms of the young lieutenant, who had to resort to artificial respiration to revive him.
The Alpine soldier broke out into such an astonishing laugh from beneath his bandages and his beard that the others, Fatina included, had to echo him. Pinocchio played 'possum, perfectly still with his eyes half closed. When Cutemup, quite recovered, sprang toward him to give vent to his just vengeance, he seemed much surprised to see him in such a state. ”

“ When Pinocchio related to him how, with the aid of the mess-cook, he had made Franz and Stolz sing, and repeated the few words which he had heard from their mouths, he had no longer any doubt regarding the foe's strange behavior.
"Heavens! Those scoundrels wanted to blow us up! Luckily I was prudent, but you'll see what a joke I'll invent to play on those dogs! Call Corporal Scotimondo."
The most important duties were usually intrusted to this soldier with a face like a cab-driver's, with a large blond beard and full, ruddy cheeks, who at first sight looked so good-natured. ”

“ And placing the coffin on their shoulders again, the Rabbits went out of the room grumbling and muttering between their teeth.
The fact was that a few moments later Pinocchio jumped down from the bed well and strong; for you must know that wooden marionettes have the advantage of rarely being sick, and when they are they get well quickly. The Fairy, seeing him run through the room as lively and bright as a little chicken just out of its shell, said to him, “Then my medicine has cured you?” ”

“ When Pinocchio regained his senses he found himself lying on the ground wrapped up in coverlets and warm as a bun just out of the oven. Above his head dangled horizontally the huge basket from which he had been flung by the shock of its sudden halt, and which swung on the steel cables of the filovia as if it were weary of being up there and eager to set about its job. All about was the gleam of the snow, even though the light was growing paler every moment. ”

“ Remember the proverb that says, ‘Stolen wheat always makes poor bread.’”
“Do not abandon us.”
“No, no!” said the Cat.
“Good-by. Remember the proverb, ‘Whoever steals the cloak of his neighbor usually dies without a shirt.’”
Geppetto and Pinocchio continued their walk until they saw a small farmhouse with a straw roof.
“That house is inhabited by some one,” said Pinocchio. “Let us go and knock at the door.”
“Who is there?” said a voice inside, when they had reached the house.
“We are a poor papa and his son, without bread or a home,” replied the marionette. ”

“ There would have to be something out of the ordinary. He therefore added to the fare some dried fish and a delicious morsel of orange peel. “He will even have fruit,” the good man had said to himself, smiling at the joy his dear Pinocchio would feel on seeing himself treated like a man of the world.
The marionette ate his supper with relish, and having finished his meal, went over to his sleeping father and kissed him as a reward for the fish and the orange peel. Pinocchio, to say the least, had a good heart, and would have done anything for his father except study and work. ”

“ Pinocchio, instead of becoming a boy, runs away to the Land of Toys with his friend, Lamp-Wick.
Coming at last out of the surprise into which the Fairy’s words had thrown him, Pinocchio asked for permission to give out the invitations.
“Indeed, you may invite your friends to tomorrow’s party. Only remember to return home before dark. Do you understand?”
“I’ll be back in one hour without fail,” answered the Marionette.
“Take care, Pinocchio! Boys give promises very easily, but they as easily forget them.” ”

“ Major Cutemup ... did you think I was talking of you? Not a thought of doing so. I meant those dogs of Austrians."
"A-a-a-h! Then be off to the barber's."
"Thanks. I'll have him fix me up in a minute."
"Boy, hurry up. His Majesty is coming."
Ten minutes later everything was shining like a mirror. The soldiers were already at work in the adjoining room. Pinocchio had disappeared. Teschisso had gone to be 98 shaved. Fatina was arranging the white window-curtains. The Bersaglierino was seated on his bed, his right arm resting on his knee and his chin held in the hollow of his hand. ”

“ In short, Ciampanella said so much and did so much that he persuaded Pinocchio to stay with him. And certainly the boy could not find a better way of making himself useful to his country. The mess-cook was at the orders of a division. Each day he satisfied the hunger of four generals, six colonels, and a crowd of 191 majors and captains of the General Staff. All these were men who had need of good eating that wouldn't cause indigestion. Pinocchio served ... as director of the mess. ”

“ If the Cricket’s death scared Pinocchio at all, it was only for a very few moments. For, as night came on, a queer, empty feeling at the pit of his stomach reminded the Marionette that he had eaten nothing as yet.
A boy’s appetite grows very fast, and in a few moments the queer, empty feeling had become hunger, and the hunger grew bigger and bigger, until soon he was as ravenous as a bear. ”

“ As knocking was of no use, Pinocchio, in despair, began to kick and bang against the door, as if he wanted to break it. At the noise, a window opened and a lovely maiden looked out. She had azure hair and a face white as wax. Her eyes were closed and her hands crossed on her breast. With a voice so weak that it hardly could be heard, she whispered:
“No one lives in this house. Everyone is dead.” ”

“ The fourth time, before he had time to lose his courage, 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 window (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?” ”

“ CHAPTER VI Wherein We See Pinocchio's Heart
92
All three of them were now up again. It was to be for them a day of great gladness. Yet all three were in a bad humor. They didn't even talk. Captain Teschisso, dressed in a brand-new uniform, couldn't tear himself away from the mirror, which he addressed in a low voice:
"Just see what they have made of me. I can't go on this way.... I am not presentable. Without an ear, with a slash on the cheek, half my beard gone ... I look like a wild animal to be shown at a circus. Lord! How many kicks I'd like to give those dogs! ”

“ Fire Eater at first remained hard and cold as a piece of ice; but afterward he slowly began to show symptoms of being moved and of sneezing. After having sneezed four or five times, he held out his arms to Pinocchio and said: “You are a brave boy. Come here and give me a kiss.”
Pinocchio ran quickly, and, climbing like a squirrel up the beard of the manager, gave him a most beautiful kiss right on the point of his nose. “Then I am free?” asked Harlequin, with a thin voice that could scarcely be heard. ”

“ 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.” ”

“ I will leave you to imagine the grief, the shame, the desperation of Pinocchio. He cried and screamed and beat his head against the wall; but his ears grew and grew and grew until hair began to show on the tops.
At the sound of his heartrending cries a Dormouse, who lived on the first floor, entered the room. Seeing the marionette in great anguish, he asked eagerly, “What is the matter, my dear little lodger?”
“I am sick, Dormouse; very sick, and with a sickness that alarms me. Do you understand the pulse?” ”

“ They are too highly educated to insult a gentleman as good as you are.”
“Oh, yes! That affront would have displeased me very much,” said Pinocchio, scratching his head. Then he asked, “Did they say where I should meet them?”
“At the Field of Miracles, to-morrow morning at daybreak.”
Pinocchio paid a gold piece for his supper and that of his companions, and then departed. He groped his way along, because outside the Inn it was so dark that he could not see anything. It was very quiet and not even a leaf stirred. Some birds flying along the road struck Pinocchio on the nose with their wings. ”