Little by little his eyes began to grow dim, but although he felt thatdeath was near he still continued to hope that some charitable personwould come to his assistance before it was too late. But when, afterwaiting and waiting, he found that no one came, absolutely no one, thenhe remembered his poor father, and, thinking he was dying, he stammeredout:
"Oh, papa! papa! if only you were here!"
Four Rabbits as Black as Ink Entered Carrying a LittleBier]
His breath failed him and he could say no more. He shut his eyes, openedhis mouth, stretched his legs, gave a long shudder, and hung stiff andinsensible.
CHAPTER XVI
THE BEAUTIFUL CHILD RESCUES THE PUPPET
While poor Pinocchio, suspended to a branch of the Big Oak, wasapparently more dead than alive, the beautiful Child with blue hair cameagain to the window. When she saw the unhappy puppet hanging by histhroat, and dancing up and down in the gusts of the north wind, she wasmoved by compassion. Striking her hands together, she gave three littleclaps.
At this signal there came a sound of the sweep of wings flying rapidlyand a large Falcon flew on to the window-sill.
"What are your orders, gracious Fairy?" he asked, inclining his beak insign of reverence.
"Do you see that puppet dangling from a branch of the Big Oak?"
"I see him."
"Very well. Fly there at once: with your strong beak break the knot thatkeeps him suspended in the air, and lay him gently on the grass at thefoot of the tree."
The Falcon flew away and after two minutes he returned, saying:
"I have done as you commanded."
"And how did you find him?"
"To see him he appeared dead, but he cannot really be quite dead, for Ihad no sooner loosened the running noose that tightened his throat than,giving a sigh, he muttered in a faint voice: 'Now I feel better!'"
The Fairy then struck her hands together twice and a magnificent Poodleappeared, walking upright on his hind legs exactly as if he had been aman.
He was in the full-dress livery of a coachman. On his head he had athree-cornered cap braided with gold, his curly white wig came down onto his shoulders, he had a chocolate-colored waistcoat with diamondbuttons, and two large pockets to contain the bones that his mistressgave him at dinner. He had, besides, a pair of short crimson velvetbreeches, silk stockings, cut-down shoes, and hanging behind him aspecies of umbrella case made of blue satin, to put his tail into whenthe weather was rainy.
"Be quick, Medoro, like a good dog!" said the Fairy to the Poodle. "Havethe most beautiful carriage in my coach-house harnessed, and take theroad to the wood. When you come to the Big Oak you will find a poorpuppet stretched on the grass half dead. Pick him up gently and lay himflat on the cushions of the carriage and bring him here to me. Do youunderstand?"
The Poodle, to show that he had understood, shook the case of bluesatin three or four times and ran off like a race-horse.
Shortly afterwards a beautiful little carriage came out of thecoach-house. The cushions were stuffed with canary feathers and it waslined on the inside with whipped cream, custard and vanilla wafers. Thelittle carriage was drawn by a hundred pairs of white mice, and thePoodle, seated on the coach-box, cracked his whip from side to side likea driver when he is afraid that he is behind time.
Scarcely had a quarter of an hour passed, when the carriage returned.The Fairy, who was waiting at the door of the house, took the poorpuppet in her arms and carried him into a little room that waswainscoted with mother-of-pearl. She sent at once to summon the mostfamous doctors in the neighborhood.
They came immediately, one after the other: namely, a Crow, an Owl, anda Talking-Cricket.
"I wish to know from you, gentlemen," said the Fairy, "if thisunfortunate puppet is alive or dead!"
At this request the Crow, advancing first, felt Pinocchio's pulse; hethen felt his nose and then the little toe of his foot: and, having donethis carefully, he pronounced solemnly the following words:
"To my belief the puppet is already quite dead; but, if unfortunately heshould not be dead, then it would be a sign that he is still alive!"
"I regret," said the Owl, "to be obliged to contradict the Crow, myillustrious friend and colleague; but, in my opinion the puppet is stillalive; but, if unfortunately he should not be alive, then it would be asign that he is dead indeed!"
"And you--have you nothing to say?" asked the Fairy of theTalking-Cricket.
"In my opinion, the wisest thing a prudent doctor can do, when he doesnot know what he is talking about, is to be silent. For the rest, thatpuppet there has a face that is not new to me. I have known him for sometime!"
Pinocchio, who up to that moment had lain immovable, like a real pieceof wood, was seized with a fit of convulsive trembling that shook thewhole bed.
"That puppet there," continued the Talking-Cricket, "is a confirmedrogue."
Pinocchio opened his eyes, but shut them again immediately.
"He is a ragamuffin, a do-nothing, a vagabond."
Pinocchio hid his face beneath the clothes.
"That puppet there is a disobedient son who will make his poor fatherdie of a broken heart!"
At that instant a suffocated sound of sobs and crying was heard in theroom. Imagine everybody's astonishment when, having raised the sheets alittle, it was discovered that the sounds came from Pinocchio.
"When a dead person cries, it is a sign that he is on the road to getwell," said the Crow solemnly.
"I grieve to contradict my illustrious friend and colleague," added theOwl; "but for me, when the dead person cries, it is a sign that he issorry to die."
CHAPTER XVII
PINOCCHIO WILL NOT TAKE HIS MEDICINE
As soon as the three doctors had left the room the Fairy approachedPinocchio and, having touched his forehead, she perceived that he was ina high fever.
She therefore dissolved a certain white powder in half a tumbler ofwater and, offering it to the puppet, she said to him lovingly:
"Drink it and in a few days you will be cured."
Pinocchio looked at the tumbler, made a wry face, and then asked in aplaintive voice:
"Is it sweet or bitter?"
"It is bitter, but it will do you good."
"If it is bitter, I will not take it."
"Listen to me: drink it."
"I don't like anything bitter."
"Drink it, and when you have drunk it I will give you a lump of sugar totake away the taste."
"Where is the lump of sugar?"
"Here it is," said the Fairy, taking a piece from a gold sugar-basin.
"Give me first the lump of sugar and then I will drink that bad bitterwater."
"Do you promise me?"
"Yes."
The Fairy gave him the sugar and Pinocchio, having crunched it up andswallowed it in a second, said, licking his lips:
"It would be a fine thing if sugar were medicine! I would take it everyday."
"Now keep your promise and drink these few drops of water, which willrestore you to health."
Pinocchio took the tumbler unwillingly in his hand and put the point ofhis nose to it: he then approached it to his lips: he then again put hisnose to it, and at last said:
"It is too bitter! too bitter! I cannot drink it."
"How can you tell that, when you have not even tasted it?"
"I can imagine it! I know it from the smell. I want first another lumpof sugar and then I will drink it!"
The Fairy then, with all the patience of a good mamma, put another lumpof sugar in his mouth, and again presented the tumbler to him.
"I cannot drink it so!" said the puppet, making a thousand grimaces.
"Why?"
"Because that pillow that is down there on my feet bothers me."
The Fairy removed the pillow.
"It is useless. Even so I cannot drink it."
"What is the matter now?"
"The door of the room, which is half open, bothers me."
Th
e Fairy went and closed the door.
"In short," cried Pinocchio, bursting into tears, "I will not drink thatbitter water--no, no, no!"
"My boy, you will repent it."
"I don't care."
"Your illness is serious."
"I don't care."
"The fever in a few hours will carry you into the other world."
"I don't care."
"Are you not afraid of death?"
"I am not in the least afraid! I would rather die than drink that bittermedicine."
At that moment the door of the room flew open and four rabbits as blackas ink entered carrying on their shoulders a little bier.
"What do you want with me?" cried Pinocchio, sitting up in bed in agreat fright.
"We have come to take you," said the biggest rabbit.
"To take me? But I am not yet dead!"
"No, not yet? but you have only a few minutes to live, as you haverefused the medicine that would have cured you of the fever."
"Oh, Fairy, Fairy!" the puppet then began to scream, "give me thetumbler at once; be quick, for pity's sake, for I will not die--no, Iwill not die."
And, taking the tumbler in both hands, he emptied it at a gulp.
"We must have patience!" said the rabbits; "this time we have made ourjourney in vain." And, taking the little bier again on their shoulders,they left the room, grumbling and murmuring between their teeth.
In fact, a few minutes afterwards, Pinocchio jumped down from the bedquite well, because wooden puppets have the privilege of being seldomill and of being cured very quickly.
The Fairy, seeing him running and rushing about the room as gay and aslively as a young cock, said to him:
"Then my medicine has really done you good?"
"Good? I should think so! It has restored me to life!"
"Then why on earth did you require so much persuasion to take it?"
"Because you see that we boys are all like that! We are more afraid ofmedicine than of the illness."
"Disgraceful! Boys ought to know that a good remedy taken in time maysave them from a serious illness, and perhaps even from death."
"Oh! but another time I shall not require so much persuasion. I shallremember those black rabbits with the bier on their shoulders and then Ishall immediately take the tumbler in my hand, and down it will go!"
"Now, come here to me and tell me how it came about that you fell intothe hands of those assassins."
"You see, the showman, Fire-Eater, gave me some gold pieces and said tome: 'Go, and take them to your father!' and instead I met on the road aFox and a Cat, who said to me: 'Would you like those pieces of gold tobecome a thousand or two? Come with us and we will take you to the Fieldof Miracles,' and I said: 'Let us go.' And they said: 'Let us stop atthe inn of The Red Craw-Fish,' and after midnight they left. And when Iawoke I found that they were no longer there, because they had goneaway. Then I began to travel by night, for you cannot imagine how darkit was; and on that account I met on the road two assassins in charcoalsacks who said to me: 'Out with your money,' and I said to them: 'I havegot none,' because I had hidden the four gold pieces in my mouth, andone of the assassins tried to put his hand in my mouth, and I bit hishand off and spat it out, but instead of a hand it was a cat's paw. Andthe assassins ran after me, and I ran, and ran, until at last theycaught me and tied me by the neck to a tree in this wood, and said tome: 'Tomorrow we shall return here and then you will be dead with yourmouth open and we shall be able to carry off the pieces of gold that youhave hidden under your tongue."
"And the four pieces--where have you put them?" asked the Fairy.
"I have lost them!" said Pinocchio, but he was telling a lie, for he hadthem in his pocket.
He had scarcely told the lie when his nose, which was already long, grewat once two inches longer.
"And where did you lose them?"
"In the wood near here."
At this second lie his nose went on growing.
"If you have lost them in the wood near here," said the Fairy, "we willlook for them and we shall find them: because everything that is lost inthat wood is always found."
"Ah! now I remember all about it," replied the puppet, getting quiteconfused; "I didn't lose the four gold pieces, I swallowed them whilst Iwas drinking your medicine."
At this lie his nose grew to such an extraordinary length that poorPinocchio could not move in any direction. If he turned to one side hestruck his nose against the bed or the window-panes, if he turned to theother he struck it against the walls or the door, if he raised his heada little he ran the risk of sticking it into one of the Fairy's eyes.
And the Fairy looked at him and laughed.
"What are you laughing at?" asked the puppet, very confused and anxiousat finding his nose growing so prodigiously.
"I am laughing at the lie you have told."
"And how can you possibly know that I have told a lie?"
"Lies, my dear boy, are found out immediately, because they are of twosorts. There are lies that have short legs, and lies that have longnoses. Your lie, as it happens, is one of those that have a long nose."
Pinocchio, not knowing where to hide himself for shame, tried to run outof the room; but he did not succeed, for his nose had increased so muchthat it could no longer pass through the door.
SPLASH! SPLASH! THEY FELL INTO THE VERY MIDDLE OF THEDITCH]
CHAPTER XVIII
PINOCCHIO AGAIN MEETS THE FOX AND THE CAT
The Fairy allowed the puppet to cry for a good half-hour over his nose,which could no longer pass through the door of the room. This she did togive him a severe lesson, and to correct him of the disgraceful fault oftelling lies--the most disgraceful fault that a boy can have. But whenshe saw him quite disfigured and his eyes swollen out of his head fromweeping, she felt full of compassion for him. She therefore beat herhands together and at that signal a thousand large birds calledWoodpeckers flew in at the window. They immediately perched onPinocchio's nose and began to peck at it with such zeal that in a fewminutes his enormous and ridiculous nose was reduced to its usualdimensions.
"What a good Fairy you are," said the puppet, drying his eyes, "and howmuch I love you!"
"I love you also," answered the Fairy; "and if you will remain with meyou shall be my little brother and I will be your good little sister."
"I would remain willingly if it were not for my poor papa."
"I have thought of everything. I have already let your father know, andhe will be here tonight."
"Really?" shouted Pinocchio, jumping for joy. "Then, little Fairy, ifyou consent, I should like to go and meet him. I am so anxious to give akiss to that poor old man, who has suffered so much on my account, thatI am counting the minutes."
"Go, then, but be careful not to lose yourself. Take the road throughthe wood and I am sure that you will meet him."
Pinocchio set out, and as soon as he was in the wood he began to runlike a kid. But when he had reached a certain spot, almost in front ofthe Big Oak, he stopped, because he thought he heard people amongst thebushes. In fact, two persons came out on to the road. Can you guess whothey were? His two traveling companions, the Fox and the Cat, with whomhe had supped at the inn of The Red Craw-Fish.
"Why, here is our dear Pinocchio!" cried the Fox, kissing and embracinghim. "How came you to be here?"
"How come you to be here?" repeated the Cat.
"It is a long story," answered the puppet, "which I will tell you when Ihave time. But do you know that the other night, when you left me aloneat the inn, I met with assassins on the road?"
"Assassins! Oh, poor Pinocchio! And what did they want?"
"They wanted to rob me of my gold pieces."
"Villains!" said the Fox.
"Infamous villains!" repeated the Cat.
"But I ran away from them," continued the puppet, "and they followed me,and at last they overtook me and hung me to a branch of that oak tree."
And Pinocchio pointed to the Big Oak, whic
h was two steps from them.
"Is it possible to hear of anything more dreadful?" said the Fox. "Inwhat a world we are condemned to live! Where can respectable people likeus find a safe refuge?"
Whilst they were thus talking Pinocchio observed that the Cat was lameof her front right leg, for in fact she had lost her paw with all itsclaws. He therefore asked her:
"What have you done with your paw?"
The Cat tried to answer, but became confused. Therefore the Fox saidimmediately:
"My friend is too modest, and that is why she doesn't speak. I willanswer for her. I must tell you that an hour ago we met an old wolf onthe road, almost fainting from want of food, who asked alms of us. Nothaving so much as a fish-bone to give him, what did my friend, who hasreally the heart of a Caesar, do? She bit off one of her fore paws andthrew it to that poor beast that he might appease his hunger."
And the Fox, in relating this, dried a tear.
Pinocchio was also touched and, approaching the Cat, he whispered intoher ear:
"If all cats resembled you, how fortunate the mice would be!"
"And now, what are you doing here?" asked the Fox of the puppet.
"I am waiting for my papa, whom I expect to arrive every moment."