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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?”

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