CHAPTER 9

The snow having stopped, Pinocchio, with his nice new A B C card under his arm, went to school. As he walked along he imagined many things and built a thousand castles in the air, each new one more beautiful than the others. And, talking to himself, he said: "To-day at school I wish to learn immediately to read; to-morrow I will learn to write, and then the day after to-morrow I will learn to make numbers. Then with my learning I will earn many pennies, and with the pennies that will fill my pocket I will order my papa a nice new suit of cloth. But why did I say of cloth? I will have one of gold and line it with silver and have buttons of brilliants. My poor papa deserves it truly, because in order to buy me an A B C card so that I could learn, he is now in his shirt sleeves, in the cold weather too! There are not many papas who would sacrifice so much."

While he was talking thus he seemed to hear some music of a fife and strokes of a drum — pi- pi-pi, pi-pi-pi, turn, sum, turn, turn. He stopped to listen. These sounds came from the end of a long street that led to a small square near the sea. "What is that beautiful music? It is too bad that I have to go to school. If — " And he remained there perplexed. He must decide either to go to school or to hear the fife and drum. "To-day I will go and hear the fife and drum, and to-morrow I will go to school. There is always time to go there," said the little scoundrel, shrugging his shoulders.

No sooner said than done. He turned down the street and ran as hard as he could. The more he ran, the more distinct became the sound of the fife and drum — pi-pi-pi, pi-pi-pi, pi-pi-pi, turn, turn, turn, turn. He soon found himself in the middle of a square, which was filled with people. They all stood around a little wooden building with a sign painted in many colors.

"What is that house?" asked Pinocchio, turning to a boy standing near.

"Read the sign and you will know."

"I should be glad to read it, but somehow to-day I do not know how."

"Stupid one! then I will read it for you. Know, then, that on that sign with letters like fire there is written, 'Grand Theater of Marionettes.'"

"How soon does it begin?"

"It begins now."

"And how much is the admission?"

"Four pennies."

Pinocchio was wild with curiosity, and forgetting all his good resolutions, shamelessly turned to the boy with whom he was talking and said, "Would you give me four pennies until to-morrow?"

"I would give you the pennies willingly, but today I have none to spare."

"For four pennies I will sell you my jacket," said the marionette.

"What good would a paper cardboard jacket do me? If it rains on it, it will fall apart."

"I will sell my shoes."

"They are good only for a fire."

"How much will you give me for my cap?"

"Nice bargain, truly! a cap of bread! Why, the rats would eat it all in a night."

Pinocchio was full of trouble. He stood there not knowing what to do. He had not the courage to offer the last thing he had. He hesitated, but finally he said, "Will you give me four pennies for this A B C card?"

"I am a boy and I do not buy from boys," replied the little fellow, who had more good sense than the marionette.

"For four pennies I will take the A B C card," said a seller of old clothes, who heard the conversation. So the card was sold at once. And to think that the poor man, Geppetto, remained at home trembling in his shirt sleeves in the cold, just to buy that A B C card for his son!