The marionette, returning to the city, began to count the minutes one by one. When he thought it was time to go back he took the road that led to the Field of Wonders. And while he walked along his heart beat in his bosom like a big hall clock — tic-tac-tic-tac. Meanwhile he was thinking to himself: "And if, instead of two thousand, I should find five thousand? Oh, what a rich man I should be! I would have a palace and a thousand wooden horses and carriages to amuse me; I would have a cellar filled with good things, a library filled with candy, Dutch cake, almond cake, and cinnamon stick."

Thus imagining, he arrived at the field. He stopped to look for the large vine with many branches, but he saw nothing. He took a few steps more. Nothing. He entered the field and went right to the hole where he had planted his money. There was nothing there. Then he became thoughtful and began to wonder what he should do next.

Just then he heard a whistling in his ears as if some one were laughing. Looking up, he saw on a tree a big Parrot who was preening his feathers.

"Why do you laugh?" asked Pinocchio in an angry voice.

"I laugh because in cleaning my feathers I tickled myself under my wings."

The marionette did not reply. He went to the well and sprinkled again the place where he had buried his money. When he had done this he heard a laugh more impertinent Than the first one. It sounded very loud in the solitude of the field.

"Well," said Pinocchio, wrathfully, "tell me, if you can, ignorant Parrot, why you laugh now."

"I laugh at those silly heads who believe everything that is told them."

"Do you refer to me?"

"Yes, I speak of you, poor Pinocchio. You are foolish enough to think that money, if sowed properly, will grow like grain and plants. I thought so once, and in consequence I have to-day very few feathers. Now that it is too late to mend matters, I have made up my mind that in order to get together a few pennies it is necessary to work with your hands or invent something with your head."

"I do not understand," said the marionette, who already began to tremble with fear.

"I will explain better," said the Parrot. "Know, then, that while you were in the city the Fox and the Cat returned here. They took the money and then fled like the wind. And now they cannot be caught."

Pinocchio remained with his mouth wide open. Unwilling to believe the words of the Parrot, he began with his hands and nails to dig out the dirt where he had planted his money. And he dug and dug and dug until he had made a hole large enough for a haystack; but the money was not there.

In desperation he returned to the town. There he went before the tribunal and denounced the highwaymen who had stolen his money.

The judge was a Monkey of the race of Gorilla. He was old and looked respectable on account of his white beard, and especially so on account of his gold eyeglasses with no glass in them. These he wore all the time because of a weakness of the eyes, which had troubled him for many years.

Pinocchio told the judge everything; gave the names and addresses of the highwaymen, and finished by asking for justice.

The judge listened with much dignity. He took a lively interest in the story and seemed quite moved. When the marionette had no more to say, the judge stretched out his hand and rang the bell. At that sound two large mastiff dogs entered, dressed like soldiers. Then the judge, pointing to Pinocchio, said to them: "This poor idiot has had his money stolen. Take him and put him in prison."

The marionette, hearing this sentence, began to protest; but the mastiffs, not wishing to waste time, covered his mouth and led him to a cell.

And there he remained four months and would have been there much longer if something fortunate had not happened. You must know, little readers, that the young emperor of the city called Stupid-catchers had just won a brilliant victory over his enemies. So he ordered a grand festival, fireworks and all sorts of parades, and to further celebrate his victory he opened all the prisons and liberated the convicts.

"If the other prisoners go out, I must go out too," said Pinocchio to the guard.

"You?" replied the guard; "no, because you are not a convict."

"Excuse me," replied Pinocchio, "I am as bad as any of them."

"In that case you are right," said the guard; and raising his hat respectfully and saluting him, he opened the door of his cell and allowed him to escape.