The next day Pinocchio went to the public school. Just imagine how the little scholars behaved when they saw a marionette in their school! They laughed out loud. Several played jokes on him. One took off his cap; another pulled his coat tails; another tried to make a mustache under his nose with ink; and another tied strings to his arms and legs in order to make him dance.

For a little while Pinocchio did not pay much attention to them, but finally, losing patience, he said: "Take care! I have not come here to be your buffoon. I respect others and I wish to be respected."

"Hurrah for the jester! He speaks like a book," shouted the little scamps, bursting forth into laughter. One of them, more impertinent than the others, stretched out his arm and tried to seize Pinocchio by the nose. But he did not have time because Pinocchio thrust his leg suddenly under the desk.

"Oh, what hard feet he has!" cried the boy, rubbing the lumps that the marionette had made.

"And what hard elbows!" said another, who for another trick had received a punch in the ribs. The fact is, that after several kicks and elbowings Pinocchio had the good will of all the boys in the school and they began to like him very much.

The school-teacher, too, praised him because he was so attentive, studious, and intelligent, — always the first to enter the school, always the last to get up when it was over. The only mistake he made was that of going with too many companions, among whom were a few who did not care to study. The teacher warned him daily, and the good Fairy, too, added her words of advice, saying, "Take care, Pinocchio! your companions will sooner or later make you lose your love for study and perhaps will bring misfortune upon you."

"There is no danger of that," replied the marionette, shrugging his shoulders and touching his forehead with his first finger as if he said, "There is much wisdom inside."

Now it happened, one beautiful day as he was going to school, that he met some of his companions who said to him, "Have you heard the news?"

"No."

"Not far from here a big dogfish as large as a mountain has floated on the beach."

"Truly? Why, it may be the same one that swallowed my papa."

"We are going to look at it. Will you come along?"

"No. I want to go to school."

"Oh, pshaw! What do you care for school? We can go there to-morrow. One lesson more or less does not matter at all."

"And what will the teacher say?"

"Oh, he will have something more to talk about to-morrow."

"And my mamma?"

"Your mamma will never know," said the wicked boys.

"Do you know what I will do?" said Pinocchio. "I want to see the dogfish very much, so I will go after school."

"Poor stupid thing!" they said. "Do you think that a dogfish of that size will wait for your slow actions? Why, he will go away, and then you will be sorry you did not go."

"How much time will it take to go there?" asked the marionette.

"In an hour we shall be back."

"Well, then, I will go. Come on! The first one there is the best," cried Pinocchio.

With that signal to start they all began to run. Pinocchio was always the first in a race; he ran as if he had wings on his feet. From time to time he turned to look at his companions, who were some distance behind. Seeing them puffing and blowing and covered with dust, he laughed out loud. The poor boy did not know what misfortune was in store for him.