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THE ADVENTURES OF PINOCCHIO
PART 1 CHAPTER 9
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Pinocchio sells his A-B-C book to get into a puppet show.
PINOCCHIO HURRIED OFF to school with his new A-B-C book under his arm. As he walked along, his brain was busy planning hundreds of wonderful things. Talking to himself, he said: "In school today, I'll learn to read, tomorrow to write, and the day after tomorrow I'll learn to add up. Then I am sure I can earn a lot of money because I am so clever. With the first pennies I earn, I'll buy my father a new coat made of the best cloth. Cloth, did I say? No, not cloth. Father's new coat will be of gold and silver, and it will have diamond buttons. That poor man sold the only coat he had in order to buy a book for me. On this cold day, too! Fathers are really good to their children, I think, and my father shall have the best coat I can buy."
As he talked to himself, he thought he could hear, quite far away, the sound of pipes and drums: pi-pi-pi, pi-pi-pi. . .zum, zum, zum, zum.
He stopped to listen more carefully.
"What can that music be?" he thought. "I really must go and see." And then he remembered he was on his way to school.
He did not know what to do. He did not know which way to go. He felt he had to make up his mind to do one thing or the other. Should he go to school, or should go to see what that music was about?
"There's always plenty of time to go to school," decided the naughty puppet at last. "Today I'll follow the sound of the pipes. I'll go to school tomorrow."
Without another thought he started down the street, running as fast as the wind. On he ran, and louder grew the sounds of pipe and drum: pi-pi-pi, zum, zum; pi-pi-pi, zum, zum; pi-pi-pi . . .zum, zum, zum, zum.
Suddenly he ran into a square, full of people. They were standing in front of a building painted in bright colours. The building looked as if it had just been put there.
"What is that place?" Pinocchio asked a little boy standing near him.
"Read the sign and you'll know."
"I'd read it if I could, but today, for some reason, I can't."
"Oh, what a silly donkey! All right, I'll read it to you. It says: GREAT PUPPET THEATRE."
"When will the show start?"
"It is starting now."
"How much does it cost to get in?"
"Four pennies."
The thought of a show about puppets filled Pinocchio with excitement. He wanted so much to know what was going on inside. He did not care what anyone thought of him; he would do anything to get in. He said to the boy: "Will you give me four pennies? I will give them back tomorrow."
"I would give them to you gladly if I could," answered the other, "but today, for some reason, I can't."
"Well, what about this jacket? My father only made it for me this morning. I'll sell you my jacket."
"If it rains, what shall I do with a jacket made of wall-paper? It would stick to me, and I could not take it off!"
"What about my shoes, then? Those are new too. I'll sell you my shoes for four pennies."
"They're wooden shoes, aren't they? I couldn't wear those. I could only use them for lighting a fire with."
"My hat, then? What about my hat?" said Pinocchio, pointing to his head.
"Oh, that would be nice, wouldn't it? A hat made of bread! Some mice might come and eat it while I was wearing it!"
Pinocchio only had one thing left that he could sell, but at first he did not want to. He wondered about it. First he thought he would, then he thought he wouldn't. His father had gone to so much trouble to get him that book. He could not make up his mind. But at last he said: "Will you give me four pennies for my new A-B-C book?"
"I am just a boy. I never buy things from other boys," the other replied. The little boy was much cleverer than the puppet.
"I'll give you four pennies for your A-B-C book," said a man who was standing near them.
Then and there, Pinocchio gave the book to the man, and the man gave four pennies to Pinocchio.
Think about it, boys and girls. Poor old Geppetto was sitting at home in his thin shirt. He was feeling cold because he had no coat to put on. He had sold his only coat to buy that little book for his son. Bad Pinocchio!