Читать книгу Приключения Пиноккио / The adventures of Pinocchio. Уровень 1 - Карло Коллоди - Страница 14

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?” he added.

“At the Field of Wonders, at sunrise tomorrow morning.”

Pinocchio paid a gold piece for the three suppers and went toward the wonderful field.

It was dark, nothing was visible. A few bats skimmed his nose and scared him. Once or twice he shouted, “Who goes there? Who goes there? Who goes…?”

As he walked, Pinocchio noticed a tiny insect on the trunk of a tree. It glowed with a pale, soft light.

“Who are you?” he asked.

“I am the ghost of the Cricket,” answered it.

“What do you want?” asked the Marionette.

“I want to give you some good advice. Return home and give the four gold pieces to your poor old father.”

“Tomorrow my father will be a rich man, for these four gold pieces will become two thousand.”

“Don’t listen to those who promise you wealth overnight, my boy. As a rule they are either fools or swindlers! Listen to me and go home.”

“But I want to go on!”

“The hour is late!”

“I want to go on.”

“The night is very dark.”

“I want to go on.”

“The road is dangerous. There are many robbers in the dark.”

“I want to go on. The same nonsense. Good-bye, Cricket.”

“Good night, Pinocchio.”

There was silence for a minute and the ghost of the Cricket disappeared. Once again the road was dark.