CHAPTER 22

Pinocchio discovers the thieves and，as a reward for faithfulness，he regains his liberty．

Even though a boy may be very unhappy，he very seldom loses sleep over his worries．The Marionette，being no exception to this rule，slept on peacefully for a few hours till well along toward midnight，when he was awakened by strange whisperings and stealthy sounds coming from the yard．He stuck his nose out of the doghouse and saw four slender，hairy animals．They were Weasels，small animals very fond of both eggs and chickens．One of them left her companions and，going to the door of the doghouse，said in a sweet voice：

“Good evening，Melampo．”

“My name is not Melampo，” answered Pinocchio．

“Who are you，then？”

“I am Pinocchio．”

“What are you doing here？”

“I'm the watchdog．”

“But where is Melampo？Where is the old dog who used to live in this house？”

“He died this morning．”

“Died？Poor beast！He was so good！Still，judging by your face，I think you，too，are a good-natured dog．”

“I beg your pardon，I am not a dog！”

“What are you，then？”

“I am a Marionette．”

“Are you taking the place of the watchdog？”

“I'm sorry to say that I am．I'm being punished．”

“Well，I shall make the same terms with you that we had with the dead Melampo．I am sure you will be glad to hear them．”

“And what are the terms？”

“This is our plan：We'll come once in a while，as in the past，to pay a visit to this henhouse，and we'll take away eight chickens．Of these，seven are for us，and one for you，provided，of course，that you will make believe you are sleeping and will not bark for the Farmer．”

“Did Melampo really do that？” asked Pinocchio．

“Indeed he did，and because of that we were the best of friends．Sleep away peacefully，and remember that before we go we shall leave you a nice fat chicken all ready for your breakfast in the morning．Is that understood？”

“Even too well，” answered Pinocchio．And shaking his head in a threatening manner，he seemed to say，“We'll talk this over in a few minutes，my friends．”

As soon as the four Weasels had talked things over，they went straight to the chicken coop which stood close to the doghouse．Digging busily with teeth and claws，they opened the little door and slipped in．But they were no sooner in than they heard the door close with a sharp bang．

The one who had done the trick was Pinocchio，who，not satisfied with that，dragged a heavy stone in front of it．That done，he started to bark．And he barked as if he were a real watchdog：“Bow，wow，wow！Bow，wow！”

The Farmer heard the loud barks and jumped out of bed．Taking his gun，he leaped to the window and shouted：“What's the matter？”

“The thieves are here，” answered Pinocchio．

“Where are they？”

“In the chicken coop．”

“I'll come down in a second．”

And，in fact，he was down in the yard in a twinkling and running toward the chicken coop．

He opened the door，pulled out the Weasels one by one，and，after tying them in a bag，said to them in a happy voice：“You're in my hands at last！I could punish you now，but I'll wait！In the morning you may come with me to the inn and there you'll make a fine dinner for some hungry mortal．It is really too great an honor for you，one you do not deserve；but，as you see，I am really a very kind and generous man and I am going to do this for you！”

Then he went up to Pinocchio and began to pet and caress him．

“How did you ever find them out so quickly？And to think that Melampo，my faithful Melampo，never saw them in all these years！”

The Marionette could have told，then and there，all he knew about the shameful contract between the dog and the Weasels，but thinking of the dead dog，he said to himself：“Melampo is dead．What is the use of accusing him？The dead are gone and they cannot defend themselves．The best thing to do is to leave them in peace！”

“Were you awake or asleep when they came？” continued the Farmer．

“I was asleep，” answered Pinocchio，“but they awakened me with their whisperings．One of them even came to the door of the doghouse and said to me，‘If you promise not to bark，we will make you a present of one of the chickens for your breakfast．’ Did you hear that？They had the audacity to make such a proposition as that to me！For you must know that，though I am a very wicked Marionette full of faults，still I never have been，nor ever shall be，bribed．”

“Fine boy！” cried the Farmer，slapping him on the shoulder in a friendly way．“You ought to be proud of yourself．And to show you what I think of you，you are free from this instant！”

And he slipped the dog collar from his neck．

第二十二章

匹诺曹发现了强盗；作为对他的忠诚的一种奖赏，他又获得了自由。

即使男孩子可能会不开心，他们也很少会为自己的烦恼辗转反侧。木偶也不例外。平静地睡了几个小时后，直到半夜时分，他被院子里传来的莫名其妙的低语和鬼鬼祟祟的声音惊醒了。他把鼻子伸到狗窝外面，看到四只细长多毛、像猫一样的动物。它们是黄鼠狼，是一种非常喜欢吃鸡蛋和小鸡的小动物。一只黄鼠狼离开同伴，走到狗窝门边，声音甜美地说道：“晚上好，梅兰珀。”

“我不叫梅兰珀。”木偶回答说。

“那你是谁？”

“我是匹诺曹。”

“你在这儿干什么？”

“我是看门狗。”

“可是，梅兰珀在哪儿？过去住在这屋子里的那条老狗在哪儿？”

“它今天早上死了。”

“死了？可怜的畜生！它非常好！不过，看你的脸，我觉得你也是一条和善的狗。”

“对不起，我不是狗！”

“那你是什么？”

“我是一个木偶。”

“你是要当看门狗吗？”

“我遗憾地说就是，我是在受惩罚。”

“好，我要和你达成跟死去的梅兰珀达成过的同样的协议，我相信你听到会非常高兴。”

“是什么协议？”

“我们的计划是这样的：我们像过去一样偶尔来拜访这个鸡舍，然后带走八只小鸡。其中，七只是给我们的，一只是给你的，当然，条件是你要假装睡觉，不要叫醒那个农夫。”

“梅兰珀真是这样干的吗？”匹诺曹问。

“它真是这样干的。正因为这样，我们才成了最好的朋友。安安静静地睡觉去吧，记住，我们走前，会给你留下一只漂亮的肥鸡，为你明天的早饭做好准备。你明白了吗？”

“再明白不过了。”匹诺曹答道，然后以威胁的方式摇了摇头，好像是说：“我们走着瞧吧，我的朋友们。”

四只黄鼠狼一讨论完，就直接走到狗窝旁边的鸡舍，用尖齿和利爪扒开小门，溜了进去。但是，它们刚进去，就听见门咣当一声猛地关上了。

把门关上的是匹诺曹。他关上门还不算，又拖了一块大石头放在门前。接着，开始叫了起来，叫得就像一条真正的看门狗：“汪，汪，汪！汪，汪！”

听到响亮的汪汪声，农夫跳下床，拿起枪，跃上窗户，大声问道：“怎么了？”

“小偷来了！”匹诺曹答道。

“它们在哪儿？”

“在鸡舍里。”

“我马上下来。”

真的，农夫转眼就来到了院子里，向鸡舍跑去。他打开门，把黄鼠狼一只只拽出来，绑起来塞进袋子后，高兴地对它们说：“你们终于落到了我的手里！我本来可以现在就惩罚你们，但我要等一下！明天上午你们说不定要跟我去小饭店，在那儿你们会成为某个饥饿人的美餐。这对你们来说的确是极大的荣光，你们本来不应该得到这份荣光，但你们明白，我的确是一个非常善良、宽宏大量的人，我要做给你们看！”

随后，他走到匹诺曹身边，开始拥抱爱抚他。

“你是怎么这么快就发现它们的？试想一下，梅兰珀，我忠实的梅兰珀，这些年从来没有发现它们！”

木偶本来可以当场把他知道的狗和黄鼠狼之间的可耻协议说出来，但想到狗已经死了，就自言自语道：“梅兰珀已经死了，谴责它有什么用呢？死者已去，无法为自己辩护了。我们要做的最好的事儿就是让它安宁！”

“黄鼠狼来时，你是醒着还是睡了？”农夫接着问道。

“我睡了，”匹诺曹回答说，“可是，它们的低语声吵醒了我。其中一只甚至走到狗窝边，对我说道：‘要是你答应不叫，我们就送给你一只鸡作为你的早饭。’你听到了吗？它们居然厚颜无耻地对我提出这种建议！因为你一定知道，尽管我是一个一无是处、非常淘气的木偶，但我从来没有，也绝不会贪污受贿。”

“好孩子！”农夫友好地拍着他的肩膀，大声说道：“你应该为自己感到自豪。为了表明我对你的看法，你从此刻起就自由了！”

说着，农夫给他解下了狗脖套。