CHAPTER 31

After five months of play，Pinocchio wakes up one fine morning and finds a great surprise awaiting him．

Finally the wagon arrived．It made no noise，for its wheels were bound with straw and rags．

It was drawn by twelve pair of donkeys，all of the same size，but all of different color．Some were gray，others white，and still others a mixture of brown and black．Here and there were a few with large yellow and blue stripes．

The strangest thing of all was that those twenty-four donkeys，instead of being iron-shod like any other beast of burden，had on their feet laced shoes made of leather，just like the ones boys wear．

And the driver of the wagon？

Imagine to yourselves a little，fat man，much wider than he was long，round and shiny as a ball of butter，with a face beaming like an apple，a little mouth that always smiled，and a voice small and wheedling like that of a cat begging for food．

No sooner did any boy see him than he fell in love with him，and nothing satisfied him but to be allowed to ride in his wagon to that lovely place called the Land of Toys．

In fact the wagon was so closely packed with boys of all ages that it looked like a box of sardines．They were uncomfortable，they were piled one on top of the other，they could hardly breathe；yet not one word of complaint was heard．The thought that in a few hours they would reach a country where there were no schools，no books，no teachers，made these boys so happy that they felt neither hunger，nor thirst，nor sleep，nor discomfort．

No sooner had the wagon stopped than the little fat man turned to Lamp-Wick．With bows and smiles，he asked in a wheedling tone：

“Tell me，my fine boy，do you also want to come to my wonderful country？”

“Indeed I do．”

“But I warn you，my little dear，there's no more room in the wagon．It is full．”

“Never mind，” answered Lamp-Wick．“If there's no room inside，I can sit on the top of the coach．”

And with one leap，he perched himself there．

“What about you，my love？” asked the Little Man，turning politely to Pinocchio．“What are you going to do？Will you come with us，or do you stay here？”

“I stay here，” answered Pinocchio．“I want to return home，as I prefer to study and to succeed in life．”

“May that bring you luck！”

“Pinocchio！” Lamp-Wick called out．“Listen to me．Come with us and we'll always be happy．”

“No，no，no！”

“Come with us and we'll always be happy，” cried four other voices from the wagon．

“Come with us and we'll always be happy，” shouted the one hundred and more boys in the wagon，all together．

“And if I go with you，what will my good Fairy say？” asked the Marionette，who was beginning to waver and weaken in his good resolutions．

“Don't worry so much．Only think that we are going to a land where we shall be allowed to make all the racket we like from morning till night．”

Pinocchio did not answer，but sighed deeply once—twice—a third time．Finally，he said：

“Make room for me．I want to go，too！”

“The seats are all filled，” answered the Little Man，“but to show you how much I think of you，take my place as coachman．”

“And you？”

“I'll walk．”

“No，indeed．I could not permit such a thing．I much prefer riding one of these donkeys，” cried Pinocchio．

No sooner said than done．He approached the first donkey and tried to mount it．But the little animal turned suddenly and gave him such a terrible kick in the stomach that Pinocchio was thrown to the ground and fell with his legs in the air．

At this unlooked-for entertainment，the whole company of runaways laughed uproariously．

The little fat man did not laugh．He went up to the rebellious animal，and，still smiling，bent over him lovingly and bit off half of his right ear．

In the meantime，Pinocchio lifted himself up from the ground，and with one leap landed on the donkey's back．The leap was so well taken that all the boys shouted，

“Hurrah for Pinocchio！” and clapped their hands in hearty applause．

Suddenly the little donkey gave a kick with his two hind feet and，at this unexpected move，the poor Marionette found himself once again sprawling right in the middle of the road．

Again the boys shouted with laughter．But the Little Man，instead of laughing，became so loving toward the little animal that，with another kiss，he bit off half of his left ear．

“You can mount now，my boy，” he then said to Pinocchio．“Have no fear．That donkey was worried about something，but I have spoken to him and now he seems quiet and reasonable．”

Pinocchio mounted and the wagon started on its way．

While the donkeys galloped along the stony road，the Marionette fancied he heard a very quiet voice whispering to him：

“Poor silly！You have done as you wished．But you are going to be a sorry boy before very long．”

Pinocchio，greatly frightened，looked about him to see whence the words had come，but he saw no one．The donkeys galloped，the wagon rolled on smoothly，the boys slept（Lamp-Wick snored like a dormouse）and the little，fat driver sang sleepily between his teeth．

After a mile or so，Pinocchio again heard the same faint voice whispering：“Remember，little simpleton！Boys who stop studying and turn their backs upon books and schools and teachers in order to give all their time to nonsense and pleasure，sooner or later come to grief．Oh，how well I know this！How well I can prove it to you！A day will come when you will weep bitterly，even as I am weeping now—but it will be too late！”

At these whispered words，the Marionette grew more and more frightened．He jumped to the ground，ran up to the donkey on whose back he had been riding，and taking his nose in his hands，looked at him．Think how great was his surprise when he saw that the donkey was weeping—weeping just like a boy！

“Hey，Mr．Driver！” cried the Marionette．“Do you know what strange thing is happening here！This donkey weeps．”

“Let him weep．When he gets married，he will have time to laugh．”

“Have you perhaps taught him to speak？”

“No，he learned to mumble a few words when he lived for three years with a band of trained dogs．”

“Poor beast！”

“Come，come，” said the Little Man，“do not lose time over a donkey that can weep．Mount quickly and let us go．The night is cool and the road is long．”

Pinocchio obeyed without another word．The wagon started again．Toward dawn the next morning they finally reached that much-longed-for country，the Land of Toys．

This great land was entirely different from any other place in the world．Its population，large though it was，was composed wholly of boys．The oldest were about fourteen years of age，the youngest，eight．In the street，there was such a racket，such shouting，such blowing of trumpets，that it was deafening．Everywhere groups of boys were gathered together．Some played at marbles，at hopscotch，at ball．Others rode on bicycles or on wooden horses．Some played at blindman's buff，others at tag．Here a group played circus，there another sang and recited．A few turned somersaults，others walked on their hands with their feet in the air．Generals in full uniform leading regiments of cardboard soldiers passed by．Laughter，shrieks，howls，catcalls，hand-clapping followed this parade．One boy made a noise like a hen，another like a rooster，and a third imitated a lion in his den．All together they created such a pandemonium that it would have been necessary for you to put cotton in your ears．The squares were filled with small wooden theaters，overflowing with boys from morning till night，and on the walls of the houses，written with charcoal，were words like these：HURRAH FOR THE LAND OF TOYS！DOWN WITH ARITHMETIC！NO MORE SCHOOL！

As soon as they had set foot in that land，Pinocchio，Lamp-Wick，and all the other boys who had traveled with them started out on a tour of investigation．They wandered everywhere，they looked into every nook and corner，house and theater．They became everybody's friend．Who could be happier than they？

What with entertainments and parties，the hours，the days，the weeks passed like lightning．

“Oh，what a beautiful life this is！” said Pinocchio each time that，by chance，he met his friend Lamp-Wick．

“Was I right or wrong？” answered Lamp-Wick．“And to think you did not want to come！To think that even yesterday the idea came into your head to return home to see your Fairy and to start studying again！If today you are free from pencils and books and school，you owe it to me，to my advice，to my care．Do you admit it？Only true friends count，after all．”

“It's true，Lamp-Wick，it's true．If today I am a really happy boy，it is all because of you．And to think that the teacher，when speaking of you，used to say，‘Do not go with that Lamp-Wick！He is a bad companion and some day he will lead you astray．’”

“Poor teacher！” answered the other，nodding his head．“Indeed I know how much he disliked me and how he enjoyed speaking ill of me．But I am of a generous nature，and I gladly forgive him．”

“Great soul！” said Pinocchio，fondly embracing his friend．

Five months passed and the boys continued playing and enjoying themselves from morn till night，without ever seeing a book，or a desk，or a school．But，my children，there came a morning when Pinocchio awoke and found a great surprise awaiting him，a surprise which made him feel very unhappy，as you shall see．

第三十一章

玩了五个月后，一个晴朗的早晨，匹诺曹醒来时发现一个大大的意外在等着他。

最后，马车到了。马车没有发出任何声音，因为轮子上裹着稻草和破布。

拉车的是十二对驴子，它们都大小相同，但毛色不同，有的是灰的，有的是白的，还有的是棕黑相间的，有几头身上到处都是黄蓝相间的大条纹。

最奇怪的是，那二十四头驴子，不像其他驮货的牲口那样打着铁掌，而是像男孩子们那样脚上穿着皮革做的花边鞋。

那赶马车的呢？

你自己想象一下，那人是一个小胖子，横宽竖短，像黄油球一样圆溜溜、亮锃锃苹果似的脸喜气洋洋，一张小嘴总是微微含笑，声音又小又甜，仿佛猫讨吃时的叫声。

任何一个男孩子一看到他，就会爱上他，要坐上他的车到那个叫玩具国的可爱地方才会满足。

其实，马车上已经挤满了各个年龄的男孩子，活像一箱沙丁鱼。他们挤得够呛，一个摞一个，简直喘不过气来，不过，他们没有一句怨言。一想到几个小时后就要到达一个没有学校、没有书本、没有老师的国家，这些男孩子就心花怒放，感觉不到什么饥饿、口渴、瞌睡和不适了。

马车一停，小胖子就转向灯芯，一边鞠躬微笑，一边以一种甜蜜的语气问道：“告诉我，我的好孩子，你也想来我那个奇妙的国家吗？”

“我的确想。”

“可是，我要告诉你，我的小宝贝，马车上已经没有地方了，全挤满了。”

“没关系，”灯芯回答说，“车里没有地方，我可以坐在车顶上。”

说着，他纵身一跃，坐在了车顶上。

“那你呢，我的宝贝？”小胖子客气地转向匹诺曹问，“你打算怎么办？你是想跟我们一起走，还是要留在这儿？”

“我留在这儿，”匹诺曹回答说，“我想要回家，因为我更喜欢学习，更喜欢一生成功。”

“愿那给你带来好运！”

“匹诺曹！”小灯芯大声喊道，“听我说，跟我们来吧，我们会非常开心。”

“不，不，不！”

“跟我们来吧，我们会非常开心。”车上又有四个人叫道。

“跟我们来吧，我们会非常开心。”车上一百多个男孩子齐声喊道。

“我要是跟你们去，我的好仙女会怎么说呢？”木偶问，他开始动摇了，变得优柔寡断。

“不要过分担心。只想一下，我们要去的是一个允许我们无拘无束从早玩到晚的国家。”

匹诺曹没有回答，只是深深地叹了一口气——两口气——三口气。最后，他说：“给我腾点儿地方，我也要去！”

“座位都挤满了，”小胖子回答说，“但为了表示我是多么欢迎你，坐到我的赶车座上来吧。”

“那你呢？”

“我走路。”

“真的不行。我可不能这样做。我更喜欢骑到一头驴子的身上。”匹诺曹叫道。

说干就干。匹诺曹走近第一头驴子，想骑上去。但是，这小牲口突然转过身，在他的肚子上狠狠地踢了一脚，把他踢了个两脚朝天。

看到这意想不到的有趣场面，所有逃学的男孩子都哈哈大笑。

小胖子没有笑，他走到倔强的牲口身边，仍然面带微笑，亲切地弯下腰，一口咬掉了驴子的半只右耳朵。

这时，匹诺曹从地上爬起来，纵身跃上了驴背。他跳得是那么漂亮，所有的男孩子都大声喊道：“匹诺曹万岁！”然后热烈鼓掌。

突然，小驴子扬起后蹄踢了一下，可怜的木偶猛不防，又一次四仰八叉倒在了路中央。

男孩子们又大笑起来。但是，小胖子没有笑，而是非常亲切地走向那头小驴，又亲了它一下，一口咬掉了它的半只左耳朵。

随后，他对匹诺曹说：“你现在可以骑上去了，我的孩子，不用怕。这头驴刚才有点儿不高兴，但我已经跟它说过了，现在它好像平静了，通情达理了。”

匹诺曹骑上去，马车就上路了。

当那些驴子沿着石子路飞奔时，木偶仿佛听到一个很轻的声音低声对他说道：“可怜的傻瓜！你总是随心所欲。可是，你不久便会后悔的！”

匹诺曹大惊失色，环顾四周，想看看这些话来自哪儿，但他谁也没有看到。驴子飞奔，车轮滚滚，男孩子们在睡觉（灯芯像睡鼠一样打鼾），又小又胖的马车夫睡意蒙眬地低声唱着。

走了大约两公里后，匹诺曹又听到那个微弱的声音低声说道：“记住，小傻瓜！男孩子不学习，避开书本、学校和老师，把所有的时间都用在了胡说八道和玩乐上，迟早会倒霉的。噢，我是多么熟悉这个啊！我完全可以向你证明这一点啊！总有一天你会像我现在一样痛哭……可是，到时候，那就太晚了！”

听到这些低语，木偶越来越害怕，他从一直骑着的驴背上跳到地上，跑到驴子跟前，两手抓住驴鼻子，望着它。想一下，木偶看到这头驴子在哭泣，像男孩子一样哭泣，是多么吃惊啊！

“嘿，车夫先生！”匹诺曹叫道，“你知道发生了什么怪事吗？这头驴子在哭泣。”

“让它哭吧，它结了婚就会笑的。”

“也许你教会它说话了吧？”

“没有。它和一群受过训练的狗一起待过三年，就学会了咕哝几句。”

“可怜的牲口！”

“嘿，嘿，”小胖子说，“别为一头哭泣的驴子浪费时间了，赶快骑上去，我们走。夜凉路长啊。”

匹诺曹二话没说，马上照办。马车重新上路了。第二天早晨天快亮时，他们终于来到了梦想中的玩具国。

这个伟大国家和世界上任何其他地方都完全不一样。它的人口尽管很多，但全都是男孩子，最大的大约十四岁，最小的八岁。街上的喧闹声、叫喊声、喇叭声震耳欲聋。到处都是一群群的男孩子聚在一起，有的打弹子，有的扔石片，有的打球，有的骑自行车或木马，有的玩盲人捉迷藏，有的玩触碰捉人游戏。这儿一群人玩马戏，那儿又有一群人唱歌和朗诵，这儿有几个人翻跟头，那儿有几个人拿大顶，还有的人身穿将军服领着一大群纸板兵走过。欢笑声、尖叫声、吼叫声、发嘘声、拍手声紧随着这支队伍。一个男孩子发出母鸡一样的叫声，另一个男孩子像公鸡一样打鸣，第三个男孩子模仿窝巢里的狮子。总而言之，他们喧哗吵闹，你不得不用棉花塞住耳朵。广场上到处都是小木戏棚，从早到晚挤满了男孩子，房子的墙壁上用木炭写着这样的字：“玩具国万岁！”“打倒算术！”“不再要学校！”

匹诺曹、灯芯和所有其他跟他们同行的男孩子一踏进那个国家，就开始了考察旅游。他们到处漫游，观察每个角落、房子和戏院，他们都成了大家的朋友。谁能比他们更开心呢？

在各种娱乐和聚会当中，一小时又一小时，一天又一天，一周又一周，都闪电般过去了。

“噢，这是多么美好的生活啊！”匹诺曹每次碰巧见到他的朋友灯芯就说。

“看，我的话不错吧？”灯芯回答说，“想想你不来是什么情景吧！甚至昨天你还想着回家去看你的仙女，重新开始学习呢！你今天摆脱了铅笔、书本和学校，应该感谢我，感谢我的建议，感谢我的关心，对不对？只有真正的朋友才会帮你这么大的忙。”

“说得对，灯芯，你说得对。今天我能成为真正快乐的孩子，都是因为你。想想老师过去说到你时经常对我说：‘不要跟那个灯芯在一起！他是坏朋友，将来有一天他会把你领向邪路。’”

“可怜的老师！”灯芯点了点头回答说，“我的确知道他是多么不喜欢我，他是多么喜欢说我的坏话。可是，我具有宽宏大量的本性，而且我很高兴原谅他。”

“伟大的人！”匹诺曹充满感情地拥抱着他的朋友说。

五个月过去了，男孩子们继续从早到晚地玩耍，玩得非常开心，从来没有见过一本书、一张书桌或一所学校。但是，我的孩子们，有一天早晨，匹诺曹醒来时，发现一个巨大的意外在等着他，这个意外使他感到非常不快，你一定会看到。