Page:Collodi - The Story of a Puppet, translation Murray, 1892.djvu/174

 'The Fairy is asleep and must not be wakened.'

'But what do you suppose that I can do all day nailed to this door?'

'Amuse yourself by counting the ant's that pass down the street.'

'Bring me at least something to eat, for I am quite exhausted.'

'At once,' said the Snail.

In fact, after three hours and a half she returned to Pinocchio carrying a silver tray on her head. The tray contained a loaf of bread, a roast chicken, and four ripe apricots.

'Here is the breakfast that the Fairy has sent you,' said the Snail.

The puppet felt very much comforted at the sight of these good things. But when he began to eat them, what was his disgust at making the discovery that the bread was plaster, the chicken cardboard, and the four apricots painted alabaster!

He wanted to cry. In his desperation he tried to throw away the tray and all that was on it; but instead, either from grief or exhaustion, he fainted away.

When he came to himself he found that he was lying on a sofa, and the Fairy was beside him.

'I will pardon you once more,' the Fairy said, 'but woe to you if you behave badly a third time! . . .'

Pinocchio promised, and swore that he