Page:Collodi - The Story of a Puppet, translation Murray, 1892.djvu/85

 species of umbrella-case made of blue satin, to put his tail into when the weather was rainy.

'Be quick, Medoro, like a good dog!' said the Fairy to the Poodle. 'Have the most beautiful carriage in my coach-house put to, and take the road to the wood. When you come to the Big Oak you will find a poor puppet stretched on the grass half dead. Pick him up gently, and lay him flat on the cushions of the carriage and bring him here to me. Have you understood?'

The Poodle, to show that he had understood, shook the case of blue satin that he had on three or four times, and ran off like a racehorse.

Shortly afterwards a beautiful little carriage came out of the coach-house. The cushions were stuffed with canary feathers, and it was lined in the inside with whipped cream, custard, and Savoy biscuits. The little carriage was drawn by a hundred pairs of white mice, and the Poodle, seated on the coach-box, cracked his whip from side to side like a driver when he is afraid that he is behind time.

A quarter of an hour had not passed when the carriage returned. The Fairy, who was waiting at the door of the house, took the poor puppet in her arms, and carried him into a little room that was wainscotted with mother-of-pearl, and sent at once to summon the most famous doctors in the neighbourhood.