3 On New Feet, Pinocchio Sets Off to School

CHAPTER 3 On New Feet, Pinocchio Sets Off to School With his belly full, Pinocchio could now concentrate entirely on, and cry about, his poor burned feet. To punish him for his bad behavior, Geppetto let Pinocchio cry for a while. Finally he said, "I could make you new feet, but why should I? So you can just run away again?" "I won't run away," Pinocchio said, sniffling. "I'll be good from now on. I'll go to school and do my homework. I will learn a trade and take care of you in your old age. I

promise!" Geppetto tried to look stern, but his eyes filled with tears. He couldn't stand to see Pinocchio suffer. So, taking his tools and two pieces of wood, he got to work. A few minutes later, two beautiful new wooden feet sat on the table. They were even stronger and faster than the first pair. Taking a bit of glue, Geppetto attached the new feet to Pinocchio's burned stumps. He did this so skillfully, you could barely tell that the legs were not made from two solid pieces of wood. Whole again, Pinocchio immediately leaped off the table and started to skip and jump around. "To show you how grateful I am," he cried, "I am going to use my new feet to run straight to school! But first, I need some new clothes."

Poor Geppetto had no money for new clothes, so he made his son a stylish suit out of pretty paper. Taking some tree bark, he made a sharp pair of shoes. Finally, with a bit of bread dough, he made Pinocchio a dashing little cap. "Why, I look like a proper gentleman!" Pinocchio cried, as he admired himself in the mirror. "But there is one important thing I still need." "What is it?" Geppetto asked. "A workbook to learn my ABC's."

Geppetto realized Pinocchio was right. "I have no money," he said sadly. "And a workbook is not as easy to make as a cap." Pinocchio's face fell. Seeing Pinocchio look so disappointed was very hard for Geppetto. He quickly pulled on his old coat and left the house. A few minutes later, Geppetto was back. In his hands was a workbook. But he was no longer wearing the old coat. Instead, he stood in his short-sleeved shirt. "I was hot," Geppetto explained, shivering violently. "Oh, Father," Pinocchio said, realizing that Geppetto had sold his coat for the book. Running over to his father, Pinocchio kissed him again and again. The next morning, Pinocchio couldn't wait to go to school. He was so excited about all of the things he was going to learn.

Soon, I will be smart enough to earn a lot of money and buy my father a new coat. And it won't be just any old coat. It will be a gold and silver coat, with diamond buttons! Even as he thought this, though, he heard the sound of pipes and drums coming from a distance. Pi-pi-pi, the pipes and drums called. Bum, dum, bum. Pinocchio hesitated. He had promised to go to school, but the sounds were so tempting. How could he resist finding out where they were coming from? He decided he couldn't stay away from the music. I'll go to school tomorrow, he told himself. What's one more day? On his brand-new feet, Pinocchio ran toward the sounds until he reached a large plaza. There he saw a tiny wooden building painted in brilliant colors. "What's in there?" Pinocchio asked a little

boy standing next to him. "Can't you read?" the boy asked, pointing to a sign on the door. Having skipped school, however, Pinocchio couldn't. "Not today," he replied. "It says GREAT PUPPET THEATER, dummy," the boy said. "And the show is about to start." Other puppets, just like him, putting on a show? Pinocchio was crazy with curiosity. "How much is a ticket?" he asked. "Four pennies." But Pinocchio didn't have even one penny. "Will you lend me the money?" "Not today," the boy replied. "I'll sell you my coat!" "And what would I do with your paper coat?" the boy scoffed. "When it rains, it will