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XII
The showman Fire-eater makes Pinocchio a present of five gold pieces to take home to his father Geppetto: but Pinocchio instead allows himself to be taken in by the Fox and the Cat, and goes with them.
The following day Fire-eater called Pinocchio on one side and asked him:
'What is your father's name?'
'Geppetto.'
'And what trade does he follow?'
'He is a beggar.'
'Does he gain much?'
'Gain much? Why, he has never a penny in his pocket. Only think, to buy a Spelling-book for me to go to school, he was obliged to sell the only coat he had to wear—a coat that between patches and darns was not fit to be seen.'
'Poor devil! I feel almost sorry for him!
