nly 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 To