he Fairy closed the door.

"I won't drink it," cried Pinocchio, bursting out crying. "I won't drink
this awful water. I won't. I won't! No, no, no, no!"

"My boy, you'll be sorry."

"I don't care."

"You are very sick."

"I don't care."

"In a few hours the fever will take you far away to another world."

"I don't care."

"Aren't you afraid of death?"

"Not a bit. I'd rather die than drink that awful medicine."

At that moment, the door of the room flew open and in came four Rabbits
as black as ink, carrying a small black coffin on their shoulders.

"What do you want from me?" asked Pinocchio.

"We have come for you," said the largest Rabbit.

"For me? But I'm not dead yet!"

"No, not dead yet; but you will be in a few moments since you have
refused to take the medicine which would have made you well."

"Oh, Fairy, my Fairy," the Marionette cried out, "give me that glass!
Quick, please! I don't want to die! No, no, not yet--not yet!"

And holding the glass with his two hands, he swallowed the medicine at
one gulp.

"Well," said the four Rabbits, "this time we have made the trip for
nothing."

And turning on their heels, they marched solemnly out of the room,
carrying their little black coffin and muttering and grumbling between
their teeth.

In a twinkling, Pinocchio felt fine. With one leap he was out of bed and
into his clothes.

The Fairy, seeing him run and jump around the room gay as a bird on
wing, said to him:

"My medicine was good for you, after all, wasn't it?"

"Good indeed! It has given me new life."

"Why, then, did I have to beg you so hard to make you drink it?"

"I'm a boy, you see, and all boys hate medicine more than they do
sickness."

"What a shame! Boys ought to know, after all, that medicine, taken in
time, can save them from much pain and even from death."

"Next time I won't have to be begged so hard. I'll remember those black
Rabbits with the black coffin on their shoulders and I'll take the glass
and pouf!--down it will go!"

"Come here now and tell me how it came about that you found yourself in
the hands of the Assassins."

"It happened that Fire Eater gave me five gold pieces to give to my
Father, but on the way, I met a Fox and a Cat, who asked me, 'Do you
want the five pieces to become two thousand?' And I said, 'Yes.' And
they said, 'Come with us to the Field of Wonders.' And I said, 'Let's
go.' Then they said, 'Let us stop at the Inn of the Red Lobst