diately went to the bench and
fetched the piece of wood that had caused him so much fear. Just as he
was going to give it to his friend the piece of wood gave a shake and
wriggling violently out of his hands struck with all its force against
the dried-up shins of poor Geppetto.

"Ah! is that the courteous way in which you make your presents, Master
Antonio? You have almost lamed me!"

"I swear to you that it was not I!"

"Then you would have it that it was I?"

"The wood is entirely to blame!"

"I know that it was the wood, but it was you that hit my legs with
it!"

"I did not hit you with it!"

"Liar!"

"Geppetto, don't insult me or I will call you Polendina!"

"Ass!"

"Polendina!"

"Donkey!"

"Polendina!"

"Baboon!"

"Polendina!"

On hearing himself called Polendina for the third time Geppetto, blind
with rage, fell upon the carpenter and they fought desperately.

When the battle was over, Master Antonio had two more scratches on his
nose, and his adversary had two buttons less on his waistcoat. Their
accounts being thus squared they shook hands, and swore to remain good
friends for the rest of their lives.

Geppetto carried off his fine piece of wood, and thanking Master
Antonio returned limping to his house.

III

THE PUPPET IS NAMED PINOCCHIO

Geppetto lived in a small ground-floor room that was only lighted from
the staircase. The furniture could not have been simpler--a bad chair,
a poor bed, and a broken-down table. At the end of the room there was
a fireplace with a lighted fire; but the fire was painted, and by the
fire was painted a saucepan that was boiling cheerfully, and sending
out a cloud of smoke that looked exactly like real smoke.

As soon as he reached home Geppetto took his tools and set to work to
cut out and model his puppet.

"What name shall I give him?" he said to himself; "I think I will call
him Pinocchio. It is a name that will bring him luck. I once knew a
whole family so called. There was Pinocchio the father, Pinocchia
the mother, and Pinocchi the children, and all of them did well. The
richest of them was a beggar."

Having found a name for his puppet he began to work in good earnest,
and he first made his hair, then his forehead and then his eyes.

The eyes being finished, imagine his astonishment when he perceived
that they moved and looked fixedly at him.

Geppetto seeing himself stared at by those two wooden eyes, took it
almost in bad part, a