Stranica 62 [62]
XI
FIRE-EATER SNEEZES AND PARDONS PINOCCHIO,
WHO THEN SAVES THE LIFE OF HIS FRIEND
HARLEQUIN
Pp ; HE showman Fire-eater—for that was
his name—looked, I must say, a ter¬
rible man, especially with his black
beard that covered his chest and legs like an
apron. On the whole, however, he had not a
bad heart. In proof of this, when he saw poor
Pinocchio brought before him, struggling and
screaming “ I will not die, I will not die!” he
was quite moved and felt very sorry for him.
He tried to hold out, but after a little he could
stand it no longer and he sneezed violently.
When he heard the sneeze, Harlequin, who up
to that moment had been in the deepest afflic¬
tion, and bowed down like a weeping willow,
became quite cheerful, and leaning towards
Pinocchio he whispered to him softly:
‘““Good news, brother. The showman has
sneezed, and that is a sign that he pities you,
and consequently you are saved.”
For you must know that whilst most men,
when they feel compassion for somebody, either
weep or at least pretend to dry their eyes, Fire¬
eater, on the contrary, whenever he was really
overcome, had the habit of sneezing.
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