Oldal 220 [220]
198 PINOCCHIO
This speech was received with much laugh¬
ter and applause; but the applause redoubled
and became tumultuous when the little donkey
Pinocchio made his appearance in the middle
of the circus. He was decked out for the occa¬
sion. He had a new bridle of polished leather
with brass buckles and studs, and two white
camelias in his ears. His mane was divided
and curled, and each curl was tied with bows
of coloured ribbon. He had a girth of gold
and silver round his body, and his tail was
plaited with amaranth and blue velvet ribbons.
He was, in fact, a little donkey to fall in love
with!
The director, in presenting him to the pub¬
lic, added these few words:
“My respectable auditors! I am not here
to tell you falsehoods of the great difficulties
that I have overcome in understanding and sub¬
jugating this mammifer, whilst he was grazing
at liberty amongst the mountains in the plains
of the torrid zone. I beg you will observe the
wild rolling of his eyes. Every means having
been tried in vain to tame him, and to accustom
him to the life of domestic quadrupeds, I was
often forced to have recourse to the convincing
argument of the whip. But all my goodness
to him, instead of gaining his affections, has,
on the contrary, increased his viciousness.