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200 PINOCCHIO “Trot!” and Pinocchio, obeying the order, changed to a trot. “Gallop!” and Pinocchio broke into a gallop. “Full gallop!” and Pinocchio went full gallop. But whilst he was going full speed like a racehorse the director, raising his arm in the air, fired off a pistol. At the shot the little donkey, pretending to be wounded, fell his whole length in the cir. cus, as if he was really dying. As he got up from the ground amidst an outburst of applause, shouts, and clapping of hands, he naturally raised his head and looked up . . . and he saw in one of the boxes a beautiful lady who wore round her neck a thick gold chain from which hung a medallion. On the medallion was painted the portrait of a puppet. “That is my portrait! . . . that lady is the Fairy! " said Pinocchio to himself, recognising her immediately; and overcome with delight he tried to cry: “Oh, my little Fairy! Oh, my little Fairy!” But instead of these words a bray came from his throat, so sonorous and so prolonged that all the spectators laughed, and more especially all the children who were in the theatre.
