the story of pinocchio and the talking cricket,in which one sees that bad children do not liketo be corrected by those who know more than they dovery little time did it take to get poor old geppetto toprison. in the meantime that rascal, pinocchio, free nowfrom the clutches of the carabineer, was running wildlyacross fields and meadows, taking one short cut afteranother toward home. in his wild flight, he leaped over brambles and bushes, and across brooks and ponds, as ifhe were a goat or a hare chased by hounds.
on reaching home, he found the house door half open.
he slipped into the room, locked the door, and threwhimself on the floor, happy at his escape.
but his happiness lasted only a short time, for just thenhe heard someone saying:
"cri-cri-cri!""who is calling me?" asked pinocchio, greatly frightened.
"i am!"pinocchio turned and saw a large cricket crawlingslowly up the wall.
"tell me, cricket, who are you?""i am the talking cricket and i have been living in thisroom for more than one hundred years.""today, however, this room is mine," said the marionette,"and if you wish to do me a favor, get out now, and don'tturn around even once.""i refuse to leave this spot," answered the cricket,"until i have told you a great truth.""tell it, then, and hurry.""woe to boys who refuse to obey their parents and run away from home! they will never be happy in this world,and when they are older they will be very sorry for it.""sing on, cricket mine, as you please. what i know is,that tomorrow, at dawn, i leave this place forever. if istay here the same thing will happen to me which happensto all other boys and girls. they are sent to school, andwhether they want to or not, they must study. as for me,let me tell you, i hate to study! it's much more fun, i think,to chase after butterflies, climb trees, and steal birds' nests.""poor little silly! don't you know that if you go on likethat, you will grow into a perfect donkey and that you'llbe the laughingstock of everyone?""keep still, you ugly cricket!" cried pinocchio.
but the cricket, who was a wise old philosopher,instead of being offended at pinocchio's impudence,continued in the same tone:
"if you do not like going to school, why don't you atleast learn a trade, so that you can earn an honest living?""shall i tell you something?" asked pinocchio, who wasbeginning to lose patience. "of all the trades in the world,there is only one that really suits me.""and what can that be?""that of eating, drinking, sleeping, playing, andwandering around from morning till night.""let me tell you, for your own good, pinocchio," said the talking cricket in his calm voice, "that those whofollow that trade always end up in the hospital or in prison.""careful, ugly cricket! if you make me angry, you'll be sorry!""poor pinocchio, i am sorry for you.""why?""because you are a marionette and, what is much worse,you have a wooden head."at these last words, pinocchio jumped up in a fury, tooka hammer from the bench, and threw it with all hisstrength at the talking cricket.
perhaps he did not think he would strike it. but, sadto relate, my dear children, he did hit the cricket, straighton its head.
with a last weak "cri-cri-cri" the poor cricket fell fromthe wall, dead!
好，小朋友们，现在我来告诉大家，当可怜的杰佩托平白无辜地给送进监狱的时候，皮诺乔这小坏蛋看见自己逃脱了警察的手，马上撒腿就跑，穿过田野，抄近路回家。他拼命地跑啊跑啊，跳过一个个很高很高的土墩和荆棘丛，跳过一条条水沟，像只被猎人追赶的小山羊或者小野兔。
他跑到房子前面，看见朝街的门半掩着，就推门进去，他放下门臼，卜通坐到地上，得意洋洋地吐了一口长气。
可他得意了也只有一眨眼的工夫，因为他听见屋子里有声音叫：
“唧唧，唧唧！”
“谁在叫我啊？”皮诺乔吓坏了说。
“是我！”
皮诺乔转过脸，看见一只大蟋蟀在墙上，正慢腾腾地往上爬。
“告诉我，蟋蟀，你是谁。”
“我是会说话的蟋蟀，在这屋子里已经住了百把年啦。”
“这屋子今天是我的了，”木偶说，“如果您真肯行行好，让我高兴高兴，就请头也别回，马上走吧。”
“要让我走，”蟋蟀回答说，“可得让我在走以前先告诉你一个大道理。”
“那就说吧，快点，”
“孩子不听父母的话，任意离开家，到头来决不会有好结果！他们在这个世界上要倒霉，迟早会后悔的，”
“您高兴唱就下去吧，我的蟋蟀，可我明天天不亮，一准就离开这里，我要是呆在这里，就逃不出所有孩子都会遇到的事情：把我送去上学，不是软骗就是硬来，逼着我读书。跟您说句心里话，我一点不想读书，我更爱追蝴蝶，爬树掏鸟窝。”
“可怜的小傻瓜！可你不知道吗，这样你会变成一头大蠢驴，所有的人都要拿你开玩笑的？”
“闭口吧你，你这不吉利的坏蟋蟀！”皮诺乔叫道。
可蟋蟀又耐心又有智慧，木偶这样粗暴无礼，它一点不生气、还是用它原来的声调说：
“你要是不爱上学，那为什么不学个什么行当，好正正直直地给自己挣块面包呢？”
“你要我告诉你吗？”皮诺乔开始不耐烦了，回答说，“世界上所有的行当当中，只有—个行当真正合我的心意。”
“什么行当？”
“就是吃、喝、睡觉，玩儿，从早逛到晚。”
“告诉你，”会说话的蟋蟀还是那么心平行和地说，“凡是干这种行当的，最后几乎不是进医院就是进监牢。”
“当心点，不吉利的坏蟋蟀！……你惹我生气了可要倒霉！”
“可怜的皮诺乔！你真叫我可怜！……”
“我为什么叫你可怜？”
“因为你是—个木偶，更糟的是，因为你有一个木头脑袋。”
听了最后这句话，皮诺乔火冒三丈，猛地跳起来，打工作台上抓一个木头槌子，就向会说话的蟋蟀扔过去。
他也许根本不想打中它，可是真不巧，正好打中了它的头，可怜的蟋蟀只来得及叫一声唧唧，就给打死了，贴在墙上。