" Geppetto said to his marionette, who had been yawning loudly.
Pinocchio closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep, while Geppetto stuck on the two feet with a bit of glue melted in an eggshell, doing his work so well that the joint could hardly be seen.
But as soon as the marionette felt his new feet, he gave one leap from the table and started to skip and jump around with joy.
"To show you how grateful I am to you, Father, I'll go to school now, but if I'm to do that, I'll need a suit of clothes."
Geppetto was a poor woodcarver and did not have a penny in his pocket, so he made his son a little suit of flowered paper, a pair of shoes from the bark of a tree, and a tiny cap from a bit of dough.
Pinocchio ran to look at his reflection in a bowl of water, and he felt so happy that he said proudly:
"Now I look like a real gentleman."
"Truly," answered Geppetto. "But remember that fine clothes do not make the man unless they are always neat and clean."
"Very true," answered Pinocchio, "and I'll try very hard, but I still need something very important if I'm to go to school."
"What is it?" asked his father.
"An A-B-C book to do my lessons."
"Of course," Geppetto answered, "but how shall we get it?"
"That's easy, we'll go to a bookstore and buy it."
"With what money?"
"I don't know; I have none."
"Neither have I," said the old man sadly.
Pinocchio, although usually a happy boy, became very unhappy at hearing these words. When poverty shows itself, even mischievous boys understand what it means.
"What does it matter, after all?" cried Geppetto all at once, as he jumped up from his chair. Putting on his old coat, full of darns and patches, he ran out of the house without another word.
After a while he returned. In his hands he had the A-B-C book for his son, but the old coat he had worn was gone. The poor fellow was in his shirt sleeves, and the day was very cold.
"Where's your coat, Father?"
"I have sold it," the old man answered, "It was too warm."
Pinocchio understood what his father meant -- in fact, it was not too warm at all. Unable to restrain his tears, he jumped on his father's neck and kissed him over and over.
