I cannot drink it."

"What is the matter now?"

"The door of the room, which is half open, bothers me."

The Fairy went and closed the door.

"In short," cried Pinocchio, bursting into tears, "I will not drink that
bitter water--no, no, no!"

"My boy, you will repent it."

"I don't care."

"Your illness is serious."

"I don't care."

"The fever in a few hours will carry you into the other world."

"I don't care."

"Are you not afraid of death?"

"I am not in the least afraid! I would rather die than drink that bitter
medicine."

At that moment the door of the room flew open and four rabbits as black
as ink entered carrying on their shoulders a little bier.

"What do you want with me?" cried Pinocchio, sitting up in bed in a
great fright.

"We have come to take you," said the biggest rabbit.

"To take me? But I am not yet dead!"

"No, not yet? but you have only a few minutes to live, as you have
refused the medicine that would have cured you of the fever."

"Oh, Fairy, Fairy!" the puppet then began to scream, "give me the
tumbler at once; be quick, for pity's sake, for I will not die--no, I
will not die."

And, taking the tumbler in both hands, he emptied it at a gulp.

"We must have patience!" said the rabbits; "this time we have made our
journey in vain." And, taking the little bier again on their shoulders,
they left the room, grumbling and murmuring between their teeth.

In fact, a few minutes afterwards, Pinocchio jumped down from the bed
quite well, because wooden puppets have the privilege of being seldom
ill and of being cured very quickly.

The Fairy, seeing him running and rushing about the room as gay and as
lively as a young cock, said to him:

"Then my medicine has really done you good?"

"Good? I should think so! It has restored me to life!"

"Then why on earth did you require so much persuasion to take it?"

"Because you see that we boys are all like that! We are more afraid of
medicine than of the illness."

"Disgraceful! Boys ought to know that a good remedy taken in time may
save them from a serious illness, and perhaps even from death."

"Oh! but another time I shall not require so much persuasion. I shall
remember those black rabbits with the bier on their shoulders and then I
shall immediately take the tumbler in my hand, and down it will go!"

"Now, come here to me and tell me how it came about that you fell into
the hands of those assassins."

"You see, the s