It was the Fox and the Cat, but one could hardly recognizethem, they looked so miserable6. The Cat, after pretendingto be blind for so many years had really lost the sightof both eyes. And the Fox, old, thin, and almost hairless,had even lost his tail. That sly thief had fallen intodeepest poverty, and one day he had been forced to sell hisbeautiful tail for a bite to eat.

　　"Oh, Pinocchio," he cried in a tearful voice. "Give ussome alms, we beg of you! We are old, tired, and sick.""Sick!" repeated the Cat.

　　"Addio, false friends!" answered the Marionette.

　　"You cheated me once, but you will never catch me again.""Believe us! Today we are truly poor and starving.""Starving!" repeated the Cat.

　　"If you are poor; you deserve it! Remember the oldproverb which says: `Stolen money never bears fruit.'

　　Addio, false friends.""Have mercy on us!""On us.""Addio, false friends. Remember the old proverb which says:

　　`Bad wheat always makes poor bread!'""Do not abandon us.""Abandon us," repeated the Cat.

　　"Addio, false friends. Remember the old proverb:

　　`Whoever steals his neighbor's shirt, usually dies withouthis own.'"Waving good-by to them, Pinocchio and Geppettocalmly went on their way. After a few more steps,they saw, at the end of a long road near aclump7of trees,a tiny cottage built of straw.

　　"Someone must live in that little hut," said Pinocchio.

　　"Let us see for ourselves."They went and knocked at the door.

　　"Who is it?" said a little voice from within.

　　"A poor father and a poorer son, without food and withno roof to cover them," answered the Marionette.

　　"Turn the key and the door will open," said the samelittle voice.

　　这就是那只猫和那只狐狸，不过这一回，它们样子变得认不出来了。诸位只要想象一下，那只猫以前拼命装瞎眼，这会儿真瞎了。狐狸很老很老，毛几乎都脱掉，变成了瘫皮，连尾巴也没有了，说起来是这么回事：这个恶贼到了穷途僚倒的地步，有一天不得不把它漂亮的尾巴卖给了流动商贩，流动商贩把它买去做拂尘。
　　“噢，皮诺乔，”狐狸哭也似地叫道，“做做好事，施舍点给咱们两个可怜的残废者吧。”
　　“残废者吧！”猫跟着又说了一遍。
　　“再见吧，假善人！”木偶回答说，“我上过一次当，如今再不上当了。”
　　“相信我们吧，皮诺乔，我们如今又穷又倒霉，都是真的！”
　　“都是真的！”猫跟着又说了一遍。
　　“穷也是活该，你们记住这句老话吧：‘抢来的钱财不会致富’。再见了，假善人！”
　　“可怜可怜我们吧！……”
　　“可怜我们吧！……”
　　“再见，假好人！记住这句老话吧：‘不义之财带不来幸福。’”
　　“不要抛弃我们！……”
　　“……弃我们！”猫跟着又说了一遍。
　　“再见，假善人！记住这句老话吧：‘偷邻居上衣的人，死时连自己的衬衫也没有。’”
　　皮诺乔这么说着，就同杰佩托安静地继续赶他们的路。他们又走了百来步，看见田野当中的小道尽头有座漂亮的小屋，用干草搭的，顶上盖着瓦。
　　“这小屋准住着人，”皮诺乔说，“咱们上那儿去敲门。”
　　他们就走过去敲敲门。
　　“谁呀？”里面有人说。
　　“是一个可怜的爸爸和一个可怜的儿子，没吃没住的，”木偶回答说。
　　“把钥匙转—转，门就开了，”还是那声音说。

6miserable

adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的

参考例句：

It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他，这是可耻的。

Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。

7clump

n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走

参考例句：

A stream meandered gently through a clump of trees.一条小溪从树丛中蜿蜒穿过。

It was as if he had hacked with his thick boots at a clump of bluebells.仿佛他用自己的厚靴子无情地践踏了一丛野风信子。