“Two thousand,” repeated the Cat.
“But how is it possible that they can become so many?” asked Pinocchio, holding his mouth open as if stupefied.
“I will explain to you,” said the Fox. “You must know that in the Country of the Owl there is a blessed field called ‘The Field of Miracles.’ You make a little hole in the ground and you put inside, for example, one piece of gold. Then you cover over the hole with a little earth, water it with a few drops of water from a fountain, put on a little salt, and go to bed and sleep quietly. In the meantime, during the night, the gold piece begins to grow and blossom; and the next morning, returning to the field, guess what you find? Why, you find a tree loaded with gold pieces!”
“If I bury five pieces,” said Pinocchio, all excited, “how many shall I find next morning?”
“It is easy to count,” replied the Fox. “You can do it on your fingers. Every gold piece will make five hundred; and therefore, multiplying each by five, you will have two thousand five hundred.”
“Oh, how beautiful!” cried Pinocchio, dancing with joy. “When I have all those gold pieces I will give you five hundred of them and I will take the other two thousand to my papa.”
