"Yes, I will come to live with you—and with the little dog," he said. "Then I can be with her always!"
"Yes, indeed," agreed Guido. He turned to the old woman. "Are you willing?" he asked.
"Willing?" she cried. "Do you ask one who suffers with toothache if he is willing to part with the aching tooth? He is a rascal and cares nothing for me. Indeed I am willing to let you keep him. Yet—"
She hesitated. A softer expression came over her face.
"You must promise to be good to him," she added. "His mother was my friend. When she died she left him in my care. For her sake, you must promise to treat Tony well."
"I shall treat him as if he were my own," replied Guido, the Marionette Man.