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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6833f05 --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +* text=auto +*.txt text +*.md text @@ -0,0 +1,3835 @@ + +Project Gutenberg's A Collection of Beatrix Potter Stories, by Beatrix Potter + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license + + +Title: A Collection of Beatrix Potter Stories + +Author: Beatrix Potter + +Posting Date: December 20, 2013 [EBook #582] +Release Date: July, 1996 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A COLLECTION OF BEATRIX *** + + + + +Produced by Some of these pages were OCR'd by Charles Keller for Tina +with OmniPage + + + + +The Original + +Peter Rabbit Books + +By BEATRIX POTTER + + A LIST OF THE TITLES + [*indicates included here] + + *The Tale of Peter Rabbit + The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin + The Tailor of Gloucester + *The Tale of Benjamin Bunny + *The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle + *The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher + The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse + *The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck + *The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies + The Story of a Fierce Bad Rabbit + *The Tale of Two Bad Mice + The Tale of Tom Kitten + The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse + *The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes + *The Tale of Mr. Tod + *The Tale of Pigling Bland + *The Roly Poly Pudding + *The Pie and the Patty-pan + *Ginger and Pickles + *The Story of Miss Moppet + Appley Dapply's Nursery Rhymes + The Tale of Little Pig Robinson?? + + + + +THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT BY BEATRIX POTTER + + + +ONCE upon a time there were four little Rabbits, and their names were-- +Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-tail, and Peter. + +They lived with their Mother in a sand-bank, underneath the root of a +very big fir tree. + +"NOW, my dears," said old Mrs. Rabbit one morning, "you may go into the +fields or down the lane, but don't go into Mr. McGregor's garden: your +Father had an accident there; he was put in a pie by Mrs. McGregor." + +"NOW run along, and don't get into mischief. I am going out." + +THEN old Mrs. Rabbit took a basket and her umbrella, to the baker's. She +bought a loaf of brown bread and five currant buns. + +FLOPSY, Mopsy, and Cottontail, who were good little bunnies, went down +the lane to gather blackberries; + +BUT Peter, who was very naughty, ran straight away to Mr. McGregor's +garden and squeezed under the gate! + +FIRST he ate some lettuces and some French beans; and then he ate some +radishes; + +AND then, feeling rather sick, he went to look for some parsley. + +BUT round the end of a cucumber frame, whom should he meet but Mr. +McGregor! + +MR. McGREGOR was on his hands and knees planting out young cabbages, but +he jumped up and ran after Peter, waving a rake and calling out, "Stop +thief!" + +PETER was most dreadfully frightened; he rushed all over the garden, for +he had forgotten the way back to the gate. + +He lost one of his shoes among the cabbages, and the other shoe amongst +the potatoes. + +AFTER losing them, he ran on four legs and went faster, so that I think +he might have got away altogether if he had not unfortunately run into a +gooseberry net, and got caught by the large buttons on his jacket. It +was a blue jacket with brass buttons, quite new. + +PETER gave himself up for lost, and shed big tears; but his sobs were +overheard by some friendly sparrows, who flew to him in great +excitement, and implored him to exert himself. + +MR. McGREGOR came up with a sieve, which he intended to pop upon the top +of Peter; but Peter wriggled out just in time, leaving his jacket behind +him. + +AND rushed into the toolshed, and jumped into a can. It would have been +a beautiful thing to hide in, if it had not had so much water in it. + +MR. McGREGOR was quite sure that Peter was somewhere in the toolshed, +perhaps hidden underneath a flower-pot. He began to turn them over +carefully, looking under each. + +Presently Peter sneezed--"Kertyschoo!" Mr. McGregor was after him in no +time, + +AND tried to put his foot upon Peter, who jumped out of a window, +upsetting three plants. The window was too small for Mr. McGregor, and +he was tired of running after Peter. He went back to his work. + +PETER sat down to rest; he was out of breath and trembling with fright, +and he had not the least idea which way to go. Also he was very damp +with sitting in that can. + +After a time he began to wander about, going lippity--lippity--not very +fast, and looking all around. + +HE found a door in a wall; but it was locked, and there was no room for +a fat little rabbit to squeeze underneath. + +An old mouse was running in and out over the stone doorstep, carrying +peas and beans to her family in the wood. Peter asked her the way to the +gate, but she had such a large pea in her mouth that she could not +answer. She only shook her head at him. Peter began to cry. + +THEN he tried to find his way straight across the garden, but he became +more and more puzzled. Presently, he came to a pond where Mr. McGregor +filled his water-cans. A white cat was staring at some gold-fish; she +sat very, very still, but now and then the tip of her tail twitched as +if it were alive. Peter thought it best to go away without speaking to +her; he had heard about cats from his cousin, little Benjamin Bunny. + +HE went back towards the tool-shed, but suddenly, quite close to him, he +heard the noise of a hoe--scr-r-ritch, scratch, scratch, scritch. Peter + +scuttered underneath the bushes. But presently, as nothing happened, he +came out, and climbed upon a wheelbarrow, and peeped over. The first +thing he saw was Mr. McGregor hoeing onions. His back was turned towards +Peter, and beyond him was the gate! + +PETER got down very quietly off the wheelbarrow, and started running as +fast as he could go, along a straight walk behind some black-currant +bushes. + +Mr. McGregor caught sight of him at the corner, but Peter did not care. +He slipped underneath the gate, and was safe at last in the wood outside +the garden. + +MR. McGREGOR hung up the little jacket and the shoes for a scare-crow to +frighten the blackbirds. + +PETER never stopped running or looked behind him till he got home to the +big fir-tree. + +He was so tired that he flopped down upon the nice soft sand on the +floor of the rabbit-hole, and shut his eyes. His mother was busy +cooking; she wondered what he had done with his clothes. It was the +second little jacket and pair of shoes that Peter had lost in a +fortnight! + +I AM sorry to say that Peter was not very well during the evening. + +His mother put him to bed, and made some camomile tea; and she gave a +dose of it to Peter! + +"One table-spoonful to be taken at bed-time." + +BUT Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail had bread and milk and blackberries, +for supper. + +THE END + + + + +THE TALE OF BENJAMIN BUNNY + +FOR THE CHILDREN OF SAWREY FROM OLD MR. BUNNY + + +ONE morning a little rabbit sat on a bank. + +He pricked his ears and listened to the trit-trot, trit-trot of a pony. + +A gig was coming along the road; it was driven by Mr. McGregor, and +beside him sat Mrs. McGregor in her best bonnet. + +AS soon as they had passed, little Benjamin Bunny slid down into the +road, and set off--with a hop, skip and a jump--to call upon his +relations, who lived in the wood at the back of Mr. McGregor's garden. + +THAT wood was full of rabbit holes; and in the neatest sandiest hole of +all, cousins--Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-tail and Peter. + +Old Mrs. Rabbit was a widow; she earned her living by knitting +rabbit-wool mittens and muffetees (I once bought a pair at a bazaar). +She also sold herbs, and rosemary tea, and rabbit-tobacco (which is what +WE call lavender). + +LITTLE Benjamin did not very much want to see his Aunt. + +He came round the back of the fir-tree, and nearly tumbled upon the top +of his Cousin Peter. + +PETER was sitting by himself. He looked poorly, and was dressed in a red +cotton pocket-handkerchief. + +"Peter,"--said little Benjamin, in a whisper--"who has got your +clothes?" + +PETER replied--"The scarecrow in Mr. McGregor's garden," and described +how he had been chased about the garden, and had dropped his shoes and +coat. + +Little Benjamin sat down beside his cousin, and assured him that Mr. +McGregor had gone out in a gig, and Mrs. McGregor also; and certainly +for the day, because she was wearing her best bonnet. + +PETER said he hoped that it would rain. + +At this point, old Mrs. Rabbit's voice was heard inside the rabbit hole +calling--"Cotton-tail! Cotton-tail! fetch some more camomile!" + +Peter said he thought he might feel better if he went for a walk. + +THEY went away hand in hand, and got upon the flat top of the wall at +the bottom of the wood. From here they looked down into Mr. McGregor's +garden. Peter's coat and shoes were plainly to be seen upon the +scarecrow, topped with an old tam-o-shanter of Mr. McGregor's. + +LITTLE Benjamin said, "It spoils people's clothes to squeeze under a +gate; the proper way to get in, is to climb down a pear tree." + +Peter fell down head first; but it was of no consequence, as the bed +below was newly raked and quite soft. + +IT had been sown with lettuces. + +They left a great many odd little foot-marks all over the bed, +especially little Benjamin, who was wearing clogs. + +LITTLE Benjamin said that the first thing to be done was to get back +Peter's clothes, in order that they might be able to use the pocket +handkerchief. + +They took them off the scarecrow. There had been rain during the night; +there was water in the shoes, and the coat was somewhat shrunk. + +Benjamin tried on the tam-o-shanter, but it was too big for him. + +THEN he suggested that they should fill the pocket-handkerchief with +onions, as a little present for his Aunt. + +Peter did not seem to be enjoying himself; he kept hearing noises. + +BENJAMIN, on the contrary, was perfectly at home, and ate a lettuce +leaf. He said that he was in the habit of coming to the garden with his +father to get lettuces for their Sunday dinner. + +(The name of little Benjamin's papa was old Mr. Benjamin Bunny.) + +The lettuces certainly were very fine. + +PETER did not eat anything; he said he should like to go home. Presently +he dropped half the onions. + +LITTLE Benjamin said that it was not possible to get back up the +pear-tree, with a load of vegetables. He led the way boldly towards the +other end of the garden. They went along a little walk on planks, under +a sunny red-brick wall. + +The mice sat on their door-steps cracking cherry-stones, they winked at +Peter Rabbit and little Benjamin Bunny. + +PRESENTLY Peter let the pocket-handkerchief go again. + +THEY got amongst flower-pots, and frames and tubs; Peter heard noises +worse than ever, his eyes were as big as lolly-pops! + +He was a step or two in front of his cousin, when he suddenly stopped. + +THIS is what those little rabbits saw round that corner! + +Little Benjamin took one look, and then, in half a minute less than no +time, he hid himself and Peter and the onions underneath a large +basket.... + +THE cat got up and stretched herself, and came and sniffed at the +basket. + +Perhaps she liked the smell of onions! + +Anyway, she sat down upon the top of the basket. + +SHE sat there for FIVE HOURS. + + * * * * * + +I cannot draw you a picture of Peter and Benjamin underneath the basket, +because it was quite dark, and because the smell of onions was fearful; +it made Peter Rabbit and little Benjamin cry. + +The sun got round behind the wood, and it was quite late in the +afternoon; but still the cat sat upon the basket. + +AT length there was a pitter-patter, pitter-patter, and some bits of +mortar fell from the wall above. + +The cat looked up and saw old Mr. Benjamin Bunny prancing along the top +of the wall of the upper terrace. + +He was smoking a pipe of rabbit-tobacco, and had a little switch in his +hand. + +He was looking for his son. + +OLD Mr. Bunny had no opinion whatever of cats. + +He took a tremendous jump off the top of the wall on to the top of the +cat, and cuffed it off the basket, and kicked it into the garden-house, +scratching off a handful of fur. + +The cat was too much surprised to scratch back. + +WHEN old Mr. Bunny had driven the cat into the green-house, he locked +the door. + +Then he came back to the basket and took out his son Benjamin by the +ears, and whipped him with the little switch. + +Then he took out his nephew Peter. + +THEN he took out the handkerchief of onions, and marched out of the +garden. + +When Mr. McGregor returned about half an hour later, he observed several +things which perplexed him. + +It looked as though some person had been walking all over the garden in +a pair of clogs--only the foot-marks were too ridiculously little! + +Also he could not understand how the cat could have managed to shut +herself up INSIDE the green-house, locking the door upon the OUTSIDE. + +WHEN Peter got home, his mother forgave him, because she was so glad to +see that he had found his shoes and coat. Cotton-tail and Peter folded +up the pocket-handkerchief, and old Mrs. Rabbit strung up the onions and +hung them from the kitchen ceiling, with the rabbit-tobacco. + +THE END + + + + +THE TALE OF THE FLOPSY BUNNIES + +FOR ALL LITTLE FRIENDS OF MR. McGREGOR & PETER & BENJAMIN + + +IT is said that the effect of eating too much lettuce is "soporific." + +_I_ have never felt sleepy after eating lettuces; but then _I_ am not a +rabbit. + +They certainly had a very soporific effect upon the Flopsy Bunnies! + +WHEN Benjamin Bunny grew up, he married his Cousin Flopsy. They had a +large family, and they were very improvident and cheerful. + +I do not remember the separate names of their children; they were +generally called the "Flopsy Bunnies." + +AS there was not always quite enough to eat,--Benjamin used to borrow +cabbages from Flopsy's brother, Peter Rabbit, who kept a nursery garden. + +SOMETIMES Peter Rabbit had no cabbages to spare. + +WHEN this happened, the Flopsy Bunnies went across the field to a +rubbish heap, in the ditch outside Mr. McGregor's garden. + +MR. McGREGOR'S rubbish heap was a mixture. There were jam pots and paper +bags, and mountains of chopped grass from the mowing machine (which +always tasted oily), and some rotten vegetable marrows and an old boot +or two. One day--oh joy!--there were a quantity of overgrown lettuces, +which had "shot" into flower. + +THE Flopsy Bunnies simply stuffed lettuces. By degrees, one after +another, they were overcome with slumber, and lay down in the mown +grass. + +Benjamin was not so much overcome as his children. Before going to sleep +he was sufficiently wide awake to put a paper bag over his head to keep +off the flies. + +THE little Flopsy Bunnies slept delightfully in the warm sun. From the +lawn beyond the garden came the distant clacketty sound of the mowing +machine. The blue-bottles buzzed about the wall, and a little old mouse +picked over the rubbish among the jam pots. + +(I can tell you her name, she was called Thomasina Tittlemouse, a +woodmouse with a long tail.) + +SHE rustled across the paper bag, and awakened Benjamin Bunny. + +The mouse apologized profusely, and said that she knew Peter Rabbit. + +WHILE she and Benjamin were talking, close under the wall, they heard a +heavy tread above their heads; and suddenly Mr. McGregor emptied out a +sackful of lawn mowings right upon the top of the sleeping Flopsy +Bunnies! Benjamin shrank down under his paper bag. The mouse hid in a +jam pot. + +THE little rabbits smiled sweetly in their sleep under the shower of +grass; they did not awake because the lettuces had been so soporific. + +They dreamt that their mother Flopsy was tucking them up in a hay bed. + +Mr. McGregor looked down after emptying his sack. He saw some funny +little brown tips of ears sticking up through the lawn mowings. He +stared at them for some time. + +PRESENTLY a fly settled on one of them and it moved. + +Mr. McGregor climbed down on to the rubbish heap-- + +"One, two, three, four! five! six leetle rabbits!" said he as he dropped +them into his sack. The Flopsy Bunnies dreamt that their mother was +turning them over in bed. They stirred a little in their sleep, but +still they did not wake up. + +MR. McGREGOR tied up the sack and left it on the wall. + +He went to put away the mowing machine. + +WHILE he was gone, Mrs. Flopsy Bunny (who had remained at home) came +across the field. + +She looked suspiciously at the sack and wondered where everybody was? + +THEN the mouse came out of her jam pot, and Benjamin took the paper bag +off his head, and they told the doleful tale. + +Benjamin and Flopsy were in despair, they could not undo the string. + +But Mrs. Tittlemouse was a resourceful person. She nibbled a hole in the +bottom corner of the sack. + +THE little rabbits were pulled out and pinched to wake them. + +Their parents stuffed the empty sack with three rotten vegetable +marrows, an old blacking-brush and two decayed turnips. + +THEN they all hid under a bush and watched for Mr. McGregor. + +MR. McGREGOR came back and picked up the sack, and carried it off. + +He carried it hanging down, as if it were rather heavy. + +The Flopsy Bunnies followed at a safe distance. + +THEY watched him go into his house. + +And then they crept up to the window to listen. + +MR. McGREGOR threw down the sack on the stone floor in a way that would +have been extremely painful to the Flopsy Bunnies, if they had happened +to have been inside it. + +They could hear him drag his chair on the flags, and chuckle-- + +"One, two, three, four, five, six leetle rabbits!" said Mr. McGregor. + +"EH? What's that? What have they been spoiling now?" enquired Mrs. +McGregor. + +"One, two, three, four, five, six leetle fat rabbits!" repeated Mr. +McGregor, counting on his fingers--"one, two, three--" + +"Don't you be silly; what do you mean, you silly old man?" + +"In the sack! one, two, three, four, five, six!" replied Mr. McGregor. + +(The youngest Flopsy Bunny got upon the window-sill.) + +MRS. McGREGOR took hold of the sack and felt it. She said she could feel +six, but they must be OLD rabbits, because they were so hard and all +different shapes. + +"Not fit to eat; but the skins will do fine to line my old cloak." + +"Line your old cloak?" shouted Mr. McGregor--"I shall sell them and buy +myself baccy!" + +"Rabbit tobacco! I shall skin them and cut off their heads." + +MRS. McGREGOR untied the sack and put her hand inside. + +When she felt the vegetables she became very very angry. She said that +Mr. McGregor had "done it a purpose." + +AND Mr. McGregor was very angry too. One of the rotten marrows came +flying through the kitchen window, and hit the youngest Flopsy Bunny. + +It was rather hurt. + +THEN Benjamin and Flopsy thought that it was time to go home. + +SO Mr. McGregor did not get his tobacco, and Mrs. McGregor did not get +her rabbit skins. + +But next Christmas Thomasina Tittlemouse got a present of enough +rabbit-wool to make herself a cloak and a hood, and a handsome muff and +a pair of warm mittens. + +THE END + + + + +IN REMEMBRANCE OF "SAMMY," THE INTELLIGENT PINK-EYED REPRESENTATIVE OF A +PERSECUTED (BUT IRREPRESSIBLE) RACE. AN AFFECTIONATE LITTLE FRIEND. AND +MOST ACCOMPLISHED THIEF! + +THE ROLY-POLY PUDDING + + +ONCE upon a time there was an old cat, called Mrs. Tabitha Twitchit, who +was an anxious parent. She used to lose her kittens continually, and +whenever they were lost they were always in mischief! + +On baking day she determined to shut them up in a cupboard. + +She caught Moppet and Mittens, but she could not find Tom. + +Mrs. Tabitha went up and down all over the house, mewing for Tom Kitten. +She looked in the pantry under the staircase, and she searched the best +spare bedroom that was all covered up with dust sheets. She went right +upstairs and looked into the attics, but she could not find him +anywhere. + +It was an old, old house, full of cupboards and passages. Some of the +walls were four feet thick, and there used to be queer noises inside +them, as if there might be a little secret staircase. Certainly there +were odd little jagged doorways in the wainscot, and things disappeared +at night--especially cheese and bacon. + +Mrs. Tabitha became more and more distracted, and mewed dreadfully. + +While their mother was searching the house, Moppet and Mittens had got +into mischief. + +The cupboard door was not locked, so they pushed it open and came out. + +They went straight to the dough which was set to rise in a pan before +the fire. + +They patted it with their little soft paws--"Shall we make dear little +muffins?" said Mittens to Moppet. + +But just at that moment somebody knocked at the front door, and Moppet +jumped into the flour barrel in a fright. + +Mittens ran away to the dairy, and hid in an empty jar on the stone +shelf where the milk pans stand. + +The visitor was a neighbor, Mrs. Ribby; she had called to borrow some +yeast. + +Mrs. Tabitha came downstairs mewing dreadfully--"Come in, Cousin Ribby, +come in, and sit ye down! I'm in sad trouble, Cousin Ribby," said +Tabitha, shedding tears. "I've lost my dear son Thomas; I'm afraid the +rats have got him." She wiped her eyes with an apron. + +"He's a bad kitten, Cousin Tabitha; he made a cat's cradle of my best +bonnet last time I came to tea. Where have you looked for him?" + +"All over the house! The rats are too many for me. What a thing it is to +have an unruly family!" said Mrs. Tabitha Twitchit. + +"I'm not afraid of rats; I will help you to find him; and whip him too! +What is all that soot in the fender?" + +"The chimney wants sweeping--Oh, dear me, Cousin Ribby--now Moppet and +Mittens are gone!" + +"They have both got out of the cup-board!" + +Ribby and Tabitha set to work to search the house thoroughly again. They +poked under the beds with Ribby's umbrella, and they rummaged in +cupboards. They even fetched a candle, and looked inside a clothes chest +in one of the attics. They could not find anything, but once they heard +a door bang and somebody scuttered downstairs. + +"Yes, it is infested with rats," said Tabitha tearfully, "I caught seven +young ones out of one hole in the back kitchen, and we had them for +dinner last Saturday. And once I saw the old father rat--an enormous old +rat, Cousin Ribby. I was just going to jump upon him, when he showed his +yellow teeth at me and whisked down the hole." + +"The rats get upon my nerves, Cousin Ribby," said Tabitha. + +Ribby and Tabitha searched and searched. They both heard a curious +roly-poly noise under the attic floor. But there was nothing to be seen. + +They returned to the kitchen. "Here's one of your kittens at least," +said Ribby, dragging Moppet out of the flour barrel. + +They shook the flour off her and set her down on the kitchen floor. She +seemed to be in a terrible fright. + +"Oh! Mother, Mother," said Moppet, "there's been an old woman rat in the +kitchen, and she's stolen some of the dough!" + +The two cats ran to look at the dough pan. Sure enough there were marks +of little scratching fingers, and a lump of dough was gone! + +"Which way did she go, Moppet?" + +But Moppet had been too much frightened to peep out of the barrel again. + +Ribby and Tabitha took her with them to keep her safely in sight, while +they went on with their search. + +They went into the dairy. + +The first thing they found was Mittens, hiding in an empty jar. + +They tipped up the jar, and she scrambled out. + +"Oh, Mother, Mother!" said Mittens-- + +"Oh! Mother, Mother, there has been an old man rat in the dairy--a +dreadful 'normous big rat, Mother; and he's stolen a pat of butter and +the rolling-pin." + +Ribby and Tabitha looked at one another. + +"A rolling-pin and butter! Oh, my poor son Thomas!" exclaimed Tabitha, +wringing her paws. + +"A rolling-pin?" said Ribby. "Did we not hear a roly-poly noise in the +attic when we were looking into that chest?" + +Ribby and Tabitha rushed upstairs again. Sure enough the roly-poly noise +was still going on quite distinctly under the attic floor. + +"This is serious, Cousin Tabitha," said Ribby. "We must send for John +Joiner at once, with a saw." + +Now this is what had been happening to Tom Kitten, and it shows how very +unwise it is to go up a chimney in a very old house, where a person does +not know his way, and where there are enormous rats. + +Tom Kitten did not want to be shut up in a cupboard. When he saw that +his mother was going to bake, he determined to hide. + +He looked about for a nice convenient place, and he fixed upon the +chimney. + +The fire had only just been lighted, and it was not hot; but there was a +white choky smoke from the green sticks. Tom Kitten got upon the fender +and looked up. It was a big old-fashioned fireplace. + +The chimney itself was wide enough inside for a man to stand up and walk +about. So there was plenty of room for a little Tom Cat. + +He jumped right up into the fireplace, balancing himself upon the iron +bar where the kettle hangs. + +Tom Kitten took another big jump off the bar, and landed on a ledge high +up inside the chimney, knocking down some soot into the fender. + +Tom Kitten coughed and choked with the smoke; he could hear the sticks +beginning to crackle and burn in the fireplace down below. He made up +his mind to climb right to the top, and get out on the slates, and try +to catch sparrows. + +"I cannot go back. If I slipped I might fall in the fire and singe my +beautiful tail and my little blue jacket." + +The chimney was a very big old-fashioned one. It was built in the days +when people burnt logs of wood upon the hearth. + +The chimney stack stood up above the roof like a little stone tower, and +the daylight shone down from the top, under the slanting slates that +kept out the rain. + +Tom Kitten was getting very frightened! He climbed up, and up, and up. + +Then he waded sideways through inches of soot. He was like a little +sweep himself. + +It was most confusing in the dark. One flue seemed to lead into another. + +There was less smoke, but Tom Kitten felt quite lost. + +He scrambled up and up; but before he reached the chimney top he came to +a place where somebody had loosened a stone in the wall. There were some +mutton bones lying about-- + +"This seems funny," said Tom Kitten. "Who has been gnawing bones up here +in the chimney? I wish I had never come! And what a funny smell! It is +something like mouse; only dreadfully strong. It makes me sneeze," said +Tom Kitten. + +He squeezed through the hole in the wall, and dragged himself along a +most uncomfortably tight passage where there was scarcely any light. + +He groped his way carefully for several yards; he was at the back of the +skirting-board in the attic, where there is a little mark * in the +picture. + +All at once he fell head over heels in the dark, down a hole, and landed +on a heap of very dirty rags. + +When Tom Kitten picked himself up and looked about him--he found himself +in a place that he had never seen before, although he had lived all his +life in the house. + +It was a very small stuffy fusty room, with boards, and rafters, and +cobwebs, and lath and plaster. + +Opposite to him--as far away as he could sit--was an enormous rat. + +"What do you mean by tumbling into my bed all covered with smuts?" said +the rat, chattering his teeth. + +"Please sir, the chimney wants sweeping," said poor Tom Kitten. + +"Anna Maria! Anna Maria!" squeaked the rat. There was a pattering noise +and an old woman rat poked her head round a rafter. + +All in a minute she rushed upon Tom Kitten, and before he knew what was +happening-- + +His coat was pulled off, and he was rolled up in a bundle, and tied with +string in very hard knots. + +Anna Maria did the tying. The old rat watched her and took snuff. When +she had finished, they both sat staring at him with their mouths open. + +"Anna Maria," said the old man rat (whose name was Samuel +Whiskers),--"Anna Maria, make me a kitten dumpling roly-poly pudding for +my dinner." + +"It requires dough and a pat of butter, and a rolling-pin," said Anna +Maria, considering Tom Kitten with her head on one side. + +"No," said Samuel Whiskers, "make it properly, Anna Maria, with +breadcrumbs." + +"Nonsense! Butter and dough," replied Anna Maria. + +The two rats consulted together for a few minutes and then went away. + +Samuel Whiskers got through a hole in the wainscot, and went boldly down +the front staircase to the dairy to get the butter. He did not meet +anybody. + +He made a second journey for the rolling-pin. He pushed it in front of +him with his paws, like a brewer's man trundling a barrel. + +He could hear Ribby and Tabitha talking, but they were busy lighting the +candle to look into the chest. + +They did not see him. + +Anna Maria went down by way of the skirting-board and a window shutter +to the kitchen to steal the dough. + +She borrowed a small saucer, and scooped up the dough with her paws. + +She did not observe Moppet. + +While Tom Kitten was left alone under the floor of the attic, he +wriggled about and tried to mew for help. + +But his mouth was full of soot and cob-webs, and he was tied up in such +very tight knots, he could not make anybody hear him. + +Except a spider, which came out of a crack in the ceiling and examined +the knots critically, from a safe distance. + +It was a judge of knots because it had a habit of tying up unfortunate +blue-bottles. It did not offer to assist him. + +Tom Kitten wriggled and squirmed until he was quite exhausted. + +Presently the rats came back and set to work to make him into a +dumpling. First they smeared him with butter, and then they rolled him +in the dough. + +"Will not the string be very indigestible, Anna Maria?" inquired Samuel +Whiskers. + +Anna Maria said she thought that it was of no consequence; but she +wished that Tom Kitten would hold his head still, as it disarranged the +pastry. She laid hold of his ears. + +Tom Kitten bit and spat, and mewed and wriggled; and the rolling-pin +went roly-poly, roly; roly, poly, roly. The rats each held an end. + +"His tail is sticking out! You did not fetch enough dough, Anna Maria." + +"I fetched as much as I could carry," replied Anna Maria. + +"I do not think"--said Samuel Whiskers, pausing to take a look at Tom +Kitten--"I do NOT think it will be a good pudding. It smells sooty." + +Anna Maria was about to argue the point, when all at once there began to +be other sounds up above--the rasping noise of a saw; and the noise of a +little dog, scratching and yelping! + +The rats dropped the rolling-pin, and listened attentively. + +"We are discovered and interrupted, Anna Maria; let us collect our +property,--and other people's,--and depart at once." + +"I fear that we shall be obliged to leave this pudding." + +"But I am persuaded that the knots would have proved indigestible, +whatever you may urge to the contrary." + +"Come away at once and help me to tie up some mutton bones in a +counterpane," said Anna Maria. "I have got half a smoked ham hidden in +the chimney." + +So it happened that by the time John Joiner had got the plank up--there +was nobody under the floor except the rolling-pin and Tom Kitten in a +very dirty dumpling! + +But there was a strong smell of rats; and John Joiner spent the rest of +the morning sniffing and whining, and wagging his tail, and going round +and round with his head in the hole like a gimlet. + +Then he nailed the plank down again, and put his tools in his bag, and +came downstairs. + +The cat family had quite recovered. They invited him to stay to dinner. + +The dumpling had been peeled off Tom Kitten, and made separately into a +bag pudding, with currants in it to hide the smuts. + +They had been obliged to put Tom Kitten into a hot bath to get the +butter off. + +John Joiner smelt the pudding; but he regretted that he had not time to +stay to dinner, because he had just finished making a wheel-barrow for +Miss Potter, and she had ordered two hen-coops. + +And when I was going to the post late in the afternoon--I looked up the +lane from the corner, and I saw Mr. Samuel Whiskers and his wife on the +run, with big bundles on a little wheel-barrow, which looked very like +mine. + +They were just turning in at the gate to the barn of Farmer Potatoes. + +Samuel Whiskers was puffing and out of breath. Anna Maria was still +arguing in shrill tones. + +She seemed to know her way, and she seemed to have a quantity of +luggage. + +I am sure _I_ never gave her leave to borrow my wheel-barrow! + +They went into the barn, and hauled their parcels with a bit of string +to the top of the haymow. + +After that, there were no more rats for a long time at Tabitha +Twitchit's. + +As for Farmer Potatoes, he has been driven nearly distracted. There are +rats, and rats, and rats in his barn! They eat up the chicken food, and +steal the oats and bran, and make holes in the meal bags. + +And they are all descended from Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Whiskers--children +and grand-children and great great grand-children. + +There is no end to them! + +Moppet and Mittens have grown up into very good rat-catchers. + +They go out rat-catching in the village, and they find plenty of +employment. They charge so much a dozen, and earn their living very +comfortably. + +They hang up the rats' tails in a row or the barn door, to show how many +they have caught--dozens and dozens of them. + +But Tom Kitten has always been afraid of a rat; he never durst face +anything that is bigger than-- + +A Mouse. + +THE END + + + + +THE TALE OF MR. TOD + + +I HAVE made many books about well-behaved people. Now, for a change, I +am going to make a story about two disagreeable people, called Tommy +Brock and Mr. Tod. Nobody could call Mr. Tod "nice." The rabbits could +not bear him; they could smell him half a mile off. He was of a +wandering habit and he had foxey whiskers; they never knew where he +would be next. + +One day he was living in a stick-house in the coppice, causing terror to +the family of old Mr. Benjamin Bouncer. Next day he moved into a pollard +willow near the lake, frightening the wild ducks and the water rats. + +In winter and early spring he might generally be found in an earth +amongst the rocks at the top of Bull Banks, under Oatmeal Crag. + +He had half a dozen houses, but he was seldom at home. + +The houses were not always empty when Mr. Tod moved OUT; because +sometimes Tommy Brock moved IN; (without asking leave). + +Tommy Brock was a short bristly fat waddling person with a grin; he +grinned all over his face. He was not nice in his habits. He ate wasp +nests and frogs and worms; and he waddled about by moonlight, digging +things up. + +His clothes were very dirty; and as he slept in the day-time, he always +went to bed in his boots. And the bed which he went to bed in, was +generally Mr. Tod's. + +Now Tommy Brock did occasionally eat rabbit-pie; but it was only very +little young ones occasionally, when other food was really scarce. He +was friendly with old Mr. Bouncer; they agreed in disliking the wicked +otters and Mr. Tod; they often talked over that painful subject. + +Old Mr. Bouncer was stricken in years. He sat in the spring sunshine +outside the burrow, in a muffler; smoking a pipe of rabbit tobacco. + +He lived with his son Benjamin Bunny and his daughter-in-law Flopsy, who +had a young family. Old Mr. Bouncer was in charge of the family that +afternoon, because Benjamin and Flopsy had gone out. + +The little rabbit-babies were just old enough to open their blue eyes +and kick. They lay in a fluffy bed of rabbit wool and hay, in a shallow +burrow, separate from the main rabbit hole. To tell the truth--old Mr. +Bouncer had forgotten them. + +He sat in the sun, and conversed cordially with Tommy Brock, who was +passing through the wood with a sack and a little spud which he used for +digging, and some mole traps. He complained bitterly about the scarcity +of pheasants' eggs, and accused Mr. Tod of poaching them. And the otters +had cleared off all the frogs while he was asleep in winter--"I have not +had a good square meal for a fortnight, I am living on pig-nuts. I shall +have to turn vegetarian and eat my own tail!" said Tommy Brock. + +It was not much of a joke, but it tickled old Mr. Bouncer; because Tommy +Brock was so fat and stumpy and grinning. + +So old Mr. Bouncer laughed; and pressed Tommy Brock to come inside, to +taste a slice of seed-cake and "a glass of my daughter Flopsy's cowslip +wine." Tommy Brock squeezed himself into the rabbit hole with alacrity. + +Then old Mr. Bouncer smoked another pipe, and gave Tommy Brock a cabbage +leaf cigar which was so very strong that it made Tommy Brock grin more +than ever; and the smoke filled the burrow. Old Mr. Bouncer coughed and +laughed; and Tommy Brock puffed and grinned. + +And Mr. Bouncer laughed and coughed, and shut his eyes because of the +cabbage smoke.......... + + +When Flopsy and Benjamin came back--old Mr. Bouncer woke up. Tommy Brock +and all the young rabbit-babies had disappeared! + +Mr. Bouncer would not confess that he had admitted anybody into the +rabbit hole. But the smell of badger was undeniable; and there were +round heavy footmarks in the sand. He was in disgrace; Flopsy wrung her +ears, and slapped him. + +Benjamin Bunny set off at once after Tommy Brock. + +There was not much difficulty in tracking him; he had left his foot-mark +and gone slowly up the winding footpath through the wood. Here he had +rooted up the moss and wood sorrel. There he had dug quite a deep hole +for dog darnel; and had set a mole trap. A little stream crossed the +way. Benjamin skipped lightly over dry-foot; the badger's heavy steps +showed plainly in the mud. + +The path led to a part of the thicket where the trees had been cleared; +there were leafy oak stumps, and a sea of blue hyacinths--but the smell +that made Benjamin stop, was not the smell of flowers! + +Mr. Tod's stick house was before him and, for once, Mr. Tod was at home. +There was not only a foxey flavour in proof of it--there was smoke +coming out of the broken pail that served as a chimney. + +Benjamin Bunny sat up, staring; his whiskers twitched. Inside the stick +house somebody dropped a plate, and said something. Benjamin stamped his +foot, and bolted. + +He never stopped till he came to the other side of the wood. Apparently +Tommy Brock had turned the same way. Upon the top of the wall, there +were again the marks of badger; and some ravellings of a sack had caught +on a briar. + +Benjamin climbed over the wall, into a meadow. He found another mole +trap newly set; he was still upon the track of Tommy Brock. It was +getting late in the afternoon. Other rabbits were coming out to enjoy +the evening air. One of them in a blue coat by himself, was busily +hunting for dandelions.--"Cousin Peter! Peter Rabbit, Peter Rabbit!" +shouted Benjamin Bunny. + +The blue coated rabbit sat up with pricked ears-- + +"Whatever is the matter, Cousin Benjamin? Is it a cat? or John Stoat +Ferret?" + +"No, no, no! He's bagged my family--Tommy Brock--in a sack--have you +seen him?" + +"Tommy Brock? how many, Cousin Benjamin?" + +"Seven, Cousin Peter, and all of them twins! Did he come this way? +Please tell me quick!" + +"Yes, yes; not ten minutes since.... he said they were caterpillars; I +did think they were kicking rather hard, for caterpillars." + +"Which way? which way has he gone, Cousin Peter?" + +"He had a sack with something 'live in it; I watched him set a mole +trap. Let me use my mind, Cousin Benjamin; tell me from the beginning." +Benjamin did so. + +"My Uncle Bouncer has displayed a lamentable want of discretion for his +years;" said Peter reflectively, "but there are two hopeful +circumstances. Your family is alive and kicking; and Tommy Brock has had +refreshment. He will probably go to sleep, and keep them for breakfast." +"Which way?" "Cousin Benjamin, compose yourself. I know very well which +way. Because Mr. Tod was at home in the stick-house he has gone to Mr. +Tod's other house, at the top of Bull Banks. I partly know, because he +offered to leave any message at Sister Cottontail's; he said he would be +passing." (Cottontail had married a black rabbit, and gone to live on +the hill). + +Peter hid his dandelions, and accompanied the afflicted parent, who was +all of a twitter. They crossed several fields and began to climb the +hill; the tracks of Tommy Brock were plainly to be seen. He seemed to +have put down the sack every dozen yards, to rest. + +"He must be very puffed; we are close behind him, by the scent. What a +nasty person!" said Peter. + +The sunshine was still warm and slanting on the hill pastures. Half way +up, Cottontail was sitting in her doorway, with four or five half-grown +little rabbits playing about her; one black and the others brown. + +Cottontail had seen Tommy Brock passing in the distance. Asked whether +her husband was at home she replied that Tommy Brock had rested twice +while she watched him. + +He had nodded, and pointed to the sack, and seemed doubled up with +laughing.--"Come away, Peter; he will be cooking them; come quicker!" +said Benjamin Bunny. + +They climbed up and up;--"He was at home; I saw his black ears peeping +out of the hole." "They live too near the rocks to quarrel with their +neighbours. Come on Cousin Benjamin!" + +When they came near the wood at the top of Bull Banks, they went +cautiously. The trees grew amongst heaped up rocks; and there, beneath a +crag--Mr. Tod had made one of his homes. It was at the top of a steep +bank; the rocks and bushes overhung it. The rabbits crept up carefully, +listening and peeping. + +This house was something between a cave, a prison, and a tumble-down +pig-stye. There was a strong door, which was shut and locked. + +The setting sun made the window panes glow like red flame; but the +kitchen fire was not alight. It was neatly laid with dry sticks, as the +rabbits could see, when they peeped through the window. + +Benjamin sighed with relief. + +But there were preparations upon the kitchen table which made him +shudder. There was an immense empty pie-dish of blue willow pattern, and +a large carving knife and fork, and a chopper. + +At the other end of the table was a partly unfolded tablecloth, a plate, +a tumbler, a knife and fork, salt-cellar, mustard and a chair--in short, +preparations for one person's supper. + +No person was to be seen, and no young rabbits. The kitchen was empty +and silent; the clock had run down. Peter and Benjamin flattened their +noses against the window, and stared into the dusk. + +Then they scrambled round the rocks to the other side of the house. It +was damp and smelly, and over-grown with thorns and briars. + +The rabbits shivered in their shoes. + +"Oh my poor rabbit babies! What a dreadful place; I shall never see them +again!" sighed Benjamin. + +They crept up to the bedroom window. It was closed and bolted like the +kitchen. But there were signs that this window had been recently open; +the cobwebs were disturbed, and there were fresh dirty footmarks upon +the window-sill. + +The room inside was so dark, that at first they could make out nothing; +but they could hear a noise--a slow deep regular snoring grunt. And as +their eyes became accustomed to the darkness, they perceived that +somebody was asleep on Mr. Tod's bed, curled up under the blanket.--"He +has gone to bed in his boots," whispered Peter. + +Benjamin, who was all of a twitter, pulled Peter off the window-sill. + +Tommy Brock's snores continued, grunty and regular from Mr. Tod's bed. +Nothing could be seen of the young family. + +The sun had set; an owl began to hoot in the wood. There were many +unpleasant things lying about, that had much better have been buried; +rabbit bones and skulls, and chickens' legs and other horrors. It was a +shocking place, and very dark. + +They went back to the front of the house, and tried in every way to move +the bolt of the kitchen window. They tried to push up a rusty nail +between the window sashes; but it was of no use, especially without a +light. + +They sat side by side outside the window, whispering and listening. + +In half an hour the moon rose over the wood. It shone full and clear and +cold, upon the house amongst the rocks, and in at the kitchen window. +But alas, no little rabbit babies were to be seen! + +The moonbeams twinkled on the carving knife and the pie dish, and made a +path of brightness across the dirty floor. + +The light showed a little door in a wall beside the kitchen fireplace--a +little iron door belonging to a brick oven, of that old-fashioned sort +that used to be heated with faggots of wood. + +And presently at the same moment Peter and Benjamin noticed that +whenever they shook the window--the little door opposite shook in +answer. The young family were alive; shut up in the oven! + +Benjamin was so excited that it was a mercy he did not awake Tommy +Brock, whose snores continued solemnly in Mr. Tod's bed. + +But there really was not very much comfort in the discovery. They could +not open the window; and although the young family was alive--the little +rabbits were quite incapable of letting themselves out; they were not +old enough to crawl. + +After much whispering, Peter and Benjamin decided to dig a tunnel. They +began to burrow a yard or two lower down the bank. They hoped that they +might be able to work between the large stones under the house; the +kitchen floor was so dirty that it was impossible to say whether it was +made of earth or flags. + +They dug and dug for hours. They could not tunnel straight on account of +stones; but by the end of the night they were under the kitchen floor. +Benjamin was on his back, scratching upwards. Peter's claws were worn +down; he was outside the tunnel, shuffling sand away. He called out that +it was morning--sunrise; and that the jays were making a noise down +below in the woods. + +Benjamin Bunny came out of the dark tunnel, shaking the sand from his +ears; he cleaned his face with his paws. Every minute the sun shone +warmer on the top of the hill. In the valley there was a sea of white +mist, with golden tops of trees showing through. + +Again from the fields down below in the mist there came the angry cry of +a jay--followed by the sharp yelping bark of a fox! + +Then those two rabbits lost their heads completely. They did the most +foolish thing that they could have done. They rushed into their short +new tunnel, and hid themselves at the top end of it, under Mr. Tod's +kitchen floor. + +Mr. Tod was coming up Bull Banks, and he was in the very worst of +tempers. First he had been upset by breaking the plate. It was his own +fault; but it was a china plate, the last of the dinner service that had +belonged to his grandmother, old Vixen Tod. Then the midges had been +very bad. And he had failed to catch a hen pheasant on her nest; and it +had contained only five eggs, two of them addled. Mr. Tod had had an +unsatisfactory night. + +As usual, when out of humour, he determined to move house. First he +tried the pollard willow, but it was damp; and the otters had left a +dead fish near it. Mr. Tod likes nobody's leavings but his own. + +He made his way up the hill; his temper was not improved by noticing +unmistakable marks of badger. No one else grubs up the moss so wantonly +as Tommy Brock. + +Mr. Tod slapped his stick upon the earth and fumed; he guessed where +Tommy Brock had gone to. He was further annoyed by the jay bird which +followed him persistently. It flew from tree to tree and scolded, +warning every rabbit within hearing that either a cat or a fox was +coming up the plantation. Once when it flew screaming over his head--Mr. +Tod snapped at it, and barked. + +He approached his house very carefully, with a large rusty key. He +sniffed and his whiskers bristled. The house was locked up, but Mr. Tod +had his doubts whether it was empty. He turned the rusty key in the +lock; the rabbits below could hear it. Mr. Tod opened the door +cautiously and went in. + +The sight that met Mr. Tod's eyes in Mr. Tod's kitchen made Mr. Tod +furious. There was Mr. Tod's chair, and Mr. Tod's pie dish, and his +knife and fork and mustard and salt cellar and his table-cloth that he +had left folded up in the dresser--all set out for supper (or +breakfast)--without doubt for that odious Tommy Brock. + +There was a smell of fresh earth and dirty badger, which fortunately +overpowered all smell of rabbit. + +But what absorbed Mr. Tod's attention was a noise--a deep slow regular +snoring grunting noise, coming from his own bed. + +He peeped through the hinges of the half-open bedroom door. Then he +turned and came out of the house in a hurry. His whiskers bristled and +his coat-collar stood on end with rage. + +For the next twenty minutes Mr. Tod kept creeping cautiously into the +house, and retreating hurriedly out again. By degrees he ventured +further in--right into the bedroom. When he was outside the house, he +scratched up the earth with fury. But when he was inside--he did not +like the look of Tommy Brock's teeth. + +He was lying on his back with his mouth open, grinning from ear to ear. +He snored peacefully and regularly; but one eye was not perfectly shut. + +Mr. Tod came in and out of the bedroom. Twice he brought in his +walking-stick, and once he brought in the coal-scuttle. But he thought +better of it, and took them away. + +When he came back after removing the coal-scuttle, Tommy Brock was lying +a little more sideways; but he seemed even sounder asleep. He was an +incurably indolent person; he was not in the least afraid of Mr. Tod; he +was simply too lazy and comfortable to move. + +Mr. Tod came back yet again into the bedroom with a clothes line. He +stood a minute watching Tommy Brock and listening attentively to the +snores. They were very loud indeed, but seemed quite natural. + +Mr. Tod turned his back towards the bed, and undid the window. It +creaked; he turned round with a jump. Tommy Brock, who had opened one +eye--shut it hastily. The snores continued. + +Mr. Tod's proceedings were peculiar, and rather uneasy, (because the bed +was between the window and the door of the bedroom). He opened the +window a little way, and pushed out the greater part of the clothes line +on to the window sill. The rest of the line, with a hook at the end, +remained in his hand. + +Tommy Brock snored conscientiously. Mr. Tod stood and looked at him for +a minute; then he left the room again. + +Tommy Brock opened both eyes, and looked at the rope and grinned. There +was a noise outside the window. Tommy Brock shut his eyes in a hurry. + +Mr. Tod had gone out at the front door, and round to the back of the +house. On the way, he stumbled over the rabbit burrow. If he had had any +idea who was inside it, he would have pulled them out quickly. + +His foot went through the tunnel nearly upon the top of Peter Rabbit and +Benjamin, but fortunately he thought that it was some more of Tommy +Brock's work. + +He took up the coil of line from the sill, listened for a moment, and +then tied the rope to a tree. + +Tommy Brock watched him with one eye, through the window. He was +puzzled. + +Mr. Tod fetched a large heavy pailful of water from the spring, and +staggered with it through the kitchen into his bedroom. + +Tommy Brock snored industriously, with rather a snort. + +Mr. Tod put down the pail beside the bed, took up the end of rope with +the hook--hesitated, and looked at Tommy Brock. The snores were almost +apoplectic; but the grin was not quite so big. + +Mr. Tod gingerly mounted a chair by the head of the bedstead. His legs +were dangerously near to Tommy Brock's teeth. + +He reached up and put the end of rope, with the hook, over the head of +the tester bed, where the curtains ought to hang. + +(Mr. Tod's curtains were folded up, and put away, owing to the house +being unoccupied. So was the counterpane. Tommy Brock was covered with a +blanket only.) Mr. Tod standing on the unsteady chair looked down upon +him attentively; he really was a first prize sound sleeper! + +It seemed as though nothing would waken him--not even the flapping rope +across the bed. + +Mr. Tod descended safely from the chair, and endeavoured to get up again +with the pail of water. He intended to hang it from the hook, dangling +over the head of Tommy Brock, in order to make a sort of shower-bath, +worked by a string, through the window. + +But naturally being a thin-legged person (though vindictive and sandy +whiskered)--he was quite unable to lift the heavy weight to the level of +the hook and rope. He very nearly overbalanced himself. + +The snores became more and more apoplectic. One of Tommy Brock's hind +legs twitched under the blanket, but still he slept on peacefully. + +Mr. Tod and the pail descended from the chair without accident. After +considerable thought, he emptied the water into a wash-basin and jug. +The empty pail was not too heavy for him; he slung it up wobbling over +the head of Tommy Brock. + +Surely there never was such a sleeper! Mr. Tod got up and down, down and +up on the chair. + +As he could not lift the whole pailful of water at once, he fetched a +milk jug, and ladled quarts of water into the pail by degrees. The pail +got fuller and fuller, and swung like a pendulum. Occasionally a drop +splashed over; but still Tommy Brock snored regularly and never +moved,--except one eye. + +At last Mr. Tod's preparations were complete. The pail was full of +water; the rope was tightly strained over the top of the bed, and across +the window sill to the tree outside. + +"It will make a great mess in my bedroom; but I could never sleep in +that bed again without a spring cleaning of some sort," said Mr. Tod. + +Mr. Tod took a last look at the badger and softly left the room. He went +out of the house, shutting the front door. The rabbits heard his +footsteps over the tunnel. + +He ran round behind the house, intending to undo the rope in order to +let fall the pailful of water upon Tommy Brock-- + +"I will wake him up with an unpleasant surprise," said Mr. Tod. + +The moment he had gone, Tommy Brock got up in a hurry; he rolled Mr. +Tod's dressing-gown into a bundle, put it into the bed beneath the pail +of water instead of himself, and left the room also--grinning immensely. + +He went into the kitchen, lighted the fire and boiled the kettle; for +the moment he did not trouble himself to cook the baby rabbits. + +When Mr. Tod got to the tree, he found that the weight and strain had +dragged the knot so tight that it was past untying. He was obliged to +gnaw it with his teeth. He chewed and gnawed for more than twenty +minutes. At last the rope gave way with such a sudden jerk that it +nearly pulled his teeth out, and quite knocked him over backwards. + +Inside the house there was a great crash and splash, and the noise of a +pail rolling over and over. + +But no screams. Mr. Tod was mystified; he sat quite still, and listened +attentively. Then he peeped in at the window. The water was dripping +from the bed, the pail had rolled into a corner. + +In the middle of the bed under the blanket, was a wet flattened +SOMETHING--much dinged in, in the middle where the pail had caught it +(as it were across the tummy). Its head was covered by the wet blanket +and it was NOT SNORING ANY LONGER. + +There was nothing stirring, and no sound except the drip, drop, drop +drip of water trickling from the mattress. + +Mr. Tod watched it for half an hour; his eyes glistened. + +Then he cut a caper, and became so bold that he even tapped at the +window; but the bundle never moved. + +Yes--there was no doubt about it--it had turned out even better than he +had planned; the pail had hit poor old Tommy Brock, and killed him dead! + +"I will bury that nasty person in the hole which he has dug. I will +bring my bedding out, and dry it in the sun," said Mr. Tod. + +"I will wash the tablecloth and spread it on the grass in the sun to +bleach. And the blanket must be hung up in the wind; and the bed must be +thoroughly disinfected, and aired with a warming-pan; and warmed with a +hot-water bottle." + +"I will get soft soap, and monkey soap, and all sorts of soap; and soda +and scrubbing brushes; and persian powder; and carbolic to remove the +smell. I must have a disinfecting. Perhaps I may have to burn sulphur." + +He hurried round the house to get a shovel from the kitchen--"First I +will arrange the hole--then I will drag out that person in the blanket +..." + +He opened the door.... + +Tommy Brock was sitting at Mr. Tod's kitchen table, pouring out tea from +Mr. Tod's tea-pot into Mr. Tod's tea-cup. He was quite dry himself and +grinning; and he threw the cup of scalding tea all over Mr. Tod. + +Then Mr. Tod rushed upon Tommy Brock, and Tommy Brock grappled with Mr. +Tod amongst the broken crockery, and there was a terrific battle all +over the kitchen. To the rabbits underneath it sounded as if the floor +would give way at each crash of falling furniture. + +They crept out of their tunnel, and hung about amongst the rocks and +bushes, listening anxiously. + +Inside the house the racket was fearful. The rabbit babies in the oven +woke up trembling; perhaps it was fortunate they were shut up inside. + +Everything was upset except the kitchen table. + +And everything was broken, except the mantelpiece and the kitchen +fender. The crockery was smashed to atoms. + +The chairs were broken, and the window, and the clock fell with a crash, +and there were handfuls of Mr. Tod's sandy whiskers. + +The vases fell off the mantelpiece, the canisters fell off the shelf; +the kettle fell off the hob. Tommy Brock put his foot in a jar of +raspberry Jam. + +And the boiling water out of the kettle fell upon the tail of Mr. Tod. + +When the kettle fell, Tommy Brock, who was still grinning, happened to +be uppermost; and he rolled Mr. Tod over and over like a log, out at the +door. + +Then the snarling and worrying went on outside; and they rolled over the +bank, and down hill, bumping over the rocks. There will never be any +love lost between Tommy Brock and Mr. Tod. + +As soon as the coast was clear Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny came out +of the bushes-- + +"Now for it! Run in, Cousin Benjamin! Run in and get them while I watch +at the door." + +But Benjamin was frightened-- + +"Oh; oh! they are coming back!" + +"No they are not." + +"Yes they are!" + +"What dreadful bad language! I think they have fallen down the stone +quarry." + +Still Benjamin hesitated, and Peter kept pushing him-- + +"Be quick, it's all right. Shut the oven door, Cousin Benjamin, so that +he won't miss them." + +Decidedly there were lively doings in Mr. Tod's kitchen! + +At home in the rabbit hole, things had not been quite comfortable. + +After quarrelling at supper, Flopsy and old Mr. Bouncer had passed a +sleepless night, and quarrelled again at breakfast. Old Mr. Bouncer +could no longer deny that he had invited company into the rabbit hole; +but he refused to reply to the questions and reproaches of Flopsy. The +day passed heavily. + +Old Mr. Bouncer, very sulky, was huddled up in a corner, barricaded with +a chair. Flopsy had taken away his pipe and hidden the tobacco. She had +been having a complete turn out and spring-cleaning, to relieve her +feelings. She had just finished. Old Mr. Bouncer, behind his chair, was +wondering anxiously what she would do next. + +In Mr. Tod's kitchen, amongst the wreckage, Benjamin Bunny picked his +way to the oven nervously, through a thick cloud of dust. He opened the +oven door, felt inside, and found something warm and wriggling. He +lifted it out carefully, and rejoined Peter Rabbit. + +"I've got them! Can we get away? Shall we hide, Cousin Peter?" + +Peter pricked his ears; distant sounds of fighting still echoed in the +wood. + +Five minutes afterwards two breathless rabbits came scuttering away down +Bull Banks, half carrying half dragging a sack between them, bumpetty +bump over the grass. They reached home safely and burst into the rabbit +hole. + +Great was old Mr. Bouncer's relief and Flopsy's joy when Peter and +Benjamin arrived in triumph with the young family. The rabbit-babies +were rather tumbled and very hungry; they were fed and put to bed. They +soon recovered. + +A long new pipe and a fresh supply of rabbit tobacco was presented to +Mr. Bouncer. He was rather upon his dignity; but he accepted. + +Old Mr. Bouncer was forgiven, and they all had dinner. Then Peter and +Benjamin told their story--but they had not waited long enough to be +able to tell the end of the battle between Tommy Brock and Mr. Tod. + +THE END + + + + +THE TALE OF MRS. TIGGY-WINKLE + +for THE REAL LITTLE LUCIE OF NEWLANDS + + +ONCE upon a time there was a little girl called Lucie, who lived at a +farm called Little-town. She was a good little girl--only she was always +losing her pocket-handkerchiefs! + +One day little Lucie came into the farm-yard crying--oh, she did cry so! +"I've lost my pocket-handkin! Three handkins and a pinny! Have YOU seen +them, Tabby Kitten?" + +THE Kitten went on washing her white paws; so Lucie asked a speckled +hen-- + +"Sally Henny-penny, has YOU found three pocket-handkins?" + +But the speckled hen ran into a barn, clucking-- + +"I go barefoot, barefoot, barefoot!" + +AND then Lucie asked Cock Robin sitting on a twig. + +Cock Robin looked sideways at Lucie with his bright black eye, and he +flew over a stile and away. + +Lucie climbed upon the stile and looked up at the hill behind +Little-town--a hill that goes up--up--into the clouds as though it had +no top! + +And a great way up the hillside she thought she saw some white things +spread upon the grass. + +LUCIE scrambled up the hill as fast as her stout legs would carry her; +she ran along a steep path-way--up and up--until Little-town was right +away down below--she could have dropped a pebble down the chimney! + +PRESENTLY she came to a spring, bubbling out from the hill-side. + +Some one had stood a tin can upon a stone to catch the water--but the +water was already running over, for the can was no bigger than an +egg-cup! And where the sand upon the path was wet--there were foot-marks +of a VERY small person. + +Lucie ran on, and on. + +THE path ended under a big rock. The grass was short and green, and +there were clothes-props cut from bracken stems, with lines of plaited +rushes, and a heap of tiny clothes pins--but no pocket-handkerchiefs! + +But there was something else--a door! straight into the hill; and inside +it some one was singing-- + + "Lily-white and clean, oh! + With little frills between, oh! + Smooth and hot--red rusty spot + Never here be seen, oh!" + +LUCIE, knocked--once--twice, and interrupted the song. A little +frightened voice called out "Who's that?" + +Lucie opened the door: and what do you think there was inside the +hill?--a nice clean kitchen with a flagged floor and wooden beams--just +like any other farm kitchen. Only the ceiling was so low that Lucie's +head nearly touched it; and the pots and pans were small, and so was +everything there. + +THERE was a nice hot singey smell; and at the table, with an iron in her +hand stood a very stout short person staring anxiously at Lucie. + +Her print gown was tucked up, and she was wearing a large apron over her +striped petticoat. Her little black nose went sniffle, sniffle, snuffle, +and her eyes went twinkle, twinkle; and underneath her cap--where Lucie +had yellow curls--that little person had PRICKLES! + +"WHO are you?" said Lucie. "Have you seen my pocket-handkins?" + +The little person made a bob-curtsey--"Oh, yes, if you please'm; my name +is Mrs. Tiggy-winkle; oh, yes if you please'm, I'm an excellent +clear-starcher!" And she took something out of a clothes-basket, and +spread it on the ironing-blanket. + +"WHAT'S that thing?" said Lucie--"that's not my pocket-handkin?" + +"Oh no, if you please'm; that's a little scarlet waist-coat belonging to +Cock Robin!" + +And she ironed it and folded it, and put it on one side. + +THEN she took something else off a clothes-horse--"That isn't my pinny?" +said Lucie. + +"Oh no, if you please'm; that's a damask table-cloth belonging to Jenny +Wren; look how it's stained with currant wine! It's very bad to wash!" +said Mrs. Tiggy-winkle. + +MRS. TIGGY-WINKLE'S nose went sniffle, sniffle, snuffle, and her eyes +went twinkle, twinkle; and she fetched another hot iron from the fire. + +"THERE'S one of my pocket-handkins!" cried Lucie--"and there's my +pinny!" + +Mrs. Tiggy-winkle ironed it, and goffered it, and shook out the frills. + +"Oh that IS lovely!" said Lucie. + +"AND what are those long yellow things with fingers like gloves?" + +"Oh, that's a pair of stockings belonging to Sally Henny-penny--look how +she's worn the heels out with scratching in the yard! She'll very soon +go barefoot!" said Mrs. Tiggy-winkle. + +"WHY, there's another handkersniff--but it isn't mine; it's red?" + +"Oh no, if you please'm; that one belongs to old Mrs. Rabbit; and it DID +so smell of onions! I've had to wash it separately, I can't get out the +smell." + +"There's another one of mine," said Lucie. + +"WHAT are those funny little white things?" + +"That's a pair of mittens belonging to Tabby Kitten; I only have to iron +them; she washes them herself." + +"There's my last pocket-handkin!" said Lucie. + +"AND what are you dipping into the basin of starch?" + +"They're little dicky shirt-fronts belonging to Tom Titmouse--most +terrible particular!" said Mrs. Tiggy-winkle. "Now I've finished my +ironing; I'm going to air some clothes." + +"WHAT are these dear soft fluffy things?" said Lucie. + +"Oh those are wooly coats belonging to the little lambs at Skelghyl." + +"Will their jackets take off?" asked Lucy. + +"Oh yes, if you please'm; look at the sheep-mark on the shoulder. And +here's one marked for Gatesgarth, and three that come from Little-town. +They're ALWAYS marked at washing!" said Mrs. Tiggy-winkle. + +AND she hung up all sorts and sizes of clothes--small brown coats of +mice; and one velvety black mole-skin waist-coat; and a red tail-coat +with no tail belonging to Squirrel Nutkin; and a very much shrunk blue +jacket belonging to Peter Rabbit; and a petticoat, not marked, that had +gone lost in the washing--and at last the basket was empty! + +THEN Mrs. Tiggy-winkle made tea--a cup for herself and a cup for Lucie. +They sat before the fire on a bench and looked sideways at one another. +Mrs. Tiggy-winkle's hand, holding the tea-cup, was very very brown, and +very very wrinkly with the soap-suds; and all through her gown and her +cap, there were HAIR-PINS sticking wrong end out; so that Lucie didn't +like to sit too near her. + +WHEN they had finished tea, they tied up the clothes in bundles; and +Lucie's pocket-handkerchiefs were folded up inside her clean pinny, and +fastened with a silver safety-pin. + +And then they made up the fire with turf, and came out and locked the +door, and hid the key under the door-sill. + +THEN away down the hill trotted Lucie and Mrs. Tiggy-winkle with the +bundles of clothes! + +All the way down the path little animals came out of the fern to meet +them; the very first that they met were Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny! + +AND she gave them their nice clean clothes; and all the little animals +and birds were so very much obliged to dear Mrs. Tiggy-winkle. + +SO that at the bottom of the hill when they came to the stile, there was +nothing left to carry except Lucie's one little bundle. + +LUCIE scrambled up the stile with the bundle in her hand; and then she +turned to say "Good-night," and to thank the washer-woman--But what a +VERY odd thing! Mrs. Tiggy-winkle had not waited either for thanks or +for the washing bill! + +She was running running running up the hill--and where was her white +frilled cap? and her shawl? and her gown--and her petticoat? + +AND how small she had grown--and how brown--and covered with PRICKLES! + +Why! Mrs. Tiggy-winkle was nothing but a HEDGEHOG. + + * * * * + +(Now some people say that little Lucie had been asleep upon the +stile--but then how could she have found three clean pocket-handkins and +a pinny, pinned with a silver safety-pin? + +And besides--_I_ have seen that door into the back of the hill called +Cat Bells--and besides _I_ am very well acquainted with dear Mrs. +Tiggy-winkle!) + + +THE TALE OF GINGER & PICKLES + +ONCE upon a time there was a village shop. The name over the window was +"Ginger and Pickles." + +It was a little small shop just the right size for Dolls--Lucinda and +Jane Doll-cook always bought their groceries at Ginger and Pickles. + +The counter inside was a convenient height for rabbits. Ginger and +Pickles sold red spotty pocket-handkerchiefs at a penny three farthings. + +They also sold sugar, and snuff and galoshes. + +In fact, although it was such a small shop it sold nearly everything +--except a few things that you want in a hurry--like bootlaces, +hair-pins and mutton chops. + +Ginger and Pickles were the people who kept the shop. Ginger was a +yellow tom-cat, and Pickles was a terrier. + +The rabbits were always a little bit afraid of Pickles. + +The shop was also patronized by mice--only the mice were rather afraid +of Ginger. + +Ginger usually requested Pickles to serve them, because he said it made +his mouth water. + +"I cannot bear," said he, "to see them going out at the door carrying +their little parcels." + +"I have the same feeling about rats," replied Pickles, "but it would +never do to eat our own customers; they would leave us and go to Tabitha +Twitchit's." + +"On the contrary, they would go nowhere," replied Ginger gloomily. + +(Tabitha Twitchit kept the only other shop in the village. She did not +give credit.) + +Ginger and Pickles gave unlimited credit. + +Now the meaning of "credit" is this--when a customer buys a bar of soap, +instead of the customer pulling out a purse and paying for it--she says +she will pay another time. + +And Pickles makes a low bow and says, "With pleasure, madam," and it is +written down in a book. + +The customers come again and again, and buy quantities, in spite of +being afraid of Ginger and Pickles. + +But there is no money in what is called the "till." + +The customers came in crowds every day and bought quantities, especially +the toffee customers. But there was always no money; they never paid for +as much as a pennyworth of peppermints. + +But the sales were enormous, ten times as large as Tabitha Twitchit's. + +As there was always no money, Ginger and Pickles were obliged to eat +their own goods. + +Pickles ate biscuits and Ginger ate a dried haddock. + +They ate them by candle-light after the shop was closed. + +When it came to Jan. 1st there was still no money, and Pickles was +unable to buy a dog licence. + +"It is very unpleasant, I am afraid of the police," said Pickles. + +"It is your own fault for being a terrier; _I_ do not require a licence, +and neither does Kep, the Collie dog." + +"It is very uncomfortable, I am afraid I shall be summoned. I have tried +in vain to get a licence upon credit at the Post Office;" said Pickles. +"The place is full of policemen. I met one as I was coming home." + +"Let us send in the bill again to Samuel Whiskers, Ginger, he owes 22/9 +for bacon." + +"I do not believe that he intends to pay at all," replied Ginger. + +"And I feel sure that Anna Maria pockets things--Where are all the cream +crackers?" "You have eaten them yourself," replied Ginger. + +Ginger and Pickles retired into the back parlour. + +They did accounts. They added up sums and sums, and sums. + +"Samuel Whiskers has run up a bill as long as his tail; he has had an +ounce and three-quarters of snuff since October." + +"What is seven pounds of butter at 1/3, and a stick of sealing wax and +four matches?" + +"Send in all the bills again to everybody 'with compts'" replied Ginger. + +After a time they heard a noise in the shop, as if something had been +pushed in at the door. They came out of the back parlour. There was an +envelope lying on the counter, and a policeman writing in a note-book! + +Pickles nearly had a fit, he barked and he barked and made little +rushes. + +"Bite him, Pickles! bite him!" spluttered Ginger behind a sugar-barrel, +"he's only a German doll!" + +The policeman went on writing in his notebook; twice he put his pencil +in his mouth, and once he dipped it in the treacle. + +Pickles barked till he was hoarse. But still the policeman took no +notice. He had bead eyes, and his helmet was sewed on with stitches. + +At length on his last little rush--Pickles found that the shop was +empty. The policeman had disappeared. + +But the envelope remained. + +"Do you think that he has gone to fetch a real live policeman? I am +afraid it is a summons," said Pickles. + +"No," replied Ginger, who had opened the envelope, "it is the rates and +taxes, L 3 19 11 3/4." + +"This is the last straw," said Pickles, "let us close the shop." + +They put up the shutters, and left. But they have not removed from the +neighbourhood. In fact some people wish they had gone further. + +Ginger is living in the warren. I do not know what occupation he +pursues; he looks stout and comfortable. + +Pickles is at present a gamekeeper. + +The closing of the shop caused great inconvenience. Tabitha Twitchit +immediately raised the price of everything a half-penny; and she +continued to refuse to give credit. + +Of course there are the trades-men's carts--the butcher, the fishman and +Timothy Baker. + +But a person cannot live on "seed wigs" and sponge-cake and +butter-buns--not even when the sponge-cake is as good as Timothy's! + +After a time Mr. John Dormouse and his daughter began to sell +peppermints and candles. + +But they did not keep "self-fitting sixes"; and it takes five mice to +carry one seven inch candle. + +Besides--the candles which they sell behave very strangely in warm +weather. + +And Miss Dormouse refused to take back the ends when they were brought +back to her with complaints. + +And when Mr. John Dormouse was complained to, he stayed in bed, and +would say nothing but "very snug;" which is not the way to carry on a +retail business. + +So everybody was pleased when Sally Henny Penny sent out a printed +poster to say that she was going to re-open the shop--"Henny's Opening +Sale! Grand co-operative Jumble! Penny's penny prices! Come buy, come +try, come buy!" + +The poster really was most 'ticing. + +There was a rush upon the opening day. The shop was crammed with +customers, and there were crowds of mice upon the biscuit canisters. + +Sally Henny Penny gets rather flustered when she tries to count out +change, and she insists on being paid cash; but she is quite harmless. + +And she has laid in a remarkable assortment of bargains. + +There is something to please everybody. + +THE END + + + + +THE STORY OF MISS MOPPET + + +THIS is a Pussy called Miss Moppet, she thinks she has heard a mouse! + +THIS is the Mouse peeping out behind the cupboard, and making fun of +Miss Moppet. He is not afraid of a kitten. + +THIS is Miss Moppet jumping just too late; she misses the Mouse and hits +her own head. + +SHE thinks it is a very hard cupboard! + +THE Mouse watches Miss Moppet from the top of the cupboard. + +MISS MOPPET ties up her head in a duster, and sits before the fire. + +THE Mouse thinks she is looking very ill. He comes sliding down the +bell-pull. + +MISS MOPPET looks worse and worse. The Mouse comes a little nearer. + +MISS MOPPET holds her poor head in her paws, and looks at him through a +hole in the duster. The Mouse comes VERY close. + +AND then all of a sudden--Miss Moppet jumps upon the Mouse! + +AND because the Mouse has teased Miss Moppet--Miss Moppet thinks she +will tease the Mouse; which is not at all nice of Miss Moppet. + +SHE ties him up in the duster, and tosses it about like a ball. + +BUT she forgot about that hole in the duster; and when she untied +it--there was no Mouse! + +HE has wriggled out and run away; and he is dancing a jig on the top of +the cupboard! + +THE END + + + +THE TALE OF MR. JEREMY FISHER + +FOR STEPHANIE FROM COUSIN B. + + +ONCE upon a time there was a frog called Mr. Jeremy Fisher; he lived in +a little damp house amongst the buttercups at the edge of a pond. + +THE water was all slippy-sloppy in the larder and in the back passage. + +But Mr. Jeremy liked getting his feet wet; nobody ever scolded him, and +he never caught a cold! + +HE was quite pleased when he looked out and saw large drops of rain, +splashing in the pond-- + +"I WILL get some worms and go fishing and catch a dish of minnows for my +dinner," said Mr. Jeremy Fisher. "If I catch more than five fish, I will +invite my friends Mr. Alderman Ptolemy Tortoise and Sir Isaac Newton. +The Alderman, however, eats salad." + +MR. JEREMY put on a macintosh, and a pair of shiny goloshes; he took his +rod and basket, and set off with enormous hops to the place where he +kept his boat. + +THE boat was round and green, and very like the other lily-leaves. It +was tied to a water-plant in the middle of the pond. + +MR. JEREMY took a reed pole, and pushed the boat out into open water. "I +know a good place for minnows," said Mr. Jeremy Fisher. + +MR. JEREMY stuck his pole into the mud and fastened his boat to it. + +Then he settled himself cross-legged and arranged his fishing tackle. He +had the dearest little red float. His rod was a tough stalk of grass, +his line was a fine long white horse-hair, and he tied a little +wriggling worm at the end. + +THE rain trickled down his back, and for nearly an hour he stared at the +float. + +"This is getting tiresome, I think I should like some lunch," said Mr. +Jeremy Fisher. + +HE punted back again amongst the water-plants, and took some lunch out +of his basket. + +"I will eat a butterfly sandwich, and wait till the shower is over," +said Mr. Jeremy Fisher. + +A GREAT big water-beetle came up underneath the lily leaf and tweaked +the toe of one of his goloshes. + +Mr. Jeremy crossed his legs up shorter, out of reach, and went on eating +his sandwich. + +ONCE or twice something moved about with a rustle and a splash amongst +the rushes at the side of the pond. + +"I trust that is not a rat," said Mr. Jeremy Fisher; "I think I had +better get away from here." + +MR. JEREMY shoved the boat out again a little way, and dropped in the +bait. There was a bite almost directly; the float gave a tremendous +bobbit! + +"A minnow! a minnow! I have him by the nose!" cried Mr. Jeremy Fisher, +jerking up his rod. + +BUT what a horrible surprise! Instead of a smooth fat minnow, Mr. Jeremy +landed little Jack Sharp the stickleback, covered with spines! + +THE stickleback floundered about the boat, pricking and snapping until +he was quite out of breath. Then he jumped back into the water. + +AND a shoal of other little fishes put their heads out, and laughed at +Mr. Jeremy Fisher. + +AND while Mr. Jeremy sat disconsolately on the edge of his boat--sucking +his sore fingers and peering down into the water--a MUCH worse thing +happened; a really FRIGHTFUL thing it would have been, if Mr. Jeremy had +not been wearing a macintosh! + +A GREAT big enormous trout came up--ker-pflop-p-p-p! with a splash--and +it seized Mr. Jeremy with a snap, "Ow! Ow! Ow!"--and then it turned and +dived down to the bottom of the pond! + +BUT the trout was so displeased with the taste of the macintosh, that in +less than half a minute it spat him out again; and the only thing it +swallowed was Mr. Jeremy's goloshes. + +MR. JEREMY bounced up to the surface of the water, like a cork and the +bubbles out of a soda water bottle; and he swam with all his might to +the edge of the pond. + +HE scrambled out on the first bank he came to, and he hopped home across +the meadow with his macintosh all in tatters. + +"WHAT a mercy that was not a pike!" said Mr. Jeremy Fisher. "I have lost +my rod and basket; but it does not much matter, for I am sure I should +never have dared to go fishing again!" + +HE put some sticking plaster on his fingers, and his friends both came +to dinner. He could not offer them fish, but he had something else in +his larder. + +SIR ISAAC NEWTON wore his black and gold waistcoat, + +AND Mr. Alderman Ptolemy Tortoise brought a salad with him in a string +bag. + +AND instead of a nice dish of minnows--they had a roasted grasshopper +with lady-bird sauce; which frogs consider a beautiful treat; but _I_ +think it must have been nasty! + +THE END + + + + +THE TALE OF TIMMY TIPTOES + +FOR MANY UNKNOWN LITTLE FRIENDS, INCLUDING MONICA + + +ONCE upon a time there was a little fat comfortable grey squirrel, +called Timmy Tiptoes. He had a nest thatched with leaves in the top of a +tall tree; and he had a little squirrel wife called Goody. + +TIMMY TIPTOES sat out, enjoying the breeze; he whisked his tail and +chuckled--"Little wife Goody, the nuts are ripe; we must lay up a store +for winter and spring." Goody Tiptoes was busy pushing moss under the +thatch--"The nest is so snug, we shall be sound asleep all winter." +"Then we shall wake up all the thinner, when there is nothing to eat in +spring-time," replied prudent Timothy. + +WHEN Timmy and Goody Tiptoes came to the nut thicket, they found other +squirrels were there already. + +Timmy took off his jacket and hung it on a twig; they worked away +quietly by themselves. + +EVERY day they made several journeys and picked quantities of nuts. They +carried them away in bags, and stored them in several hollow stumps near +the tree where they had built their nest. + +WHEN these stumps were full, they began to empty the bags into a hole +high up a tree, that had belonged to a wood-pecker; the nuts rattled +down--down--down inside. + +"How shall you ever get them out again? It is like a money-box!" said +Goody. + +"I shall be much thinner before spring-time, my love," said Timmy +Tiptoes, peeping into the hole. + +THEY did collect quantities--because they did not lose them! Squirrels +who bury their nuts in the ground lose more than half, because they +cannot remember the place. + +The most forgetful squirrel in the wood was called Silvertail. He began +to dig, and he could not remember. And then he dug again and found some +nuts that did not belong to him; and there was a fight. And other +squirrels began to dig,--the whole wood was in commotion! + +UNFORTUNATELY, just at this time a flock of little birds flew by, from +bush to bush, searching for green caterpillars and spiders. There were +several sorts of little birds, twittering different songs. + +The first one sang--"Who's bin digging-up MY nuts? Who's-been-digging-up +MY nuts?" + +And another sang--"Little bita bread and-NO-cheese! Little bit-a-bread +an'-NO-cheese!" + +THE squirrels followed and listened. The first little bird flew into the +bush where Timmy and Goody Tiptoes were quietly tying up their bags, and +it sang--"Who's-bin digging-up MY nuts? Who's been digging-up MY-nuts?" + +Timmy Tiptoes went on with his work without replying; indeed, the little +bird did not expect an answer. It was only singing its natural song, and +it meant nothing at all. + +BUT when the other squirrels heard that song, they rushed upon Timmy +Tiptoes and cuffed and scratched him, and upset his bag of nuts. The +innocent little bird which had caused all the mischief, flew away in a +fright! + +Timmy rolled over and over, and then turned tail and fled towards his +nest, followed by a crowd of squirrels shouting--"Who's-been digging-up +MY-nuts?" + +THEY caught him and dragged him up the very same tree, where there was +the little round hole, and they pushed him in. The hole was much too +small for Timmy Tiptoes' figure. They squeezed him dreadfully, it was a +wonder they did not break his ribs. "We will leave him here till he +confesses," said Silvertail Squirrel, and he shouted into the hole-- + +"Who's-been-digging-up MY-nuts?" + +TIMMY TIPTOES made no reply; he had tumbled down inside the tree, upon +half a peck of nuts belonging to himself. He lay quite stunned and +still. + +GOODY TIPTOES picked up the nut bags and went home. She made a cup of +tea for Timmy; but he didn't come and didn't come. + +Goody Tiptoes passed a lonely and unhappy night. Next morning she +ventured back to the nut-bushes to look for him; but the other unkind +squirrels drove her away. + +She wandered all over the wood, calling-- + +"Timmy Tiptoes! Timmy Tiptoes! Oh, where is Timmy Tiptoes?" + +IN the meantime Timmy Tiptoes came to his senses. He found himself +tucked up in a little moss bed, very much in the dark, feeling sore; it +seemed to be under ground. Timmy coughed and groaned, because his ribs +hurted him. There was a chirpy noise, and a small striped Chipmunk +appeared with a night light, and hoped he felt better? + +It was most kind to Timmy Tiptoes; it lent him its nightcap; and the +house was full of provisions. + +THE Chipmunk explained that it had rained nuts through the top of the +tree--"Besides, I found a few buried!" It laughed and chuckled when it +heard Timmy's story. While Timmy was confined to bed, it 'ticed him to +eat quantities--"But how shall I ever get out through that hole unless I +thin myself? My wife will be anxious!" "Just another nut--or two nuts; +let me crack them for you," said the Chipmunk. Timmy Tiptoes grew fatter +and fatter! + +NOW Goody Tiptoes had set to work again by herself. She did not put any +more nuts into the woodpecker's hole, because she had always doubted how +they could be got out again. She hid them under a tree root; they +rattled down, down, down. Once when Goody emptied an extra big bagful, +there was a decided squeak; and next time Goody brought another bagful, +a little striped Chipmunk scrambled out in a hurry. + +"IT is getting perfectly full-up down-stairs; the sitting-room is full, +and they are rolling along the passage; and my husband, Chippy Hackee, +has run away and left me. What is the explanation of these showers of +nuts?" + +"I am sure I beg your pardon; I did not not know that anybody lived +here," said Mrs. Goody Tiptoes; "but where is Chippy Hackee? My husband, +Timmy Tiptoes, has run away too." "I know where Chippy is; a little bird +told me," said Mrs. Chippy Hackee. + +SHE led the way to the woodpecker's tree, and they listened at the hole. + +Down below there was a noise of nut crackers, and a fat squirrel voice +and a thin squirrel voice were singing together-- + + "My little old man and I fell out, + How shall we bring this matter about? + Bring it about as well as you can, + And get you gone, you little old man!" + +"You could squeeze in, through that little round hole," said Goody +Tiptoes. "Yes, I could," said the Chipmunk, "but my husband, Chippy +Hackee, bites!" + +Down below there was a noise of cracking nuts and nibbling; and then the +fat squirrel voice and the thin squirrel voice sang-- + + "For the diddlum day + Day diddle dum di! + Day diddle diddle dum day!" + +THEN Goody peeped in at the hole, and called down--"Timmy Tiptoes! Oh +fie, Timmy Tiptoes!" And Timmy replied, "Is that you, Goody Tiptoes? +Why, certainly!" + +He came up and kissed Goody through the hole; but he was so fat that he +could not get out. + +Chippy Hackee was not too fat, but he did not want to come; he stayed +down below and chuckled. + +AND so it went on for a fortnight; till a big wind blew off the top of +the tree, and opened up the hole and let in the rain. + +Then Timmy Tiptoes came out, and went home with an umbrella. + +BUT Chippy Hackee continued to camp out for another week, although it +was uncomfortable. + +AT last a large bear came walking through the wood. Perhaps he also was +looking for nuts; he seemed to be sniffing around. + +CHIPPY HACKEE went home in a hurry! + +AND when Chippy Hackee got home, he found he had caught a cold in his +head; and he was more uncomfortable still. + +And now Timmy and Goody Tiptoes keep their nut-store fastened up with a +little padlock. + +AND whenever that little bird sees the Chipmunks, he +sings--"Who's-been-digging-up MY-nuts? Who's been digging-up MY-nuts?" +But nobody ever answers! + +THE END + + + +THE PIE AND THE PATTY-PAN + + Pussy-cat sits by the fire--how should she be fair? + In walks the little dog--says "Pussy are you there? + How do you do mistress Pussy? Mistress Pussy, how do you do?" + "I thank you kindly, little dog, I fare as well as you!" + Old Rhyme. + + +ONCE upon a time there was a Pussy-cat called Ribby, who invited a +little dog called Duchess to tea. + +"Come in good time, my dear Duchess," said Ribby's letter, "and we will +have something so very nice. I am baking it in a pie-dish--a pie-dish +with a pink rim. You never tasted anything so good! And YOU shall eat it +all! _I_ will eat muffins, my dear Duchess!" wrote Ribby. + +Duchess read the letter and wrote an answer:--"I will come with much +pleasure at a quarter past four. But it is very strange. _I_ was just +going to invite you to come here, to supper, my dear Ribby, to eat +something MOST DELICIOUS." + +"I will come very punctually, my dear Ribby," wrote Duchess; and then at +the end she added--"I hope it isn't mouse?" + +And then she thought that did not look quite polite; so she scratched +out "isn't mouse" and changed it to "I hope it will be fine," and she +gave her letter to the postman. + +But she thought a great deal about Ribby's pie, and she read Ribby's +letter over and over again. + +"I am dreadfully afraid it WILL be mouse!" said Duchess to herself--"I +really couldn't, COULDN'T eat mouse pie. And I shall have to eat it, +because it is a party. And MY pie was going to be veal and ham. A pink +and white pie-dish! and so is mine; just like Ribby's dishes; they were +both bought at Tabitha Twitchit's." + +Duchess went into her larder and took the pie off a shelf and looked at +it. + +"It is all ready to put into the oven. Such lovely pie-crust; and I put +in a little tin patty-pan to hold up the crust; and I made a hole in the +middle with a fork to let out the steam--Oh I do wish I could eat my own +pie, instead of a pie made of mouse!" + +Duchess considered and considered and read Ribby' s letter again-- + +"A pink and white pie-dish-and YOU shall eat it all. 'You' means +me--then Ribby is not going to even taste the pie herself? A pink and +white pie-dish! Ribby is sure to go out to buy the muffins..... Oh what +a good idea! Why shouldn't I rush along and put my pie into Ribby's oven +when Ribby isn't there?" + +Duchess was quite delighted with her own cleverness! + +Ribby in the meantime had received Duchess's answer, and as soon as she +was sure that the little dog would come--she popped HER pie into the +oven. There were two ovens, one above the other; some other knobs and +handles were only ornamental and not intended to open. Ribby put the pie +into the lower oven; the door was very stiff. + +"The top oven bakes too quickly," said Ribby to herself. "It is a pie of +the most delicate and tender mouse minced up with bacon. And I have +taken out all the bones; because Duchess did nearly choke herself with a +fish-bone last time I gave a party. She eats a little fast--rather big +mouthfuls. But a most genteel and elegant little dog infinitely superior +company to Cousin Tabitha Twitchit." + +Ribby put on some coal and swept up the hearth. Then she went out with a +can to the well, for water to fill up the kettle. + +Then she began to set the room in order, for it was the sitting-room as +well as the kitchen. She shook the mats out at the front-door and put +them straight; the hearth-rug was a rabbit-skin. She dusted the clock +and the ornaments on the mantelpiece, and she polished and rubbed the +tables and chairs. + +Then she spread a very clean white table-cloth, and set out her best +china tea-set, which she took out of a wall-cupboard near the fireplace. +The tea-cups were white with a pattern of pink roses; and the +dinner-plates were white and blue. + +When Ribby had laid the table she took a jug and a blue and white dish, +and went out down the field to the farm, to fetch milk and butter. + +When she came back, she peeped into the bottom oven; the pie looked very +comfortable. + +Ribby put on her shawl and bonnet and went out again with a basket, to +the village shop to buy a packet of tea, a pound of lump sugar, and a +pot of marmalade. + +And just at the same time, Duchess came out of HER house, at the other +end of the village. + +Ribby met Duchess half-way own the street, also carrying a basket, +covered with a cloth. They only bowed to one another; they did not +speak, because they were going to have a party. + +As soon as Duchess had got round the corner out of sight--she simply +ran! Straight away to Ribby's house! + +Ribby went into the shop and bought what she required, and came out, +after a pleasant gossip with Cousin Tabitha Twitchit. + +Cousin Tabitha was disdainful afterwards in conversation-- + +"A little DOG indeed! Just as if there were no CATS in Sawrey! And a PIE +for afternoon tea! The very idea!" said Cousin Tabitha Twitchit. + +Ribby went on to Timothy Baker's and bought the muffins. Then she went +home. + +There seemed to be a sort of scuffling noise in the back passage, as she +was coming in at the front door. + +"I trust that is not that Pie: the spoons are locked up, however," said +Ribby. + +But there was nobody there. Ribby opened the bottom oven door with some +difficulty, and turned the pie. There began to be a pleasing smell of +baked mouse! + +Duchess in the meantime, had slipped out at the back door. + +"It is a very odd thing that Ribby's pie was NOT in the oven when I put +mine in! And I can t find it anywhere; I have looked all over the house. +I put MY pie into a nice hot oven at the top. I could not turn any of +the other handles; I think that they are all shams," said Duchess, "but +I wish I could have removed the pie made of mouse! I cannot think what +she has done with it? I heard Ribby coming and I had to run out by the +back door!" + +Duchess went home and brushed her beautiful black coat; and then she +picked a bunch of flowers in her garden as a present for Ribby; and +passed the time until the clock struck four. + +Ribby--having assured herself by careful search that there was really no +one hiding in the cupboard or in the larder--went upstairs to change her +dress. + +She put on a lilac silk gown, for the party, and an embroidered muslin +apron and tippet. + +"It is very strange," said Ribby, "I did not THINK I left that drawer +pulled out; has somebody been trying on my mittens?" + +She came downstairs again, and made the tea, and put the teapot on the +hob. She peeped again into the BOTTOM oven, the pie had become a lovely +brown, and it was steaming hot. + +She sat down before the fire to wait for the little dog. "I am glad I +used the BOTTOM oven," said Ribby, "the top one would certainly have +been very much too hot. I wonder why that cupboard door was open? Can +there really have been some one in the house?" + +Very punctually at four o'clock, Duchess started to go to the party. She +ran so fast through the village that she was too early, and she had to +wait a little while in the lane that leads down to Ribby's house. + +"I wonder if Ribby has taken MY pie out of the oven yet?" said Duchess, +"and whatever can have become of the other pie made of mouse?" + +At a quarter past four to the minute, there came a most genteel little +tap-tappity. "Is Mrs. Ribston at home?" inquired Duchess in the porch. + +"Come in! and how do you do, my dear Duchess?" cried Ribby. "I hope I +see you well?" + +"Quite well, I thank you, and how do YOU do, my dear Ribby?" said +Duchess. "I've brought you some flowers; what a delicious smell of pie!" + +"Oh, what lovely flowers! Yes, it is mouse and bacon!" + +"Do not talk about food, my dear Ribby," said Duchess; "what a lovely +white tea-cloth!.... Is it done to a turn? Is it still in the oven?" + +"I think it wants another five minutes," said Ribby. "Just a shade +longer; I will pour out the tea, while we wait. Do you take sugar, my +dear Duchess?" + +"Oh yes, please! my dear Ribby; and may I have a lump upon my nose?" + +"With pleasure, my dear Duchess; how beautifully you beg! Oh, how +sweetly pretty!" + +Duchess sat up with the sugar on her nose and sniffed-- + +"How good that pie smells! I do love veal and ham--I mean to say mouse +and bacon----" + +She dropped the sugar in confusion, and had to go hunting under the +tea-table, so did not see which oven Ribby opened in order to get out +the pie. + +Ribby set the pie upon the table; there was a very savoury smell. + +Duchess came out from under the table-cloth munching sugar, and sat up +on a chair. + +"I will first cut the pie for you; I am going to have muffin and +marmalade," said Ribby. + +"Do you really prefer muffin? Mind the patty-pan!" + +"I beg your pardon?" said Ribby. + +"May I pass you the marmalade?" said Duchess hurriedly. + +The pie proved extremely toothsome, and the muffins light and hot. They +disappeared rapidly, especially the pie! + +"I think"--(thought the Duchess to herself)--"I THINK it would be wiser +if I helped myself to pie; though Ribby did not seem to notice anything +when she was cutting it. What very small fine pieces it has cooked into! +I did not remember that I had minced it up so fine; I suppose this is a +quicker oven than my own." + +"How fast Duchess is eating!" thought Ribby to herself, as she buttered +her fifth muffin. + +The pie-dish was emptying rapidly! Duchess had had four helps already, +and was fumbling with the spoon. + +"A little more bacon, my dear Duchess?" said Ribby. + +"Thank you, my dear Ribby; I was only feeling for the patty-pan." + +"The patty-pan? my dear Duchess?" + +"The patty-pan that held up the pie-crust," said Duchess, blushing under +her black coat. + +"Oh, I didn't put one in, my dear Duchess," said Ribby; "I don't think +that it is necessary in pies made of mouse." + +Duchess fumbled with the spoon--"I can't find it!" she said anxiously. + +"There isn't a patty-pan," said Ribby, looking perplexed. + +"Yes, indeed, my dear Ribby; where can it have gone to?" said Duchess. + +"There most certainly is not one, my dear Duchess. I disapprove of tin +articles in puddings and pies. It is most undesirable--(especially when +people swallow in lumps!)" she added in a lower voice. + +Duchess looked very much alarmed, and continued to scoop the inside of +the pie-dish. + +"My Great-aunt Squintina (grandmother of Cousin Tabitha Twitchit)--died +of a thimble in a Christmas plum-pudding. _I_ never put any article of +metal in MY puddings or pies." + +Duchess looked aghast, and tilted up the pie-dish. + +"I have only four patty-pans, and they are all in the cupboard." + +Duchess set up a howl. + +"I shall die! I shall die! I have swallowed a patty-pan! Oh, my dear +Ribby, I do feel so ill!" + +"It is impossible, my dear Duchess; there was not a patty-pan." + +Duchess moaned and whined and rocked herself about. + +"Oh I feel so dreadful. I have swallowed a patty-pan!" + +"There was NOTHING in the pie," said Ribby severely. + +"Yes there WAS, my dear Ribby, I am sure I have swallowed it!" + +"Let me prop you up with a pillow, my dear Duchess; where do you think +you feel it?" + +"Oh I do feel so ill ALL OVER me, my dear Ribby; I have swallowed a +large tin patty-pan with a sharp scalloped edge!" + +"Shall I run for the doctor? I will just lock up the spoons!" + +"Oh yes, yes! fetch Dr. Maggotty, my dear Ribby: he is a Pie himself, he +will certainly understand." + +Ribby settled Duchess in an armchair before the fire, and went out and +hurried to the village to look for the doctor. + +She found him at the smithy. + +He was occupied in putting rusty nails into a bottle of ink, which he +had obtained at the post office. + +"Gammon? ha! HA!" said he, with his head on one side. + +Ribby explained that her guest had swallowed a patty-pan. + +"Spinach? ha! HA!" said he, and accompanied her with alacrity. + +He hopped so fast that Ribby--had to run. It was most conspicuous. All +the village could see that Ribby was fetching the doctor. + +"I KNEW they would over-eat themselves!" said Cousin Tabitha Twitchit. + +But while Ribby had been hunting for the doctor--a curious thing had +happened to Duchess, who had been left by herself, sitting before the +fire, sighing and groaning and feeling very unhappy. + +"How COULD I have swallowed it! such a large thing as a patty-pan!" + +She got up and went to the table, and felt inside the pie-dish again +with a spoon. + +"No; there is no patty-pan, and I put one in; and nobody has eaten pie +except me, so I must have swallowed it!" + +She sat down again, and stared mournfully at the grate. The fire +crackled and danced, and something sizz-z-zled! + +Duchess started! She opened the door of the TOP oven;--out came a rich +steamy flavour of veal and ham, and there stood a fine brown pie,--and +through a hole in the top of the pie-crust there was a glimpse of a +little tin patty-pan! + +Duchess drew a long breath-- + +"Then I must have been eating MOUSE!... NO wonder I feel ill.... But +perhaps I should feel worse if I had really swallowed a patty-pan!" +Duchess reflected--"What a very awkward thing to have to explain to +Ribby! I think I will put my pie in the back-yard and say nothing about +it. When I go home, I will run round and take it away." She put it +outside the back-door, and sat down again by the fire, and shut her +eyes; when Ribby arrived with the doctor, she seemed fast asleep. + +"Gammon, ha, HA?" said the doctor. + +"I am feeling very much better," said Duchess, waking up with a jump. + +"I am truly glad to hear it!" He has brought you a pill, my dear +Duchess!" + +"I think I should feel QUITE well if he only felt my pulse," said +Duchess, backing away from the magpie, who sidled up with something in +his beak. + +"It is only a bread pill, you had much better take it; drink a little +milk, my dear Duchess!" + +"Gammon? Gammon?" said the doctor, while Duchess coughed and choked. + +"Don't say that again!" said Ribby, losing her temper--"Here, take this +bread and jam, and get out into the yard!" + +"Gammon and spinach! ha ha HA!" shouted Dr. Maggotty triumphantly +outside the back door. + +"I am feeling very much better, my dear Ribby," said Duchess. "Do you +not think that I had better go home before it gets dark?" + +"Perhaps it might be wise, my dear Duchess. I will lend you a nice warm +shawl, and you shall take my arm." + +"I would not trouble you for worlds; I feel wonderfully better. One pill +of Dr. Maggotty----" + +"Indeed it is most admirable, if it has cured you of a patty-pan! I will +call directly after breakfast to ask how you have slept." + +Ribby and Duchess said good-bye affectionately, and Duchess started +home. Half-way up the lane she stopped and looked back; Ribby had gone +in and shut her door. Duchess slipped through the fence, and ran round +to the back of Ribby's house, and peeped into the yard. + +Upon the roof of the pig-stye sat Dr. Maggotty and three jackdaws. The +jackdaws were eating pie-crust, and the magpie was drinking gravy out of +a patty-pan. + +"Gammon, ha, HA!" he shouted when he saw Duchess's little black nose +peeping round the corner. + +Duchess ran home feeling uncommonly silly! + +When Ribby came out for a pailful of water to wash up the tea-things, +she found a pink and white pie-dish lying smashed in the middle of the +yard. The patty-pan was under the pump, where Dr Maggotty had +considerately left it. + +Ribby stared with amazement--"Did you ever see the like! so there really +WAS a patty-pan?.... But my patty-pans are all in the kitchen cupboard. +Well I never did!.... Next time I want to give a party--I will invite +Cousin Tabitha Twitchit!" + + +THE END + + + + +THE TALE OF JEMIMA PUDDLE-DUCK A FARMYARD TALE FOR RALPH AND BETSY + + +WHAT a funny sight it is to see a brood of ducklings with a hen! +--Listen to the story of Jemima Puddle-duck, who was annoyed because the +farmer's wife would not let her hatch her own eggs. + +HER sister-in-law, Mrs. Rebeccah Puddle-duck, was perfectly willing to +leave the hatching to some one else--"I have not the patience to sit on +a nest for twenty-eight days; and no more have you, Jemima. You would +let them go cold; you know you would!" + +"I wish to hatch my own eggs; I will hatch them all by myself," quacked +Jemima Puddle-duck. + +SHE tried to hide her eggs; but they were always found and carried off. + +Jemima Puddle-duck became quite desperate. She determined to make a nest +right away from the farm. + +SHE set off on a fine spring afternoon along the cart-road that leads +over the hill. + +She was wearing a shawl and a poke bonnet. + +WHEN she reached the top of the hill, she saw a wood in the distance. + +She thought that it looked a safe quiet spot. + +JEMIMA PUDDLE-DUCK was not much in the habit of flying. She ran downhill +a few yards flapping her shawl, and then she jumped off into the air. + +SHE flew beautifully when she had got a good start. + +She skimmed along over the tree-tops until she saw an open place in the +middle of the wood, where the trees and brushwood had been cleared. + +JEMIMA alighted rather heavily, and began to waddle about in search of a +convenient dry nesting-place. She rather fancied a tree-stump amongst +some tall fox-gloves. + +But--seated upon the stump, she was startled to find an elegantly +dressed gentleman reading a newspaper. + +He had black prick ears and sandy coloured whiskers. + +"Quack?" said Jemima Puddle-duck, with her head and her bonnet on one +side--"Quack?" + +THE gentleman raised his eyes above his newspaper and looked curiously +at Jemima-- + +"Madam, have you lost your way?" said he. He had a long bushy tail which +he was sitting upon, as the stump was somewhat damp. + +Jemima thought him mighty civil and handsome. She explained that she had +not lost her way, but that she was trying to find a convenient dry +nesting-place. + +"AH! is that so? indeed!" said the gentleman with sandy whiskers, +looking curiously at Jemima. He folded up the newspaper, and put it in +his coat-tail pocket. + +Jemima complained of the superfluous hen. + +"Indeed! how interesting! I wish I could meet with that fowl. I would +teach it to mind its own business!" + +"BUT as to a nest--there is no difficulty: I have a sackful of feathers +in my wood-shed. No, my dear madam, you will be in nobody's way. You may +sit there as long as you like," said the bushy long-tailed gentleman. + +He led the way to a very retired, dismal-looking house amongst the +fox-gloves. + +It was built of faggots and turf, and there were two broken pails, one +on top of another, by way of a chimney. + +"THIS is my summer residence; you would not find my earth--my winter +house--so convenient," said the hospitable gentleman. + +There was a tumble-down shed at the back of the house, made of old +soap-boxes. The gentleman opened the door, and showed Jemima in. + +THE shed was almost quite full of feathers--it was almost suffocating; +but it was comfortable and very soft. + +Jemima Puddle-duck was rather surprised to find such a vast quantity of +feathers. But it was very comfortable; and she made a nest without any +trouble at all. + +WHEN she came out, the sandy whiskered gentleman was sitting on a log +reading the newspaper--at least he had it spread out, but he was looking +over the top of it. + +He was so polite, that he seemed almost sorry to let Jemima go home for +the night. He promised to take great care of her nest until she came +back again next day. + +He said he loved eggs and ducklings; he should be proud to see a fine +nestful in his wood-shed. + +JEMIMA PUDDLE-DUCK came every afternoon; she laid nine eggs in the nest. +They were greeny white and very large. The foxy gentleman admired them +immensely. He used to turn them over and count them when Jemima was not +there. + +At last Jemima told him that she intended to begin to sit next day--"and +I will bring a bag of corn with me, so that I need never leave my nest +until the eggs are hatched. They might catch cold," said the +conscientious Jemima. + +"MADAM, I beg you not to trouble yourself with a bag; I will provide +oats. But before you commence your tedious sitting, I intend to give you +a treat. Let us have a dinner-party all to ourselves! + +"May I ask you to bring up some herbs from the farm-garden to make a +savoury omelette? Sage and thyme, and mint and two onions, and some +parsley. I will provide lard for the stuff-lard for the omelette," said +the hospitable gentleman with sandy whiskers. + +JEMIMA PUDDLE-DUCK was a simpleton: not even the mention of sage and +onions made her suspicious. + +She went round the farm-garden, nibbling off snippets of all the +different sorts of herbs that are used for stuffing roast duck. + +AND she waddled into the kitchen, and got two onions out of a basket. + +The collie-dog Kep met her coming out, "What are you doing with those +onions? Where do you go every afternoon by yourself, Jemima +Puddle-duck?" + +Jemima was rather in awe of the collie; she told him the whole story. + +The collie listened, with his wise head on one side; he grinned when she +described the polite gentleman with sandy whiskers. + +HE asked several questions about the wood, and about the exact position +of the house and shed. + +Then he went out, and trotted down the village. He went to look for two +fox-hound puppies who were out at walk with the butcher. + +JEMIMA PUDDLE-DUCK went up the cart-road for the last time, on a sunny +afternoon. She was rather burdened with bunches of herbs and two onions +in a bag. + +She flew over the wood, and alighted opposite the house of the bushy +long-tailed gentleman. + +HE was sitting on a log; he sniffed the air, and kept glancing uneasily +round the wood. When Jemima alighted he quite jumped. + +"Come into the house as soon as you have looked at your eggs. Give me +the herbs for the omelette. Be sharp!" + +He was rather abrupt. Jemima Puddle-duck had never heard him speak like +that. + +She felt surprised, and uncomfortable. + +WHILE she was inside she heard pattering feet round the back of the +shed. Some one with a black nose sniffed at the bottom of the door, and +then locked it. + +Jemima became much alarmed. + +A MOMENT afterwards there were most awful noises--barking, baying, +growls and howls, squealing and groans. + +And nothing more was ever seen of that foxy-whiskered gentleman. + +PRESENTLY Kep opened the door of the shed, and let out Jemima +Puddle-duck. + +Unfortunately the puppies rushed in and gobbled up all the eggs before +he could stop them. + +He had a bite on his ear and both the puppies were limping. + +JEMIMA PUDDLE-DUCK was escorted home in tears on account of those eggs. + +SHE laid some more in June, and she was permitted to keep them herself: +but only four of them hatched. + +Jemima Puddle-duck said that it was because of her nerves; but she had +always been a bad sitter. + +THE END + + + + +THE TALE OF PIGLING BLAND + +FOR CECILY AND CHARLIE, A TALE OF THE CHRISTMAS PIG. + +THE TALE OF PIGLING BLAND + + +ONCE upon a time there was an old pig called Aunt Pettitoes. She had +eight of a family: four little girl pigs, called Cross-patch, Suck-suck, +Yock-yock and Spot; + +and four little boy pigs, called Alexander, Pigling Bland, Chin-chin and +Stumpy. Stumpy had had an accident to his tail. + +The eight little pigs had very fine appetites. "Yus, yus, yus! they eat +and indeed they DO eat!" said Aunt Pettitoes, looking at her family with +pride. Suddenly there were fearful squeals; Alexander had squeezed +inside the hoops of the pig trough and stuck. + +Aunt Pettitoes and I dragged him out by the hind legs. + +Chin-chin was already in disgrace; it was washing day, and he had eaten +a piece of soap. And presently in a basket of clean clothes, we found +another dirty little pig. "Tchut, tut, tut! whichever is this?" grunted +Aunt Pettitoes. + +Now all the pig family are pink, or pink with black spots, but this pig +child was smutty black all over; when it had been popped into a tub, it +proved to be Yock-yock. + +I went into the garden; there I found Cross-patch and Suck-suck rooting +up carrots. I whipped them myself and led them out by the ears. +Cross-patch tried to bite me. + +"Aunt Pettitoes, Aunt Pettitoes! you are a worthy person, but your +family is not well brought up. Every one of them has been in mischief +except Spot and Pigling Bland." + +"Yus, yus!" sighed Aunt Pettitoes. "And they drink bucketfuls of milk; I +shall have to get another cow! Good little Spot shall stay at home to do +the housework; but the others must go. Four little boy pigs and four +little girl pigs are too many altogether." "Yus, yus, yus," said Aunt +Pettitoes, "there will be more to eat without them." + +So Chin-chin and Suck-suck went away in a wheel-barrow, and Stumpy, +Yock-yock and Cross-patch rode away in a cart. + +And the other two little boy pigs, Pigling Bland and Alexander, went to +market. We brushed their coats, we curled their tails and washed their +little faces, and wished them good-bye in the yard. + +Aunt Pettitoes wiped her eyes with a large pocket handkerchief, then she +wiped Pigling Bland's nose and shed tears; then she wiped Alexander's +nose and shed tears; then she passed the handkerchief to Spot. Aunt +Pettitoes sighed and grunted, and addressed those little pigs as +follows: + +"Now Pigling Bland, son Pigling Bland, you must go to market. Take your +brother Alexander by the hand. Mind your Sunday clothes, and remember to +blow your nose"-- + +(Aunt Pettitoes passed round the handkerchief again)--"beware of traps, +hen roosts, bacon and eggs; always walk upon your hind legs." Pigling +Bland, who was a sedate little pig, looked solemnly at his mother, a +tear trickled down his cheek. + +Aunt Pettitoes turned to the other--"Now son Alexander take the +hand"--"Wee, wee, wee!" giggled Alexander--"take the hand of your +brother Pigling Bland, you must go to market. Mind--" "Wee, wee, wee!" +interrupted Alexander again. "You put me out," said Aunt Pettitoes. + +"Observe sign-posts and milestones; do not gobble herring bones--" "And +remember," said I impressively, "if you once cross the county boundary +you cannot come back. + +Alexander, you are not attending. Here are two licences permitting two +pigs to go to market in Lancashire. Attend, Alexander. I have had no end +of trouble in getting these papers from the policeman." + +Pigling Bland listened gravely; Alexander was hopelessly volatile. + +I pinned the papers, for safety, inside their waistcoat pockets; + +Aunt Pettitoes gave to each a little bundle, and eight conversation +peppermints with appropriate moral sentiments in screws of paper. Then +they started. + +Pigling Bland and Alexander trotted along steadily for a mile; at least +Pigling Bland did. Alexander made the road half as long again by +skipping from side to side. He danced about and pinched his brother, +singing-- + + "This pig went to market, this pig + stayed at home, + "This pig had a bit of meat-- + +let's see what they have given US for dinner, Pigling?" + +Pigling Bland and Alexander sat down and untied their bundles. Alexander +gobbled up his dinner in no time; he had already eaten all his own +peppermints. "Give me one of yours, please, Pigling." + +"But I wish to preserve them for emergencies," said Pigling Bland +doubtfully. Alexander went into squeals of laughter. Then he pricked +Pigling with the pin that had fastened his pig paper; and when Pigling +slapped him he dropped the pin, and tried to take Pigling's pin, and the +papers got mixed up. Pigling Bland reproved Alexander. + +But presently they made it up again, and trotted away together, +singing-- + + "Tom, Tom, the piper's son, stole a pig + and away he ran! + "But all the tune that he could play, + was 'Over the hills and far away!'" + +"What's that, young sirs? Stole a pig? Where are your licences?" said +the policeman. They had nearly run against him round a corner. Pigling +Bland pulled out his paper; Alexander, after fumbling, handed over +something scrumply-- + +"To 2 1/2 oz. conversation sweeties at three farthings"--"What's this? +This ain't a licence." Alexander's nose lengthened visibly, he had lost +it. "I had one, indeed I had, Mr. Policeman!" + +"It's not likely they let you start without. I am passing the farm. You +may walk with me." "Can I come back too?" inquired Pigling Bland. "I see +no reason, young sir; your paper is all right." Pigling Bland did not +like going on alone, and it was beginning to rain. But it is unwise to +argue with the police; he gave his brother a peppermint, and watched him +out of sight. + +To conclude the adventures of Alexander--the policeman sauntered up to +the house about tea time, followed by a damp subdued little pig. I +disposed of Alexander in the neighbourhood; he did fairly well when he +had settled down. + +Pigling Bland went on alone dejectedly; he came to cross-roads and a +sign-post--"To Market Town, 5 miles," "Over the Hills, 4 miles," "To +Pettitoes Farm, 3 miles." + +Pigling Bland was shocked, there was little hope of sleeping in Market +Town, and to-morrow was the hiring fair; it was deplorable to think how +much time had been wasted by the frivolity of Alexander. + +He glanced wistfully along the road towards the hills, and then set off +walking obediently the other way, buttoning up his coat against the +rain. He had never wanted to go; and the idea of standing all by himself +in a crowded market, to be stared at, pushed, and hired by some big +strange farmer was very disagreeable-- + +"I wish I could have a little garden and grow potatoes," said Pigling +Bland. + +He put his cold hand in his pocket and felt his paper, he put his other +hand in his other pocket and felt another paper--Alexander's! Pigling +squealed; then ran back frantically, hoping to overtake Alexander and +the policeman. + +He took a wrong turn--several wrong turns, and was quite lost. + +It grew dark, the wind whistled, the trees creaked and groaned. + +Pigling Bland became frightened and cried "Wee, wee, wee! I can't find +my way home!" + +After an hour's wandering he got out of the wood; the moon shone through +the clouds, and Pigling Bland saw a country that was new to him. + +The road crossed a moor; below was a wide valley with a river twinkling +in the moonlight, and beyond, in misty distance, lay the hills. + +He saw a small wooden hut, made his way to it, and crept inside--"I am +afraid it IS a hen house, but what can I do?" said Pigling Bland, wet +and cold and quite tired out. + +"Bacon and eggs, bacon and eggs!" clucked a hen on a perch. + +"Trap, trap, trap! cackle, cackle, cackle!" scolded the disturbed +cockerel. "To market, to market! jiggetty jig!" clucked a broody white +hen roosting next to him. Pigling Bland, much alarmed, determined to +leave at daybreak. In the meantime, he and the hens fell asleep. + +In less than an hour they were all awakened. The owner, Mr. Peter Thomas +Piperson, came with a lantern and a hamper to catch six fowls to take to +market in the morning. + +He grabbed the white hen roosting next to the cock; then his eye fell +upon Pigling Bland, squeezed up in a corner. He made a singular +remark--"Hallo, here's another!"--seized Pigling by the scruff of the +neck, and dropped him into the hamper. Then he dropped in five more +dirty, kicking, cackling hens upon the top of Pigling Bland. + +The hamper containing six fowls and a young pig was no light weight; it +was taken down hill, unsteadily, with jerks. Pigling, although nearly +scratched to pieces, contrived to hide the papers and peppermints inside +his clothes. + +At last the hamper was bumped down upon a kitchen floor, the lid was +opened, and Pigling was lifted out. He looked up, blinking, and saw an +offensively ugly elderly man, grinning from ear to ear. + +"This one's come of himself, whatever," said Mr. Piperson, turning +Pigling's pockets inside out. He pushed the hamper into a corner, threw +a sack over it to keep the hens quiet, put a pot on the fire, and +unlaced his boots. + +Pigling Bland drew forward a coppy stool, and sat on the edge of it, +shyly warming his hands. Mr. Piperson pulled off a boot and threw it +against the wainscot at the further end of the kitchen. There was a +smothered noise--"Shut up!" said Mr. Piperson. Pigling Bland warmed his +hands, and eyed him. + +Mr. Piperson pulled off the other boot and flung it after the first, +there was again a curious noise--"Be quiet, will ye?" said Mr. Piperson. +Pigling Bland sat on the very edge of the coppy stool. + +Mr. Piperson fetched meal from a chest and made porridge. It seemed to +Pigling that something at the further end of the kitchen was taking a +suppressed interest in the cooking, but he was too hungry to be troubled +by noises. + +Mr. Piperson poured out three platefuls: for himself, for Pigling, and a +third--after glaring at Pigling--he put away with much scuffling, and +locked up. Pigling Bland ate his supper discreetly. + +After supper Mr. Piperson consulted an almanac, and felt Pigling's ribs; +it was too late in the season for curing bacon, and he grudged his meal. +Besides, the hens had seen this pig. + +He looked at the small remains of a flitch, and then looked undecidedly +at Pigling. "You may sleep on the rug," said Mr. Peter Thomas Piperson. + +Pigling Bland slept like a top. In the morning Mr. Piperson made more +porridge; the weather was warmer. He looked to see how much meal was +left in the chest, and seemed dissatisfied--"You'll likely be moving on +again?" said he to Pigling Bland. + +Before Pigling could reply, a neighbour, who was giving Mr. Piperson and +the hens a lift, whistled from the gate. Mr. Piperson hurried out with +the hamper, enjoining Pigling to shut the door behind him and not meddle +with nought; or "I'll come back and skin ye!" said Mr. Piperson. + +It crossed Pigling's mind that if HE had asked for a lift, too, he might +still have been in time for market. + +But he distrusted Peter Thomas. + +After finishing breakfast at his leisure, Pigling had a look round the +cottage; everything was locked up. He found some potato peelings in a +bucket in the back kitchen. Pigling ate the peel, and washed up the +porridge plates in the bucket. He sang while he worked-- + + "Tom with his pipe made such a noise, + He called up all the girls and boys-- + "And they all ran to hear him play + "'Over the hills and far away!'" + +Suddenly a little smothered voice chimed in-- + + "Over the hills and a great way off, + The wind shall blow my top knot off!" + +Pigling Bland put down a plate which he was wiping, and listened. + +After a long pause, Pigling went on tip-toe and peeped round the door +into the front kitchen. There was nobody there. + +After another pause, Pigling approached the door of the locked cupboard, +and snuffed at the key-hole. It was quite quiet. + +After another long pause, Pigling pushed a peppermint under the door. It +was sucked in immediately. + +In the course of the day Pigling pushed in all the remaining six +peppermints. + +When Mr. Piperson returned, he found Pigling sitting before the fire; he +had brushed up the hearth and put on the pot to boil; the meal was not +get-at-able. + +Mr. Piperson was very affable; he slapped Pigling on the back, made lots +of porridge and forgot to lock the meal chest. He did lock the cupboard +door; but without properly shutting it. He went to bed early, and told +Pigling upon no account to disturb him next day before twelve o'clock. + +Pigling Bland sat by the fire, eating his supper. + +All at once at his elbow, a little voice spoke--"My name is Pig-wig. +Make me more porridge, please!" Pigling Bland jumped, and looked round. + +A perfectly lovely little black Berkshire pig stood smiling beside him. +She had twinkly little screwed up eyes, a double chin, and a short +turned up nose. + +She pointed at Pigling's plate; he hastily gave it to her, and fled to +the meal chest. "How did you come here?" asked Pigling Bland. + +"Stolen," replied Pig-wig, with her mouth full. Pigling helped himself +to meal without scruple. "What for?" "Bacon, hams," replied Pig-wig +cheerfully. "Why on earth don't you run away?" exclaimed the horrified +Pigling. + +"I shall after supper," said Pig-wig decidedly. + +Pigling Bland made more porridge and watched her shyly. + +She finished a second plate, got up, and looked about her, as though she +were going to start. + +"You can't go in the dark," said Pigling Bland. + +Pig-wig looked anxious. + +"Do you know your way by daylight?" + +"I know we can see this little white house from the hills across the +river. Which way are YOU going, Mr. Pig?" + +"To market--I have two pig papers. I might take you to the bridge; if +you have no objection," said Pigling much confused and sitting on the +edge of his coppy stool. Pig-wig's gratitude was such and she asked so +many questions that it became embarrassing to Pigling Bland. + +He was obliged to shut his eyes and pretend to sleep. She became quiet, +and there was a smell of peppermint. + +"I thought you had eaten them," said Pigling, waking suddenly. + +"Only the corners," replied Pig-wig, studying the sentiments with much +interest by the firelight. + +"I wish you wouldn't; he might smell them through the ceiling," said the +alarmed Pigling. + +Pig-wig put back the sticky peppermints into her pocket; "Sing +something," she demanded. + +"I am sorry ... I have tooth-ache," said Pigling much dismayed. + +"Then I will sing," replied Pig-wig. "You will not mind if I say iddy +tidditty? I have forgotten some of the words." + +Pigling Bland made no objection; he sat with his eyes half shut, and +watched her. + +She wagged her head and rocked about, clapping time and singing in a +sweet little grunty voice-- + + "A funny old mother pig lived in a + stye, and three little piggies had she; + "(Ti idditty idditty) umph, umph, + umph! and the little pigs said, wee, wee!" + +She sang successfully through three or four verses, only at every verse +her head nodded a little lower, and her little twinkly eyes closed up. + + "Those three little piggies grew peaky + and lean, and lean they might very + well be; + "For somehow they couldn't say umph, + umph, umph! and they wouldn't + say wee, wee, wee! + "For somehow they couldn't say-- + +Pig-wig's head bobbed lower and lower, until she rolled over, a little +round ball, fast asleep on the hearth-rug. + +Pigling Bland, on tip-toe, covered her up with an antimacassar. + +He was afraid to go to sleep himself; for the rest of the night he sat +listening to the chirping of the crickets and to the snores of Mr. +Piperson overhead. + +Early in the morning, between dark and daylight, Pigling tied up his +little bundle and woke up Pig-wig. She was excited and half-frightened. +"But it's dark! How can we find our way?" + +"The cock has crowed; we must start before the hens come out; they might +shout to Mr. Piperson." + +Pig-wig sat down again, and commenced to cry. + +"Come away Pig-wig; we can see when we get used to it. Come! I can hear +them clucking!" + +Pigling had never said shuh! to a hen in his life, being peaceable; also +he remembered the hamper. + +He opened the house door quietly and shut it after them. There was no +garden; the neighbourhood of Mr. Piperson's was all scratched up by +fowls. They slipped away hand in hand across an untidy field to the +road. + +The sun rose while they were crossing the moor, a dazzle of light over +the tops of the hills. The sunshine crept down the slopes into the +peaceful green valleys, where little white cottages nestled in gardens +and orchards. + +"That's Westmorland," said Pig-wig. She dropped Pigling's hand and +commenced to dance, singing-- + + "Tom, Tom, the piper's son, stole a pig + and away he ran! + + "But all the tune that he could play, + was 'Over the hills and far away!'" + +"Come, Pig-wig, we must get to the bridge before folks are stirring." +"Why do you want to go to market, Pigling?" inquired Pig-wig presently. +"I don't want; I want to grow potatoes." "Have a peppermint?" said +Pig-wig. Pigling Bland refused quite crossly. "Does your poor toothy +hurt?" inquired Pig-wig. Pigling Bland grunted. + +Pig-wig ate the peppermint herself and followed the opposite side of the +road. "Pig-wig! keep under the wall, there's a man ploughing." Pig-wig +crossed over, they hurried down hill towards the county boundary. + +Suddenly Pigling stopped; he heard wheels. + +Slowly jogging up the road below them came a tradesman's cart. The reins +flapped on the horse's back, the grocer was reading a newspaper. + +"Take that peppermint out of your mouth, Pig-wig, we may have to run. +Don't say one word. Leave it to me. And in sight of the bridge!" said +poor Pigling, nearly crying. He began to walk frightfully lame, holding +Pig-wig's arm. + +The grocer, intent upon his news-paper, might have passed them, if his +horse had not shied and snorted. He pulled the cart crossways, and held +down his whip. "Hallo! Where are YOU going to?"--Pigling Bland stared at +him vacantly. + +"Are you deaf? Are you going to market?" Pigling nodded slowly. + +"I thought as much. It was yesterday. Show me your licence?" + +Pigling stared at the off hind shoe of the grocer's horse which had +picked up a stone. + +The grocer flicked his whip--"Papers? Pig licence?" Pigling fumbled in +all his pockets, and handed up the papers. The grocer read them, but +still seemed dissatisfied. "This here pig is a young lady; is her name +Alexander?" Pig-wig opened her mouth and shut it again; Pigling coughed +asthmatically. + +The grocer ran his finger down the advertisement column of his +newspaper--"Lost, stolen or strayed, 10s. reward." He looked +suspiciously at Pig-wig. Then he stood up in the trap, and whistled for +the ploughman. + +"You wait here while I drive on and speak to him," said the grocer, +gathering up the reins. He knew that pigs are slippery; but surely, such +a VERY lame pig could never run! + +"Not yet, Pig-wig, he will look back." The grocer did so; he saw the two +pigs stock-still in the middle of the road. Then he looked over at his +horse's heels; it was lame also; the stone took some time to knock out, +after he got to the ploughman. + +"Now, Pig-wig, NOW!" said Pigling Bland. + +Never did any pigs run as these pigs ran! They raced and squealed and +pelted down the long white hill towards the bridge. Little fat Pig-wig's +petticoats fluttered, and her feet went pitter, patter, pitter, as she +bounded and jumped. + +They ran, and they ran, and they ran down the hill, and across a short +cut on level green turf at the bottom, between pebble beds and rushes. + +They came to the river, they came to the bridge--they crossed it hand in +hand--then over the hills and far away she danced with Pigling Bland! + +THE END + + + + +THE TALE OF TWO BAD MICE + +FOR W. M. L. W. THE LITTLE GIRL WHO HAD THE DOLL HOUSE + + +ONCE upon a time there was a very beautiful doll's house; it was red +brick with white windows, and it had real muslin curtains and a front +door and a chimney. + +IT belonged to two Dolls called Lucinda and Jane; at least it belonged +to Lucinda, but she never ordered meals. + +Jane was the Cook; but she never did any cooking, because the dinner had +been bought ready-made, in a box full of shavings. + +THERE were two red lobsters, and a ham, a fish, a pudding, and some +pears and oranges. + +They would not come off the plates, but they were extremely beautiful. + +ONE morning Lucinda and Jane had gone out for a drive in the doll's +perambulator. There was no one in the nursery, and it was very quiet. +Presently there was a little scuffling, scratching noise in a corner +near the fireplace, where there was a hole under the skirting-board. + +Tom Thumb put out his head for a moment, and then popped it in again. + +Tom Thumb was a mouse. + +A MINUTE afterwards Hunca Munca, his wife, put her head out, too; and +when she saw that there was no one in the nursery, she ventured out on +the oilcloth under the coal-box. + +THE doll's house stood at the other side of the fireplace. Tom Thumb and +Hunca Munca went cautiously across the hearth-rug. They pushed the front +door--it was not fast. + +TOM THUMB and Hunca Munca went up-stairs and peeped into the +dining-room. Then they squeaked with joy! + +Such a lovely dinner was laid out upon the table! There were tin spoons, +and lead knives and forks, and two dolly-chairs--all SO convenient! + +TOM THUMB set to work at once to carve the ham. It was a beautiful shiny +yellow, streaked with red. + +The knife crumpled up and hurt him; he put his finger in his mouth. + +"It is not boiled enough; it is hard. You have a try, Hunca Munca." + +HUNCA MUNCA stood up in her chair, and chopped at the ham with another +lead knife. + +"It's as hard as the hams at the cheesemonger's," said Hunca Munca. + +THE ham broke off the plate with a jerk, and rolled under the table. + +"Let it alone," said Tom Thumb; "give me some fish, Hunca Munca!" + +HUNCA MUNCA tried every tin spoon in turn; the fish was glued to the +dish. + +Then Tom Thumb lost his temper. He put the ham in the middle of the +floor, and hit it with the tongs and with the shovel--bang, bang, smash, +smash! + +The ham flew all into pieces, for underneath the shiny paint it was made +of nothing but plaster! + +THEN there was no end to the rage and disappointment of Tom Thumb and +Hunca Munca. They broke up the pudding, the lobsters, the pears, and the +oranges. + +As the fish would not come off the plate, they put it into the red-hot +crinkly paper fire in the kitchen; but it would not burn either. + +TOM THUMB went up the kitchen chimney and looked out at the top--there +was no soot. + +WHILE Tom Thumb was up the chimney, Hunca Munca had another +disappointment. She found some tiny canisters upon the dresser, labeled +"Rice," "Coffee" "Sago"; but when she turned them upside down there was +nothing inside except red and blue beads. + +THEN those mice set to work to do all the mischief they +could--especially Tom Thumb! He took Jane's clothes out of the chest of +drawers in her bedroom, and he threw them out of the top-floor window. + +But Hunca Munca had a frugal mind. After pulling half the feathers out +of Lucinda's bolster, she remembered that she herself was in want of a +feather-bed. + +WITH Tom Thumb's assistance she carried the bolster down-stairs and +across the hearth-rug. It was difficult to squeeze the bolster into the +mouse-hole; but they managed it somehow. + +THEN Hunca Munca went back and fetched a chair, a bookcase, a bird-cage, +and several small odds and ends. The bookcase and the bird-cage refused +to go into the mouse-hole. + +HUNCA MUNCA left them behind the coal-box, and went to fetch a cradle. + +HUNCA MUNCA was just returning with another chair, when suddenly there +was a noise of talking outside upon the landing. The mice rushed back to +their hole, and the dolls came into the nursery. + +WHAT a sight met the eyes of Jane and Lucinda! + +Lucinda sat upon the upset kitchen stove and stared, and Jane leaned +against the kitchen dresser and smiled; but neither of them made any +remark. + +THE bookcase and the bird-cage were rescued from under the coal-box; but +Hunca Munca has got the cradle and some of Lucinda's clothes. + +SHE also has some useful pots and pans, and several other things. + +THE little girl that the doll's house belonged to said: "I will get a +doll dressed like a policeman!" + +BUT the nurse said: "I will set a mouse-trap!" + +SO that is the story of the two Bad Mice. But they were not so very, +very naughty after all, because Tom Thumb paid for everything he broke. + +He found a crooked sixpence under the hearth-rug; and upon Christmas Eve +he and Hunca Munca stuffed it into one of the stockings of Lucinda and +Jane. + +AND very early every morning--before anybody is awake--Hunca Munca +comes with her dust-pan and her broom to sweep the Dollies' house! + +THE END + + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of A Collection of Beatrix Potter Stories, by +Beatrix Potter + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A COLLECTION OF BEATRIX *** + +***** This file should be named 582.txt or 582.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/5/8/582/ + +Produced by Some of these pages were OCR'd by Charles +Keller for Tina with OmniPage + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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