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THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT
The Tale
of
Peter Rabbit
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."
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Now run along and don't get into mischief.
I am going out." |
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Then old Mrs. Rabbit took a basket and her umbrella and went
through the wood to the baker's.
She bought a loaf of brown bread and five currant buns.
Flopsy, Mopsy and Cotton-tail who were good little bunnies
went down the lane together
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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
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And then
He
Ate
Some
Radishes |
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And then, feeling rather sick, he went to
look for some parsley. |
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But round the end of a cucumber frame,
whom should he meet but Mr. McGregor! |
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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. |
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He lost one shoe among the cabbages, and
the other amongst the potatoes. |
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After losing them, he ran on four legs and
went faster |
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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.
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It was a blue jacket with brass buttons,
quite new. |
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Peter gave himself up for lost and shed
big tears; |
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But his sobs were overheard by some
friendly sparrows. |
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Who flew to him in great excitement and implored him to
exert himself.
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Mr. McGregor came up with a sieve which he
intended to pop on the top of Peter, but Peter wriggled out
just in time. |
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Leaving his jacket behind him. |
He rushed into the tool-shed and—
Jumped into a can.
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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
tool-shed, 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.
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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. |
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After a time he began to wander about,
going lippity—
lippity—
not very fast and looking all around. |
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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 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.
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He had heard about cats from his cousin,
little Benjamin Bunny. |
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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 |
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Climbed
upon a
wheelbarrow,
and
peeped
over. |
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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 wheel-barrow 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.
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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.
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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! |
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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
teaspoonful to be taken at bedtime." But— |
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Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail had bread and milk and
blackberries for supper.
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