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

umbrel a, 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 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 cal ing out,

'Stop thief!'

Peter was most

dreadful y frightened;

he rushed al 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 tool-

shed, 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 tool-shed, perhaps hidden

underneath a flower-pot. He

began to turn them over

careful y, 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 smal

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 al round.

He found a door in a wal ; 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 fil ed his

water-cans. A white cat

was staring at some

gold-fish, she sat very,

very stil , 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 til 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 wel

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