| 1 | THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT BY BEATRIX POTTER |
| 2 | Once upon a time there were four little Rabbits, and their names were — Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-tail, and Peter. |
| 3 | They lived with their Mother in a sand-bank, underneath the root of a very big fir-tree. |
| 4 | ‘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.’ |
| 5 | ‘Now run along, and don't get into mischief. |
| 6 | I am going out.’ |
| 7 | Then old Mrs. Rabbit took a basket and her umbrella, and went through the wood to the baker's. |
| 8 | She bought a loaf of brown bread and five currant buns. |
| 9 | Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail, who were good little bunnies, went down the lane to gather blackberries: |
| 10 | But Peter, who was very naughty, ran straight away to Mr. McGregor's garden, and squeezed under the gate! |
| 11 | First he ate some lettuces and some French beans; |
| 12 | and then he ate some radishes; |
| 13 | And then, feeling rather sick, he went to look for some parsley. |
| 14 | But round the end of a cucumber frame, whom should he meet but Mr. McGregor! |
| 15 | 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!’ |
| 16 | Peter was most dreadfully frightened; |
| 17 | he rushed all over the garden, for he had forgotten the way back to the gate. |
| 18 | He lost one of his shoes among the cabbages, and the other shoe amongst the potatoes. |
| 19 | 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. |
| 20 | It was a blue jacket with brass buttons, quite new. |
| 21 | Peter gave himself up for lost, and shed big tears; |
| 22 | but his sobs were overheard by some friendly sparrows, who flew to him in great excitement, and implored him to exert himself. |
| 23 | Mr. McGregor came up with a sieve, which he intended to pop upon the top of Peter; |
| 24 | but Peter wriggled out just in time, leaving his jacket behind him. And rushed into the tool - shed, and jumped into a can. |
| 25 | It would have been a beautiful thing to hide in, if it had not had so much water in it. |
| 26 | Mr. McGregor was quite sure that Peter was somewhere in the tool - shed, perhaps hidden underneath a flower-pot. |
| 27 | He began to turn them over carefully, looking under each. |
| 28 | Presently Peter sneezed — ‘Kertyschoo!’ |
| 29 | 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. |
| 30 | The window was too small for Mr. McGregor, and he was tired of running after Peter. |
| 31 | He went back to his work. |
| 32 | Peter sat down to rest; |
| 33 | he was out of breath trembling with fright, and he had not the least idea which way to go. |
| 34 | Also he was very damp with sitting in that can. |
| 35 | After a time he began to wander about, going lippity — lippity — not very fast, and looking all round. |
| 36 | He found a door in a wall; |
| 37 | but it was locked, and there was no room for a fat little rabbit to squeeze underneath. |
| 38 | An old mouse was running in and out over the stone doorstep, carrying peas and beans to her family in the wood. |
| 39 | Peter asked her the way to the gate, but she had such a large pea in her mouth that she could not answer. |
| 40 | She only shook her head at him. |
| 41 | Peter began to cry. |
| 42 | Then he tried to find his way straight across the garden, but he became more and more puzzled. |
| 43 | Presently, he came to a pond where Mr. McGregor filled his water - cans. |
| 44 | 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. |
| 45 | Peter thought it best to go away without speaking to her; |
| 46 | he had heard about cats from his cousin, little Benjamin Bunny. |
| 47 | 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. |
| 48 | Peter scuttered underneath the bushes. |
| 49 | But presently, as nothing happened, he came out, and climbed upon a wheelbarrow and peeped over. |
| 50 | The first thing he saw was Mr. McGregor hoeing onions. |
| 51 | His back was turned towards Peter, and beyond him was the gate! |
| 52 | 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. |
| 53 | Mr. McGregor caught sight of him at the corner, but Peter did not care. |
| 54 | He slipped underneath the gate, and was safe at last in the wood outside the garden. |
| 55 | Mr. McGregor hung up the little jacket and the shoes for a scare-crow to frighten the blackbirds. |
| 56 | Peter never stopped running or looked behind him till he got home to the big fir-tree. |
| 57 | He was so tired that he flopped down upon the nice soft sand on the floor of the rabbit-hole and shut his eyes. |
| 58 | His mother was busy cooking; |
| 59 | she wondered what he had done with his clothes. |
| 60 | It was the second little jacket and pair of shoes that Peter had lost in a fortnight! |
| 61 | I am sorry to say that Peter was not very well during the evening. |
| 62 | His mother put him to bed, and made some camomile tea; |
| 63 | and she gave a dose of it to Peter! |
| 64 | ‘One table - spoonful to be taken at bed - time.’ |
| 65 | But Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail had bread and milk and blackberries for supper. |
| 66 | THE END |