ently 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.

[Illustration]

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

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

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 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.

Mr. McGregor hung up the little jacket and the shoes for a
scare-crow to frighten the blackbirds. [Illustration]

[Illustration]

Peter never stopped running or looked behind him

[Illustration]

Till he got home to the big fir-tree.

[Illustration]

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 teaspoonful to be taken at bedtime." But--

[Illustration]

Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail had bread and milk and blackberries for
supper.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

End of Project Gutenberg's The Tale Of Peter Rabbit, by Beatrix Potter

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