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.

[Illustration]

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 overgrown 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.

[Illustration]

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.

[Illustration]

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 brightn