ad passed a
sleepless night, and quarrelled again at breakfast. Old Mr. Bouncer
could no longer deny that he had invited company into the rabbit hole;
but he refused to reply to the questions and reproaches of Flopsy. The
day passed heavily.

Old Mr. Bouncer, very sulky, was huddled up in a corner, barricaded with
a chair. Flopsy had taken away his pipe and hidden the tobacco. She had
been having a complete turn out and spring-cleaning, to relieve her
feelings. She had just finished. Old Mr. Bouncer, behind his chair, was
wondering anxiously what she would do next.

[Illustration]

In Mr. Tod's kitchen, amongst the wreckage, Benjamin Bunny picked his
way to the oven nervously, through a thick cloud of dust. He opened the
oven door, felt inside, and found something warm and wriggling. He
lifted it out carefully, and rejoined Peter Rabbit.

"I've got them! Can we get away? Shall we hide, Cousin Peter?"

Peter pricked his ears; distant sounds of fighting still echoed in the
wood.

Five minutes afterwards two breathless rabbits came scuttering away down
Bull Banks, half carrying half dragging a sack between them, bumpetty
bump over the grass. They reached home safely and burst into the rabbit
hole.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

Great was old Mr. Bouncer's relief and Flopsy's joy when Peter and
Benjamin arrived in triumph with the young family. The rabbit-babies
were rather tumbled and very hungry; they were fed and put to bed. They
soon recovered.

A long new pipe and a fresh supply of rabbit tobacco was presented to
Mr. Bouncer. He was rather upon his dignity; but he accepted.

[Illustration]

Old Mr. Bouncer was forgiven, and they all had dinner. Then Peter and
Benjamin told their story--but they had not waited long enough to be
able to tell the end of the battle between Tommy Brock and Mr. Tod.

THE END

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