nny-penny
--look how she's worn the
heels out with scratching
in the yard! She'll very soon
go barefoot!" said Mrs. Tiggy-winkle.

"WHY, there's another
handkersniff--but it
isn't mine; it's red?"
"Oh no, if you please'm;
that one belongs to old Mrs.
Rabbit; and it did so smell
of onions! I've had to wash
it separately, I can't get out
the smell."

"There's another one of
mine," said Lucie.

"WHAT are those funny
little white things?"
"That's a pair of mittens
belonging to Tabby Kitten;
I only have to iron them; she
washes then herself."
"There's my last pocket-
handkin!" said Lucie.

"AND what are you dipping
into the basin of starch?"
"They're little dicky shirt-fronts
belonging to Tom Tits-mouse
--most terrible particular!"
said Mrs. Tiddy-winkle.
"Now I've finished my ironing;
I'm going to air some clothes."

"WHAT are these dear soft
fluffy things?" said Lucie.
"Oh those are woolly coats
belonging to the little lambs
at Skelghyl."

"Will their jackets take-off?"
asked Lucie.

"Oh yes, if you please'm;
look at the sheep-mark on the
shoulder. And here's one
marked for Gatesgarth, and
three that come from Little-town.
They're always marked
at washing!" said Mrs. Tiggy-winkle.

AND she hung up all sorts
and sizes of clothes--
small brown coats of mice;
and one velvety black mole-skin
waist coat; and a red tail-coat
with no tail belonging to
Squirrel Nutkin; and a very
much shrunk jacket belonging
to Peter Rabbit; and
a petticoat, not marked, that
had gone lost in the washing
--and at last the basket was
empty!

THEN Mrs. Tiggy-winkle
made tea--a cup for herself
and a cup for Lucie. They
sat before a fire on a bench
and looked sideways at one
another.

Mrs. Tiggy-winkle's
hand, holding the tea-cup, was
very very brown, and very very
wrinkly with the soap suds;
and all through her gown and
her cap, there were hair-pins
sticking wrong end out; so
that Lucie didn't like to sit
to near her.

WHEN they had finished
tea, they tied up the
clothes in bundles; and Lucie's
pocket-handkerchiefs were
folded up inside her clean
pinny, and fastened with a
silver safety-pin.

And then they made up the
fire with turf, and came out
and locked the door, and hid
the key under the door-sill.

THEN away down the hill
trotted Lucie and Mrs.
Tiggy-winkle and the bundles
of clothes!

All the way down the path
little animals came out of the
fern to meet them; the very
first