grass again, and when Peter came
up, was very busy getting a mouthful of dry grass. "Can't," mumbled
Sweetvoice. "Can't do it now, Peter Rabbit. I'm too busy. It is high
time our nest was finished, and Mrs. Sweetvoice will lose her patience
if I don't get this grass over there pretty quick."

"Where is your nest; in a tree?" asked Peter innocently.

"That's telling," declared Sweetvoice. "Not a living soul knows where
that nest is, excepting Mrs. Sweetvoice and myself. This much I will
tell you, Peter: it isn't in a tree. And I'll tell you this much more:
it is in a hoofprint of Bossy the Cow."

"In a WHAT?" cried Peter.

"In a hoofprint of Bossy the Cow," repeated Sweetvoice, chuckling
softly. "You know when the ground was wet and soft early this spring,
Bossy left deep footprints wherever she went. One of these makes the
nicest kind of a place for a nest. I think we have picked out the very
best one on all the Green Meadows. Now run along, Peter Rabbit, and
don't bother me any more. I've got too much to do to sit here talking.
Perhaps I'll come over to the edge of the dear Old Briar-patch and sing
to you a while just after jolly, round, red Mr. Sun goes to bed behind
the Purple Hills. I just love to sing then."

"I'll be watching for you," replied Peter. "You don't love to sing any
better than I love to hear you. I think that is the best time of all
the day in which to sing. I mean, I think it's the best time to hear
singing," for of course Peter himself does not sing at all.

That night, sure enough, just as the Black Shadows came creeping out
over the Green Meadows, Sweetvoice, perched on the top of a bramble-bush
over Peter's head, sang over and over again the sweetest little song and
kept on singing even after it was quite dark. Peter didn't know it, but
it is this habit of singing in the evening which has given Sweetvoice
his name of Vesper Sparrow.

CHAPTER V. Peter Learns Something He Hadn't Guessed.

Running over to the Old Orchard very early in the morning for a little
gossip with Jenny Wren and his other friends there had become a regular
thing with Peter Rabbit. He was learning a great many things, and some
of them were most surprising.

Now two of Peter's oldest and best friends in the Old Orchard were
Winsome Bluebird and Welcome Robin. Every spring they arrived pretty
nearly together, though Winsome Bluebird usually was a few days ahead
of Welcome Robin. This year Winsome had arrived while