Owl.

Just ahead of him was the Old Briar-patch where Peter Rabbit
lives so safely. Every old bramble in it was covered with snow
and it was very, very beautiful. Really everything was just as
beautiful as ever--the moonlight, the Green Forest, the
snow-covered Green Meadows, the Old Briar-patch. The only change
was in Danny Meadow Mouse himself, and it was all because he had
forgotten.

Suddenly Danny began to wriggle and struggle. "Keep still!"
snapped Hooty the Owl.

But Danny only struggled harder than ever. It seemed to him that
Hooty wasn't holding him as tightly as at first. He felt one of
Hooty's claws slip. It tore his coat and hurt dreadfully, but it
slipped! The fact is, Hooty had only grabbed Danny Meadow Mouse
by the loose part of his coat, and up in the air he couldn't get
hold of Danny any better. Danny kicked, squirmed, and twisted,
and twisted, squirmed, and kicked. He felt his coat tear and of
course the skin with it, but he kept right on, for now he was
hanging almost free. Hooty had started down now, so as to get a
better hold. Danny gave one more kick and then--he felt himself
falling!

Danny Meadow Mouse shut his eyes and held his breath. Down, down,
down he fell. It seemed to him that he never would strike the
snow-covered meadows! Really he fell only a very little distance.
But it seemed a terrible distance to Danny. He hit something that
scratched him, and then--plump!--he landed in the soft snow right
in the very middle of the Old Briar-patch, and the last thing he
remembered was hearing the scream of disappointment and rage of
Hooty the Owl.

[Illustration]

XI

Peter Rabbit Gets a Fright

Peter Rabbit sat in his favorite place in the middle of the dear
Old Briar-patch, trying to decide which way he would go on his
travels that night. The night before he had had a narrow escape
from old Granny Fox over in the Green Forest. There was nothing
to eat around the Smiling Pool and no one to talk to there any
more, and you know that Peter must either eat or ask questions in
order to be perfectly happy. No, the Smiling Pool was too dull a
place to interest Peter on such a beautiful moonlight night, and
Peter had no mind to try his legs against those of old Granny Fox
again in the Green Forest.

Early that morning, just after Peter had settled down for his
morning nap, Tommy Tit the Chickadee had dropped into the dear
Old Briar-pat