The World of Peter Rabbit & His Friends: 14 Books with 450+ Original Illustrations. Beatrix Potter

The World of Peter Rabbit & His Friends: 14 Books with 450+ Original Illustrations - Beatrix Potter


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you, thank you, thank you, Mrs. Tittlemouse! Now what I really—really should like—would be a little dish of honey!"

Wiping up footmarks

      "I am afraid I have not got any, Mr. Jackson," said Mrs. Tittlemouse.

      "Tiddly, widdly, widdly, Mrs. Tittlemouse!" said the smiling Mr. Jackson, "I can smell it; that is why I came to call."

      Mr. Jackson rose ponderously from the table, and began to look into the cupboards.

      Mrs. Tittlemouse followed him with a dish-cloth, to wipe his large wet footmarks off the parlour floor.

Walking down the passage

      When he had convinced himself that there was no honey in the cupboards, he began to walk down the passage.

      "Indeed, indeed, you will stick fast, Mr. Jackson!"

      "Tiddly, widdly, widdly, Mrs. Tittlemouse!"

Creepy-crawly people

      First he squeezed into the pantry.

      "Tiddly, widdly, widdly? no honey? no honey, Mrs. Tittlemouse?"

      There were three creepy-crawly people hiding in the plate-rack. Two of them got away; but the littlest one he caught.

Butterfly tasting the sugar

      Then he squeezed into the larder. Miss Butterfly was tasting the sugar; but she flew away out of the window.

      "Tiddly, widdly, widdly, Mrs. Tittlemouse; you seem to have plenty of visitors!"

      "And without any invitation!" said Mrs. Thomasina Tittlemouse.

Confronting the Bee

      They went along the sandy passage—

      "Tiddly widdly—" "Buzz! Wizz! Wizz!"

      He met Babbitty round a corner, and snapped her up, and put her down again.

      "I do not like bumble bees. They are all over bristles," said Mr. Jackson, wiping his mouth with his coat-sleeve.

      "Get out, you nasty old toad!" shrieked Babbitty Bumble.

      "I shall go distracted!" scolded Mrs. Tittlemouse.

Shut into the nut-cellar

      She shut herself up in the nut-cellar while Mr. Jackson pulled out the bees-nest. He seemed to have no objection to stings.

      When Mrs. Tittlemouse ventured to come out—everybody had gone away.

      But the untidiness was something dreadful—"Never did I see such a mess—smears of honey; and moss, and thistledown—and marks of big and little dirty feet—all over my nice clean house!"

Closing up the front door

      She gathered up the moss and the remains of the beeswax.

      Then she went out and fetched some twigs, to partly close up the front door.

      "I will make it too small for Mr. Jackson!"

Too tired

      She fetched soft soap, and flannel, and a new scrubbing brush from the storeroom. But she was too tired to do any more. First she fell asleep in her chair, and then she went to bed.

      "Will it ever be tidy again?" said poor Mrs. Tittlemouse.

Polishing

      Next morning she got up very early and began a spring cleaning which lasted a fortnight.

      She swept, and scrubbed, and dusted; and she rubbed up the furniture with beeswax, and polished her little tin spoons.

The party

      When it was all beautifully neat and clean, she gave a party to five other little mice, without Mr. Jackson.

      He smelt the party and came up the bank, but he could not squeeze in at the door.

Honey-dew through the window

      So they handed him out acorn-cupfuls of honey-dew through the window, and he was not at all offended.

      He sat outside in the sun, and said—"Tiddly, widdly, widdly! Your very good health, Mrs. Tittlemouse!"

       THE END

      The Tale of Tom Kitten

       Table of Contents

Three Kittens

      Once upon a time there were three little kittens, and their names were Mittens, Tom Kitten, and Moppet.

      They had dear little fur coats of their own; and they tumbled about the doorstep and played in the dust.

Once upon a time there were three little kittens, and their names were Mittens, Tom Kitten, and Moppet.

      But one day their mother—Mrs. Tabitha Twitchit—expected friends to tea; so she fetched the kittens indoors, to wash and dress them, before the fine company arrived.

First she scrubbed their faces (this one is Moppet).

      First she scrubbed their faces (this one is Moppet).

Then she brushed their fur, (this one is Mittens).

      Then she brushed their fur, (this one is Mittens).

Then she combed their tails and whiskers (this is Tom Kitten).

      Then she combed their tails and whiskers (this is Tom Kitten).

      Tom was very naughty, and he scratched.

She took all sorts of elegant uncomfortable clothes out of a chest of drawers, in order to dress up her son Thomas.

      Mrs. Tabitha dressed Moppet and Mittens in clean pinafores and tuckers; and then she took all sorts of elegant uncomfortable clothes out of a chest of drawers, in order to dress up her son Thomas.

Tom Kitten was very fat, and he had grown; several buttons burst off.

      Tom Kitten was very fat, and he had grown; several buttons burst off. His mother sewed them on again.

      When the three kittens were ready, Mrs. Tabitha unwisely turned them out into the garden, to be out of the way while she made hot buttered toast.

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