PETER RABBIT sat in the old stone wall along one side of Farmer Brown’s
orchard, waiting for Mrs. Moon to put out her light and leave the world
in darkness until jolly, round, red Mr. Sun should kick off his rosy
bedclothes and begin his daily climb up in the blue, blue sky. In the
winter, Mr. Sun is a late sleeper, and Peter knew that there would be
two or three hours after Mrs. Moon put out her light when it would be
quite dark. And Peter also knew too that by this time Hooty the Owl
would probably have caught his dinner. So would old Granny Fox and
Reddy Fox. Bowser the Hound would be too sleepy to be on the watch. It
would be the very safest time for Peter to try to get to his home in
the dear Old Briar-patch.
So Peter waited and waited. Twice Bowser the Hound, who had chased him
into the old wall, came over and barked at him and tried to get at him.
But the old wall kept Peter safe, and Bowser gave it up. And all the
time Peter sat waiting he was in great pain. You see that shiny wire
was drawn so tight that it cut into his flesh and hurt dreadfully, and
to the other end of the wire was fastened a piece of wood, part of the
stake to which the snare had been made fast and which Peter had managed
to gnaw and break off.
It was on account of this that Peter was waiting for Mrs. Moon to put
out her light. He knew that with that stake dragging after him he would
have to go very slowly, and he could not run any more risk of danger
than he actually had to. So he waited and waited, and by and by, sure
enough, Mrs. Moon put out her light. Peter waited a little longer,
listening with all his might. Everything was still. Then Peter crept
out of the old stone wall.
Right away trouble began. The stake dragging at the end of the wire
fast to his leg caught among the stones and pulled Peter up short.
My, how it did hurt! It made the tears come. But Peter shut his teeth
hard, and turning back, he worked until he got the stake free. Then he
started on once more, dragging the stake after him.
Very slowly across the orchard and under the fence on the other side
crept Peter Rabbit, his leg so stiff and sore that he could hardly
touch it to the snow, and all the time dragging that piece of stake,
which seemed to grow heavier and harder to drag every minute. Peter did
not dare to go out across the open fields, for fear some danger might
happen along, and he would have no place to hide. So he crept along
close to the fences where bushes grow, and this made it very, very
hard, for the dragging stake was forever catching in the bushes with a
yank at the sore leg which brought Peter up short with a squeal of pain.
This was bad enough, but all the time Peter was filled with a dreadful
fear that Hooty the Owl or Granny Fox might just happen along. He had
to stop to rest very, very often, and then he would listen and listen.
Over and over again he said to himself:
“Oh, dear, whatever did I go up to the young peach orchard for when I
knew I had no business there? Why couldn’t I have been content with
all the good things that were mine in the Green Forest and on the Green
Meadows? Oh, dear! Oh, dear!”
Just as jolly, round, red Mr. Sun began to light up the Green Meadows,
Peter Rabbit reached the dear Old Briar-patch. Danny Meadow Mouse was
sitting on the edge of it anxiously watching for him. Peter crawled up
and started to creep in along one of his little private paths. He got
in himself, but the dragging stake caught among the brambles, and Peter
just fell down in the snow right where he was, too tired and worn out
to move.