16 Page Book

THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT

THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT

First published 1902 Frederick Warne & Co., 1902 Written by Beatrix Potter Design & Edited by Jewel Hunter 2023 FA ARTS 335-51: Typography II

Once upon a time there were four little Rabbits, and their names were— Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-tail, and Peter .

They lived with their Mother in a sand-bank, underneath the root of a very b

i g fir-tree.

‘ Now my dears,’ said old Mrs. Rabbit one morning, ‘ you may go into the fields d ow or n

th

e

la

ne

, but dont go into

Mr. McGregor’s garden: your Father had an accident there; he was put in a pie

by Mrs. McGregor.’

4

‘Now run along, and don’t get into mischief. I am going out.’

Then old Mrs. Rabbit took a basket and her umbrella, and went through the wood to the baker’s. She bought a loaf of brown bread and five currant buns.

Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail, t down

th

who were good little bunnies, w e n

e lane t

o

ga

t

h er

who was very naughty,

squeezed

under the gate!

e

i

and

rr

ran straight away to Mr. McGregor’s garden,

blackbe

But Peter,

s.

5

First he ate some lettuces

and some French beans; and

then he ate some radishes;

And then, sick,

he went to look for some parsley.

eet

But

ber

he m

roun

cucm

frame, whom should

Mr. McGregor was on his hands and knees planting out young cabbages, but he

6

Mr. McGregor!

but

up and ran after Peter,

ju m pe d

d th

of a

e end

feeling rather

waving a rake and calling out

‘Stop thief!’

G

H

T

E

N E D;

ga .

ay

he

te

bac

and the other shoe among the potatoes.

r ry be e s n into a goo

na t el y ru

he ran on four legs and went faster, so that I think he might have got away altogether if he had not

by the large buttons on his jacket. It was a blue jacket with brass buttons, quite new.

tu

After losing them,

ne t,

He lost one of his shoes among the cabbages,

e w

for

th

de , n

ed a

forgo

tt en

gar

sh

er the

k to t

I

he had

R

he ru

F

ll ov

Peter was most dreadfully

for un

7

lost,

gt ear

s bi

big tears big

s bi

tea rs

tear

big bi

Peter gave himself up for and shed g

g te

sb

r s bi g

ig te

s ar

t

tea

ar s

big

a r s bi g ea

t s bi g te

er ; Pet

Mr. M c

t

of

Gre go r

ca

m

t e ar

ch he intende e, whi d to siev pop a h t up wi on up

p to he

8

e

; but his sobs were overheard by some friendly sparrows, who flew to him in great ex c it em e n t, and implored him to e x e r t himself.

but Peter wriggled out just in time, leaving his jacket

hidden underneath a flower-pot. tu He began to rn

carefully,

over

looking under each.

Presently Peter sneezed— ‘kert

oo!’

ysch

And tried to put this foot upon Peter, who

jumped

Mr. McGregor was after him in no time.

out of a window, upsetting three plants

plants

shed into the t ool-shed, and jumped into a can. It would have been a beautiful thing to hide

perhaps em

ru

Mr. McGregor was quite sure that Peter was somewhere in the tool-shed,

th

An d

in, if it had not had so much water in it.

pl

an

ts

9

The window was too small for Mr. McGregor, and he was tired of running after Peter.

He went back to his work.

Peter sat down to rest; he was out of breath and t r m l n g with e b i

fright,

and he had not the least idea which way to go.

Also he was very damp with sitting in that can.

w it

as locked d there was no room for a an

10

lippity—lippity—

He found a door in a wall; bu t

After a time he began to wander about, going

fat little rabbit to squeeze underneath.

An old mouse was running in

and out over the stone doorstep, carrying peas and beans to her family in the

ea

a

ge p e a a r rg e p e a

a

a rg e

a

a r rge p e a l l

a r rg e pp e a

a rge p e a l l a ge p e a

a

l

g e pp e a r a ge e a

r

ea

rg e p e a

l

l

l

l arg

l arg ee p e a l

ea rg la arge p e a

la a rg e pp e a l l

l larg e p a

la a rggee ppee a l l

Peter asked her the way to the r ggee ppee a gate but she had such a a l a r ge p e a l ar e pe a

in her mouth that she could not answer

a ge p e a l a r rge p e a l rge p e a

Peter began to cry.

Then he tried to find his way straight across the garden, but he became

more and more puzzled.

11

now

eM

and then the t ip of her tail

12

if it were a

liv

e.

ver y

e d as

sat v ery ,

ch

, she

it

r-cans.

to a po

cat

his wate e

i te

r

fill ed

r. M c G r

e

go

fis h

t bu ll, s ti

am

ld t some go ing a tar

P r e s e n t l y, h e c

er

A wh

ss

n

h dw

wa

tw

Peter thought it best to go away without speaking to her; he had heard about cats from his cousin, little Benjamin Bunny.

He went back towards the tool-shed, but suddenly, quite close to him, he heard the noise of a hoe

s c—scr-r-ritch, rat ch, , h c at r c s scritch.

Peter scuttered underneath a wheelbarrow but presently, climbed upon he came out, and as nothing happened

The first thing he saw was Mr. McGregor hoeing onions.

His back was turned towards Peter and

over and peeped

beyond him was the gate! 13

Peter got down very quietly off the wheelbarrow; and started r u n n i n g a s f a s t as he could go, along a straight walk behind some black-currant bushes.

Mr. McGregor caught sight of him at the corner,

but Peter did not care.

He slipped

M r.

M k

et

safe at last in the wood outside the garden

shoes

for a scare-crow to

he

cGregor hung up the little jac

14

the gate, and was underneath

and t

frighten

Peter never stopped running or looked behind him till he got home to the big fir-tree.

He was so tired that he

His mother was busy cooking; she wondered

fl

op ped

down upoon the nice soft sand on the floor of the rabbit-hole and shut his eyes.

what he had done with his clothes.

It was the second little jacket and pair of shoes that Peter had lost in a fortnight!

I am sorry to say that Peter was not very well during the evening.

His mother put him to bed, and made some camomile tea ; and she gave a dose of it to Peter!

‘ One table-spoonful to be taken at bed-time. ’

But Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-tail, had bread and milk and blackberries for supper.

16