Brown turned up his eyes in disgust at the impertinence of Nutkin.

But he ate up the honey!

 

 

The squirrels filled their little sacks with nuts.

But Nutkin sat upon a big flat rock, and played ninepins with a crab apple and green fir-cones.

 

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On the sixth day, which was Saturday, the squirrels came again for the last time; they brought a new-laid egg in a little rush basket as a last parting present for Old Brown.

But Nutkin ran in front laughing, and shouting —

“Humpty Dumpty lies in the beck,
With a white counterpane round his neck,
Forty doctors and forty wrights,
Cannot put Humpty Dumpty to rights!”

 

 

Now old Mr. Brown took an interest in eggs; he opened one eye and shut it again. But still he did not speak.

 

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Nutkin became more and more impertinent —

“Old Mr. B! Old Mr. B!
Hickamore, Hackamore,
on the King’s kitchen door;All the King’s horses,
and all the King’s men,Couldn’t drive Hickamore, Hackamore,
Off the King’s kitchen door!”

Nutkin danced up and down like a sunbeam; but still Old Brown said nothing at all.

 

 

Nutkin began again —

“Arthur O’Bower has broken his band,
He comes roaring up the land!
The King of Scots with all his power,
Cannot turn Arthur of the Bower!”

Nutkin made a whirring noise to sound like the wind, and he took a running jump right onto the head of Old Brown!…

Then all at once there was a flutterment and a scufflement and a loud “Squeak!”

The other squirrels scuttered away into the bushes.

 

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When they came back very cautiously, peeping round the tree — there was Old Brown sitting on his door-step, quite still, with his eyes closed, as if nothing had happened.

*

But Nutkin was in his waistcoat pocket!

 

 

This looks like the end of the story; but it isn’t.

 

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Old Brown carried Nutkin into his house, and held him up by the tail, intending to skin him; but Nutkin pulled so very hard that his tail broke in two, and he dashed up the staircase, and escaped out of the attic window.

 

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And to this day, if you meet Nutkin up a tree and ask him a riddle, he will throw sticks at you, and stamp his feet and scold, and shout —

“Cuck-cuck-cuck-cur-r-r-cuck-k-k!”



The End

 

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FREDERICK WARNE

Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand,
London WC2R 0RL, England

Website: www.peterrabbit.com

First published by Frederick Warne 1903

This electronic edition first published 2010

New reproductions of Beatrix Potter’s illustrations

copyright ©Frederick Warne & Co., 2002

Original copyright in text and illustrations
©Frederick Warne & Co., 1903

Frederick Warne & Co. is the owner of all rights,
copyrights and trademarks in the Beatrix Potter
character names and illustrations.

All rights reserved

ISBN: 978-0-72-326561-0

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