“‘Mercy me!’ exclaimed Old Mother Nature, throwing up her hands as she saw the tumble-down house almost hidden by the brambles and weeds.  ‘Can it be possible that any one really lives here?’

Then, peering through the tangle of brambles, she spied old Mr. Rabbit sitting on his broken-down doorstep with his arms folded and fast asleep.

“At first she was very indignant, oh, very indignant, indeed!  She decided that Mr. Rabbit should be punished very severely.  But as she watched him sitting there, dreaming in the warm sunshine, her anger began to melt away.  The fact is, Old Mother Nature was like all the rest of Mr. Rabbit’s neighbors—­she just couldn’t help loving happy-go-lucky Mr. Rabbit in spite of all his faults.  With a long stick she reached in and tickled the end of his nose.

“Mr. Rabbit sneezed, and this made him wake up.  He yawned and blinked, and then his eyes suddenly flew wide open with fright.  He had discovered Old Mother Nature frowning at him.  She pointed a long forefinger at him and said: 

    ’In every single blessed day
     There’s time for work and time for play. 
     Who folds his arms with work undone
     Doth cheat himself and spoil his fun.’

“’Hereafter, Mr. Rabbit, you and your children and your children’s children will never again be able to sit with folded arms until you or they have learned to work.’

“And that is why Peter Rabbit cannot fold his arms and still lives in a tumble-down house among the brambles,” concluded Grandfather Frog.

III

WHY UNC’ BILLY POSSUM PLAYS DEAD

One thing puzzled Peter Rabbit and Johnny Chuck and Striped Chipmunk a great deal after they had come to know Unc’ Billy Possum and his funny ways.  They had talked it over and wondered and wondered about it, and tried to understand it, and even had asked Unc’ Billy about it.  Unc’ Billy had just grinned and said that they would have to ask his mammy.  Of course they couldn’t do that, and Unc’ Billy knew they couldn’t, for Unc’ Billy’s mammy had died long before he even thought of coming up from Ol’ Virginny to the Green Forest and the Green Meadows where they lived.  He said it just to tease them, and when he said it, he chuckled until they chuckled too, just as if it really were the best kind of a joke.

Now you know it always is the thing that you try and try to find out and can’t find out that you most want to find out.  It was just so with Peter Rabbit and Johnny Chuck and Striped Chipmunk.  The more they talked about it, the more they wanted to know.  Why was it that Unc’ Billy Possum played dead instead of trying to run away when he was surprised by his enemies?  They always tried to run away.  So did everybody else of their acquaintance excepting Unc’ Billy Possum.

“There must be a reason” said Peter gravely, as he pulled thoughtfully at one of his long ears.