"I thought everybody knew that! You
certainly are slow, Peter Rabbit. I haven't time to tell you about it
now. Go ask Grandfather Frog; he knows all about it." Jenny Wren
bustled off before Peter could find his tongue.
Now, you all know how full of curiosity Peter Rabbit is. Jenny Wren's
busy tongue had set that curiosity fairly boiling over. He just
couldn't sit still for wondering and wondering why Reddy Fox wears a
red coat. He had never thought anything about it before, but now he
couldn't get it out of his head. He just _had_ to know. So, making
sure that Reddy Fox had disappeared in the Green Forest, Peter started
for the Smiling Pool, lipperty-lipperty-lip, as fast as he could go.
There he found Grandfather Frog setting on his big green lily-pad,
just as usual.
"If you please, Grandfather Frog, why does Reddy Fox wear a red coat?"
panted Peter, quite out of breath.
"Chug-a-rum!" grunted Grandfather Frog crossly. "Don't you know that
it is very impolite to disturb people when they are having a nap?"
"I--I'm very sorry. Indeed I am, Grandfather Frog," said Peter very
humbly. "Will you tell me if I come again some time when you are not
so sleepy?"
Now, like everybody else, Grandfather Frog is rather fond of Peter
Rabbit, and now Peter looked so truly sorry, and at the same time
there was such a look of disappointment in Peter's eyes, that
Grandfather Frog forgot all about his crossness.
"Chug-a-rum!" said he. "You and your questions are a nuisance, Peter
Rabbit, and I may as well get rid of you now as to have you keep
coming down here and pestering me to death.
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