You see, he
didn't notice that Grandfather Frog was listening when he asked Spotty
about his house. Of course, Grandfather Frog knows Peter and his
curiosity so well that he had guessed right away that Peter would come
to him for the story, just as Peter did.
XVI
WHY PADDY THE BEAVER HAS A BROAD TAIL
Usually the thing that interests us most is something that we haven't
got ourselves. It is that way with Peter Rabbit. Peter is not
naturally envious. Oh, my, no! Peter is pretty well satisfied with
what he has, which is quite as it should be. There is only one thing
with which Peter is really dissatisfied, and it is only once in a
while, when he hasn't much of anything else to think about, that he is
dissatisfied with this. Can you guess what it is? Well, it is his
tail. Yes, Sir, that is the one thing that ever really troubles
Peter.
You see, Peter's tail is, nothing but a funny little bunch of cotton,
which doesn't look like a tail at all. The only time he ever sees it
is when he is back to the Smiling Pool and looks over his shoulder at
his reflection in the water, and then, of course, he really doesn't
see his tail itself. So sometimes when Peter sees the fine tails of
his neighbors, a little bit of envy creeps into his heart for just a
little while. Why, even little Danny Meadow Mouse has a real tail,
short as it is. And as for Happy Jack Squirrel and Reddy Fox and Bobby
Coon and Jimmy Skunk, everybody knows what beautiful tails they have.
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