The Tale Benjamin Bunny by Beatrix Potter

Books at Bedtime by Calming Anxiety The Tale of Benjamin Bunny by Beatrix Potter One morning, a little rabbit sat on a bank. He practised ears and listened to the trick-trot, trick-trot of a pony. A gig was coming along the road and it was driven by Mr McGregor and beside him sat Mrs McGregor in her best bonnet. As soon as they passed by, little Benjamin Bunny slid down into the road and set off with a hop, skip and a jump to call upon his relations who lived in the wood at the back of Mr McGregor's garden.

The wood was full of rabbit holes and in the nearest, sandiest hole of all, lived Benjamin's aunt and his cousins. Flopsy, mobsy, cotton-tail and pita. Old Mrs Rabbit was a widow. She earned her living by knitting rabbit wool mittens and muffaties.

I once bought a pair at a bizarre. She also sold herbs and rosemary tea and rabbit tobacco. Which is what we call lavender. Little Benjamin did not very much want to see his aunt.

He came round the back of the third tree and nearly tumbled upon the top of his cousin pita. Pita was sitting by himself. He looked poorly and was dressed in a red cotton pocket hankerchief. "Pita," said little Benjamin in a whisper, "who has got your clothes?"

Pita replied, "The scarecrow in Mr McGregor's garden and described how he had been chased out upon the garden and had dropped his shoes and coat." Little Benjamin sat down beside his cousin and assured him that Mr McGregor had gone out in a gig and Mrs McGregor also and certainly for the day because she was wearing her best bonnet. Pita said he hoped that it would rain. At this point, old Mrs Rabbit's voice was heard inside the rabbit hole, calling.

Cotton tail, cotton tail fetch some more camomile. Pita said he thought he might feel better if he went for a walk. They went away, hand in hand, and got upon the flat top of the wall at the bottom of the wood. From there, they looked down into Mr McGregor's garden.

Pita's coat and shoes were plainly to be seen upon the scarecrow, topped with an old tamishanta of Mr McGregor's. Little Benjamin said it spoils people's clothes to squeeze under a gate. The proper way to get in is to climb down a petry. Pita fell down headfirst but it was of no consequence as the bed below was newly rake and quite soft.

It had been sewn with lettuces. They left a great many odd little foot marks all over it, especially Langeman, who was wearing clocks. Little Benjamin said that the first thing to be done was to get back Pita's clothes in order that they might be able to use the pocket hangtchief. They took them off the scarecrow.

There had been rain during the night. There was water in the shoes and the coat was somewhat shrunk. Benjamin tied on the tamishanta but it was too big for him. Then he suggested that they should fill the pocket hangtchief with onions as a little present for his aunt.

Pita did not seem to be enjoying himself. He kept hearing noises. Benjamin on the contrary was perfectly at home and ate a lettuce. He said that he was in the habit of coming to the garden with his father to get lettuces for their Sunday dinner.

The name of the little Benjamin's papa was old Mr. Benjamin Bunny. The lettuces certainly were very fine. He said he should go home. Presently he dropped half the onions.

Little Benjamin said that it was not possible to get back up the pear tree with a load of vegetables. He led the way boldly towards the other end of the garden. They went along the little war complex under a sunny red brick wall. The mice sat on their doorsteps cracking cherry stones.

They winked at Peter Rabbit and little Benjamin Bunny. Presently Peter let the pocket hangtchief go again. They got amongst the flower pots and frames and tubs. Peter heard noises worse than ever.

His eyes were as big as lollipops. He was a step or two in front of his cousin when he suddenly stopped. This is what those little rabbits saw around the corner. Little Benjamin took one look and then in half a minute less than no time, he hid himself and Peter and the onions underneath a large basket.

The cat got up and stretched herself and came and sniffed at the basket. Perhaps she liked the smell of onions. Anyway, she sat down upon the top of the basket. She sat there for five hours.

I cannot draw you a picture of Peter and Benjamin underneath the basket because it was quite dark and because the smell of onions was fearful, it made Peter Rabbit and little Benjamin cry. The sun got round behind the wood and it was quite late in the afternoon, but still the cat sat upon the basket. At length there was a pitter-patter, pitter-patter, and some bits of mortar fell from the wall above. The cat looked up and saw old Mr. Benjamin Bunny prancing along the top of the wall of the upper terrace.

He was smoking a pipe of Rabbit tobacco and had a little switch in his hand. He was looking for his son. Old Mr. Bunny had no opinion, whatever of cats. He took a tremendous jump off from the top of the wall onto the top of the cat and cuffed it off the basket and kicked it into the greenhouse, scratching off a handful of fur.

The cat was too much surprised to scratch back. When old Mr. Bunny had driven the cat into the greenhouse, he locked the door. Then he came back to the basket and took out his son Benjamin by the years and whipped him with a little switch. Then he took out his nephew, Peter.

He took out the handkerchief of onions, a march out of the garden.

When Mr. McGregor returned about half an hour later, he observed several things which perplexed him. It looked as though some person had been walking all over the garden in a pair of clogs. Only the footmarks were too ridiculously little. He could not understand how the cat could have managed to shut herself up inside the greenhouse, locking the door upon the outside.

When Peter got home, his mother forgave him because she was so glad to see that he had found his shoes in coat.

Cottontail and Peter folded up the pocket hangtchief and old Mrs. Rabbit shrung up the onions and hung them from the kitchen ceiling with bunches of herbs and rabbit tobacco.