Peter Rabbit and his brothers and sisters lived on the sandy bank, under the roots of a big fir tree.
His brothers and sisters were called Flopsy, Mopsy and Cotton-tail.
One morning their mother went out into the garden. She had a basket and an umbrella.
“My dears,” she said, “you may go to the meadow. But do not go into Mr. McGregor’s garden.”
“Why not?” asked Peter.
“Because your father stayed there,” said his mother. “Only his coat came back. It went into a pie.”
Flopsy, Mopsy and Cotton-tail went off to the blackberries, as their mother had said.
Peter went towards the garden.
There was a gap under the garden gate. Peter squeezed through it.
Inside everything was green, and it smelled of earth.
Peter ate a leaf of lettuce. Then a radish. Then some beans.
After that his stomach hurt. So he went looking for parsley.
The parsley grew beside the cucumber frame.
When he came round the end of it, he found himself face to face with Mr. McGregor.
Mr. McGregor stood up and shouted: “Stop, thief!”
Peter began to run.
He ran between the rows, past the cabbages, past the carrots, past the lettuces.
One of his shoes stayed behind in the cabbages.
The other shoe stayed behind in the carrot bed.
His jacket caught on a branch of the yew tree.
Peter burst into the tool shed and hid under a flower pot.
It was warm under the pot, and Peter nearly fell asleep.
Then the gravel crunched. Mr. McGregor was coming.
Peter sneezed.
“There you are!” shouted Mr. McGregor.
Peter jumped out of the window.
He ran across the garden, squeezed through the sieve, and came out on the road.
At home his mother measured how many blackberries he had eaten.
Peter had eaten no blackberries. So he was given a spoonful of castor oil.
His brothers and sisters had milk and blackberries for supper.
Peter stayed in bed and was given camomile tea.
Then he fell asleep.
