The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle Page #2

								

basket was empty!

Then Mrs. Tiggy-winkle made
tea--a cup for herself and a cup for
Lucie. They sat before the fire on a
bench and looked sideways at one
another. Mrs. Tiggy-winkle's hand,
holding the tea-cup, was very very
brown, and very very wrinkly with the
soap-suds; and all through her gown
and her cap, there were HAIRPINS
sticking wrong end out; so that Lucie
didn't like to sit too near her.

When they had finished tea, they
tied up the clothes in bundles; and
Lucie's pocket-handkerchiefs were
folded up inside her clean pinny, and
fastened with a silver safety-pin.

And then they made up the fire
with turf, and came out and locked
the door, and hid the key under the
door-sill.

Then away down the hill trotted
Lucie and Mrs. Tiggy-winkle with the
bundles of clothes!

All the way down the path little
animals came out of the fern to meet
them; the very first that they met
were Peter Rabbit and Benjamin
Bunny!

And she gave them their nice clean
clothes; and all the little animals and
birds were so very much obliged to
dear Mrs. Tiggy-winkle.

So that at the bottom of the hill
when they came to the stile, there was
nothing left to carry except Lucie's
one little bundle.

Lucie scrambled up the stile with
the bundle in her hand; and then she
turned to say "Good-night," and to
thank the washer-woman.--But what
a VERY odd thing! Mrs. Tiggy-winkle
had not waited either for thanks or
for the washing bill!

She was running running running
up the hill--and where was her white
frilled cap? and her shawl? and her
gown-and her petticoat?

And HOW small she had grown--
and HOW brown--and covered with
PRICKLES!

Why! Mrs. Tiggy-winkle was
nothing but a HEDGEHOG!
 * * * * * *

(Now some people say that little Lucie
had been asleep upon the stile--but then
how could she have found three clean
pocket-handkins and a pinny, pinned with a
silver safety-pin?

And besides--I have seen that door into
the back of the hill called Cat Bells--and
besides I am very well acquainted with dear
Mrs. Tiggy-winkle!)
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