Peter Rabbit was tired and very sleepy as he hopped along the Crooked Little Path down the hill. He could see Old Mother West Wind just emptying her Merry Little Breezes out of her big bag onto the Green Meadows to play all the bright summer day. Peter Rabbit yawned and yawned again as he watched them dance over to the Smiling Pool. Then he hopped on down the Crooked Little Path towards home.  
Sammy Jay, sitting on a fence post, saw him coming.
 
"Peter Rabbit out all night!
Oh my goodness what a sight!
Peter Rabbit, reprobate!
No good end will be your fate!"
shouted Sammy Jay.
 
Peter Rabbit ran out his tongue at Sammy Jay.
 
"Who stole Happy Jack's nuts? Thief! Thief! Thief!" shouted Peter Rabbit at Sammy Jay, and kept on down the Crooked Little Path.
 
It was true—Peter Rabbit had been out all night playing in the moonlight, stealing a midnight feast in Farmer Brown's cabbage patch and getting into mischief with Bobby Coon. Now when most of the little meadow people were just waking up Peter Rabbit was thinking of bed.
 
Presently he came to a big piece of bark which is the roof of Mr. Toad's house. Mr. Toad was sitting in his doorway blinking at jolly, round, red Mr. Sun, who had just begun to climb up the sky.
 
"Good morning, Mr. Toad," said Peter Rabbit.
 
"Good morning," said Mr. Toad.
 
"You're looking very fine this morning, Mr. Toad," said Peter Rabbit.
 
"I'm feeling very fine this morning," said Mr. Toad.
 
"Why, my gracious, you have on a new suit, Mr. Toad!" exclaimed Peter Rabbit.
 
"Well, what if I have, Peter Rabbit?" demanded Mr. Toad.
 
"Oh, nothing, nothing, nothing at all, Mr. Toad, nothing at all," said Peter Rabbit hastily, "only I didn't know you ever had a new suit. What have you done with your old suit, Mr. Toad?"
 
"Swallowed it," said Mr. Toad shortly, turning his back on Peter Rabbit.
 
And that was all Peter Rabbit could get out of Mr. Toad, so he started on down the Crooked Little Path. Now Peter Rabbit has a great deal of curiosity and is forever poking into other people's affairs. The more he thought about it the more he wondered what Mr. Toad could have done with his old suit. Of course he hadn't swallowed it! Who ever heard of such a thing! The more he thought of it the more Peter Rabbit felt that he must know what Mr. Toad had done with his old suit. By this time he had forgotten that he had been out all night. He had forgotten that he was sleepy. He had got to find out about Mr. Toad's old suit.
 
"I'll just run over to the Smiling Pool and ask Grandfather Frog. He'll surely know what Mr. Toad does with his old suits," said Peter Rabbit, and began to hop faster.
 
When he reached the Smiling Pool there sat Great-Grandfather Frog on his big green lily pad as usual. There was a hungry look in his big goggly eyes, for it was so early that no foolish, green flies had come his way yet. But Peter Rabbit was too full of curiosity in Mr. Toad's affairs to notice this.
 
"Good morning, Grandfather Frog," said Peter Rabbit.
 
"Good morning," replied Grandfather Frog a wee bit gruffly.
 
"You're looking very fine this morning, Grandfather Frog," said Peter Rabbit.
 
"Not so fine as I'd feel if I had a few fat, foolish, green flies," said Grandfather Frog.
 
"I've just met your cousin, Mr. Toad, and he has on a new suit," said Peter Rabbit.
 
"Indeed!" replied Grandfather Frog. "Well, I think it's high time."
 
"What does Mr. Toad do with his old suit, Grandfather Frog?" asked Peter Rabbit.
 
"Chug-a-rum! It's none of my business. Maybe he swallows it," replied Grandfather Frog crossly, and turned his back on Peter Rabbit.
 
Peter Rabbit saw that his curiosity must remain unsatisfied. He suddenly remembered that he had been out all night and was very, very sleepy, so he started off home across the Green Meadows.
 
Now the Merry Little Breezes had heard all that Peter Rabbit and Grandfather Frog had said, and they made up their minds that they would find out from Grandfather Frog what Mr. Toad really did do with his old suit. First of all they scattered over the Green Meadows. Presently back they all came, each blowing ahead of him a fat, foolish, green fly. Right over to the big green lily pad they blew the green flies.
 
"Chug-a-rum! Chug-a-rum! Chug-a-rum!" said Grandfather Frog, as each fat, foolish, green fly disappeared inside his white and yellow waistcoat. When the last one was out of sight, all but a leg which was left sticking out of a corner of Grandfather Frog's big mouth, one of the Merry Little Breezes ventured to ask him what became of Mr. Toad's old suit.
 
Grandfather Frog settled himself comfortably on the big green lily pad and folded his hands across his white and yellow waistcoat.
 
"Chug-a-rum," began Grandfather Frog. "Once upon a time—"
 
The Merry Little Breezes clapped their hands and settled themselves among the buttercups and daisies, for they knew that soon they would know what Mr. Toad did with his old suit.
 
"Once upon a time," began Grandfather Frog again, "when the world was young, old King Bear received word that old Mother N............