m down Peter Rabbit's ears and his hind
legs were long, many times longer than they used to be. When he tried
to run away to hide his shame, he found that the only way he could go
was with great jumps, and you may be sure he jumped as fast as he could.

"And ever since that long ago time, when the world was young, rabbits
have had long ears and long hind legs, all because of the curiosity of
their grandfather a thousand times removed. And now you know why Peter
Rabbit's ears are long, and why he is always sitting up and listening,"
concluded Great-Grandfather Frog.

"Thank you, thank you, Grandfather Frog!" shouted all the Merry Little
Breezes, and raced away to help old Mother West Wind drive up the
wandering raincloud, which she had found at last.

IV

REDDY FOX DISOBEYS

On the brow of the hill by the Lone Pine sat Reddy Fox. Every few
moments he pointed his little black nose up at the round, yellow moon
and barked. Way over across the broad White Meadows, which in summer
time are green, you know, in the dooryard of Farmer Brown's house,
Bowser the Hound sat and barked at the moon, too.

"Yap-yap-yap," barked Reddy Fox, as loud as he could.

"Bow-wow-wow," said Bowser the Hound in his deepest voice.

Then both would listen and watch the million little stars twinkle and
twinkle in the frosty sky. Now just why Reddy Fox should bark at the
moon he did not know. He just had to. Every night for a week he had
sat at the foot of the Lone Pine and barked and barked until his throat
was sore. Every night old Mother Fox had warned him that noisy
children would come to no good end, and every night Reddy had promised
that he would bark no more. But every night when the first silver
flood of witching light crept over the hill and cast strange shadows
from the naked branches of the trees, Reddy forgot all about his
promise. Deep down under his little red coat was a strange feeling
which he could not explain. He simply _must_ bark, so up to the Lone
Pine he would go and yap and yap and yap, until all the little meadow
people who were not asleep knew just where Reddy Fox was.

Bowser the Hound knew, too, and he made up his mind that Reddy Fox was
making fun of him. Now Bowser did not like to be made fun of any more
than little boys and girls do, and he made up his mind that if ever he
could break his chain, or that if ever Farmer Brown forgot to chain him
up, he would teach Reddy Fox a lesson that Reddy w