by
little it began to be pulled free from his body. All the time Old Mr. Toad
was working very hard to suck it at the corners of his big mouth. He glared
angrily at Peter, but he couldn't say anything because his mouth was too
full. He looked so funny that Peter just threw himself on the ground and
rolled over and over with laughter. This made Old Mr. Toad glare more
angrily than ever, but he couldn't say anything, not a word.

When he had got his hands free by pulling the sleeves of his old coat off
inside out, he used his hands to pull the last of it over his head. Then he
gulped very hard two or three times to swallow his old suit, and when the
last of it had disappeared, he found his voice.

"Don't you know that it is the most impolite thing in the world to look at
people when they are changing their clothes?" he sputtered.

XIV

OLD MR. TOAD DISAPPEARS

Admit your fault when you've done wrong,
And don't postpone it over long.

Peter Rabbit didn't blame Old Mr. Toad a bit for being indignant because
Peter had watched him change his suit. It wasn't a nice thing to do. Old
Mr. Toad had looked very funny while he was struggling out of his old suit,
and Peter just couldn't help laughing at him. But he realized that he had
been very impolite, and he very meekly told Old Mr. Toad so.

"You see, it was this way," explained Peter. "I heard something under that
old board, and I just naturally turned it over to find out what was there."

"Hump!" grunted Old Mr. Toad.

"I didn't have the least idea that you were there," continued Peter. "When
I found who it was, and what you were doing, I couldn't help watching
because it was so interesting, and I couldn't help laughing because you
really did look so funny. But I'm sorry, Mr. Toad. Truly I am. I didn't
mean to be so impolite. I promise never to do it again. I don't suppose,
Mr. Toad, that it seems at all wonderful to you that you can change your
suit that way, but it does to me. I had heard that you swallowed your old
suits, but I never half believed it. Now I know it is so and just how you
do it, and I feel as if I had learned something worth knowing. Do you know,
I think you are one of the most interesting and wonderful of all my
neighbors, and I'll never laugh at or tease you again, Mr. Toad."

"Hump!" grunted Old Mr. Toad again, but it was very clear that he was a
little flattered by Peter's interest in him and was rapidly recovering his
good nature