on his big green lily-pad, and he looks as if he might be
feeling very good-natured this morning. Let's go ask him why Jerry
Muskrat builds his house in the water."

Grandfather Frog saw them coming, and he guessed right away that they
were coming for a story. He grinned to himself and pretended to go to
sleep.

"Good morning, Grandfather Frog," said Johnny Chuck. Grandfather Frog
didn't answer. Johnny tried again, and still no reply.

"He's asleep," said Johnny, looking dreadfully disappointed, "and I
guess we'd better not disturb him, for he might wake up cross, and of
course we wouldn't get a story if he did."

Peter looked at Grandfather Frog sharply. He wasn't so sure that that
was a real nap. It seemed to him that there was just the least little
hint of a smile in the corners of Grandfather Frog's big mouth. "You
sit here a minute," he whispered in Johnny Chuck's ear.

So Johnny Chuck sat down where he was, which was right where
Grandfather Frog could see him by lifting one eyelid just the teeniest
bit, and Peter hopped along the bank until he was right behind
Grandfather Frog. Now just at that place on the bank was growing a
toadstool. Peter looked over at Johnny Chuck and winked. Then he
turned around, and with one of his long hind-feet, he kicked the
toadstool with all his might. Now toadstools, as you all know, are not
very well fastened at the roots, and this one was no different from
the rest. When Peter kicked it it flew out into the air and landed
with a great splash in the Smiling Pool, close beside the big green
lily-pad on which Grandfather Frog was sitting. Of course he didn't
see it coming, and of course it gave him a great start.

"Chug-a-rum!" exclaimed Grandfather Frog and dived head first into the
water. A minute later Peter's sharp eyes saw him peeping out from
under a lily-pad to see what had frightened him so.

"Ha, ha, ha!" shouted Peter, dancing about on the bank. "Ha, ha, ha!
Grandfather Frog, afraid of a toadstool! Ha, ha, ha!"

At first Grandfather Frog was angry, very angry indeed. But he is too
old and too wise to lose his temper for long over a joke, especially
when he has been fairly caught trying to play a joke himself. So
presently he climbed back on to his big green lily-pad, blinking his
great, goggly eyes and looking just a wee bit foolish.

"Chug-a-rum! I might have known that that was some of your work,
Peter Rabbit," said he, "but I thought it surely was a stone throw