e
Hills, and the Black Shadows came trooping across the Green Meadows,
Jimmy got up, yawned, chuckled, and then slowly ambled down to Johnny
Chuck's old house. A look at the footprints in the sand on the doorstep
told him that Peter had not come out. Jimmy sat down and waited until it
was quite dark. Then he poked his head in at the doorway. The Yellow
Jackets had gone to bed for the night.

"Come out, Peter. I'm waiting for you!" he called down the hall, and
made his voice sound as angry as he could. But inside he was chuckling.
Then Jimmy Skunk calmly turned and went about his business. He had kept
his word.

As for Peter Rabbit, that had been one of the very worst days he could
recall. He had ached and smarted from the stings of the Yellow Jackets;
he had worried all day about what would happen to him if he did meet
Jimmy Skunk, and he was hungry. He had had just a little bit of hope,
and this was that Jimmy Skunk wouldn't come back when it grew dark. He
had crept part way up the hall at the first hint of night and stretched
himself out to wait until he could be sure that those dreadful Yellow
Jackets had gone to sleep. He had just about made up his mind that it
was safe for him to scamper out when Jimmy Skunk's voice came down the
hall to him. Poor Peter! The sound of that voice almost broke his heart.

"He has come back. He's kept his word," he half sobbed as he once more
went back to Johnny Chuck's old bedroom.

There he stayed nearly all the rest of the night, though his stomach
was so empty it ached. Just before it was time for Mr. Sun to rise,
Peter ventured to dash out of Johnny Chuck's old house. He got past the
home of the Yellow Jackets safely, for they were not yet awake. With his
heart in his mouth, he sprang out of the doorway. Jimmy Skunk wasn't
there. With a sigh of relief, Peter started for the dear, safe Old
Briar-patch, lipperty-lipperty-lip, as fast as he could go.

"I'll never, never play another joke," he said, over and over again as
he ran.

XII

JIMMY SKUNK AND UNC' BILLY POSSUM MEET

Jimmy Skunk ambled along down the Lone Little Path through the Green
Forest. He didn't hurry. Jimmy never does hurry. Hurrying and worrying
are two things he leaves for his neighbors. Now and then Jimmy stopped
to turn over a bit of bark or a stick, hoping to find some fat beetles.
But it was plain to see that he had something besides fat beetles on his
mind.

Up the Lone Little Path through th