Produced by Robert Cicconetti, Emmy and the PG Online Distributed Proofreading Team. THE TALE OF SQUIRREL NUTKIN BY BEATRIX POTTER _Author of_ "_The Tale of Peter Rabbit_" [Illustration] FREDERICK WARNE [Illustration] FREDERICK WARNE 1903 by Frederick Warne & Co. Printed and bound in Great Britain by William Clowes Limited, Beccles and London A STORY FOR NORAH [Illustration] This is a Tale about a tail--a tail that belonged to a little red squirrel, and his name was Nutkin. He had a brother called Twinkleberry, and a great many cousins: they lived in a wood at the edge of a lake. [Illustration] In the middle of the lake there is an island covered with trees and nut bushes; and amongst those trees stands a hollow oak-tree, which is the house of an owl who is called Old Brown. [Illustration] One autumn when the nuts were ripe, and the leaves on the hazel bushes were golden and green--Nutkin and Twinkleberry and all the other little squirrels came out of the wood, and down to the edge of the lake. [Illustration] They made little rafts out of twigs, and they paddled away over the water to Owl Island to gather nuts. Each squirrel had a little sack and a large oar, and spread out his tail for a sail. [Illustration] They also took with them an offering of three fat mice as a present for Old Brown, and put them down upon his door-step. Then Twinkleberry and the other little squirrels each made a low bow, and said politely-- "Old Mr. Brown, will you favour us with permission to gather nuts upon your island?" [Illustration] But Nutkin was excessively impertinent in his manners. He bobbed up and down like a little red _cherry_, singing-- "Riddle me, riddle me, rot-tot-tote! A little wee man, in a red red coat! A staff in his hand, and a stone in his throat; If you'll tell me this riddle, I'll give you a groat." Now this riddle is as old as the hills; Mr. Brown paid no attention whatever to Nutkin. He shut his eyes obstinately and went to sleep. [Illustration] The squirrels filled their little sacks with nuts, and sailed away home in the evening. [Illustration] But next morning they all came back again to Owl Island; and Twinkleberry and the others brought a fine fat mole, and laid it on the stone in front of Old Brown's doorway, and said-- "Mr. Brown, will you favour us with your gracious permission to gather some more nuts?" [Illustration] But Nutkin, who had no respect, began to dance up and down, tickling old Mr. Brown with a _nettle_ and singing-- "Old Mr. B! Riddle-me-ree! Hitty Pitty within the wall, Hitty Pitty without the wall; If you touch Hitty Pitty, Hitty Pitty will bite you!" Mr. Brown woke up suddenly and carried the mole into his house. [Illustration] He shut the door in Nutkin's face. Presently a little thread of blue _smoke_ from a wood fire came up from the top of the tree, and Nutkin peeped through the key-hole and sang--