he didn't. Instead he shouted to Bowser and called him away.
Bowser didn't want to come, but he long ago learned to obey, and
very slowly he walked over to where his master was sitting.

"You know it wouldn't be fair, old fellow, to try to catch Peter
now. It wouldn't be fair at all, and we never want to do anything
unfair, do we?" said he. Perhaps Bowser didn't agree, but he
wagged his tail as if he did, and sat down beside his master to
watch Peter swim.

It seemed to Peter as if he never, never would reach the shore,
though really it was only a very little distance that he had to
swim. When he did scramble out, he was a sorry-looking Rabbit. He
didn't waste any time, but started for home as fast as he could
go, lipperty-lipperty-lip. And Farmer Brown's boy and Bowser the
Hound just laughed and didn't try to catch him at all.

"Well, I never!" exclaimed Sammy Jay, who had seen it all from
the top of a pine tree. "Well, I never! I guess Farmer Brown's
boy isn't so bad, after all."



CHAPTER IX Paddy Plans a House.

Paddy the Beaver sat on his dam, and his eyes shone with
happiness as he looked out over the shining water of the pond he
had made. All around the edge of it grew the tall trees of the
Green Forest. It was very beautiful and very still and very
lonesome. That is, it would have seemed lonesome to almost anyone