Jerry watched a little while and then, because Jerry is a worker
himself, he just had to get busy and help. Rather timidly he told
his big cousin that he would like to have a share in building the
new house.

"All right," replied Paddy, "that will be fine. You can bring mud
while I am getting the sticks and grass."

So Jerry dived down to the bottom of the pond and dug up mud and
piled it on the foundation and was happy. The little stars looked
down and twinkled merrily as they watched the two workers. So the
foundation grew and grew down under the water. Jerry was very
much surprised at the size of it. It was ever and ever so much
bigger than the foundation for his own house. You see, he had
forgotten how much bigger Paddy is.

Each night Jerry and Paddy worked, resting during the daytime.
Occasionally Bobby Coon or Reddy Fox or Unc' Billy Possum or
Jimmy Skunk would come to the edge of the pond to see what was
going on. Peter Rabbit came every night. But they couldn't see
much because, you know, Paddy and Jerry were working under water.

But at last Peter was rewarded. There, just above the water, was
a splendid platform of mud and grass and sticks. A great many
sticks were carefully laid as soon as the platform was above the
water, for Paddy was very particular about this. You see, it was
to be the floor for the splendid room he was planning to build.
When it suited him, he began to pile mud in the very middle.

Jerry puzzled and puzzled over this. Where was Paddy's room going