Peter scratched his head and then pulled his whiskers thoughtfully
as he gazed out at the pile in the water where Paddy the Beaver
was at work.

"It does look foolish, that's a fact," said he. "Why don't you
point out to him the mistake he is making, Jerry? You have built
such a splendid house yourself that you ought to be able to help
Paddy and show him his mistakes."

Jerry had smiled a very self-satisfied smile when Peter mentioned
his fine house, but he shook his head at the suggestion that he
should give Paddy advice.

"I--I don't just like to," he confessed. "You know, he might not
like it and--and it doesn't seem as if it would be quite polite.

Peter sniffed. "That wouldn't trouble me any if he were my
cousin," said he.

Jerry shook his head, "No, I don't believe it would," he replied,
"but it does trouble me and--and--well, I think I'll wait
awhile."

Now all this time Paddy had been hard at work. He was bringing
the longest branches which he had cut from the trees out of which
he had built his dam, and a lot of slender willow and alder
poles. He pushed these ahead of him as he swam. When he reached
the foundation of his house, he would lean them against the pile
of mud in the middle with their big ends resting on the
foundation. So he worked all the way around until by and by the