Paddy laughed. "Just the bark," said he, "and I have to have a great
deal of it."

Jerry looked as disappointed as he felt. "Of course you can't stay
then," said he, "and -- and I had thought that we would have such
good times together."

Paddy's eyes twinkled. "Perhaps we may yet," said he. "You see I
have about made up my mind that I will stay a while along the
Laughing Brook in the Green Forest, and you can come to see me
there. On our way down I saw a very nice hole in the bank that I
think will make me a good house for the present, and you can come up
there to see me. But if I do stay, you and Grandfather Frog and
Spotty the Turtle must keep my secret. No one must know that I am
there. Will you?"

"Of course we will!" cried Jerry Muskrat and Grandfather Frog and
Spotty the Turtle together.

"Then I'll stay," said Paddy the Beaver, diving into the Smiling
Pool with a great splash.

And so one of Jerry Muskrat's greatest adventures ended in the
finding of his biggest cousin, Paddy the Beaver. Now Jerry has a lot
of cousins, and one of them lives on the Green Meadows not far from
the Smiling Pool. His name is Danny Meadow Mouse, and Danny is forever
having adventures too. He has them every day. In the next book you
will be told about some of these, if you care to read about them.