Peter Rabbit sat in the middle of the dear Old Briar-patch making faces and laughing at Reddy Fox.  Of course that wasn’t a nice thing to do, not a bit nice.  But Peter had just had a narrow escape, a very narrow escape, for Reddy Fox had sprung out from behind a bush as Peter came down the Lone Little Path, and had so nearly caught Peter that he had actually pulled some fur out of Peter’s coat.  Now Peter was safe in the dear Old Briar-patch.  He was a little out of breath, because he had had to use his long legs as fast as he knew how, but he was safe.  You see, Reddy Fox wouldn’t run the risk of tearing his handsome red coat on the brambles.  Besides, they scratched terribly.

“Never mind, Peter Rabbit, I’ll get you yet!” snarled Reddy, as he gave up and started back for the Green Forest.

    “Reddy Fox is very sly! 
     Reddy Fox is very spry! 
     But sly and spry, ’tis vain to try
     To be as sly and spry as I.”

When Peter Rabbit shouted this, Reddy looked back and showed all his teeth, but Peter only laughed, and Reddy trotted on.  Peter watched him out of sight.

“My!  I wish I had such a handsome coat,” he said, with a long sigh, for you know Peter’s coat is very plain, very plain, indeed.

“You wouldn’t, if you had to wear it for the same reason that Reddy Fox has to wear his.  A good heart and honest ways are better than fine clothes, Peter Rabbit.”

Peter looked up.  There was saucy, pert, little Jenny Wren fussing around in one of the old bramble bushes.

“Hello, Jenny!” said Peter.  “Why does Reddy wear a red coat?”

“Do you mean to say that you don’t know?” Jenny Wren looked very hard at Peter with her sharp eyes.  “I thought everybody knew that!  You certainly are slow, Peter Rabbit.  I haven’t time to tell you about it now.  Go ask Grandfather Frog; he knows all about it.”  Jenny Wren bustled off before Peter could find his tongue.

Now, you all know how full of curiosity Peter Rabbit is.  Jenny Wren’s busy tongue had set that curiosity fairly boiling over.  He just couldn’t sit still for wondering and wondering why Reddy Fox wears a red coat.  He had never thought anything about it before, but now he couldn’t get it out of his head.  He just had to know.  So, making sure that Reddy Fox had disappeared in the Green Forest, Peter started for the Smiling Pool, lipperty-lipperty-lip, as fast as he could go.  There he found Grandfather Frog setting on his big green lily-pad, just as usual.

“If you please, Grandfather Frog, why does Reddy Fox wear a red coat?” panted Peter, quite out of breath.

“Chug-a-rum!” grunted Grandfather Frog crossly.  “Don’t you know that it is very impolite to disturb people when they are having a nap?”

“I—­I’m very sorry.  Indeed I am, Grandfather Frog,” said Peter very humbly.  “Will you tell me if I come again some time when you are not so sleepy?”