Now, like everybody else, Grandfather Frog is rather fond of Peter Rabbit, and now Peter looked so truly sorry, and at the same time there was such a look of disappointment in Peter’s eyes, that Grandfather Frog forgot all about his crossness.

“Chug-a-rum!” said he.  “You and your questions are a nuisance, Peter Rabbit, and I may as well get rid of you now as to have you keep coming down here and pestering me to death.  Besides, any one who has to keep such a sharp watch for Reddy Fox as you do ought to know why he wears a red coat.  If you’ll promise to sit perfectly still and ask no foolish questions, I’ll tell you the story.”

Of course Peter promised, and settled himself comfortably to listen.  And this is the story that Grandfather Frog told: 

“A long time ago, when the world was young, old Mr. Fox, the grandfather a thousand times removed of Reddy Fox, was one of the smartest of all the forest and meadow people, just as Reddy is now.  He was so smart that he knew enough not to appear smart, and the fact is his neighbors thought him rather dull.  He wore just a common, everyday suit of dull brown, like most of the others, and there wasn’t anything about him to attract attention.  He was always very polite, very polite indeed, to every one.  Yes, Sir, Mr. Fox was very polite.  He always seemed to be minding his own business, and he never went around asking foolish questions or poking his nose into other people’s affairs.”

Grandfather Frog stopped a minute and looked very hard at Peter after he said this, and Peter looked uncomfortable.

“Now, although Mr. Fox didn’t appear to take any interest in other people’s affairs and never asked questions, he had two of the sharpest ears among all the little meadow and forest people, and while he was going about seeming to be just minding his own business, he was listening and listening to all that was said.  Everything he heard he remembered, so that it wasn’t long before he knew more about what was going on than all his neighbors together.  But he kept his mouth tight closed, did Mr. Fox, and was very humble and polite to everybody.  Every night he came home early and went to bed by sundown, and everybody said what good habits Mr. Fox had.

“But when everybody else was asleep, Mr. Fox used to steal out and be gone half the night.  Yes, Sir, sometimes he’d be gone until almost morning.  But he always took care to get home before any of his neighbors were awake, and then he’d wait until everybody was up before he showed himself.  When he came out and started to hunt for his breakfast, some one was sure to tell him of mischief done during the darkness of the night.  Sometimes it was a storehouse broken into, and the best things taken.  Sometimes it was of terrible frights that some of the littlest people had received by being wakened in the night and seeing a fierce face with long, sharp teeth grinning at them.  Sometimes it was of worse things that were told in whispers.  Mr. Fox used to listen as if very much shocked, and say that something ought to be done about it, and wonder who it could be who would do such dreadful things.