The Tale Of Mrs Tiggy Winkle By Beatrix Potter

THE TALE OFMRS. TIGGY-WINKLE BYBEATRIX POTTER Author of“The Tale of Peter Rabbit”, &c. 1905 For THE REAL LITTLE LUCIEOF NEWLANDS ONCE upon a time therewas a little girl calledLucie, who lived at a farmcalled Little-town. She wasa good little girl–only shewas always losing her pocket-handkerchiefs! One day little Lucie cameinto the farm-yard crying–oh, she did cry so! “I’ve lostmy pocket-handkin! Threehandkins and a pinny! Haveyou seen them, Tabby Kitten?” THE Kitten went on washingher white paws; soLucie asked a speckled hen– “Sally Henny-penny, haveyou found three pocket-handkins?” But the speckled hen raninto a barn, clucking– “I go barefoot, barefoot,barefoot!” AND then Lucie asked CockRobin sitting on a twig. Cock Robin looked sidewaysat Lucie with his bright blackeye, and he flew over a stileand away. Lucie climbed upon the stileand looked up at the hill behindLittle-town–a hill that goesup-up–into the clouds asthough it had no top! And a great way up the hillsideshe thought she saw somewhite things spread upon thegrass. LUCIE scrambled up thehill as fast as her stoutlegs would carry her; she ranalong a steep path-way–upand up–until Little-town wasright away down below–shecould have dropped a pebbledown the chimney! PRESENTLY she came toa spring, bubbling outfrom the hill-side. Some one had stood a tincan upon a stone to catch thewater–but the water wasalready running over, for thecan was no bigger than anegg-cup! And where the sandupon the path was wet–therewere foot-marks of a verysmall person. Lucie ran on, and on. THE path ended under abig rock. The grass wasshort and green, and therewere clothes-props cut frombracken stems, with lines ofplaited rushes, and a heap oftiny clothes pins–but nopocket-handkerchiefs! But there was somethingelse–a door! straight into thehill; and inside it some onewas singing– “Lily-white and clean, oh!With little frills between, oh!Smooth and hot–red rusty spotNever here be seen, oh!” LUCIE, knocked–once–twice, and interruptedthe song. A little frightenedvoice called out “Who’s that?” Lucie opened the door: andwhat do you think there wasinside the hill?–a nice cleankitchen with a flagged floorand wooden beams–just likeany other farm kitchen. Onlythe ceiling was so low thatLucie’s head nearly touched it;and the pots and pans weresmall, and so was everythingthere. THERE was a nice hotsingey smell; and at thetable, with an iron in her handstood a very stout short personstaring anxiously at Lucie. Her print gown was tuckedup, and she was wearing alarge apron over her stripedpetticoat. Her little blacknose went sniffle, sniffle, snuffle, and her eyes went twinkle,twinkle; and underneath hercap–where Lucie had yellowcurls–that little person hadPRICKLES! “Who are you?” saidLucie. “Have youseen my pocket-handkins?”The little person made abob-curtsey–“Oh, yes, if youplease’m; my name is Mrs.Tiggy-winkle; oh, yes if youplease’m, I’m an excellentclear-starcher!” And she tooksomething out of a clothes-basket, and spread it on theironing-blanket. “What’s that thing?”said Lucie–“that’snot by pocket-handkin?”“Oh no, if you please’m;that’s a little scarlet waist-coatbelonging to Cock Robin!”And she ironed it and foldedit, and put it on one side. Then she took somethingelse off a clothes-horse–“That isn’t my pinny?” said Lucie.“Oh no, if you please’m;that’s a damask table-clothbelonging to Jenny Wren;look how it’s stained withcurrant wine! It’s very badto wash!” said Mrs. Tiggy-winkle. MRS. TIGGY-WINKLE’Snose went sniffle, sniffle,snuffle, and her eyes wenttwinkle, twinkle; and shefetched another hot iron fromthe fire. “THERE’S one of mypocket-handkins!” criedLucie–“and there’s my pinny!”Mrs. Tiggy-winkle ironed it,and goffered it, and shook outthe frills. “Oh that is lovely!” saidLucie. “AND what are those longyellow things with fingerslike gloves?” “Oh, that’s a pair of stockingsbelonging to Sally Henny-penny–look how she’s worn theheels out with scratchingin the yard! She’ll very soongo barefoot!” said Mrs. Tiggy-winkle. “WHY, there’s anotherhandkersniff–but itisn’t mine; it’s red?”“Oh no, if you please’m;that one belongs to old Mrs.Rabbit; and it did so smellof onions! I’ve had to washit separately, I can’t get outthe smell.” “There’s another one ofmine,” said Lucie. “WHAT are those funnylittle white things?”“That’s a pair of mittensbelonging to Tabby Kitten;I only have to iron them; shewashes then herself.”“There’s my last pocket-handkin!” said Lucie. “AND what are you dippinginto the basin of starch?”“They’re little dicky shirt-frontsbelonging to Tom Tits-mouse–most terrible particular!”said Mrs. Tiddy-winkle.“Now I’ve finished my ironing;I’m going to air some clothes.” “WHAT are these dear softfluffy things?” said Lucie.“Oh those are woolly coatsbelonging to the little lambsat Skelghyl.” “Will their jackets take-off?”asked Lucie. “Oh yes, if you please’m;look at the sheep-mark on theshoulder. And here’s onemarked for Gatesgarth, andthree that come from Little-town.They’re always markedat washing!” said Mrs. Tiggy-winkle. AND she hung up all sortsand sizes of clothes–small brown coats of mice;and one velvety black mole-skinwaist coat; and a red tail-coatwith no tail belonging toSquirrel Nutkin; and a verymuch shrunk jacket belongingto Peter Rabbit; anda petticoat, not marked, thathad gone lost in the washing–and at last the basket wasempty! THEN Mrs. Tiggy-winklemade tea–a cup for herselfand a cup for Lucie. Theysat before a fire on a benchand looked sideways at oneanother. Mrs. Tiggy-winkle’shand, holding the tea-cup, wasvery very brown, and very verywrinkly with the soap suds;and all through her gown andher cap, there were hair-pinssticking wrong end out; sothat Lucie didn’t like to sitto near her. WHEN they had finishedtea, they tied up theclothes in bundles; and Lucie’spocket-handkerchiefs werefolded up inside her cleanpinny, and fastened with asilver safety-pin. And then they made up thefire with turf, and came outand locked the door, and hidthe key under the door-sill. THEN away down the hilltrotted Lucie and Mrs.Tiggy-winkle and the bundlesof clothes! All the way down the pathlittle animals came out of thefern to meet them; the veryfirst that they met was PeterRabbit and Benjamin Bunny! AND she gave them theirNice clean clothes; andall the little animals and birdswere so very much obliged todear Mrs. Tiggy-winkle. SO that at the bottom of thehill when they came tothe stile, there was nothingleft to carry except Lucie’sone little bundle. Lucie scrambled up thestile with the bundle inher hand; and then she turnedto say, “Good-Night,” and tothank the washer-woman–But what a very odd thing!Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle had notwaited either for thanks or forthe washing bill!She was running runningrunning up the hill–andWhere was her white frilledcap? and her shawl? and hergown–and her petticoat? AND how small she hadgrown–and how brown–and covered with prickles!Why! Mrs. Tiggy-winklewas nothing but a hedgehog.

(Now some people say that littleLucie had been asleep upon the stile– but then how could she have foundthree clean pocket-handkins and a pinny, pinned with a silver safety pin?And besides–I have seen that doorinto the back of the hill called Cat Bells–and besides I am very wellacquainted with dear Mrs. Tiggy-winkle!) *** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE TALE OF MRS. TIGGY-WINKLE *** This file should be named 12103.txt or 12103.zip This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: http://www.gutenberg.net/1/2/1/0/12103/ Produced by Kathie Sanchez, Lauren Rouse, Marie Rouse, Kathy Rouse, Michael Sanchez, and Matthew Sanchez Updated editions will replace the previous one–the old editions will be renamed. Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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