A
Story
for
Norah.
This
is
a
Tale
about
a
tail,
a
tail
that
belonged
to
a
little
red
squirrel,
and
his
name
was
Nutkin.
He
had
a
brother
called
Twinkleberry,
and
a
great
many
cousins:
they
lived
in
a
wood
at
the
edge
of
a
lake.
In
the
middle
of
the
lake
there
is
an
island
covered
with
trees
and
nut
bushes;
and
amongst
those
trees
stands
a
hollow
oak
tree,
which
is
the
house
of
an
owl
who
is
called
Old
Brown.
One
autumn
when
the
nuts
were
ripe,
and
the
leaves
on
the
hazel
bushes
were
golden
and
green
Nutkin
and
Twinkleberry
and
all
the
other
little
squirrels
came
out
of
the
wood,
and
down
to
the
edge
of
the
lake.
They
made
little
rafts
out
of
twigs,
and
they
paddled
away
over
the
water
to
Owl
Island
to
gather
nuts.
Each
squirrel
had
a
little
sack
and
a
large
oar,
and
spread
out
his
tail
for
a
sail.
They
also
took
with
them
an
offering
of
three
fat
mice
as
a
present
for
Old
Brown,
and
put
them
down
upon
his
door
step.
Then
Twinkleberry
and
the
other
little
squirrels
each
made
a
low
bow,
and
said
politely
"Old
Mr.
Brown,
will
you
favour
us
with
permission
to
gather
nuts
upon
your
island?"
But
Nutkin
was
excessively
impertinent
in
his
manners.
He
bobbed
up
and
down
like
a
little
red
CHERRY,
singing
"Riddle
me,
riddle
me,
rot
tot
tote!
A
little
wee
man,
in
a
red
red
coat!
A
staff
in
his
hand,
and
a
stone
in
his
throat;
If
you'll
tell
me
this
riddle,
I'll
give
you
a
groat."
Now
this
riddle
is
as
old
as
the
hills;
Mr.
Brown
paid
no
attention
whatever
to
Nutkin.
He
shut
his
eyes
obstinately
and
went
to
sleep.
The
squirrels
filled
their
little
sacks
with
nuts,
and
sailed
away
home
in
the
evening.
But
next
morning
they
all
came
back
again
to
Owl
Island;
and
Twinkleberry
and
the
others
brought
a
fine
fat
mole,
and
laid
it
on
the
stone
in
front
of
Old
Brown's
doorway,
and
said
"Mr.
Brown,
will
you
favour
us
with
your
gracious
permission
to
gather
some
more
nuts?"
But
Nutkin,
who
had
no
respect,
began
to
dance
up
and
down,
tickling
old
Mr.
Brown
with
a
NETTLE
and
singing
"Old
Mr.
B!
Riddle
me
ree!
Hitty
Pitty
within
the
wall,
Hitty
Pitty
without
the
wall;
If
you
touch
Hitty
Pitty,
Hitty
Pitty
will
bite
you!"
Mr.
Brown
woke
up
suddenly
and
carried
the
mole
into
his
house.
He
shut
the
door
in
Nutkin's
face.
Presently
a
little
thread
of
blue
SMOKE
from
a
wood
fire
came
up
from
the
top
of
the
tree,
and
Nutkin
peeped
through
the
key
hole
and
sang
"A
house
full,
a
hole
full!
And
you
cannot
gather
a
bowl
full!"
The
squirrels
searched
for
nuts
all
over
the
island
and
filled
their
little
sacks.
But
Nutkin
gathered
oak,
apples,
yellow,
and
scarlet
and
sat
upon
a
beech
stump
playing
marbles,
and
watching
the
door
of
old
Mr.
Brown.
On
the
third
day
the
squirrels
got
up
very
early
and
went
fishing;
they
caught
seven
fat
minnows
as
a
present
for
Old
Brown.
They
paddled
over
the
lake
and
landed
under
a
crooked
chestnut
tree
on
Owl
Island.
Twinkleberry
and
six
other
little
squirrels
each
carried
a
fat
minnow;
but
Nutkin,
who
had
no
nice
manners,
brought
no
present
at
all.
He
ran
in
front,
singing
"The
man
in
the
wilderness
said
to
me,
`How
may
strawberries
grow
in
the
sea?'
I
answered
him
as
I
thought
good
'As
many
red
herrings
as
grow
in
the
wood.'
But
old
Mr.
Brown
took
no
interest
in
riddles
not
even
when
the
answer
was
provided
for
him.
On
the
fourth
day
the
squirrels
brought
a
present
of
six
fat
beetles,
which
were
as
good
as
plums
in
PLUM
PUDDING
for
Old
Brown.
Each
beetle
was
wrapped
up
carefully
in
a
dockleaf,
fastened
with
a
pine
needle
pin.
But
Nutkin
sang
as
rudely
as
ever
"Old
Mr.
B!
riddle
me
ree!
Flour
of
England,
fruit
of
Spain,
Met
together
in
a
shower
of
rain;
Put
in
a
bag
tied
round
with
a
string,
If
you'll
tell
me
this
riddle,
I'll
give
you
a
ring!"
Which
was
ridiculous
of
Nutkin,
because
he
had
not
got
any
ring
to
give
to
Old
Brown.
The
other
squirrels
hunted
up
and
down
the
nut
bushes;
but
Nutkin
gathered
robin's
pin
cushions
off
a
briar
bush,
and
stuck
them
full
of
pine
needle
pins.
On
the
fifth
day
the
squirrels
brought
a
present
of
wild
honey;
it
was
so
sweet
and
sticky
that
they
licked
their
fingers
as
they
put
it
down
upon
the
stone.
They
had
stolen
it
out
of
a
bumble
BEES'
nest
on
the
tippity
top
of
the
hill.
But
Nutkin
skipped
up
and
down,
singing
"Hum
a
bum!
buzz!
buzz!
Hum
a
bum
buzz!
As
I
went
over
Tipple
tine
I
met
a
flock
of
bonny
swine;
Some
yellow
nacked,
some
yellow
backed!
They
were
the
very
bonniest
swine
That
e'er
went
over
the
Tipple
tine."
Old
Mr.
Brown
turned
up
his
eyes
in
disgust
at
the
impertinence
of
Nutkin.
But
he
ate
up
the
honey!
The
squirrels
filled
their
little
sacks
with
nuts.
But
Nutkin
sat
upon
a
big
flat
rock,
and
played
ninepins
with
a
crab
apple
and
green
fir
cones.
On
the
sixth
day,
which
was
Saturday,
the
squirrels
came
again
for
the
last
time;
they
brought
a
new
laid
EGG
in
a
little
rush
basket
as
a
last
parting
present
for
Old
Brown.
But
Nutkin
ran
in
front
laughing,
and
shouting
"Humpty
Dumpty
lies
in
the
beck,
With
a
white
counterpane
round
his
neck,
Forty
doctors
and
forty
wrights,
Cannot
put
Humpty
Dumpty
to
rights!"
Now
old
Mr.
Brown
took
an
interest
in
eggs;
he
opened
one
eye
and
shut
it
again.
But
still
he
did
not
speak.
Nutkin
became
more
and
more
impertinent
"Old
Mr.
B!
Old
Mr.
B!
Hickamore,
Hackamore,
on
the
King's
kitchen
door;
All
the
King's
horses,
and
all
the
King's
men,
Couldn't
drive
Hickamore,
Hackamore,
Off
the
King's
kitchen
door!"
Nutkin
danced
up
and
down
like
a
SUNBEAM;
but
still
Old
Brown
said
nothing
at
all.
Nutkin
began
again
"Authur
O'Bower
has
broken
his
band,
He
comes
roaring
up
the
land!
The
King
of
Scots
with
all
his
power,
Cannot
turn
Arthur
of
the
Bower!"
Nutkin
made
a
whirring
noise
to
sound
like
the
WIND,
and
he
took
a
running
jump
right
onto
the
head
of
Old
Brown!
Then
all
at
once
there
was
a
flutterment
and
a
scufflement
and
a
loud
"Squeak!"
The
other
squirrels
scuttered
away
into
the
bushes.
When
they
came
back
very
cautiously,
peeping
round
the
tree
there
was
Old
Brown
sitting
on
his
door
step,
quite
still,
with
his
eyes
closed,
as
if
nothing
had
happened.
BUT
NUTKIN
WAS
IN
HIS
WAISTCOAT
POCKET!
This
looks
like
the
end
of
the
story;
but
it
isn't.
Old
Brown
carried
Nutkin
into
his
house,
and
held
him
up
by
the
tail,
intending
to
skin
him;
but
Nutkin
pulled
so
very
hard
that
his
tail
broke
in
two,
and
he
dashed
up
the
staircase,
and
escaped
out
of
the
attic
window.
And
to
this
day,
if
you
meet
Nutkin
up
a
tree
and
ask
him
a
riddle,
he
will
throw
sticks
at
you,
and
stamp
his
feet
and
scold,
and
shout
"Cuck
cuck
cuck cur
r-r
cuck
k!"
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