Beatrix Potter
"The Tale of Two Bad Mice"
Entered at Stationers' Hall.
doll house ONCE upon a time there was a very beautiful
doll's-house; it was red brick with white windows, and it had real
muslin curtains and a front door and a chimney. IT belonged to two
Dolls called Lucinda and Jane; at least it belonged to Lucinda, but
she never ordered meals.
Jane was the Cook; but she never did any cooking, because the
dinner had been bought ready-made, in a box full of shavings.
dolls and packing case much pretty food THERE were two red
lobsters and a ham, a fish, a pudding, and some pears and
oranges.
They would not come off the plates, but they were extremely
beautiful.
ONE morning Lucinda and Jane had gone out for a drive in the
doll's perambulator. There was no one in the nursery, and it was
very quiet. Presently there was a little scuffling, scratching
noise in a corner near the fire-place, where there was a hole under
the skirting-board.
Tom Thumb put out his head for a moment, and then popped it in
again.
Tom Thumb was a mouse.
Tom Thump popping out to see Both mice looking out hole A MINUTE
afterwards, Hunca Munca, his wife, put her head out, too; and when
she saw that there was no one in the nursery, she ventured out on
the oilcloth under the coal-box. THE doll's-house stood at the
other side of the fire-place. Tom Thumb and Hunca Munca went
cautiously across the hearthrug. They pushed the front door - it
was not fast. creeping up to the house looking at thedining room TOM THUMB and Hunca Munca went upstairs and peeped
into the dining-room. Then they squeaked with joy!
Such a lovely dinner was laid out upon the table! There were tin
spoons, and lead knives and forks, and two dolly-chairs - all so
convenient!
TOM THUMB set to work at once to carve the ham. It was a
beautiful shiny yellow, streaked with red.
The knife crumpled up and hurt him; he put his finger in his
mouth.
"It is not boiled enough; it is hard. You have a try, Hunca
Munca."
sitting at table starting to slice the ham Still working at ham
HUNCA MUNCA stood up in her chair, and chopped at the ham with
another lead knife.
"It's as hard as the hams at the cheesemonger's," said Hunca
Munca.
THE ham broke off the plate with a jerk, and rolled under the
table.
"Let it alone," said Tom Thumb; "give me some fish, Hunca
Munca!"
ham broke off and rolled under the table Tom Thumb hitting the
plates with the shovel HUNCA MUNCA tried every tin spoon in turn;
the fish was glued to the dish.
Then Tom Thumb lost his temper. He put the ham in the middle of
the floor, and hit it with the tongs and with the shovel - bang,
bang, smash, smash!
The ham flew all into pieces, for underneath the shiny paint it
was made of nothing but plaster!
THEN there was no end to the rage and disappointment of Tom
Thumb and Hunca Munca. They broke up the pudding, the lobsters, the
pears and the oranges.
As the fish would not come off the plate, they put it into the
red-hot crinkly paper fire in the kitchen; but it would not burn
either.
Putting the fish in the fire Tom Thumb looking out of the
chimney TOM THUMB went up the kitchen chimney and looked out at the
top - there was no soot. WHILE Tom Thumb was up the chimney, Hunca
Munca had another disappointment. She found some tiny canisters
upon the dresser, labelled - Rice - Coffee - Sago - but when she
turned them upside down, there was nothing inside except red and
blue beads. Hunca Munca dumping out the cannisters Tom Thumb
throwing contents of drawers out window THEN those mice set to work
to do all the mischief they could - especially Tom Thumb! He took
Jane's clothes out of the chest of drawers in her bedroom, and he
threw them out of the top floor window.
But Hunca Munca had a frugal mind. After pulling half the
feathers out of Lucinda's bolster, she remembered that she herself
was in want of a feather bed.
WITH Tom Thumb's assistance she carried the bolster
downstairs,and
across the hearth-rug. It was difficult to squeeze the
bolster into the mouse-hole; but they managed it somehow. Stealing
the feather bed Hunca Munca stealing the bird-cage THEN Hunca Munca
went back and fetched a chair, a book-case, a bird-cage, and
several small odds and ends. The book-case and the bird-cage
refused to go into the mouse-hole. HUNCA MUNCA left them behind the
coal-box, and went to fetch a cradle. Stealing the cradle Mice
rushing back to the hole HUNCA MUNCA was just returning with
another chair, when suddenly there was a noise of talking outside
upon the landing. The mice rushed back to their hole, and the dolls
came into the nursery. WHAT a sight met the eyes of Jane and
Lucinda!
Lucinda sat upon the upset kitchen stove and stared; and Jane
leant against the kitchen dresser and smiled - but neither of them
made any remark.
Dolls shocked by what they see Hunca Munca wearing the dress nad
hold ing a baby mouse by the cradle THE book-case and the bird-cage
were rescued from under the coal-box - but Hunca Munca has got the
cradle, and some of Lucinda's clothes. SHE also has some useful
pots and pans, and several other things. Hunca Munca holding a bed
warmer Hunca Munca showing her baby the tall policeman THE little
girl that the doll's-house belonged to, said, - "I will get a doll
dressed like a policeman!" BUT the nurse said, - "I will set a
mouse-trap!" Tom Thumb teaching his many chidlren SO that is the
story of the two Bad Mice, - but they were not so very very naughty
after all, because Tom Thumb paid for everything he broke.
He found a crooked sixpence under the hearthrug; and upon
Christmas Eve, he and Hunca Munca stuffed it into one of the
stockings of Lucinda and Jane.
Tom Thumb and Hunca Munca putting coin into stocking Hunca Munca
with broom and dustpan at door of house AND very early every
morning - before anybody is awake - Hunca Munca comes with her
dust-pan and her broom to sweep the Dollies' house!
THE END.