A New Friend and An Old One 



learned while spending the winter in the South. 

 Then there were notes all his own. 



Peter listened until the song ended, then scam- 

 pered in among the bushes. At once those harsh 

 cries broke out again. You would have thought 

 that Kitty was scolding Peter for coming to see 

 him instead of being glad. But that was just 

 Kitty's way. He is simply brimming over with 

 fun and mischief, and delights to pretend. 



When Peter found him, he was sitting with all 

 his feathers puffed out until he looked almost like a 

 ball with a head and tail. He looked positively 

 sleepy. Then as he caught sight of Peter he drew 

 those feathers down tight, cocked his tail up after 

 the manner of Jenny Wren, and was as slim and 

 trim looking as any bird of Peter's acquaintance. 

 He didn't look at all like the same bird of the 

 moment before. Then he dropped his tail as if he 

 hadn't strength enough to hold it up at all. It 

 hung straight down. He dropped his wings and all 

 in a second made himself look fairly disreputa- 

 ble. But all the time his eyes were twinkling and 

 snapping, and Peter knew that these changes in 

 appearance were made out of pure fun and 

 mischief. 



"I've been wondering if you were coming back," 

 cried Peter. "I don't know of any one of my 

 feathered friends I would miss so much as you," 

 [203] 



