the tale of two bad mice by beatrix potter

After pulling out half the feathers from Lucinda’s pillows she decided that she needed a feather bed and, with Tom Thumb’s help, carried the pillows downstairs and across the rug. He took Jane’s clothes out of all the drawers in her bedroom and threw them out of the top floor window. Then the two naughty mice set to work to cause as much mischief as they could - especially Tom Thumb.

It was just red crinkly paper pretending to be a fire.

They took the fish and threw it in the fire. They smashed the pudding, the chicken and the bowl of pears and oranges. Tom Thumb and Hunka Munka became even angrier. Underneath the shiny pink paint it was made of nothing but plaster! He put the ham in the middle of the floor and hit it with the fire tongs and the shovel - bang, bang, smash, smash! Hunka Munka tried every knife, fork and spoon, one after another, but the fish was stuck fast to the dish. The ham broke off the plate with a jerk and rolled under the table. Hunka Munka stood on her chair and chopped at the ham with another toy knife. ‘This ham is too hard,’ he complained to Hunka Munka. Tom Thumb began to carve the ham but the knife was only a toy and it broke, hurting him. There was even two doll’s chairs tucked under the table - it was perfect!

A lovely dinner had been laid out on the table and there were plates, spoons, knives and forks to eat it with. They squeaked with pleasure with what they saw. The two mice scampered inside and peeped into the first room they came to, which was the dining room. The two mice tip-toed cautiously across the rug in front of the fire to take a closer look. On the other side of the replace was the beautiful doll’s house. A minute later, Tom Thumb’s wife, Hunka Munka, popped her head out too and when she saw the room was empty, she and Tom squeezed through the hole and went over to the coal box by the fire. Suddenly, there was a scuffling, scratching noise near the replace, and a little mouse popped his head out of a hole at the bottom of the wall. One morning Lucinda and Jane had gone out for a ride in the doll’s pram and the room was very quiet. There was a whole chicken and a ham and a fish and some pears and oranges in a bowl. Jane was the cook, though she never did any cooking because the meals were always ready to eat on the table. The doll’s house belonged to two dolls named Lucinda and Jane. The walls were made of tiny red bricks lace curtains fluttered behind little white windows and it had a proper front door and a tall chimney.

When two naughty little mice discover the door to the beautiful dolls' house ajar, they just have to tiptoe inside and have a look.Once there was a very beautiful doll’s house.

The tale of two bad mice by beatrix potter