Peter Rabbit just couldn't go back to the dear Old Briar-patch.
He just HAD to know if Mrs. Quack would come back to the Smiling
Pool. He had seen Farmer Brown's boy come there a second time and
scatter wheat and corn among the brown stalks of last summer's
rushes, and he had guessed why Farmer Brown's boy had done this.
He had guessed that they had been put there especially for Mrs.
Quack, and if she should come back as she had promised to do, he
wanted to be on hand when she found those good things to eat and
hear what she would say.

So Peter stayed over near the Smiling Pool and hoped with all his
might that Reddy Fox or Old Man Coyote would not take it into his
head to come hunting over there. As luck would have it, neither of
them did, and Peter had a very pleasant time gossiping with Jerry
Muskrat, listening to the sweet voices of unseen singers in the
Smiling Pool,--the Hylas, which some people call peepers,--and
eating the carrot which Farmer Brown's boy had left for him.

Jolly, round, red Mr. Sun was just getting ready to go to bed
behind the Purple Hills when Mrs. Quack returned. The first Peter
knew of her coming was the whistle of her wings as she passed over
him. Several times she circled around, high over the Smiling Pool,
and Peter simply stared in open-mouthed admiration at the speed
with which she flew. It didn't seem possible that one so big could
move through the air so fast. Twice she set her wings and seemed
to just slide down almost to the surface of the Smiling Pool, only
to start her stout wings in motion once more and circle around again.
It was very clear that she was terribly nervous and suspicious. The