The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse
by Beatrix Potter
Mrs.
Tittlemouse is a tale
in which no humans play a part and one in which events are treated as though
they have occurred since time immemorial and far from human observance. It is a
simple story, and one likely to appeal to young children.
Mrs.
Tittlemouse is a "most terribly tidy little mouse always sweeping and
dusting the soft sandy floors" in the "yards and yards" of passages
and storerooms, nut-cellars, and seed-cellars in her "funny house"
amongst the roots of a hedge. She has a kitchen, a parlour, a pantry, a larder,
and a bedroom where she keeps her dust-pan and brush next to her little box
bed. She tries to keep her house tidy, but insect intruders leave dirty
footprints on the floors and all sorts of messes about the place.
A
beetle is shooed away, a ladybird is exorcised with "Fly away home! Your house is on fire!", and a spider inquiring after Miss Muffet is turned away
with little ceremony. In a distant passage, Mrs. Tittlemouse meets Babbitty
Bumble, a bumble bee who has taken up residence with three or four other bees
in one of the empty storerooms. Mrs. Tittlemouse tries to pull out their nest
but they buzz fiercely at her, and she retreats to deal with the matter after
dinner.
In
her parlour, she finds her toad neighbour Mr. Jackson sitting before the fire
in her rocking chair. Mr. Jackson lives in "a drain below the hedge, in a
very dirty wet ditch". His coat tails drip with water and he leaves wet
footmarks on Mrs. Tittlemouse's parlour floor. She follows him about with a mop
and dish-cloth.
Mrs.
Tittlemouse allows Mr. Jackson to stay for dinner, but the food is not to his
pleasing, and he rummages about the cupboard searching for the honey he can
smell. He discovers a butterfly in the sugar bowl, but when he finds the bees,
he makes a big mess pulling out their nest. Mrs. Tittlemouse fears she
"shall go distracted" as a result of the turmoil and takes refuge in
the nut-cellar. When she finally ventures forth, she discovers everybody has
left but her house is a mess. She takes some moss, beeswax, and twigs to partly
close up her front door to keep Mr. Jackson out. Exhausted, she goes to bed
wondering if her house will ever be tidy again.
The
fastidious little mouse spends a fortnight spring cleaning. She rubs the
furniture with beeswax and polishes her little tin spoons, then holds a party
for five other little wood-mice wearing their Regency finery. Mr. Jackson attends but is forced to sit
outside because Mrs. Tittlemouse has narrowed her door. He takes no offence at
being excluded from the parlour. Acorn-cupfuls of honeydew are passed through
the window to him and he toasts Mrs. Tittlemouse's good health.
Source :https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tale_of_Mrs._Tittlemouse