The geese had vanished, so Gretchen filled the tea pot from the little kettle on the fire, and Peter Bunny carried dishes of cakes. Then they all sat down, and Gretchen had as many cakes as she could eat. When tea was over, Mrs. Bunny told Gretchen to go and play with the children until bedtime.
“What's that?” asked Peter, presently, pointing to the umbrella, and Gretchen showed him how it opened and shut.
“I know!” he cried. “We'll go for a sail in the air.”
“Hurrah!” cried all the other rabbits, and they dragged Gretchen and the umbrella on to the common.
She opened the umbrella wide, Peter caught hold of her skirts, and the other rabbits joined on behind, holding on to each other's tails. “One, two, three—go!” cried Peter, and the whole party went soaring into the air. It was a delicious feeling. Higher and higher they went, until at last they were right above the clouds.
“Oh!” cried Gretchen, suddenly, “the umbrella's shutting up! Oh! whatever shall we do?” Sure enough the umbrella was no longer puffed out like a balloon, but hanging loosely round the handle, and the next moment it began to fall.
“We're tumbling into the sea!” cried the rabbit at the bottom of the chain, and there was a loud splash.
Splash, splash, splash! One by one all the bunnies fell in until only Peter and Gretchen were left. All of a sudden the umbrella flew out of her hands, and she awoke to find herself sitting by the side of the pond, while her geese were splashing in for their evening swim. On the ground in front of her lay the umbrella, but Peter and the rest of the rabbits had completely disappeared.