Ol’ Mistah Buzzard looked down at Peter Rabbit and chuckled as he waited for Peter’s reply to his question. It was a noiseless chuckle, so of course Peter didn’t hear it. Peter scratched his long left ear with his long right hind foot. Then he scratched his long right ear with his long left hind foot. Finally he made reply.

“Of course, I don’t know for sure that you have a nest,” said he, “but I think you must have. All the birds I know have nests this time of year. Besides, this year you brought Mrs. Buzzard up from the South with you, and I’ve noticed that lately I haven’t seen her very often. She doesn’t sail round and round way up in the blue, blue sky with you the way she did when she first arrived. So I think she must be taking care of her eggs. And if you have eggs to be taken care of, why of course you must have a nest. I—I wish you would tell me where it is, Mistah Buzzard. I’d just love to see it, and I will promise not to tell a single living soul where it is.”

Peter was very much in earnest.

“Not even Mrs. Peter?” asked Ol’ Mistah Buzzard.

Peter hesitated. You know he usually tells Mrs. Peter everything. He doesn’t believe in keeping secrets from Mrs. Peter. But this was different from most secrets, and he did so want to see that nest. So at last he agreed that he wouldn’t tell anybody, not even Mrs. Peter.

Ol’ Mistah Buzzard leaned down with a great pretense of secrecy. “Ah’m going to tell yo’ something, Brer Rabbit,” said he, and Peter’s long ears stood straight up expectantly. “Ah haven’t any nest. No, Suh, Ah haven’t any nest,” he concluded.

Peter looked the disappointment he felt. He had been so sure that now he was to find out what he had so wanted to know. “But—but what is the reason that Mrs. Buzzard keeps out of sight so much?” he asked.

“That,” whispered Ol’ Mistah Buzzard, as if afraid he might be overheard, “is the real secret. She is so busy with household cares that she hasn’t time for anything else.”

“But—but—but—why I thought you just said that you haven’t any nest?” stammered Peter, looking quite as puzzled as he felt. In fact, he looked so puzzled that Ol’ Mistah Buzzard had to turn away his head to hide a grin.

“That is just what Ah did say,” replied Ol’ Mistah Buzzard. “That is just what Ah did say. We-uns haven’t any nest.”

“Then how can Mrs. Buzzard be so busy with household cares?” demanded Peter. His voice was just a little sharp. He was beginning to suspect that Ol’ Mistah Buzzard was trying to have fun at his expense.

“She is sitting on our two aiggs, and one of these days Ah reckon we-uns are going to have two of the finest babies in the Green Forest,” asserted Ol’ Mistah Buzzard.

“But you just said you haven’t any nest!” exclaimed Peter.

“So Ah did! So Ah did!” replied Ol’ Mistah Buzzard. “Cert’nly Ah did. We-uns haven’t any nest.”