The Wind in the Willows Page 10

  X

  THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF TOAD

  The front door of the hollow tree faced eastwards, so Toad was calledat an early hour; partly by the bright sunlight streaming in on him,partly by the exceeding coldness of his toes, which made him dreamthat he was at home in bed in his own handsome room with the Tudorwindow, on a cold winter's night, and his bed-clothes had got up,grumbling and protesting they couldn't stand the cold any longer, andhad run downstairs to the kitchen fire to warm themselves; and he hadfollowed, on bare feet, along miles and miles of icy stone-pavedpassages, arguing and beseeching them to be reasonable. He wouldprobably have been aroused much earlier, had he not slept for someweeks on straw over stone flags, and almost forgotten the friendlyfeeling of thick blankets pulled well up round the chin.

  Sitting up, he rubbed his eyes first and his complaining toes next,wondered for a moment where he was, looking round for familiar stone walland little barred window; then, with a leap of the heart, rememberedeverything--his escape, his flight, his pursuit; remembered, first andbest thing of all, that he was free!

  Free! The word and the thought alone were worth fifty blankets. He waswarm from end to end as he thought of the jolly world outside, waitingeagerly for him to make his triumphal entrance, ready to serve him andplay up to him, anxious to help him and to keep him company, as italways had been in days of old before misfortune fell upon him. Heshook himself and combed the dry leaves out of his hair with hisfingers; and, his toilet complete, marched forth into the comfortablemorning sun, cold but confident, hungry but hopeful, all nervousterrors of yesterday dispelled by rest and sleep and frank andheartening sunshine.

  He had the world all to himself, that early summer morning. The dewywoodland, as he threaded it, was solitary and still: the green fieldsthat succeeded the trees were his own to do as he liked with; the roaditself, when he reached it, in that loneliness that was everywhere,seemed, like a stray dog, to be looking anxiously for company. Toad,however, was looking for something that could talk, and tell himclearly which way he ought to go. It is all very well, when you have alight heart, and a clear conscience, and money in your pocket, andnobody scouring the country for you to drag you off to prison again,to follow where the road beckons and points, not caring whither. Thepractical Toad cared very much indeed, and he could have kicked theroad for its helpless silence when every minute was of importance tohim.

  The reserved rustic road was presently joined by a shy little brother inthe shape of a canal, which took its hand and ambled along by its side inperfect confidence, but with the same tongue-tied, uncommunicativeattitude towards strangers. "Bother them!" said Toad to himself. "But,anyhow, one thing's clear. They must both be coming _from_ somewhere,and going _to_ somewhere. You can't get over that, Toad, my boy!" Sohe marched on patiently by the water's edge.

  Round a bend in the canal came plodding a solitary horse, stoopingforward as if in anxious thought. From rope traces attached to hiscollar stretched a long line, taut, but dipping with his stride, thefurther part of it dripping pearly drops. Toad let the horse pass, andstood waiting for what the fates were sending him.

  With a pleasant swirl of quiet water at its blunt bow the barge slidup alongside of him, its gaily painted gunwale level with thetowing-path, its sole occupant a big stout woman wearing a linensun-bonnet, one brawny arm laid along the tiller.

  "A nice morning, ma'am!" she remarked to Toad, as she drew up levelwith him.

  "I dare say it is, ma'am!" responded Toad politely, as he walked alongthe tow-path abreast of her. "I dare say it is a nice morning to themthat's not in sore trouble, like what I am. Here's my marrieddaughter, she sends off to me post-haste to come to her at once; sooff I comes, not knowing what may be happening or going to happen, butfearing the worst, as you will understand, ma'am, if you're a mother,too. And I've left my business to look after itself--I'm in thewashing and laundering line, you must know, ma'am--and I've left myyoung children to look after themselves, and a more mischievous andtroublesome set of young imps doesn't exist, ma'am; and I've lost allmy money, and lost my way, and as for what may be happening to mymarried daughter, why, I don't like to think of it, ma'am!"

  "Where might your married daughter be living, ma'am?" asked thebarge-woman.

  "She lives near to the river, ma'am," replied Toad. "Close to a finehouse called Toad Hall, that's somewheres hereabouts in these parts.Perhaps you may have heard of it."

  "Toad Hall? Why, I'm going that way myself," replied the barge-woman."This canal joins the river some miles further on, a little above ToadHall; and then it's an easy walk. You come along in the barge withme, and I'll give you a lift."

  She steered the barge close to the bank, and Toad, with many humbleand grateful acknowledgments, stepped lightly on board and sat downwith great satisfaction. "Toad's luck again!" thought he. "I alwayscome out on top!"

  "So you're in the washing business, ma'am?" said the barge-womanpolitely, as they glided along. "And a very good business you've gottoo, I dare say, if I'm not making too free in saying so."

  "Finest business in the whole country," said Toad airily. "All thegentry come to me--wouldn't go to any one else if they were paid, theyknow me so well. You see, I understand my work thoroughly, and attendto it all myself. Washing, ironing, clear-starching, making up gents'fine shirts for evening wear--everything's done under my own eye!"

  "But surely you don't _do_ all that work yourself, ma'am?" asked thebarge-woman respectfully.

  "O, I have girls," said Toad lightly: "twenty girls or thereabouts,always at work. But you know what _girls_ are, ma'am! Nasty littlehussies, that's what _I_ call 'em!"

  "So do I, too," said the barge-woman with great heartiness. "But Idare say you set yours to rights, the idle trollops! And are you_very_ fond of washing?"

  "I love it," said Toad. "I simply dote on it. Never so happy as whenI've got both arms in the wash-tub. But, then, it comes so easy to me!No trouble at all! A real pleasure, I assure you, ma'am!"

  "What a bit of luck, meeting you!" observed the barge-woman,thoughtfully. "A regular piece of good fortune for both of us!"

  "Why, what do you mean?" asked Toad, nervously.

  "Well, look at me, now," replied the barge-woman. "_I_ like washing,too, just the same as you do; and for that matter, whether I like itor not I have got to do all my own, naturally, moving about as I do.Now my husband, he's such a fellow for shirking his work and leavingthe barge to me, that never a moment do I get for seeing to my ownaffairs. By rights he ought to be here now, either steering orattending to the horse, though luckily the horse has sense enough toattend to himself. Instead of which, he's gone off with the dog, tosee if they can't pick up a rabbit for dinner somewhere. Says he'llcatch me up at the next lock. Well, that's as may be--I don't trusthim, once he gets off with that dog, who's worse than he is. Butmeantime, how am I to get on with my washing?"

  "O, never mind about the washing," said Toad, not liking the subject."Try and fix your mind on that rabbit. A nice fat young rabbit, I'llbe bound. Got any onions?"

  "I can't fix my mind on anything but my washing," said the barge-woman,"and I wonder you can be talking of rabbits, with such a joyful prospectbefore you. There's a heap of things of mine that you'll find in a cornerof the cabin. If you'll just take one or two of the most necessarysort--I won't venture to describe them to a lady like you, but you'llrecognise them at a glance--and put them through the wash-tub as we goalong, why, it'll be a pleasure to you, as you rightly say, and a realhelp to me. You'll find a tub handy, and soap, and a kettle on the stove,and a bucket to haul up water from the canal with. Then I shall knowyou're enjoying yourself, instead of sitting here idle, looking at thescenery and yawning your head off."

  "Here, you let me steer!" said Toad, now thoroughly frightened, "andthen you can get on with your washing your own way. I might spoil yourthings, or not do 'em as you like. I'm more used to gentleman's thingsmyself. It's my special line."

  "Let you steer?" replied the barge-woman, laughi
ng. "It takes somepractice to steer a barge properly. Besides, it's dull work, and Iwant you to be happy. No, you shall do the washing you are so fond of,and I'll stick to the steering that I understand. Don't try anddeprive me of the pleasure of giving you a treat!"

  Toad was fairly cornered. He looked for escape this way and that, sawthat he was too far from the bank for a flying leap, and sullenlyresigned himself to his fate. "If it comes to that," he thought indesperation, "I suppose any fool can _wash_!"

  He fetched tub, soap, and other necessaries from the cabin, selected afew garments at random, tried to recollect what he had seen in casualglances through laundry windows, and set to.

  A long half-hour passed, and every minute of it saw Toad gettingcrosser and crosser. Nothing that he could do to the things seemed toplease them or do them good. He tried coaxing, he tried slapping, hetried punching; they smiled back at him out of the tub unconverted,happy in their original sin. Once or twice he looked nervously overhis shoulder at the barge-woman, but she appeared to be gazing out infront of her, absorbed in her steering. His back ached badly, and henoticed with dismay that his paws were beginning to get all crinkly.Now Toad was very proud of his paws. He muttered under his breathwords that should never pass the lips of either washerwomen or Toads;and lost the soap, for the fiftieth time.

  A burst of laughter made him straighten himself and look round. Thebarge-woman was leaning back and laughing unrestrainedly, till thetears ran down her cheeks.

  "I've been watching you all the time," she gasped. "I thought you mustbe a humbug all along, from the conceited way you talked. Prettywasherwoman you are! Never washed so much as a dish-clout in yourlife, I'll lay!"

  Toad's temper, which had been simmering viciously for some time, nowfairly boiled over, and he lost all control of himself.

  "You common, low, _fat_ barge-woman!" he shouted; "don't you dare totalk to your betters like that! Washerwoman indeed! I would have youto know that I am a Toad, a very well-known, respected, distinguishedToad! I may be under a bit of a cloud at present, but I will _not_ belaughed at by a barge-woman!"

  The woman moved nearer to him and peered under his bonnet keenly andclosely. "Why, so you are!" she cried. "Well, I never! A horrid,nasty, crawly Toad! And in my nice clean barge, too! Now that is athing that I will _not_ have."

  She relinquished the tiller for a moment. One big, mottled arm shotout and caught Toad by a fore-leg, while the other gripped him fast bya hind-leg. Then the world turned suddenly upside down, the bargeseemed to flit lightly across the sky, the wind whistled in his ears,and Toad found himself flying through the air, revolving rapidly as hewent.

  The water, when he eventually reached it with a loud splash, provedquite cold enough for his taste, though its chill was not sufficientto quell his proud spirit, or slake the heat of his furious temper. Herose to the surface spluttering, and when he had wiped the duck-weedout of his eyes the first thing he saw was the fat barge-woman lookingback at him over the stern of the retreating barge and laughing; andhe vowed, as he coughed and choked, to be even with her.

  He struck out for the shore, but the cotton gown greatly impeded hisefforts, and when at length he touched land he found it hard to climbup the steep bank unassisted. He had to take a minute or two's rest torecover his breath; then, gathering his wet skirts well over his arms,he started to run after the barge as fast as his legs would carry him,wild with indignation, thirsting for revenge.

  The barge-woman was still laughing when he drew up level with her."Put yourself through your mangle, washerwoman," she called out,"and iron your face and crimp it, and you'll pass for quite adecent-looking Toad!"

  Toad never paused to reply. Solid revenge was what he wanted, notcheap, windy, verbal triumphs, though he had a thing or two in hismind that he would have liked to say. He saw what he wanted ahead ofhim. Running swiftly on he overtook the horse, unfastened the tow-ropeand cast off, jumped lightly on the horse's back, and urged it to agallop by kicking it vigorously in the sides. He steered for the opencountry, abandoning the tow-path, and swinging his steed down a ruttylane. Once he looked back, and saw that the barge had run aground onthe other side of the canal, and the barge-woman was gesticulatingwildly and shouting, "Stop, stop, stop!" "I've heard that songbefore," said Toad, laughing, as he continued to spur his steed onwardin its wild career.

  The barge-horse was not capable of any very sustained effort, and itsgallop soon subsided into a trot, and its trot into an easy walk; butToad was quite contented with this, knowing that he, at any rate, wasmoving, and the barge was not. He had quite recovered his temper, nowthat he had done something he thought really clever; and he wassatisfied to jog along quietly in the sun, steering his horse alongby-ways and bridle-paths, and trying to forget how very long it wassince he had had a square meal, till the canal had been left very farbehind him.

  He had travelled some miles, his horse and he, and he was feelingdrowsy in the hot sunshine, when the horse stopped, lowered his head,and began to nibble the grass; and Toad, waking up, just saved himselffrom falling off by an effort. He looked about him and found he wason a wide common, dotted with patches of gorse and bramble as far ashe could see. Near him stood a dingy gipsy caravan, and beside it aman was sitting on a bucket turned upside down, very busy smoking andstaring into the wide world. A fire of sticks was burning near by, andover the fire hung an iron pot, and out of that pot came forthbubblings and gurglings, and a vague suggestive steaminess. Alsosmells--warm, rich, and varied smells--that twined and twisted andwreathed themselves at last into one complete, voluptuous, perfectsmell that seemed like the very soul of Nature taking form andappearing to her children, a true Goddess, a mother of solace andcomfort. Toad now knew well that he had not been really hungry before.What he had felt earlier in the day had been a mere trifling qualm.This was the real thing at last, and no mistake; and it would have tobe dealt with speedily, too, or there would be trouble for somebody orsomething. He looked the gipsy over carefully, wondering vaguelywhether it would be easier to fight him or cajole him. So there hesat, and sniffed and sniffed, and looked at the gipsy; and the gipsysat and smoked, and looked at him.

  Presently the gipsy took his pipe out of his mouth and remarked in acareless way, "Want to sell that there horse of yours?"

  Toad was completely taken aback. He did not know that gipsies werevery fond of horse-dealing, and never missed an opportunity, and hehad not reflected that caravans were always on the move and took adeal of drawing. It had not occurred to him to turn the horse intocash, but the gipsy's suggestion seemed to smooth the way towards thetwo things he wanted so badly--ready money, and a solid breakfast.

  "What?" he said, "me sell this beautiful young horse of mine? O, no;it's out of the question. Who's going to take the washing home to mycustomers every week? Besides, I'm too fond of him, and he simplydotes on me."

  "Try and love a donkey," suggested the gipsy. "Some people do."

  "You don't seem to see," continued Toad, "that this fine horse of mineis a cut above you altogether. He's a blood horse, he is, partly; notthe part you see, of course--another part. And he's been a PrizeHackney, too, in his time--that was the time before you knew him, butyou can still tell it on him at a glance, if you understand anythingabout horses. No, it's not to be thought of for a moment. All thesame, how much might you be disposed to offer me for this beautifulyoung horse of mine?"

  The gipsy looked the horse over, and then he looked Toad over withequal care, and looked at the horse again. "Shillin' a leg," he saidbriefly, and turned away, continuing to smoke and try to stare thewide world out of countenance.

  "A shilling a leg?" cried Toad. "If you please, I must take a littletime to work that out, and see just what it comes to."

  He climbed down off his horse, and left it to graze, and sat down bythe gipsy, and did sums on his fingers, and at last he said, "Ashilling a leg? Why, that comes to exactly four shillings, and nomore. O, no; I could not think of accepting four shillings for thisbeautiful young horse of mi
ne."

  "Well," said the gipsy, "I'll tell you what I will do. I'll make itfive shillings, and that's three-and-sixpence more than the animal'sworth. And that's my last word."

  Then Toad sat and pondered long and deeply. For he was hungry andquite penniless, and still some way--he knew not how far--from home,and enemies might still be looking for him. To one in such asituation, five shillings may very well appear a large sum of money.On the other hand, it did not seem very much to get for a horse. Butthen, again, the horse hadn't cost him anything; so whatever he gotwas all clear profit. At last he said firmly, "Look here, gipsy! Itell you what we will do; and this is _my_ last word. You shall handme over six shillings and sixpence, cash down; and further, inaddition thereto, you shall give me as much breakfast as I canpossibly eat, at one sitting of course, out of that iron pot of yoursthat keeps sending forth such delicious and exciting smells. Inreturn, I will make over to you my spirited young horse, with all thebeautiful harness and trappings that are on him, freely thrown in. Ifthat's not good enough for you, say so, and I'll be getting on. I knowa man near here who's wanted this horse of mine for years."

  The gipsy grumbled frightfully, and declared if he did a few moredeals of that sort he'd be ruined. But in the end he lugged a dirtycanvas bag out of the depths of his trouser pocket, and counted outsix shillings and sixpence into Toad's paw. Then he disappeared intothe caravan for an instant, and returned with a large iron plate and aknife, fork, and spoon. He tilted up the pot, and a glorious stream ofhot, rich stew gurgled into the plate. It was, indeed, the mostbeautiful stew in the world, being made of partridges, and pheasants,and chickens, and hares, and rabbits, and peahens, and guinea-fowls,and one or two other things. Toad took the plate on his lap, almostcrying, and stuffed, and stuffed, and stuffed, and kept asking formore, and the gipsy never grudged it him. He thought that he hadnever eaten so good a breakfast in all his life.

  When Toad had taken as much stew on board as he thought he could possiblyhold, he got up and said good-bye to the gipsy, and took an affectionatefarewell of the horse; and the gipsy, who knew the riverside well, gavehim directions which way to go, and he set forth on his travels again inthe best possible spirits. He was, indeed, a very different Toad from theanimal of an hour ago. The sun was shining brightly, his wet clothes werequite dry again, he had money in his pocket once more, he was nearinghome and friends and safety, and, most and best of all, he had had asubstantial meal, hot and nourishing, and felt big, and strong, andcareless, and self-confident.

  As he tramped along gaily, he thought of his adventures and escapes,and how when things seemed at their worst he had always managed tofind a way out; and his pride and conceit began to swell within him."Ho, ho!" he said to himself, as he marched along with his chin in theair, "what a clever Toad I am! There is surely no animal equal to mefor cleverness in the whole world! My enemies shut me up in prison,encircled by sentries, watched night and day by warders; I walk outthrough them all, by sheer ability coupled with courage. They pursueme with engines, and policemen, and revolvers; I snap my fingers atthem, and vanish, laughing, into space. I am, unfortunately, throwninto a canal by a woman fat of body and very evil-minded. What of it?I swim ashore, I seize her horse, I ride off in triumph, and I sellthe horse for a whole pocketful of money and an excellent breakfast!Ho, ho! I am The Toad, the handsome, the popular, the successfulToad!" He got so puffed up with conceit that he made up a song as hewalked in praise of himself, and sang it at the top of his voice,though there was no one to hear it but him. It was, perhaps, the mostconceited song that any animal ever composed.

  "The world has held great Heroes, As history-books have showed; But never a name to go down to fame Compared with that of Toad!

  "The clever men at Oxford Know all that there is to be knowed. But they none of them know one half as much As intelligent Mr. Toad!

  "The animals sat in the Ark and cried, Their tears in torrents flowed. Who was it said, 'There's land ahead?' Encouraging Mr. Toad!

  "The army all saluted As they marched along the road. Was it the King? Or Kitchener? No. It was Mr. Toad.

  "The Queen and her Ladies-in-waiting Sat at the window and sewed. She cried, 'Look! who's that _handsome_ man?' They answered, 'Mr. Toad.'"

  There was a great deal more of the same sort, but too dreadfullyconceited to be written down. These are some of the milder verses.

  He sang as he walked, and he walked as he sang, and got more inflatedevery minute. But his pride was shortly to have a severe fall.

  After some miles of country lanes he reached the high road, and as heturned into it and glanced along its white length, he saw approachinghim a speck that turned into a dot and then into a blob, and then intosomething very familiar; and a double note of warning, only too wellknown, fell on his delighted ear.

  "This is something like!" said the excited Toad. "This is real lifeagain, this is once more the great world from which I have been missedso long! I will hail them, my brothers of the wheel, and pitch them ayarn, of the sort that has been so successful hitherto; and they willgive me a lift, of course, and then I will talk to them some more;and, perhaps, with luck, it may even end in my driving up to Toad Hallin a motor-car! That will be one in the eye for Badger!"

  He stepped confidently out into the road to hail the motor-car, whichcame along at an easy pace, slowing down as it neared the lane; whensuddenly he became very pale, his heart turned to water, his kneesshook and yielded under him, and he doubled up and collapsed with asickening pain in his interior. And well he might, the unhappy animal;for the approaching car was the very one he had stolen out of the yardof the Red Lion Hotel on that fatal day when all his troubles began!And the people in it were the very same people he had sat and watchedat luncheon in the coffee-room!

  He sank down in a shabby, miserable heap in the road, murmuring tohimself in his despair, "It's all up! It's all over now! Chains andpolicemen again! Prison again! Dry bread and water again! O, what afool I have been! What did I want to go strutting about the countryfor, singing conceited songs, and hailing people in broad day on thehigh road, instead of hiding till nightfall and slipping home quietlyby back ways! O hapless Toad! O ill-fated animal!"

  The terrible motor-car drew slowly nearer and nearer, till at last heheard it stop just short of him. Two gentlemen got out and walkedround the trembling heap of crumpled misery lying in the road, and oneof them said, "O dear! this is very sad! Here is a poor old thing--awasherwoman apparently--who has fainted in the road! Perhaps she isovercome by the heat, poor creature; or possibly she has not had anyfood to-day. Let us lift her into the car and take her to the nearestvillage, where doubtless she has friends."

  They tenderly lifted Toad into the motor-car and propped him up withsoft cushions, and proceeded on their way.

  When Toad heard them talk in so kind and sympathetic a way, and knewthat he was not recognised, his courage began to revive, and hecautiously opened first one eye and then the other.

  "Look!" said one of the gentlemen, "she is better already. The freshair is doing her good. How do you feel now, ma'am?"

  "Thank you kindly, sir," said Toad in a feeble voice, "I'm feeling agreat deal better!" "That's right," said the gentleman. "Now keepquite still, and, above all, don't try to talk."

  "I won't," said Toad. "I was only thinking, if I might sit on thefront seat there, beside the driver, where I could get the fresh airfull in my face, I should soon be all right again."

  "What a very sensible woman!" said the gentleman. "Of course youshall." So they carefully helped Toad into the front seat beside thedriver, and on they went again.

  Toad was almost himself again by now. He sat up, looked about him, andtried to beat down the tremors, the yearnings, the old cravings thatrose up and beset him and took possession of him entirely.

  "It is fate!" he said to himsel
f. "Why strive? why struggle?" and heturned to the driver at his side.

  "Please, Sir," he said, "I wish you would kindly let me try and drivethe car for a little. I've been watching you carefully, and it looksso easy and so interesting, and I should like to be able to tell myfriends that once I had driven a motor-car!"

  The driver laughed at the proposal, so heartily that the gentlemaninquired what the matter was. When he heard, he said, to Toad'sdelight, "Bravo, ma'am! I like your spirit. Let her have a try, andlook after her. She won't do any harm."

  Toad eagerly scrambled into the seat vacated by the driver, took thesteering-wheel in his hands, listened with affected humility to theinstructions given him, and set the car in motion, but very slowly andcarefully at first, for he was determined to be prudent.

  The gentlemen behind clapped their hands and applauded, and Toad heardthem saying, "How well she does it! Fancy a washerwoman driving a caras well as that, the first time!"

  Toad went a little faster; then faster still, and faster.

  He heard the gentlemen call out warningly, "Be careful, washerwoman!"And this annoyed him, and he began to lose his head.

  The driver tried to interfere, but he pinned him down in his seat withone elbow, and put on full speed. The rush of air in his face, the humof the engines, and the light jump of the car beneath him intoxicatedhis weak brain. "Washerwoman, indeed!" he shouted recklessly. "Ho! ho!I am the Toad, the motor-car snatcher, the prison-breaker, the Toadwho always escapes! Sit still, and you shall know what driving reallyis, for you are in the hands of the famous, the skilful, the entirelyfearless Toad!"

  With a cry of horror the whole party rose and flung themselves on him."Seize him!" they cried, "seize the Toad, the wicked animal who stoleour motor-car! Bind him, chain him, drag him to the nearest policestation! Down with the desperate and dangerous Toad!"

  Alas! they should have thought, they ought to have been more prudent,they should have remembered to stop the motor-car somehow beforeplaying any pranks of that sort. With a half-turn of the wheel theToad sent the car crashing through the low hedge that ran along theroadside. One mighty bound, a violent shock, and the wheels of the carwere churning up the thick mud of a horse-pond.

  Toad found himself flying through the air with the strong upward rushand delicate curve of a swallow. He liked the motion, and was justbeginning to wonder whether it would go on until he developed wingsand turned into a Toad-bird, when he landed on his back with a thump,in the soft, rich grass of a meadow. Sitting up, he could just see themotor-car in the pond, nearly submerged; the gentlemen and the driver,encumbered by their long coats, were floundering helplessly in thewater.

  He picked himself up rapidly, and set off running across country ashard as he could, scrambling through hedges, jumping ditches, poundingacross fields, till he was breathless and weary, and had to settledown into an easy walk. When he had recovered his breath somewhat, andwas able to think calmly, he began to giggle, and from giggling hetook to laughing, and he laughed till he had to sit down under ahedge. "Ho! ho!" he cried, in ecstasies of self-admiration. "Toadagain! Toad, as usual, comes out on the top! Who was it got them togive him a lift? Who managed to get on the front seat for the sake offresh air? Who persuaded them into letting him see if he could drive?Who landed them all in a horse-pond? Who escaped, flying gaily andunscathed through the air, leaving the narrow-minded, grudging, timidexcursionists in the mud where they should rightly be? Why, Toad, ofcourse; clever Toad, great Toad, _good_ Toad!"

  Then he burst into song again, and chanted with uplifted voice--

  "The motor-car went Poop-poop-poop, As it raced along the road. Who was it steered it into a pond? Ingenious Mr. Toad!

  O, how clever I am! How clever, how clever, how very clev--"

  A slight noise at a distance behind him made him turn his head andlook. O horror! O misery! O despair!

  About two fields off, a chauffeur in his leather gaiters and two largerural policemen were visible, running towards him as hard as theycould go!

  Poor Toad sprang to his feet and pelted away again, his heart in hismouth. "O, my!" he gasped, as he panted along, "what an _ass_ I am!What a _conceited_ and heedless ass! Swaggering again! Shouting andsinging songs again! Sitting still and gassing again! O my! O my! Omy!"

  He glanced back, and saw to his dismay that they were gaining on him.On he ran desperately, but kept looking back, and saw that they stillgained steadily. He did his best, but he was a fat animal, and hislegs were short, and still they gained. He could hear them closebehind him now. Ceasing to heed where he was going, he struggled onblindly and wildly, looking back over his shoulder at the nowtriumphant enemy, when suddenly the earth failed under his feet, hegrasped at the air, and, splash! he found himself head over ears indeep water, rapid water, water that bore him along with a force hecould not contend with; and he knew that in his blind panic he had runstraight into the river!

  He rose to the surface and tried to grasp the reeds and the rushesthat grew along the water's edge close under the bank, but the streamwas so strong that it tore them out of his hands. "O my!" gasped poorToad, "if ever I steal a motor-car again! If ever I sing anotherconceited song"--then down he went, and came up breathless andspluttering. Presently he saw that he was approaching a big dark holein the bank, just above his head, and as the stream bore him past hereached up with a paw and caught hold of the edge and held on. Thenslowly and with difficulty he drew himself up out of the water, tillat last he was able to rest his elbows on the edge of the hole. Therehe remained for some minutes, puffing and panting, for he was quiteexhausted.

  As he sighed and blew and stared before him into the dark hole, somebright small thing shone and twinkled in its depths, moving towardshim. As it approached, a face grew up gradually around it, and it wasa familiar face!

  Brown and small, with whiskers.

  Grave and round, with neat ears and silky hair.

  It was the Water Rat!