The Water Rat reached out with his small brown paw. He grabbed Toad by the shoulder. He pulled very hard. Toad came out of the water slowly. He was covered in mud and plants. Water fell from his clothes. But Toad was happy. He was with a friend now. He did not need to hide anymore. He was still wearing his old dress.
“Oh, Ratty!” Toad cried. “I had many adventures! I went to prison. Then I escaped! I swam in a canal. I stole a horse and sold it for money. I am very smart! Let me tell you about my last adventure.”
The Water Rat looked serious. “Go upstairs, Toad,” he said. “Take off that dirty washerwoman dress. Wash yourself. Put on some of my clothes. You look terrible. Stop talking and go now. We will talk later.”
Toad wanted to argue. He did not like people telling him what to do. But he looked in the mirror. He saw the old black hat on his head. He looked very messy. He went upstairs to the Water Rat’s room. He washed and changed his clothes. He looked in the mirror again and felt proud.
Lunch was ready when Toad came downstairs. He was very hungry. He told the Water Rat all his stories. He talked about how clever he was. He said he was very brave in dangerous places. But the Water Rat was silent. He did not smile.
Toad finished his stories. The room was quiet. “Toad,” the Water Rat said. “You were a big fool. You were in prison. You were scared. You were thrown into the water. This is not fun. All of this happened because you stole a car. You always have trouble with cars. Why do you steal them?”
Toad was a good animal. He listened to his friends. He knew the Water Rat was right. He sighed. “You are right, Ratty,” Toad said. “I was a silly animal. I will be good now. I am finished with adventures. I will go to Toad Hall. I will live a quiet life there.”
“Go to Toad Hall?” the Water Rat shouted. “Did you not hear the news?” Toad turned pale. “What news?” he asked. “The Wild Wood animals took your house,” the Water Rat said. Toad started to cry. Large tears fell on the table. “Tell me everything,” he said.
The Water Rat explained. “When you were in prison, animals talked. The river animals were your friends. But the Wild Wood animals were happy you were gone. They said you would never return. But Mole and Badger stayed at Toad Hall. They wanted to keep it ready for you.”
The Water Rat continued the story. “One dark, rainy night, many weasels came to the house. They had guns. A group of stoats and ferrets came too. They broke down the doors. They found Mole and Badger by the fire.”
“Mole and Badger tried to fight,” the Water Rat said. “But there were hundreds of enemies. The Wild Wood animals beat them with sticks. They threw your friends out into the rain. Now the weasels live in your house. They sleep in your beds and eat your food. They sing songs about you.”
Toad was very angry. He took a stick and walked toward his house. But a ferret with a gun stood at the gate. “Stop!” the ferret said. Toad did not stop, and the ferret pointed the gun at him. Toad fell to the ground. A bullet flew over his head. Toad ran back to the Water Rat.
Toad tried again in a boat. He saw Toad Hall in the sun. He went under a bridge. Suddenly, two stoats on the bridge dropped a large stone onto the boat. The boat sank, and Toad fell into the water. The stoats laughed at him. “Next time the stone will hit your head!” they shouted.
Toad walked back to the Water Rat’s house. He was very tired. He said sorry to the Water Rat. “I was a bad Toad,” he said. “I was foolish. I will listen to your advice now. I will be humble. What should we do?”
“We must wait for Mole and Badger,” the Water Rat said. “They are watching your house. They are true friends, Toad. They are living outside in the cold to help you. You are lucky to have them.” Toad felt bad. He cried because he was not a better friend.
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. It was the Badger. He was covered in mud. He looked very tired. He shook Toad’s paw. “Welcome home, Toad,” the Badger said. “But your home is gone. Poor Toad!” Then the Badger sat down and ate some pie.
Then the Mole arrived. He was very happy to see Toad. “You escaped!” the Mole cried. Toad started to boast again. He talked about his adventures and the money he made. The Water Rat was worried. But the Mole was interested in the stories.
They all talked at once. It was very loud. “Be quiet!” the Badger shouted. They all became silent. The Badger looked at Toad. “You are a troublesome animal,” the Badger said. “The weasels are too strong. We cannot attack the house from the front.”
“Then I lost my home forever,” Toad cried into a cushion.
“No,” the Badger said. “I have a secret. Your father was my friend. He told me a secret. There is an underground passage. It goes from the river to the middle of Toad Hall. Your father told me to tell you only if you were in real trouble.”
Toad was happy now. He loved secrets. The Badger told them more. The Otter went to the house in a disguise. He learned about a big dinner the next night. It was the Chief Weasel’s birthday. All the weasels would be in the dining room. They would think they were safe.
“The tunnel leads to a room next to the dining room,” the Badger said. “We will creep out quietly. We will have our sticks. We will rush into the room and surprise them!” Toad was very excited. He jumped over the chairs. They all went to bed to rest for the big day.
The next morning, the Water Rat was very busy. He made four piles of weapons. He had swords and pistols. The Badger said, “We only need our sticks. We are four strong animals. We will clear the room in five minutes.”
The Mole came into the room. He was laughing. “I played a trick on the stoats!” he said. He had put on Toad’s old washerwoman dress. He went to Toad Hall. He told the guards a lie. He told them that a hundred badgers were going to attack.
The Mole told the guards that many rats were coming in boats. The stoats became very nervous. They started to run around in fear. The Badger was happy with the Mole. But Toad was jealous. He wanted to be the clever animal.
They ate a big lunch. The Badger went to sleep for a short time. The Water Rat continued to prepare the weapons. The Mole listened to Toad's stories. Toad told many stories about his adventures. He talked about things that really happened, and things he imagined.