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“The Wind in the Willows”, Chapter III, by Kenneth Grahame

Today's story is the first episode of The Voice of Dog in 2022.  I’m Khaki, your faithful fireside companion, and To celebrate the new year, today’s story is the third chapter of  "The Wind in the Willows" by Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. 

The first chapter appeared on the 100th episode of The Voice Of Dog, on August 5th, 2020, and the second a year ago, when a frustrated mole came out of the burrow to find himself welcomed into a queer and wonderful new world of love, comfort, adventure and friendship.

Thank you for keeping us company at the fireside in 2021. 

Thank you for listening to The Voice of Dog. 

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If you have a story you think would be a good fit, you can check out the requirements, fill out the submission template and get in touch with Khaki on Twitter or Telegram!

Transcript
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You’re listening to the first episode of The Voice of Dog in 2022. I’m Khaki, your faithful fireside companion,

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and To celebrate the new year,

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today’s story is the third chapter

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of "The Wind in the Willows"

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by Kenneth Grahame,

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first published in 1908.

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The first chapter appeared on the 100th episode of The Voice Of Dog, on August 5th, 2020, and the second

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a year ago, when a frustrated mole came out of the burrow to find himself welcomed

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into a queer and wonderful new world

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of love, comfort, adventure

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and friendship. Please enjoy:

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“The Wind in the Willows”,

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Chapter III, by Kenneth Grahame

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THE Mole had long wanted to make the acquaintance

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of the Badger. He seemed, by all accounts, to be such an important personage and,

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though rarely visible,

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to make his unseen influence felt by everybody about the place.

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But whenever the Mole mentioned his wish to the Water Rat,

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he always found himself

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put off. "It's all right,"

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the Rat would say.

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"Badger'll turn up some day or other

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—he's always turning up

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—and then I'll introduce you.

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The best of fellows!

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But you must not only take him as you find him,

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but when you find him."

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"Couldn't you ask him here

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—dinner or something?"

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said the Mole. "He wouldn't come,"

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replied the Rat simply.

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"Badger hates Society,

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and invitations, and dinner, and all that sort of thing."

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"Well, then, supposing we go and call on him?"

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suggested the Mole.

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"O, I'm sure he wouldn't like that at all,"

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said the Rat, quite alarmed.

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"He's so very shy,

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he'd be sure to be offended.

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I've never even ventured to call on him at his own home myself,

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though I know him so well.

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Besides, we can't.

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It's quite out of the question, because he lives

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in the very middle

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of the Wild Wood."

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"Well, supposing he does,"

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said the Mole. "You told me the Wild Wood was all right, you know."

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"O, I know, I know, so it is,"

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replied the Rat evasively.

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"But I think we won't go there just now. Not just yet.

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It's a long way, and he wouldn't be at home at this time of year anyhow,

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and he'll be coming along some day, if you'll wait quietly."

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The Mole had to be content with this.

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But the Badger never came along,

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and every day brought its amusements,

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and it was not till summer was long over,

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and cold and frost

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and miry ways kept them much indoors, and the swollen river

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raced past outside their windows with a speed

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that mocked at boating of any sort or kind,

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that he found his thoughts dwelling again

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with much persistence

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on the solitary grey Badger,

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who lived his own life by himself,

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in his hole in the middle of the Wild Wood.

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In the winter time

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the Rat slept a great deal,

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retiring early and rising late.

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During his short day he sometimes scribbled poetry

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or did other small domestic jobs about the house;

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and, of course, there were always animals dropping in for a chat,

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and consequently there was a good deal of story-telling and comparing notes on the past summer

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and all its doings.

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Such a rich chapter it had been,

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when one came to look back on it all!

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With illustrations so numerous and so very highly coloured!

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The pageant of the river bank

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had marched steadily along,

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unfolding itself in scene-pictures

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that succeeded each other in stately procession.

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Purple loosestrife arrived early,

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shaking luxuriant tangled locks along the edge of the mirror

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whence its own face

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laughed back at it.

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Willow-herb, tender and wistful,

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like a pink sunset cloud, was not slow to follow.

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Comfrey, the purple hand-in-hand with the white,

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crept forth to take its place in the line;

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and at last one morning

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the diffident and delaying dog-rose stepped delicately on the stage, and one knew,

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as if string-music had announced it in stately chords that strayed into a gavotte,

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that June at last

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was here. One member of the company was still awaited;

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the shepherd-boy for the nymphs to woo,

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the knight for whom the ladies waited at the window,

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the prince that was to kiss the sleeping summer back to life and love.

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But when meadow-sweet,

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debonair and odorous in amber jerkin,

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moved graciously to his place in the group,

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then the play was ready to begin.

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And what a play it had been!

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Drowsy animals, snug in their holes while wind and rain were battering at their doors,

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recalled still keen mornings,

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an hour before sunrise,

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when the white mist,

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as yet undispersed,

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clung closely along the surface of the water;

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then the shock of the early plunge,

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the scamper along the bank,

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and the radiant transformation of earth,

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air, and water, when suddenly

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the sun was with them again,

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and grey was gold

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and colour was born

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and sprang out of the earth once more.

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They recalled the languorous siesta of hot mid-day,

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deep in green undergrowth,

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the sun striking through in tiny golden shafts and spots;

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the boating and bathing of the afternoon,

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the rambles along dusty lanes

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and through yellow cornfields;

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and the long, cool evening at last,

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when so many threads were gathered up, so many friendships

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rounded, and so many adventures

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planned for the morrow.

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There was plenty to talk about on those

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short winter days when the animals found themselves round the fire;

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still, the Mole had a good deal of spare time on his hands,

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and so one afternoon,

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when the Rat in his arm-chair before the blaze was alternately dozing

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and trying over rhymes that wouldn't fit,

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he formed the resolution to go out by himself

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and explore the Wild Wood,

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and perhaps strike up an acquaintance

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with Mr. Badger. It was a cold still afternoon with a hard steely sky overhead,

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when he slipped out of the warm parlour

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into the open air.

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The country lay bare

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and entirely leafless around him,

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and he thought that he had never seen so far and so intimately into the insides of things

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as on that winter day when Nature was deep in her annual slumber

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and seemed to have kicked the clothes off.

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Copses, dells, quarries and all hidden places, which had been mysterious mines for exploration

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in leafy summer, now exposed themselves and their secrets pathetically,

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and seemed to ask him to overlook their shabby poverty for a while,

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till they could riot in rich masquerade as before,

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and trick and entice him

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with the old deceptions.

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It was pitiful in a way,

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and yet cheering— even exhilarating.

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He was glad that he liked the country undecorated,

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hard, and stripped of its finery.

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He had got down to the bare bones of it,

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and they were fine

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and strong and simple.

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He did not want the warm clover

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and the play of seeding grasses;

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the screens of quickset, the billowy drapery of beech and elm

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seemed best away;

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and with great cheerfulness of spirit he pushed on towards the Wild Wood,

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which lay before him

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low and threatening,

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like a black reef in some still southern sea.

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There was nothing to alarm him at first entry.

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Twigs crackled under his feet,

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logs tripped him,

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funguses on stumps resembled caricatures,

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and startled him for the moment by their likeness

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to something familiar

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and far away; but that was all fun,

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and exciting. It led him on,

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and he penetrated to where the light was less,

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and trees crouched

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nearer and nearer,

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and holes made ugly mouths at him on either side.

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Everything was very still now.

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The dusk advanced on him steadily,

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rapidly, gathering in behind and before;

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and the light seemed to be draining away like flood-water.

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Then the faces began.

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It was over his shoulder,

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and indistinctly, that he first thought he saw a face;

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a little evil wedge-shaped face, looking out at him from a hole.

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When he turned and confronted it,

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the thing had vanished.

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He quickened his pace,

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telling himself cheerfully

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not to begin imagining things, or there would be simply no end to it.

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He passed another hole,

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and another, and another; and then

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—yes!—no!—yes! certainly a little,

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narrow face, with hard eyes, had flashed up for an instant from a hole,

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and was gone. He hesitated

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—braced himself up for an effort

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and strode on.

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Then suddenly, and as if it had been so all the time, every hole, far and near, and there were hundreds of them,

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seemed to possess its face,

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coming and going rapidly,

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all fixing on him

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glances of malice

and hatred:

all hard

and hatred:

-eyed and evil and sharp. If he could only get away from the holes in the banks, he thought,

and hatred:

there would be no more faces.

and hatred:

He swung off the path

and hatred:

and plunged into the untrodden places of the wood.

and hatred:

Then the whistling began.

and hatred:

Very faint and shrill it was, and far behind him,

and hatred:

when first he heard it;

and hatred:

but somehow it made him hurry forward.

and hatred:

Then, still very faint and shrill,

and hatred:

it sounded far ahead of him,

and hatred:

and made him hesitate and want to go back. As he halted

and hatred:

in indecision it broke out on either side, and seemed to be caught up

and hatred:

and passed on throughout the whole length of the wood

and hatred:

to its farthest limit.

and hatred:

They were up and alert and ready, evidently, whoever they were!

and hatred:

And he—he was alone,

and hatred:

and unarmed, and far from any help;

and hatred:

and the night was closing in.

and hatred:

Then the pattering began.

and hatred:

He thought it was only falling leaves at first,

and hatred:

so slight and delicate was the sound of it.

and hatred:

Then as it grew it took a regular rhythm,

and hatred:

and he knew it for nothing else but the pat-pat-pat of little feet

and hatred:

still a very long way off.

and hatred:

Was it in front or behind?

and hatred:

It seemed to be first one, and then the other,

and hatred:

then both. It grew

and hatred:

and it multiplied, till from every quarter as he listened anxiously,

and hatred:

leaning this way and that, it seemed to be closing in on him.

and hatred:

As he stood still to hearken,

and hatred:

a rabbit came running hard towards him

and hatred:

through the trees.

and hatred:

He waited, expecting it to slacken pace,

and hatred:

or to swerve from him into a different course.

and hatred:

Instead, the animal almost brushed him as it dashed past,

and hatred:

his face set and hard,

and hatred:

his eyes staring.

and hatred:

"Get out of this, you fool,

and hatred:

get out!" the Mole heard him mutter

and hatred:

as he swung round a stump and disappeared

and hatred:

down a friendly burrow.

and hatred:

The pattering increased

and hatred:

till it sounded like sudden hail

and hatred:

on the dry leaf-carpet spread around him.

and hatred:

The whole wood seemed running now, running hard,

and hatred:

hunting, chasing, closing in round something or

and hatred:

—somebody? In panic, he began to run too,

and hatred:

aimlessly, he knew not

and hatred:

whither. He ran up against things, he fell over things and into things,

and hatred:

he darted under things and dodged round things.

and hatred:

At last he took refuge in the deep dark hollow of an old beech tree,

and hatred:

which offered shelter,

and hatred:

concealment—perhaps even safety, but who could tell?

and hatred:

Anyhow, he was too tired to run any further, and could only snuggle down

and hatred:

into the dry leaves which had drifted

and hatred:

into the hollow and hope

and hatred:

he was safe for a time.

and hatred:

And as he lay there panting and trembling,

and hatred:

and listened to the whistlings

and hatred:

and the patterings outside,

and hatred:

he knew it at last,

and hatred:

in all its fullness, that dread thing which

and hatred:

other little dwellers in field and hedgerow had encountered here,

and hatred:

and known as their darkest moment

and hatred:

—that thing which the Rat had vainly tried to shield him from

and hatred:

—the Terror of the Wild Wood!

and hatred:

Meantime the Rat,

and hatred:

warm and comfortable, dozed by his fireside.

and hatred:

His paper of half-finished verses

and hatred:

slipped from his knee,

and hatred:

his head fell back,

and hatred:

his mouth opened,

and hatred:

and he wandered by the verdant banks of dream-rivers.

and hatred:

Then a coal slipped,

and hatred:

the fire crackled and sent up a spurt of flame,

and hatred:

and he woke with a start.

and hatred:

Remembering what he had been engaged upon,

and hatred:

he reached down to the floor for his verses,

and hatred:

pored over them for a minute,

and hatred:

and then looked round for the Mole to ask him if he knew a good rhyme for something or other.

and hatred:

But the Mole was not there.

and hatred:

He listened for a time.

and hatred:

The house seemed

and hatred:

very quiet. Then he called

and hatred:

"Moly!" several times, and, receiving no answer,

and hatred:

got up and went out into the hall.

and hatred:

The Mole's cap was missing from its accustomed peg.

and hatred:

His goloshes, which always lay by the umbrella-stand,

and hatred:

were also gone. The Rat left the house,

and hatred:

and carefully examined the muddy surface of the ground outside,

and hatred:

hoping to find the Mole's tracks.

and hatred:

There they were, sure enough.

and hatred:

The goloshes were new,

and hatred:

just bought for the winter,

and hatred:

and the pimples on their soles were fresh and sharp.

and hatred:

He could see the imprints of them in the mud,

and hatred:

running along straight and purposeful,

and hatred:

leading direct

and hatred:

to the Wild Wood.

and hatred:

The Rat looked very grave,

and hatred:

and stood in deep thought for a minute or two.

and hatred:

Then he re-entered the house,

and hatred:

strapped a belt round his waist,

and hatred:

shoved a brace of pistols into it,

and hatred:

took up a stout cudgel that stood in a corner of the hall,

and hatred:

and set off for the Wild Wood at a smart pace.

and hatred:

It was already getting towards dusk when he reached the first fringe of trees

and hatred:

and plunged without hesitation into the wood,

and hatred:

looking anxiously on either side for any sign of his friend.

and hatred:

Here and there wicked little faces popped out of holes,

and hatred:

but vanished immediately at sight of the valorous animal,

and hatred:

his pistols, and the great ugly cudgel in his grasp;

and hatred:

and the whistling and pattering,

and hatred:

which he had heard quite plainly on his first entry,

and hatred:

died away and ceased,

and hatred:

and all was very still.

and hatred:

He made his way manfully through the length of the wood,

and hatred:

to its furthest edge;

and hatred:

then, forsaking all paths,

and hatred:

he set himself to traverse it,

and hatred:

laboriously working over the whole ground, and all the time calling out cheerfully,

and hatred:

"Moly, Moly, Moly!

and hatred:

Where are you? It's me

and hatred:

—it's old Rat!" He had patiently hunted through the wood

and hatred:

for an hour or more, when at last

and hatred:

to his joy he heard a little answering cry.

and hatred:

Guiding himself by the sound,

and hatred:

he made his way through the gathering darkness

and hatred:

to the foot of an old beech tree, with a hole in it,

and hatred:

and from out of the hole came a feeble voice,

and hatred:

saying "Ratty! Is that really you?"

and hatred:

The Rat crept into the hollow,

and hatred:

and there he found the Mole,

and hatred:

exhausted and still trembling.

and hatred:

"O Rat!" he cried, "I've been so frightened,

and hatred:

you can't think!" "O, I quite understand,"

and hatred:

said the Rat soothingly.

and hatred:

"You shouldn't really have gone and done it, Mole.

and hatred:

I did my best to keep you from it.

and hatred:

We river-bankers, we hardly ever come here by ourselves.

and hatred:

If we have to come, we come in couples at least;

and hatred:

then we're generally all right.

and hatred:

Besides, there are a hundred things one has to know,

and hatred:

which we understand all about and you don't, as yet.

and hatred:

I mean passwords, and signs,

and hatred:

and sayings which have power and effect,

and hatred:

and plants you carry in your pocket,

and hatred:

and verses you repeat, and dodges and tricks you practise;

and hatred:

all simple enough when you know them, but they've

and hatred:

got to be known if you're small,

and hatred:

or you'll find yourself in trouble.

and hatred:

Of course if you were Badger or Otter,

and hatred:

it would be quite another matter."

and hatred:

"Surely the brave Mr. Toad wouldn't mind coming here by himself, would he?"

and hatred:

inquired the Mole.

and hatred:

"Old Toad?" said the Rat, laughing heartily.

and hatred:

"He wouldn't show his face here alone,

and hatred:

not for a whole hatful of golden guineas, Toad wouldn't."

and hatred:

The Mole was greatly cheered by the sound of the Rat's careless laughter,

and hatred:

as well as by the sight of his stick and his gleaming pistols, and he stopped shivering and began to feel bolder and more himself again.

and hatred:

"Now then," said the Rat presently,

and hatred:

"we really must pull ourselves together and make a start for home while there's still a little light left.

and hatred:

It will never do to spend the night here, you understand.

and hatred:

Too cold, for one thing." "Dear Ratty," said the poor Mole,

and hatred:

"I'm dreadfully sorry, but I'm simply dead beat and that's a solid fact.

and hatred:

You must let me rest here a while longer, and get my strength back,

and hatred:

if I'm to get home at all."

and hatred:

"O, all right," said the good-natured Rat,

and hatred:

"rest away. It's pretty nearly pitch dark now, anyhow;

and hatred:

and there ought to be a bit of a moon later."

and hatred:

So the Mole got well into the dry leaves

and hatred:

and stretched himself out,

and hatred:

and presently dropped off into sleep,

and hatred:

though of a broken and troubled sort;

and hatred:

while the Rat covered himself up, too, as best he might, for warmth,

and hatred:

and lay patiently waiting,

and hatred:

with a pistol in his paw.

and hatred:

When at last the Mole woke up,

and hatred:

much refreshed and in his usual spirits,

and hatred:

the Rat said, "Now then!

and hatred:

I'll just take a look outside and see if everything's quiet,

and hatred:

and then we really must be off."

and hatred:

He went to the entrance of their retreat and put his head out.

and hatred:

Then the Mole heard him saying quietly to himself,

and hatred:

"Hullo! hullo! here—is

and hatred:

—a—go!" "What's up, Ratty?" asked the Mole.

and hatred:

"Snow is up," replied the Rat briefly;

and hatred:

"or rather, down. It's snowing hard."

and hatred:

The Mole came and crouched beside him,

and hatred:

and, looking out, saw the wood that had been so dreadful to him

and hatred:

in quite a changed aspect.

and hatred:

Holes, hollows, pools, pitfalls, and other black menaces to the wayfarer were vanishing fast,

and hatred:

and a gleaming carpet of faery was

and hatred:

springing up

and hatred:

everywhere, that looked too delicate to be trodden upon by rough feet.

and hatred:

A fine powder filled the air and caressed the cheek with a tingle in its touch,

and hatred:

and the black boles of the trees showed up in a light

and hatred:

that seemed to come from below.

and hatred:

"Well, well, it can't be helped,"

and hatred:

said the Rat, after pondering.

and hatred:

"We must make a start, and take our chance, I suppose.

and hatred:

The worst of it is,

and hatred:

I don't exactly know where we are.

and hatred:

And now this snow makes everything look so very different."

and hatred:

It did indeed. The Mole would not have known that it was the same wood.

and hatred:

However, they set out bravely,

and hatred:

and took the line that seemed most promising,

and hatred:

holding on to each other

and hatred:

and pretending with invincible cheerfulness

and hatred:

that they recognized an old friend in every fresh tree

and hatred:

that grimly and silently greeted them, or saw

and hatred:

openings, gaps, or paths

and hatred:

with a familiar turn in them,

and hatred:

in the monotony of white space and black tree-trunks

and hatred:

that refused to vary.

and hatred:

An hour or two later

and hatred:

—they had lost all count of time

and hatred:

—they pulled up, dispirited,

and hatred:

weary, and hopelessly at sea,

and hatred:

and sat down on a fallen tree-trunk to recover their breath

and hatred:

and consider what was to be done. They were aching

and hatred:

with fatigue and bruised with tumbles;

and hatred:

they had fallen into several holes and got wet through;

and hatred:

the snow was getting so deep that they could hardly drag their little legs through it,

and hatred:

and the trees were thicker

and hatred:

and more like each other than ever.

and hatred:

There seemed to be no end to this wood,

and hatred:

and no beginning, and no difference in it, and, worst of all,

and hatred:

no way out. "We can't sit here very long,"

and hatred:

said the Rat. "We shall have to make another push for it, and do

and hatred:

something or other.

and hatred:

The cold is too awful for anything,

and hatred:

and the snow will soon be too deep for us to wade through.

and hatred:

through." He peered about him

and hatred:

and considered. "Look here,"

and hatred:

he went on, "this is what occurs to me.

and hatred:

There's a sort of

and hatred:

dell down here in front of us, where the ground seems all hilly and humpy and hummocky.

and hatred:

We'll make our way down into that,

and hatred:

and try and find some sort of shelter, a cave or hole with a dry floor to it,

and hatred:

out of the snow and the wind,

and hatred:

and there we'll have a good rest before we try again, for we're

and hatred:

both of us pretty dead beat.

and hatred:

Besides, the snow may leave off, or something may turn up."

and hatred:

So once more they got on their feet,

and hatred:

and struggled down into the dell, where they hunted about for a cave or some corner that was dry

and hatred:

and a protection from the keen wind and the whirling snow.

and hatred:

They were investigating one of the hummocky bits the Rat had spoken of,

and hatred:

when suddenly the Mole tripped up

and hatred:

and fell forward on his face with a squeal.

and hatred:

"O my leg!" he cried. "O my poor shin!"

and hatred:

and he sat up on the snow and nursed his leg in both his front paws.

and hatred:

"Poor old Mole!" said the Rat kindly.

and hatred:

"You don't seem to be having much luck to-day, do you?

and hatred:

Let's have a look at the leg.

and hatred:

Yes," he went on, going down on his knees to look,

and hatred:

"you've cut your shin, sure enough. Wait till I get at my handkerchief, and I'll tie it up for you."

and hatred:

"I must have tripped over a hidden branch or a stump," said the Mole miserably.

and hatred:

"O, my! O, my!" "It's a very clean cut,"

and hatred:

said the Rat, examining it again attentively.

and hatred:

"That was never done by a branch or a stump.

and hatred:

Looks as if it was made by a sharp edge of something in metal.

and hatred:

Funny!" He pondered awhile,

and hatred:

and examined the humps and slopes that surrounded them.

and hatred:

"Well, never mind what done it,"

and hatred:

said the Mole, forgetting his grammar in his pain.

and hatred:

"It hurts just the same, whatever done it."

and hatred:

But the Rat, after carefully tying up the leg with his handkerchief,

and hatred:

had left him and was busy scraping in the snow.

and hatred:

He scratched and shovelled and explored,

and hatred:

all four legs working busily,

and hatred:

while the Mole waited impatiently,

and hatred:

remarking at intervals,

and hatred:

"O, come on, Rat!" Suddenly

and hatred:

the Rat cried "Hooray!"

and hatred:

and then "Hooray-oo-ray-oo-ray

and hatred:

-oo-ray!" and fell to executing a feeble jig in the snow.

and hatred:

"What have you found, Ratty?" asked

and hatred:

the Mole, still nursing his leg.

and hatred:

"Come and see!" said the delighted Rat,

and hatred:

as he jigged on.

and hatred:

The Mole hobbled up to the spot

and hatred:

and had a good look.

and hatred:

"Well," he said at last, slowly,

and hatred:

"I see it right enough.

and hatred:

Seen the same sort of thing before, lots of times.

and hatred:

Familiar object,

and hatred:

I call it. A door-scraper!

and hatred:

Well, what of it? Why dance jigs around a door-scraper?"

and hatred:

"But don't you see what it means, you—you dull-witted animal?"

and hatred:

cried the Rat impatiently.

and hatred:

"Of course I see what it means,"

and hatred:

replied the Mole.

and hatred:

"It simply means that some very careless and forgetful person

and hatred:

has left his door-scraper lying about in the middle of the Wild Wood,

and hatred:

just where it's sure to trip everybody up.

and hatred:

Very thoughtless of him, I call it.

and hatred:

When I get home I shall go and complain about it to

and hatred:

—to somebody or other, see if I don't!"

and hatred:

"O, dear! O, dear!" cried the Rat,

and hatred:

in despair at his obtuseness.

and hatred:

"Here, stop arguing

and hatred:

and come and scrape!"

and hatred:

And he set to work again

and hatred:

and made the snow fly in all directions around him.

and hatred:

After some further toil

and hatred:

his efforts were rewarded,

and hatred:

and a very shabby door-mat lay exposed to view.

and hatred:

"There, what did I tell you?"

and hatred:

exclaimed the Rat in great triumph.

and hatred:

"Absolutely nothing whatever,"

and hatred:

replied the Mole, with perfect truthfulness.

and hatred:

"Well now," he went on,

and hatred:

"you seem to have found another piece of domestic litter,

and hatred:

done for and thrown away,

and hatred:

and I suppose you're perfectly happy.

and hatred:

Better go ahead and dance your jig round that if you've got to, and get it over,

and hatred:

and then perhaps we can go on

and hatred:

and not waste any more time over rubbish-heaps.

and hatred:

Can we eat a doormat? Or sleep under a door-mat? Or sit on a door

and hatred:

-mat and sledge home over the snow on it,

and hatred:

you exasperating rodent?"

and hatred:

"Do—you—mean—to—say,"

and hatred:

cried the excited Rat,

and hatred:

"that this door-mat doesn't tell you anything?"

and hatred:

"Really, Rat," said the Mole,

and hatred:

quite pettishly, "I think we'd had enough of this folly.

and hatred:

Who ever heard of a door-mat telling anyone anything?

and hatred:

They simply don't do it.

and hatred:

They are not that sort at all.

and hatred:

Door-mats know their place."

and hatred:

"Now look here, you

and hatred:

—you thick-headed beast,"

and hatred:

replied the Rat, really

and hatred:

angry, "this must stop.

and hatred:

Not another word,

and hatred:

but scrape—scrape and scratch and dig and hunt round,

and hatred:

especially on the sides of the hummocks, if you want to sleep dry and warm to-night,

and hatred:

for it's our last chance!"

and hatred:

The Rat attacked a snow-bank beside them with ardour,

and hatred:

probing with his cudgel everywhere and then digging with fury;

and hatred:

and the Mole scraped busily too,

and hatred:

more to oblige the Rat than for any other reason,

and hatred:

for his opinion was that his friend was getting light-headed.

and hatred:

Some ten minutes' hard work,

and hatred:

and the point of the Rat's cudgel

and hatred:

struck something that sounded hollow.

and hatred:

He worked till he could get a paw through

and hatred:

and feel; then called the Mole to come and help him.

and hatred:

Hard at it went the two animals,

and hatred:

till at last the result of their labours stood full in view

and hatred:

of the astonished

and hatred:

and hitherto incredulous

and hatred:

Mole. In the side

and hatred:

of what had seemed to be a snow

and hatred:

-bank stood a solid-looking little door,

and hatred:

painted a dark green.

and hatred:

An iron bell-pull hung by the side, and below it,

and hatred:

on a small brass plate,

and hatred:

neatly engraved in square capital letters,

and hatred:

they could read by the aid of moonlight

and hatred:

MR. BADGER. The Mole fell backwards on the snow from sheer surprise and delight.

and hatred:

"Rat!" he cried in penitence,

and hatred:

"you're a wonder! A real wonder, that's what you are.

and hatred:

I see it all now!

and hatred:

You argued it out, step by step, in that wise head of yours,

and hatred:

from the very moment that I fell and cut my shin,

and hatred:

and you looked at the cut,

and hatred:

and at once your majestic mind said to itself, 'Door

and hatred:

-scraper!' And then you turned to and found the very door-scraper that done it!

and hatred:

Did you stop there?

and hatred:

No. Some people would have been quite satisfied; but not you.

and hatred:

Your intellect went on working. 'Let

and hatred:

me only just find a door-mat,' says you to yourself, 'and

and hatred:

my theory is proved!'

and hatred:

And of course you found your door-mat.

and hatred:

You're so clever,

and hatred:

I believe you could find anything you liked. 'Now,'

and hatred:

says you, 'that door exists, as plain as if I saw it.

and hatred:

There's nothing else remains to be done but to find it!'

and hatred:

Well, I've read about that sort of thing in books, but I've never come across it before in real life.

and hatred:

You ought to go where you'll be properly appreciated.

and hatred:

You're simply wasted here, among us fellows.

and hatred:

If I only had your head, Ratty—"

and hatred:

"But as you haven't," interrupted the Rat,

and hatred:

rather unkindly, "I suppose you're going to sit on the snow all night and talk?

and hatred:

Get up at once and hang on to that bell-pull you see there,

and hatred:

and ring hard, as hard as you can, while I hammer!"

and hatred:

While the Rat attacked the door with his stick,

and hatred:

the Mole sprang up at the bell-pull,

and hatred:

clutched it and swung there,

and hatred:

both feet well off the ground,

and hatred:

and from quite a long way off

and hatred:

they could faintly hear

and hatred:

a deep-toned bell

and hatred:

respond. This was Chapter III of

and hatred:

"The Wind in the Willows"

and hatred:

by Kenneth Grahame,

and hatred:

read for you by Khaki,

and hatred:

your faithful fireside companion.

and hatred:

You can find many more stories on the web

and hatred:

at thevoice.dog,

and hatred:

or find the show wherever you get your podcasts.

and hatred:

Thank you for keeping us company at the fireside in 2021.

and hatred:

Thank you for listening

and hatred:

to The Voice of Dog.

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About the Podcast

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The Voice of Dog
Furry stories to warm the ol' cockles, read by Rob MacWolf and guests. If you have a story that would suit the show, you can get in touch with @VoiceOfDog@meow.social on Mastodon, @voiceofdog.bsky.social on Blue Sky, or @Theodwulf on Telegram.

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About your host

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Khaki