ed, uncertain as to the right turning to take, he found
himself helped out of his difficulty by the warder at the next gate,
anxious to be off to his tea, summoning him to come along sharp and not
keep him waiting there all night. The chaff and the humourous sallies
to which he was subjected, and to which, of course, he had to provide
prompt and effective reply, formed, indeed, his chief danger; for Toad
was an animal with a strong sense of his own dignity, and the chaff
was mostly (he thought) poor and clumsy, and the humour of the sallies
entirely lacking. However, he kept his temper, though with great
difficulty, suited his retorts to his company and his supposed
character, and did his best not to overstep the limits of good taste.

It seemed hours before he crossed the last courtyard, rejected the
pressing invitations from the last guardroom, and dodged the outspread
arms of the last warder, pleading with simulated passion for just one
farewell embrace. But at last he heard the wicket-gate in the great
outer door click behind him, felt the fresh air of the outer world upon
his anxious brow, and knew that he was free!

Dizzy with the easy success of his daring exploit, he walked quickly
towards the lights of the town, not knowing in the least what he should
do next, only quite certain of one thing, that he must remove himself as
quickly as possible from the neighbourhood where the lady he was forced
to represent was so well-known and so popular a character.

As he walked along, considering, his attention was caught by some red
and green lights a little way off, to one side of the town, and the
sound of the puffing and snorting of engines and the banging of shunted
trucks fell on his ear. 'Aha!' he thought, 'this is a piece of luck!
A railway station is the thing I want most in the whole world at this
moment; and what's more, I needn't go through the town to get it, and
shan't have to support this humiliating character by repartees which,
though thoroughly effective, do not assist one's sense of self-respect.'

He made his way to the station accordingly, consulted a time-table, and
found that a train, bound more or less in the direction of his home, was
due to start in half-an-hour. 'More luck!' said Toad, his spirits rising
rapidly, and went off to the booking-office to buy his ticket.

He gave the name of the station that he knew to be nearest to the
village of which Toad Hall was the principal feature, and mecha