FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133  
134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   >>  
ater, water that bore him along with a force he could not contend with; and he knew that in his blind panic he had run straight into the river! He rose to the surface and tried to grasp the reeds and the rushes that grew along the water's edge close under the bank, but the stream was so strong that it tore them out of his hands. 'O my!' gasped poor Toad, 'if ever I steal a motor-car again! If ever I sing another conceited song'--then down he went, and came up breathless and spluttering. Presently he saw that he was approaching a big dark hole in the bank, just above his head, and as the stream bore him past he reached up with a paw and caught hold of the edge and held on. Then slowly and with difficulty he drew himself up out of the water, till at last he was able to rest his elbows on the edge of the hole. There he remained for some minutes, puffing and panting, for he was quite exhausted. As he sighed and blew and stared before him into the dark hole, some bright small thing shone and twinkled in its depths, moving towards him. As it approached, a face grew up gradually around it, and it was a familiar face! Brown and small, with whiskers. Grave and round, with neat ears and silky hair. It was the Water Rat! XI. 'LIKE SUMMER TEMPESTS CAME HIS TEARS' The Rat put out a neat little brown paw, gripped Toad firmly by the scruff of the neck, and gave a great hoist and a pull; and the water-logged Toad came up slowly but surely over the edge of the hole, till at last he stood safe and sound in the hall, streaked with mud and weed to be sure, and with the water streaming off him, but happy and high-spirited as of old, now that he found himself once more in the house of a friend, and dodgings and evasions were over, and he could lay aside a disguise that was unworthy of his position and wanted such a lot of living up to. 'O, Ratty!' he cried. 'I've been through such times since I saw you last, you can't think! Such trials, such sufferings, and all so nobly borne! Then such escapes, such disguises such subterfuges, and all so cleverly planned and carried out! Been in prison--got out of it, of course! Been thrown into a canal--swam ashore! Stole a horse--sold him for a large sum of money! Humbugged everybody--made 'em all do exactly what I wanted! Oh, I AM a smart Toad, and no mistake! What do you think my last exploit was? Just hold on till I tell you----' 'Toad,' said the Water Rat, gravely and firmly
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133  
134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   >>  



Top keywords:

wanted

 

slowly

 

firmly

 

stream

 

unworthy

 

disguise

 

logged

 

scruff

 
surely
 

position


spirited
 

streaked

 

evasions

 
streaming
 

dodgings

 
friend
 
trials
 

Humbugged

 

ashore

 

exploit


gravely

 

mistake

 
gripped
 

sufferings

 
prison
 

carried

 

thrown

 

planned

 
cleverly
 

escapes


disguises

 

subterfuges

 

living

 

conceited

 

gasped

 

approaching

 

Presently

 

breathless

 
spluttering
 
straight

contend

 

strong

 

rushes

 

surface

 

reached

 

whiskers

 

familiar

 

approached

 

gradually

 

SUMMER