y of desperate ferrets, advancing through
the kitchen-garden, possessed themselves of the backyard and offices;
while a company of skirmishing stoats who stuck at nothing occupied the
conservatory and the billiard-room, and held the French windows opening
on to the lawn.

'The Mole and the Badger were sitting by the fire in the smoking-room,
telling stories and suspecting nothing, for it wasn't a night for any
animals to be out in, when those bloodthirsty villains broke down the
doors and rushed in upon them from every side. They made the best fight
they could, but what was the good? They were unarmed, and taken by
surprise, and what can two animals do against hundreds? They took and
beat them severely with sticks, those two poor faithful creatures,
and turned them out into the cold and the wet, with many insulting and
uncalled-for remarks!'

Here the unfeeling Toad broke into a snigger, and then pulled himself
together and tried to look particularly solemn.

'And the Wild Wooders have been living in Toad Hall ever since,'
continued the Rat; 'and going on simply anyhow! Lying in bed half the
day, and breakfast at all hours, and the place in such a mess (I'm told)
it's not fit to be seen! Eating your grub, and drinking your drink, and
making bad jokes about you, and singing vulgar songs, about--well, about
prisons and magistrates, and policemen; horrid personal songs, with no
humour in them. And they're telling the tradespeople and everybody that
they've come to stay for good.'

'O, have they!' said Toad getting up and seizing a stick. 'I'll jolly
soon see about that!'

'It's no good, Toad!' called the Rat after him. 'You'd better come back
and sit down; you'll only get into trouble.'

But the Toad was off, and there was no holding him. He marched rapidly
down the road, his stick over his shoulder, fuming and muttering to
himself in his anger, till he got near his front gate, when suddenly
there popped up from behind the palings a long yellow ferret with a gun.

'Who comes there?' said the ferret sharply.

'Stuff and nonsense!' said Toad, very angrily. 'What do you mean by
talking like that to me? Come out of that at once, or I'll----'

The ferret said never a word, but he brought his gun up to his shoulder.
Toad prudently dropped flat in the road, and BANG! a bullet whistled
over his head.

The startled Toad scrambled to his feet and scampered off down the road
as hard as he could; and as he ran he heard the