s before, on a common, only this time the
two guests took care that Toad should do his fair share of work. In
consequence, when the time came for starting next morning, Toad was by
no means so rapturous about the simplicity of the primitive life, and
indeed attempted to resume his place in his bunk, whence he was hauled
by force. Their way lay, as before, across country by narrow lanes, and
it was not till the afternoon that they came out on the high-road, their
first high-road; and there disaster, fleet and unforeseen, sprang out
on them--disaster momentous indeed to their expedition, but simply
overwhelming in its effect on the after-career of Toad.

They were strolling along the high-road easily, the Mole by the horse's
head, talking to him, since the horse had complained that he was being
frightfully left out of it, and nobody considered him in the least;
the Toad and the Water Rat walking behind the cart talking together--at
least Toad was talking, and Rat was saying at intervals, 'Yes,
precisely; and what did YOU say to HIM?'--and thinking all the time
of something very different, when far behind them they heard a faint
warning hum; like the drone of a distant bee. Glancing back, they saw a
small cloud of dust, with a dark centre of energy, advancing on them at
incredible speed, while from out the dust a faint 'Poop-poop!' wailed
like an uneasy animal in pain. Hardly regarding it, they turned to
resume their conversation, when in an instant (as it seemed) the
peaceful scene was changed, and with a blast of wind and a whirl of
sound that made them jump for the nearest ditch, It was on them! The
'Poop-poop' rang with a brazen shout in their ears, they had a moment's
glimpse of an interior of glittering plate-glass and rich morocco, and
the magnificent motor-car, immense, breath-snatching, passionate, with
its pilot tense and hugging his wheel, possessed all earth and air for
the fraction of a second, flung an enveloping cloud of dust that blinded
and enwrapped them utterly, and then dwindled to a speck in the far
distance, changed back into a droning bee once more.

The old grey horse, dreaming, as he plodded along, of his quiet paddock,
in a new raw situation such as this simply abandoned himself to his
natural emotions. Rearing, plunging, backing steadily, in spite of
all the Mole's efforts at his head, and all the Mole's lively language
directed at his better feelings, he drove the cart backwards towards the
dee