rs that lie behind me, I never knew, never even DREAMT!
But NOW--but now that I know, now that I fully realise! O what a flowery
track lies spread before me, henceforth! What dust-clouds shall spring
up behind me as I speed on my reckless way! What carts I shall fling
carelessly into the ditch in the wake of my magnificent onset! Horrid
little carts--common carts--canary-coloured carts!'

'What are we to do with him?' asked the Mole of the Water Rat.

'Nothing at all,' replied the Rat firmly. 'Because there is really
nothing to be done. You see, I know him from of old. He is now
possessed. He has got a new craze, and it always takes him that way, in
its first stage. He'll continue like that for days now, like an animal
walking in a happy dream, quite useless for all practical purposes.
Never mind him. Let's go and see what there is to be done about the
cart.'

A careful inspection showed them that, even if they succeeded in
righting it by themselves, the cart would travel no longer. The axles
were in a hopeless state, and the missing wheel was shattered into
pieces.

The Rat knotted the horse's reins over his back and took him by the
head, carrying the bird cage and its hysterical occupant in the other
hand. 'Come on!' he said grimly to the Mole. 'It's five or six miles to
the nearest town, and we shall just have to walk it. The sooner we make
a start the better.'

'But what about Toad?' asked the Mole anxiously, as they set off
together. 'We can't leave him here, sitting in the middle of the road
by himself, in the distracted state he's in! It's not safe. Supposing
another Thing were to come along?'

'O, BOTHER Toad,' said the Rat savagely; 'I've done with him!'

They had not proceeded very far on their way, however, when there was a
pattering of feet behind them, and Toad caught them up and thrust a paw
inside the elbow of each of them; still breathing short and staring into
vacancy.

'Now, look here, Toad!' said the Rat sharply: 'as soon as we get to the
town, you'll have to go straight to the police-station, and see if they
know anything about that motor-car and who it belongs to, and lodge a
complaint against it. And then you'll have to go to a blacksmith's or a
wheelwright's and arrange for the cart to be fetched and mended and
put to rights. It'll take time, but it's not quite a hopeless smash.
Meanwhile, the Mole and I will go to an inn and find comfortable rooms
where we can stay till the cart's ready