FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   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   142   143   >>  
, starved, chased, terrified out of your life, insulted, jeered at, and ignominiously flung into the water--by a woman, too! Where's the amusement in that? Where does the fun come in? And all because you must needs go and steal a motor-car. You know that you've never had anything but trouble from motor-cars from the moment you first set eyes on one. But if you _will_ be mixed up with them--as you generally are, five minutes after you've started--why _steal_ them? Be a cripple, if you think it's exciting; be a bankrupt, for a change, if you've set your mind on it: but why choose to be a convict? When are you going to be sensible and think of your friends, and try and be a credit to them? Do you suppose it's any pleasure to me, for instance, to hear animals saying, as I go about, that I'm the chap that keeps company with gaol-birds?" [Illustration: _Dwelling chiefly on his own cleverness, and presence of mind in emergencies_] Now, it was a very comforting point in Toad's character that he was a thoroughly good-hearted animal, and never minded being jawed by those who were his real friends. And even when most set upon a thing, he was always able to see the other side of the question. So although, while the Rat was talking so seriously, he kept saying to himself mutinously, "But it _was_ fun, though! Awful fun!" and making strange suppressed noises inside him, k-i-ck-ck-ck, and poop-p-p, and other sounds resembling stifled snorts, or the opening of soda-water bottles, yet when the Rat had quite finished, he heaved a deep sigh and said, very nicely and humbly, "Quite right, Ratty! How _sound_ you always are! Yes, I've been a conceited old ass, I can quite see that; but now I'm going to be a good Toad, and not do it any more. As for motor-cars, I've not been at all so keen about them since my last ducking in that river of yours. The fact is, while I was hanging on to the edge of your hole and getting my breath, I had a sudden idea--a really brilliant idea--connected with motor-boats--there, there! don't take on so, old chap, and stamp, and upset things; it was only an idea, and we won't talk any more about it now. We'll have our coffee, _and_ a smoke, and a quiet chat, and then I'm going to stroll quietly down to Toad Hall, and get into clothes of my own, and set things going again on the old lines. I've had enough of adventures. I shall lead a quiet, steady, respectable life, pottering about my property, and improving i
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   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   142   143   >>  



Top keywords:
things
 

friends

 

nicely

 

humbly

 

conceited

 
stifled
 
snorts
 

opening

 
resembling
 

sounds


improving

 

property

 
pottering
 

respectable

 
heaved
 

clothes

 
adventures
 
finished
 

bottles

 

steady


coffee

 

connected

 

brilliant

 

sudden

 

breath

 

quietly

 

ducking

 

hanging

 

stroll

 

minutes


started

 
cripple
 

generally

 

exciting

 

bankrupt

 
credit
 

suppose

 
pleasure
 

change

 
choose

convict
 

ignominiously

 
jeered
 
insulted
 

starved

 

chased

 
terrified
 

amusement

 
trouble
 

moment