ad, of all the trying animals--I wonder you
manage to keep any friends at all!"

The Toad saw at once how wrongly and foolishly he had acted. He
admitted his errors and wrong-headedness and made a full apology to
Rat for losing his boat and spoiling his clothes. And he wound up by
saying, with that frank self-surrender which always disarmed his
friends' criticism and won them back to his side, "Ratty! I see that I
have been a headstrong and a wilful Toad! Henceforth, believe me, I
will be humble and submissive, and will take no action without your
kind advice and full approval!"

"If that is really so," said the good-natured Rat, already appeased,
"then my advice to you is, considering the lateness of the hour, to
sit down and have your supper, which will be on the table in a minute,
and be very patient. For I am convinced that we can do nothing until
we have seen the Mole and the Badger, and heard their latest news, and
held conference and taken their advice in this difficult matter."

"Oh, ah, yes, of course, the Mole and the Badger," said Toad,
lightly. "What's become of them, the dear fellows? I had forgotten all
about them."

"Well may you ask!" said the Rat reproachfully. "While you were riding
about the country in expensive motor-cars, and galloping proudly on
blood-horses, and breakfasting on the fat of the land, those two poor
devoted animals have been camping out in the open, in every sort of
weather, living very rough by day and lying very hard by night;
watching over your house, patrolling your boundaries, keeping a
constant eye on the stoats and the weasels, scheming and planning and
contriving how to get your property back for you. You don't deserve to
have such true and loyal friends, Toad, you don't, really. Some day,
when it's too late, you'll be sorry you didn't value them more while
you had them!"

"I'm an ungrateful beast, I know," sobbed Toad, shedding bitter tears.
"Let me go out and find them, out into the cold, dark night, and share
their hardships, and try and prove by--Hold on a bit! Surely I heard
the chink of dishes on a tray! Supper's here at last, hooray! Come
on, Ratty!"

The Rat remembered that poor Toad had been on prison fare for a
considerable time, and that large allowances had therefore to be made.
He followed him to the table accordingly, and hospitably encouraged
him in his gallant efforts to make up for past privations.

They had just finished their meal and resumed their