anquillity, except
underground. And then, if your ideas get larger and you want to
expand--why, a dig and a scrape, and there you are! If you feel your
house is a bit too big, you stop up a hole or two, and there you are
again! No builders, no tradesmen, no remarks passed on you by fellows
looking over your wall, and, above all, no _weather_. Look at Rat,
now. A couple of feet of flood water, and he's got to move into hired
lodgings; uncomfortable, inconveniently situated, and horribly
expensive. Take Toad. I say nothing against Toad Hall; quite the best
house in these parts, _as_ a house. But supposing a fire breaks
out--where's Toad? Supposing tiles are blown off, or walls sink or
crack, or windows get broken--where's Toad? Supposing the rooms are
draughty--I _hate_ a draught myself--where's Toad? No, up and out of
doors is good enough to roam about and get one's living in; but
underground to come back to at last--that's my idea of _home_!"

The Mole assented heartily; and the Badger in consequence got very
friendly with him. "When lunch is over," he said, "I'll take you all
round this little place of mine. I can see you'll appreciate it. You
understand what domestic architecture ought to be, you do."

After luncheon, accordingly, when the other two had settled themselves
into the chimney-corner and had started a heated argument on the
subject of _eels_, the Badger lighted a lantern and bade the Mole
follow him. Crossing the hall, they passed down one of the principal
tunnels, and the wavering light of the lantern gave glimpses on either
side of rooms both large and small, some mere cupboards, others
nearly as broad and imposing as Toad's dining-hall. A narrow passage
at right angles led them into another corridor, and here the same
thing was repeated. The Mole was staggered at the size, the extent,
the ramifications of it all; at the length of the dim passages, the
solid vaultings of the crammed store-chambers, the masonry everywhere,
the pillars, the arches, the pavements. "How on earth, Badger," he
said at last, "did you ever find time and strength to do all this?
It's astonishing!"

"It _would_ be astonishing indeed," said the Badger simply, "if I
_had_ done it. But as a matter of fact I did none of it--only cleaned
out the passages and chambers, as far as I had need of them. There's
lots more of it, all round about. I see you don't understand, and I
must explain it to you. Well, very long ago, on the spot wher