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'What did I tell you?' said the Rat.

'It's no good.

They've got sentries posted, and they are all armed.

You must just wait.'

Still, Toad was not inclined to give in all at once.

So he got out the boat, and set off rowing up the river to where the garden front of Toad Hall came down to the waterside.

Arriving within sight of his old home, he rested on his oars and surveyed the land cautiously.

All seemed very peaceful and deserted and quiet.

He could see the whole front of Toad Hall, glowing in the evening sunshine, the pigeons settling by twos and threes along the straight line of the roof; the garden, a blaze of flowers; the creek that led up to the boat-house, the little wooden bridge that crossed it; all tranquil, uninhabited, apparently waiting for his return.

He would try the boat-house first, he thought.

Very warily he paddled up to the mouth of the creek, and was just passing under the bridge, when ...

CRASH!

A great stone, dropped from above, smashed through the bottom of the boat.

It filled and sank, and Toad found himself struggling in deep water.

Looking up, he saw two stoats leaning over the parapet of the bridge and watching him with great glee.

'It will be your head next time, Toady!' they called out to him.

The indignant Toad swam to shore, while the stoats laughed and laughed, supporting each other, and laughed again, till they nearly had two fits-that is, one fit each, of course.

The Toad retraced his weary way on foot, and related his disappointing experiences to the Water Rat once more.

'Well, WHAT did I tell you?' said the Rat very crossly.

And, now, look here! See what you've been and done! Lost me my boat that I was so fond of, that's what you've done! And simply ruined that nice suit of clothes that I lent you! Really, Toad, 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 friend's 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.'

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