The Wind in the Willows – Part 8
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The two tired animals slept long and deeply, and came down to breakfast very late indeed. In the kitchen they found two young hedgehogs, busy with bowls of bread and hot milk.
‘Hello!’ said the Rat pleasantly. ‘Where did you two come from? Lost your way in the snow, I suppose?’
‘Yes, sir,’ said one of the hedgehogs politely. ‘We got lost on the way to school, and Mr Badger said we could come in and have some breakfast.’
The breakfast things were all ready on the table, and the Mole and the Rat quickly got to work. The Rat made the coffee while the Mole fried several pieces of bread and an enormous number of eggs.
When the door bell rang, one of the hedgehogs went to answer the door. He came back followed by the Otter, who gave a shout of happiness when he saw the Rat. He ran across the room and almost knocked the Rat off his chair.
‘Get off!’ said the Rat, with his mouth full of fried bread.
‘I thought I’d find you here all right,’ said the Otter happily.
Everybody along the river bank has been so worried about you. Rat never came home last night, and nor did Mole; something terrible has happened, they said. But if anyone’s in trouble, Badger usually gets to hear about it, so I came straight here this morning. And oh my, didn’t the Wild Wood look grand, with the snow everywhere and the red sun coming up, shining through the black trees! Halfway here I met one of those silly rabbits. He told me that Mole had lost his way last night, and that “They” were out and chasing him all over the wood. I’d like to meet one of “Them” myself this morning, and tell them what I think.’
‘Weren’t you at all – um – afraid?’ asked the Mole, remembering how frightened he had been.
‘Afraid?’ The Otter laughed and showed his strong white teeth. ‘I don’t think any of them would argue with me. Here, Mole, be a good fellow and fry me some eggs. I’m terribly hungry, and I’ve got a lot to talk about with Ratty here. Haven’t seen him for weeks.’
Breakfast was almost finished when the Badger entered, looking sleepy. ‘It’s nearly time for lunch,’ he said. ‘Stay and have some with us, Otter. You must be hungry this cold morning.’
The hedgehogs were sent home, the breakfast things were cleared away, and soon the four animals sat down to lunch together. The Rat and the Otter were having a long conversation about river-bank matters, so the Mole began to talk to the Badger.
‘This is a wonderful, comfortable home you have here,’ he said. ‘There’s really nothing better than a place underground like this. You can shut off the world up there when you don’t want it. And when you do, you can just go up and there’s the world waiting for you.’
The Badger smiled warmly at him. ‘That’s just what I say,’ he replied. ‘Down here, you’re safe and dry and warm. With a house above ground, you’ve got to worry about fire, and wind and rain, holes in the roof and broken windows. No, above ground is fine in its way, but one’s home should be underground.’
Thie Mole agreed with everything that the Badger said. His own little home was underground, so it was natural for him to feel comfortable there. He and the Badger became very friendly, and after lunch the Badger took him all round his home, down tunnel after tunnel, through room after room. The Mole was interested in everything and thought it was all wonderful.
When they got back to the kitchen, the Rat was walking up and down, very restless. Unlike the Mole, he didn’t really feel comfortable underground. He wanted to be back in his own home, where the windows looked out over the river, and where he could hear the wind whispering through the trees.
‘Come along, Mole,’ he said. ‘We must set off while it’s daylight. We don’t want to spend another night lost in the Wild Wood.’
‘ll’s all right,’ said the Otter. ‘I’m coming with you and I know all the paths.’
‘You mustn’t worry, Ratty,’ added the Badger calmly. ‘My tunnels go further than you think, and I’ve several back doors at the edge of the wood – although I keep them secret from most people.’
So the journey home was really very easy. When they came out of the Badger’s secret back door, they found a path across the fields and soon they could see the river in front of them. The Mole looked back at the Wild Wood for a moment, thinking of the terror that he had felt there. Then he hurried on after the others, happy to be back in the open fields, and looking forward to the bright firelight of home.