The Wind in the Willows

I.
THE RIVER BANK

The Mole had been working very hard all the morning, spring-cleaning his littlehome. First with brooms, then with dusters; then on ladders and steps andchairs, with a brush and a pail of whitewash; till he had dust in his throatand eyes, and splashes of whitewash all over his black fur, and an aching backand weary arms. Spring was moving in the air above and in the earth below andaround him, penetrating even his dark and lowly little house with its spirit ofdivine discontent and longing. It was small wonder, then, that he suddenlyflung down his brush on the floor, said “Bother!” and “Oblow!” and also “Hang spring-cleaning!” and bolted out of thehouse without even waiting to put on his coat. Something up above was callinghim imperiously, and he made for the steep little tunnel which answered in hiscase to the gravelled carriage-drive owned by animals whose residences arenearer to the sun and air. So he scraped and scratched and scrabbled andscrooged and then he scrooged again and scrabbled and scratched and scraped,working busily with his little paws and muttering to himself, “Up we go!Up we go!” till at last, pop! his snout came out into the sunlight, andhe found himself rolling in the warm grass of a great meadow.

“This is fine!” he said to himself. “This is better thanwhitewashing!” The sunshine struck hot on his fur, soft breezes caressedhis heated brow, and after the seclusion of the cellarage he had lived in solong the carol of happy birds fell on his dulled hearing almost like a shout.Jumping off all his four legs at once, in the joy of living and the delight ofspring without its cleaning, he pursued his way across the meadow till hereached the hedge on the further side.

“Hold up!” said an elderly rabbit at the gap. “Sixpence forthe privilege of passing by the private road!” He was bowled over in aninstant by the impatient and contemptuous Mole, who trotted along the side ofthe hedge chaffing the other rabbits as they peeped hurriedly from their holesto see what the row was about. “Onion-sauce! Onion-sauce!” heremarked jeeringly, and was gone before they could think of a thoroughlysatisfactory reply. Then they all started grumbling at each other. “Howstupid you are! W

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