The Wind in the Willows

Rat and Mole wait for what seems like a long time until they hear shuffling on the inside of the door. Then the door opens a few inches, and Badger, gruff and suspicious, warns that he’ll be really angry if this happens again. But when Rat announces himself, Badger’s voice changes dramatically. He invites Rat and Mole into a long, dark, drafty hallway and says it’s not a good night for small animals to be outside. But he leads them to the kitchen, where there’s a fire and supper. The kitchen is large, with a roaring fire, two benches, and a massive trestle table. Hams and onions hang from the ceiling. Badger fetches dressing gowns and slippers so his friends can change out of their wet clothes, and he bandages Mole’s injured leg.

When Mole and Rat are warm, Badger calls them to the feast he’s laid out on the table. Nobody speaks for a while as they eat (and when they do speak, their mouths are full), and Mole and Rat put their elbows on the table. Badger doesn’t think this matters since he doesn’t go into “Society” much, but the narrator assures readers that manners do matter. Finally, Mole and Rat tell Badger their story. Badger listens without judging them for their bad decisions.

When supper is over, Badger leads his friends back to the fire and asks for news from the river, and specifically of Toad. Rat says things are bad—Toad had yet another crash last week. Toad refuses to hire a driver. He’s had seven cars and seven crashes now, and Mole adds that Toad has been in the hospital three times. He’s also had to pay lots of fines. Rat observes that Toad is rich but not a millionaire. Unless they step in and intervene, as Toad’s friends, Toad is going to ruin his life or get himself killed. Badger severely says that they can’t do anything now (animal etiquette insists that nobody does anything strenuous during winter), but he promises that once summer comes, they’ll force Toad to be reasonable.

Badger notices Rat nodding off. Mole laughs—he’s not tired, and though he can’t identify why, it’s because he’s an animal who’s supposed to be underground. Unlike Rat, he finds Badger’s underground house invigorating. Badger fetches candles and shows Rat and Mole to a long room. Half of it is a storeroom, and the other half is a bedroom. Rat and Mole fall into bed and follow Badger’s instructions to not bother getting up too early in the morning.

When Rat and Mole enter the kitchen late the next morning, there are two young hedgehogs eating oatmeal at the table. The youngsters stand and nod respectfully to Rat and Mole, and one—Billy—explains that they got stuck in the snow on the way to school. They knocked on Badger’s door, since everyone knows he’s a kind gentleman. The hedgehogs explain that the weather is terrible, and that Badger is busy in his study. Everyone knows that Badger is actually just “busy” napping, but this is totally appropriate for an animal this time of year.

The doorbell rings. Since Rat is busy eating buttered toast, he sends Billy to get it. Billy returns with Otter, who throws himself on Rat—everyone on the riverbank has been worried about Rat, but Otter was certain Rat ended up at Badger’s. The snow outside is terrible; Otter had fun playing in it, but it was surely terrifying. There are so many birds out. Otter came across a rabbit who only told him about Rat’s whereabouts after Otter cuffed his ears. The rabbit shared that “They” were out hunting Rat and Mole and scoffed when Otter asked why he didn’t help Rat and Mole. When Mole asks, Otter says he wasn’t scared and shows his gleaming teeth.

Badger comes into the kitchen a bit later, greets everyone kindly, and invites Otter to stay for lunch. Then he sends the young hedgehogs home with pocket money. Over lunch, Mole and Badger talk about living underground. Badger beams as Mole describes how at home he feels here, and how being underground allows an animal to forget the outside world. Badger adds that underground, if you want more space, you just dig a new room, and you never have to worry about weather ruining your house.

After lunch, Badger takes Mole on a tour of his house. Mole is in awe of the size and scale, but Badger explains that this spot used to be a human city, and that his house uses elements the humans built. Nobody knows exactly what happened to the people, but they left over time, and the woods took over the land. The animals, Badger says, will always be waiting to move back into their rightful homes. He notes that now, all sorts live in the Wild Wood, which makes Mole shudder. Badger promises to send word around; nobody will intimidate his friends.

When Badger and Mole return to the kitchen, Rat is pacing restlessly; being underground is emotionally difficult for him. Rat is dressed and ready to go, and Otter explains that they’ll be safe since he’s going to walk them home. Badger notes that his passages run all through the woods, so Rat and Mole can leave by a shortcut. Presently, he leads them down a damp, winding tunnel, says goodbye quickly, and covers the tunnel entrance with dead leaves. Rat, Mole, and Otter are on the edge of the Wild Wood. Otter leads them across the fields and away from the “dense, menacing” Wild Wood. Mole realizes that he belongs in the fields and pastures. Those places aren’t “Nature in the rough,” but there’s enough adventure to be had.