himself to his natural emotions. Rearing, plunging, backing

steadily, in spite of all the Mole's efforts at his head, and all



the Mole's lively language directed at his better feelings, he

drove the cart backwards towards the deep ditch at the side of



the road. It wavered an instant--then there was a heartrending

crash--and the canary-coloured cart, their pride and their joy,



lay on its side in the ditch, an irredeemable wreck.

The Rat danced up and down in the road, simply transported with



passion. `You villains!' he shouted, shaking both fists, `You

scoundrels, you highwaymen, you--you--roadhogs!--I'll have the



law of you! I'll report you! I'll take you through all the

Courts!' His home-sickness had quite slipped away from him, and



for the moment he was the skipper of the canary-coloured

vessel driven on a shoal by the reckless jockeying of rival



mariners, and he was trying to recollect all the fine and biting

things he used to say to masters of steam-launches when their



wash, as they drove too near the bank, used to flood his parlour-

carpet at home.



Toad sat straight down in the middle of the dusty road, his legs

stretched out before him, and stared fixedly in the direction of



the disappearing motor-car. He breathed short, his face wore a

placid satisfied expression, and at intervals he faintly murmured



`Poop-poop!'

The Mole was busy trying to quiet the horse, which he succeeded



in doing after a time. Then he went to look at the cart, on its

side in the ditch. It was indeed a sorry sight. Panels and



windows smashed, axles hopelessly" target="_blank" title="ad.无希望地，绝望地">hopelessly bent, one wheel off, sardine-

tins scattered over the wide world, and the bird in the bird-cage



sobbing pitifully and calling to be let out.

The Rat came to help him, but their united efforts were not



sufficient to right the cart. `Hi! Toad!' they cried. `Come and

bear a hand, can't you!'



The Toad never answered a word, or budged from his seat in the

road; so they went to see what was the matter with him. They



found him in a sort of a trance, a happy smile on his face, his

eyes still fixed on the dusty wake of their destroyer. At



intervals he was still heard to murmur `Poop-poop!'

The Rat shook him by the shoulder. `Are you coming to help us,



Toad?' he demanded sternly.

`Glorious, stirring sight!' murmured Toad, never offering to



move. `The poetry of motion! The REAL way to travel! The

ONLY way to travel! Here to-day--in next week to-morrow!



Villages skipped, towns and cities jumped--always somebody else's

horizon! O bliss! O poop-poop! O my! O my!'



`O STOP being an ass, Toad!' cried the Mole despairingly.

`And to think I never KNEW!' went on the Toad in a dreamy



monotone. `All those wasted years that lie behind me, I never

knew, never even DREAMT! But NOW--but now that I know, now



that I fully realise! O what a flowery track lies spread before

me, henceforth! What dust-clouds shall spring up behind me as I



speed on my reckless way! What carts I shall fling

carelessly into the ditch in the wake of my magnificent onset!



Horrid little carts--common carts--canary-coloured carts!'

`What are we to do with him?' asked the Mole of the Water Rat.



`Nothing at all,' replied the Rat firmly. `Because there is

really nothing to be done. You see, I know him from of old. He



is now possessed. He has got a new craze, and it always takes

him that way, in its first stage. He'll continue like that for



days now, like an animal walking in a happy dream, quite useless

for all practical purposes. Never mind him. Let's go and see



what there is to be done about the cart.'

A careful inspection showed them that, even if they succeeded in



righting it by themselves, the cart would travel no longer. The

axles were in a hopeless state, and the missing wheel was



shattered into pieces.

The Rat knotted the horse's reins over his back and took him by



the head, carrying the bird cage and its hystericaloccupant in

the other hand. `Come on!' he said grimly to the Mole. `It's



five or six miles to the nearest town, and we shall just have

to walk it. The sooner we make a start the better.'



`But what about Toad?' asked the Mole anxiously, as they set off

together. `We can't leave him here, sitting in the middle of the



road by himself, in the distracted state he's in! It's not safe.

Supposing another Thing were to come along?'



`O, BOTHER Toad,' said the Rat savagely; `I've done with him!'

• oblige [ə´blaidʒ] vt.责成；迫使；使感激 (初中英语单词)


• imagination [i,mædʒi´neiʃən] n.想象(力) (初中英语单词)


• occupation [,ɔkju´peiʃən] a.职业的；军事占领的 (初中英语单词)


• capture [´kæptʃə] vt.&n.捕获；俘获；夺取 (初中英语单词)


• expedition [,ekspi´diʃən] n.远征；探险；迅速 (初中英语单词)


• frankly [´fræŋkli] ad.直率地；慷慨地 (初中英语单词)


• meantime [´mi:ntaim] n.&ad.其间；同时 (初中英语单词)


• humour [´hju:mə] n.幽默，诙谐 (初中英语单词)


• remote [ri´məut] a.遥远的；偏僻的 (初中英语单词)


• excitement [ik´saitmənt] n.兴奋；骚动；煽动 (初中英语单词)


• amount [ə´maunt] n.总数；数量 v.合计 (初中英语单词)


• thoroughly [´θʌrəli] ad.完全地，彻底地 (初中英语单词)


• consequence [´kɔnsikwəns] n.结果；后果；推断 (初中英语单词)


• primitive [´primitiv] a.原始的 n.原始人 (初中英语单词)


• disaster [di´zɑ:stə] n.灾难，不幸 (初中英语单词)


• sprang [spræŋ] spring 的过去式 (初中英语单词)


• energy [´enədʒi] n.活力，精力；能力 (初中英语单词)


• instant [´instənt] a.立即的 n.紧迫；瞬间 (初中英语单词)


• peaceful [´pi:sfəl] a.和平的；平静的 (初中英语单词)


• glimpse [glimps] n.&v.瞥见 (初中英语单词)


• interior [in´tiəriə] n.&a.内部地(的) (初中英语单词)


• immense [i´mens] a.广大的，无限的 (初中英语单词)


• lively [´laivli] a.活泼的；热烈的 (初中英语单词)


• driven [´driv(ə)n] drive 的过去分词 (初中英语单词)


• poetry [´pəuitri] n.诗；诗意 (初中英语单词)


• magnificent [mæg´nifisənt] a.壮丽的；豪华的 (初中英语单词)


• firmly [´fə:mli] ad.坚固地，稳定地 (初中英语单词)


• missing [´misiŋ] a.缺掉的；失踪的 (初中英语单词)


• bother [´bɔðə] v.打扰 n.麻烦(事) (初中英语单词)


• nowhere [´nəuweə] n.无处；不知道 (高中英语单词)


• squeeze [skwi:z] v.&n.压榨，榨取 (高中英语单词)


• saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)


• precisely [pri´saisli] ad.精确地；刻板地 (高中英语单词)


• uneasy [ʌn´i:zi] a.不安的；不自在的 (高中英语单词)


• regarding [ri´gɑ:diŋ] prep.关于 (高中英语单词)


• passionate [´pæʃənit] a.易动情的；易怒的 (高中英语单词)


• fraction [´frækʃən] n.小部分；一点儿 (高中英语单词)


• reckless [´rekləs] a.不注意的；鲁莽的 (高中英语单词)


• faintly [´feintli] ad.微弱地，软弱无力的 (高中英语单词)


• offering [´ɔfəriŋ] n.提供；礼物；捐献 (高中英语单词)


• inspection [in´spekʃən] n.检查；视察；参观 (高中英语单词)


• hopeless [´həupləs] a.无望的，无可救药的 (高中英语单词)


• grimly [´grimli] ad.严厉地；坚强地 (高中英语单词)


• anxiously [´æŋkʃəsli] ad.挂念地；渴望地 (高中英语单词)


• tempting [´temptiŋ] a.引诱人的，吸引人的 (英语四级单词)


• roadside [´rəudsaid] n.&a.路边(的) (英语四级单词)


• triumphant [trai´ʌmfənt] a.胜利的；洋洋得意的 (英语四级单词)


• cheerily [´tʃiərili] ad. 高兴地；愉快地 (英语四级单词)


• good-natured [´gud-´neitʃəd] a.脾气好的，温厚的 (英语四级单词)


• ramble [´ræmbl] v.&n.闲逛；漫步 (英语四级单词)


• grassy [´grɑ:si] a.多草的；青草味的 (英语四级单词)


• whence [wens] ad.从何处；从那里 (英语四级单词)


• warning [´wɔ:niŋ] n.警告；前兆 a.预告的 (英语四级单词)


• brazen [´breizən] a.黄铜制的；无耻的 (英语四级单词)


• skipper [´skipə] n.&vi.(当)船长 (英语四级单词)


• trying [´traiiŋ] a.难堪的；费劲的 (英语四级单词)


• recollect [rekə´lekt] v.重新集合；恢复 (英语四级单词)


• hopelessly [´həuplisli] ad.无希望地，绝望地 (英语四级单词)


• stirring [´stə:riŋ] a.活跃的；热闹的 (英语四级单词)


• flowery [´flauəri] a.多花的 (英语四级单词)


• occupant [´ɔkjupənt] n.居住者；占有人 (英语四级单词)


• savagely [´sævidʒli] ad.野蛮地；原始地 (英语四级单词)


• doggedly [´dɔgidli] ad.顽强地，固执地 (英语六级单词)


• wistfully [´wistfuli] ad.渴望地；不满足地 (英语六级单词)


• sleepily [´sli:pili] ad.瞌睡地；懒散地 (英语六级单词)


• housekeeping [´haus,ki:piŋ] n.家务管理，家政 (英语六级单词)


• frightfully [,fraitfuli] ad.可怕地；非常 (英语六级单词)


• backwards [´bækwədz] ad.向后 a.向后的 (英语六级单词)


• calling [´kɔ:liŋ] n.点名；职业；欲望 (英语六级单词)


• trance [trɑ:ns] n.恍惚；出神 (英语六级单词)


• hysterical [hi´sterikəl] a.歇斯底里的，癔病的 (英语六级单词)