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The Wind in the Willows-Part28_Kenneth Grahame(1859-1932)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

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When the Toad--came--home!



Bang! go the drums!

The trumpeters are tooting and the soldiers are saluting,



And the cannon they are shooting and the motor-cars are hooting,

As the--Hero--comes!



Shout--Hoo-ray!

And let each one of the crowd try and shout it very loud,



In honour of an animal of whom you're justly proud,

For it's Toad's--great--day!



He sang this very loud, with great unction and expression; and

when he had done, he sang it all over again.



Then he heaved a deep sigh; a long, long, long sigh.

Then he dipped his hairbrush in the water-jug, parted his hair in



the middle, and plastered it down very straight and sleek on each

side of his face; and, unlocking the door, went quietly down the



stairs to greet his guests, who he knew must be assembling in the

drawing-room.



All the animals cheered when he entered, and crowded round to

congratulate him and say nice things about his courage, and his



cleverness, and his fighting qualities; but Toad only smiled

faintly, and murmured, `Not at all!' Or, sometimes, for a



change, `On the contrary!' Otter, who was standing on the

hearthrug, describing to an admiring circle of friends exactly



how he would have managed things had he been there, came

forward with a shout, threw his arm round Toad's neck, and tried



to take him round the room in triumphal progress; but Toad, in a

mild way, was rather snubby to him, remarking gently, as he



disengaged himself, `Badger's was the mastermind; the Mole and

the Water Rat bore the brunt of the fighting; I merely served in



the ranks and did little or nothing.' The animals were evidently

puzzled and taken aback by this unexpected attitude of his; and



Toad felt, as he moved from one guest to the other, making his

modest responses, that he was an object of absorbing interest to



every one.

The Badger had ordered everything of the best, and the banquet



was a great success. There was much talking and laughter and

chaff among the animals, but through it all Toad, who of course



was in the chair, looked down his nose and murmured pleasant

nothings to the animals on either side of him. At intervals he



stole a glance at the Badger and the Rat, and always when he

looked they were staring at each other with their mouths open;



and this gave him the greatest satisfaction. Some of the younger

and livelier animals, as the evening wore on, got whispering to



each other that things were not so amusing as they used to be in

the good old days; and there were some knockings on the table and



cries of `Toad! Speech! Speech from Toad! Song! Mr. Toad's

song!' But Toad only shook his head gently, raised one paw in



mild protest, and, by pressing delicacies on his guests, by

topical small-talk, and by earnest inquiries after members of



their families not yet old enough to appear at social functions,

managed to convey to them that this dinner was being run on



strictly conventional lines.

He was indeed an altered Toad!



* * * * *

After this climax, the four animals continued to lead their



lives, so rudely broken in upon by civil war, in great joy and

contentment, undisturbed by further risings or invasions. Toad,



after due consultation with his friends, selected a handsome gold

chain and locket set with pearls, which he dispatched to the



gaoler's daughter with a letter that even the Badger admitted to

be modest, grateful, and appreciative; and the engine-driver, in



his turn, was properly thanked and compensated for all his pains

and trouble. Under severecompulsion from the Badger, even the



barge-woman was, with some trouble, sought out and the value of

her horse discreetly made good to her; though Toad kicked



terribly at this, holding himself to be an instrument of Fate,

sent to punish fat women with mottled arms who couldn't tell a



real gentleman when they saw one. The amount involved, it was

true, was not very burdensome, the gipsy's valuation being



admitted by local assessors to be approximately correct.

Sometimes, in the course of long summer evenings, the friends



would take a stroll together in the Wild Wood, now successfully

tamed so far as they were concerned; and it was pleasing to see



how respectfully they were greeted by the inhabitants, and how




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