The main content of the fourth chapter of Wind in the Willows.

The third chapter "Wild Forest", the fourth chapter "Mr. Badger" and the fifth chapter "Warm Old Residence" all make sense at once. The mole went into the wild forest alone on a snowy winter afternoon and got lost in the forest. The rat found the exhausted mole, and two uninvited guests happened to break into Mr. Badger's house and were warmly treated.

The fourth chapter of the original:

They waited patiently, as if for a long time, stamping their feet in the snow to keep warm. Finally, I heard the footsteps inside and slowly came to the door from far and near. The mole said to the rat, it sounds like someone walking in felt slippers. These shoes are too big, and they are worn out. The mole is very clever. He speaks exactly the same.

There was the sound of a sliding door bolt inside. The door was opened a few inches wide, just enough to show a long mouth and a pair of sleepy and blinking eyes.

"Well, if this happens again next time," said a hoarse skeptical voice, "I'm really going to be angry. Who is this? Late at night, in this weather, wake others up? Talk! "

Badger,' cried the Rat,' please let us in. It's me, the mouse, and my friend Mole. We all got lost in the snow. "

"Why, mouse, dear child!" Cried the badger in different tones. "Come on in, you two. Gee, you must be freezing. That's terrible! Lost in the snow! And it's in the wild forest at midnight! Please come in. "

Two animals were eager to squeeze into the door and tripped over each other. They were very happy to hear the sound of closing the door behind them.

Badger is wearing a long dressing gown and slippers. It's really worn out. He was going back to his bedroom to sleep with a flat candlestick in his hand when they knocked at the door. He looked down at them kindly and patted them on the head. "Tonight is not the time for small animals to go out," he said lovingly. "Mouse, I'm afraid you're playing some tricks again. Come with me. Go to the kitchen. There is a good fire, dinner and everything. "

Badger held candles and kicked in front. They followed, touching elbows knowingly, indicating that something good was coming. They walked into a long, dark and shabby corridor and came to a room like a central hall. From here, you can see some other tunnels, which branch out in a tree shape and look deep and mysterious, endless.

But there are also many doors in the hall-heavy oak doors, which look very comfortable. Badger pushed open one of the doors, and in an instant, they found themselves in a big kitchen with a red fire and warmth.

The floor is paved with red bricks, which has been worn out. In the spacious fireplace, firewood is burning, and two lovely firesides are deeply fixed in the wall, so that the cold air can never blow in. There are a pair of opposite high-backed benches on both sides of the fireplace, which are specially prepared for guests who like to talk around the stove. In the middle of the kitchen, there is a long wooden table with benches on both sides.

At one end of the dining table, an armchair has been pushed back to its original position, and there is still Mr. Badger's leftover dinner on the table. The food is ordinary, but rich. At one end of the kitchen, spotless dishes are piled on the cupboard, blinking at people; Above the rafters, there are ham, bundles of dried vegetables, bags of onions and baskets of eggs.

This place is very suitable for heroes who come back in triumph to get together and put on a banquet; Dozens of tired plowmen sat around the table, drinking and singing loudly to celebrate the harvest; And two or three friends who are rich in elegance can also sit casually and comfortably eat, drink, smoke and chat.

The red brick floor smiles at the smoky ceiling; Long-term use of polished oak benches, happy eyes; The dishes on the cupboard are grinning at the pots and pans on the shelf; The cheerful firewood in the kitchen flickered and jumped, illuminating everything in the room with its own light.

The kind badger pushed them to a high-backed bench, sat them down, faced the fire, and took off their wet clothes and boots. He brought them dressing gowns and slippers, and personally bathed the mole's calf with warm water, and taped the wound until the calf became intact. In the embrace of light and heat, they finally felt dry and warm.

They stretched their tired legs high in front of them, listening to the tempting jingle of cups and plates on the table behind them. The two animals hit by the snowstorm are now staying in a safe place. The cold and hopeless wild forest they just got rid of seems to be far away from them, and all their sufferings seem to have become an almost forgotten dream.

When they were completely dry, Badger invited them to dinner. He prepared delicious meals for them. They have been hungry for a long time, but when they see that dinner is really in front of them, they don't know where to start, because all the food is mouth-watering, so I don't know if there will be anything else waiting for them. For a long time, this dialogue was completely ignored.

When the conversation started slowly, it was difficult to talk because my mouth was full of food. Fortunately, badgers don't mind this kind of thing at all, and they don't notice whether they put their elbows on the table or several mouths are talking at the same time. As he didn't participate in social life himself, he formed an idea that such things were insignificant.

Of course, we know that his views are wrong and too narrow; Because this kind of thing is necessary, but it takes too long to explain why it is important. He sat in an armchair at one end of the table, listening to two animals telling their experiences, and nodded gravely from time to time.

No matter what they say, he never seems surprised or shocked, never says "I take care of you" or "I always say so", or points out what they should and should not do. The mole likes him very much.

Dinner is finally over, and every animal feels full and safe now, so they don't have to be afraid of anyone or anything, so they sit around the embers of a big red lit firewood and think how happy, full and free they are at this late hour. After chatting for a while, Badger said kindly, "Well, tell me your news. How is the old toad? "

Oh, it's getting worse,' said the Rat with a heavy heart. The mole curled up on a high-backed stool, caught fire, raised his heel higher than his head, and tried to look sad. "Just last week, another car accident happened, and it was badly hit. You see, he insists on driving by himself, but he is extremely incompetent.

If you hire a serious, steady and well-trained animal to drive for him, pay him a high salary and give him everything, then there is no problem. But he didn't. He thought he was a good driver who was born and taught by himself, and as a result, there were many car accidents. "

"How many times?" The badger asked gloomily.

"You mean-a car accident or a car?" Asked the Rat. "Oh, for toad, it's the same thing anyway. This is the seventh time. As for the other one-have you seen his garage? Well, it's all piled up-literally, all the way to the ceiling-all car fragments, none of which are as big as your hat! This is the other six destinations-if they are destinations. "

He has been in the hospital three times,' interrupted the Mole. "As for the fine he has to pay, it is frightening to think about it."

Yes, that's one aspect of the problem,' continued the Rat. "As we all know, toads are rich; But he is not a millionaire. Speaking of driving skills, he is simply terrible. He ignores laws and rules when driving. Sooner or later, he is either dead or bankrupt-no matter what. Badger! We are his friends, should we give him a hand? "

Badger thought hard for a while, and finally he said seriously, "Well, of course you know, I can't help you at present!" " "

Both friends agreed with him because they understood his difficulties. According to the rules of the animal kingdom, in the winter leisure season, no animal can be expected to do any strenuous or heroic action, even if it is only active. All the animals are sleepy, and some are really asleep.

Because of the climate, all animals stay at home more or less. Some time ago, all the animals were tense and exhausted. So, after a period of hard work day and night, all the animals rested.

"That's it!" Said the badger. "However, when the new year's eve gets shorter, it is impossible for people to lie still in the middle of the night. I hope to get up at dawn and move around, and then you can-you know! "

The two animals nodded gravely. They understand!

Well, then,' continued the Badger,' we-that is to say, you and I, and our friend Mole-will strictly control toads. Don't let him mess around. Let him come to his senses and force him if necessary. We will make him a clever toad. We are going to-hey, mouse, you are asleep! "

"Nothing!" The mouse suddenly shivered and woke up.

"He has slept two or three times since supper," said the Mole with a smile. He is sober and even energetic, although he doesn't understand why. Of course, this is because he is an underground animal, and the location of Badger's house is just what he wants, so he feels very comfortable. On the other hand, the mouse sleeps in the bedroom with the window open every night. Outside the window is a cool river, and naturally he feels that the air here is still and sultry.

"Well, it's time for bed," said the Badger, getting up and picking up the candlestick. "You two come with me and I'll take you to your room. There's no need to get up in a hurry tomorrow morning-help yourself, it's breakfast time. "

He took two animals to a long room, half like a bedroom and half like a storage room. Badger's winter reserves can indeed be seen everywhere, occupying half the room-piles of apples, radishes, potatoes, baskets of dried fruits, cans of honey; But on the other half of the floor, there are two small white beds, which look very soft and attractive.

Although the bedding on the bed is rough, it is clean and smells like lovely lavender. In less than half a minute, the mole and the rat took off their clothes and got into the quilt, feeling extremely happy and satisfied.

According to the badger's instructions, the two sleepy animals didn't go downstairs for breakfast until late the next day. They saw a bright fire rising in the stove, and two little hedgehogs were sitting on a bench near the dining table, eating porridge with wooden bowls. As soon as they came in, the hedgehog immediately put down his spoon, stood up and bowed respectfully to them.

Well, sit down, sit down,' said the Rat happily. Go on eating your porridge. Where are you guys from? You got lost in the snow, didn't you? "

"Yes, sir," said the old hedgehog respectfully. "This little Billy and I are trying to find the way to school-mother insists that we go to school and says the weather is always like this-naturally, we are lost, sir. Billy is young and timid. He was scared and cried. Finally, we happened to come to the back door of Mr. Badger's house. We got up the courage to knock, sir, because everyone knows that Mr. Badger is a kind-hearted gentleman-"

I see,' said the Rat, cutting himself some slices of bacon, and the Mole threw some eggs into the pot. "What's the weather like outside? You don't have to call me' sir' and' sir'. " Said the Rat again.

"Oh, that's terrible, sir. The snow is terrible," said the hedgehog. "A gentleman like you can't go out today."

"Where is Mr Badger?" Asked the mole, who was heating coffee on the fire.

"Sir, he has gone to the study, sir," replied the hedgehog. "He said that he was busy this morning and didn't want to be disturbed."

This explanation is naturally understood by everyone present. In fact, as we mentioned earlier, you have lived an extremely tense and active life for half a year, while the other half of the time you are in a state of half or full sleep. There are guests or things to deal with at home in the later period, so you can't say you are sleepy.

Too many such explanations will be boring. Several animals know that when Badger returns to his study after a full meal, he will fall down in an armchair, his legs on another armchair, and his face covered with a red handkerchief, busy with his usual "busy" things this season.

The doorbell at the front door rang loudly. The mouse was chewing buttered toast with oil dripping in its mouth, so it sent Billy the Hedgehog to see who it was. There was a stomp in the hall, and Billy came back, followed by the otter. The otter jumped on the mouse, put his arms around it and greeted it loudly.

"Go away!" The mouse came running with its mouth full and shouted.

"I know I'll find you here," said the otter happily. "I went to the river early this morning, and the people there were very scared. They said that the rat was not at home all night, and neither was the mole-something terrible must have happened. Naturally, the heavy snow covers all your footprints.

But I know that when people are in trouble, nine times out of ten they will come to the badger, or the badger will always know something, so I went straight here through the wild forest and snow. Oh, what a beautiful day! When crossing the snow, the red sun just rose and shone on the black trunk. I walked in the quiet Woods. A cloud of snow slipped from the branches from time to time. Poof, I was startled. I quickly jumped away to find a place to hide.

Suddenly, there are so many snow cities and caves, as well as snow bridges, snow platforms and snow walls-I really want to play with them for hours. In many places, thick branches were crushed by snow, and robins jumped and swaggered on them as if they had done it. A row of geese, in a messy line, passed overhead in the high gray sky.

Several crows circled around the treetops, and then flew home with their wings flapping disdainfully. But I just haven't met a sober animal. So I can ask him for information. About halfway through the forest, I met a rabbit. It sat on the stump and washed its silly face with its claws. I sneaked behind him, and a front paw was heavily placed on his shoulder, which scared him out of his wits.

I had to pat him twice on the head to sober him up. I finally got the word out of him that one of them saw the mole in the wild forest last night. He said that in the rabbit hole, everyone was saying that the mouse's good friend Mole was in trouble. Said he was lost, and they all came out to chase him and drove him around.

Then why don't they give him a hand? I asked. God may not have given you a pair of good brains, but there are hundreds of you, all fat and strong, as fat as cream. Your cave extends in all directions, so you can lead him into it and let him live safely and comfortably. "At least you can try."

What, us? He just said,' Help him? We rabbits? I had to slap him again and leave him. There is no other way. But at least I got some news from him. If I meet another rabbit, I may learn more-at least I can teach them more. "

"So you're not-er-not nervous at all?" Asked the mole. When I mentioned the wild forest, yesterday's fear came back to my mind.

"Nervous?" The otter smiled, revealing a shiny and solid white tooth. "They dare to touch me, I'll call him prostrate! Mole, good boy, fry me some slices of ham. I'm starving. I still have a lot to say to the mouse. I haven't seen him for a long time. "

The amiable mole cut some slices of ham, told the hedgehog to fry it, and came back to patronize his breakfast. The otter and the mouse have their heads in a pile. They are saying the old saying of their river, which is like an endless river.

As soon as a plate of fried ham was swept away, the plate was sent back. Then the badger came in, yawning, rubbing his eyes and simply greeting everyone. "It's time for lunch, stay and eat with us. It is so cold in the morning, you must be hungry. "

"Yes!" The otter replied, winking at the mole. "It really makes me hungry to see two greedy hedgehogs filling their stomachs with fried ham."

Two hedgehogs, after eating porridge this morning, were busy frying, and now they feel hungry. They looked up timidly at Mr. Badger, embarrassed to speak.

"Come on, you two little guys go back to your mother," said the Badger kindly. "I'll send someone to see you off and show you the way. I dare say you don't need to have lunch today. "

He gave each of them a sixpence copper coin and patted them on the head. They waved their hats respectfully, saluted and left.

Then, they all sat down to have lunch. The mole found him seated next to Mr Badger, and the two of them were still talking about their river, so he took the opportunity to tell Badger how comfortable and comfortable he felt here. "Once you get back to the ground," he said, "you will feel at ease. Nothing will fall on your head and nothing will jump on you.

You are completely your own master, you don't have to discuss with anyone, and you don't have to care what they say. Everything is as usual on the ground, let it go and leave them alone. You can go up if you like. They are all waiting for you there. "

Badger just smiled happily at him. "That's what I want to say," he replied. "In addition to underground, there will be no security, there will be no peace and tranquility. In addition, if you change your mind and need to expand your territory, then dig and dig, and you have it all! If you think the house is too big, plug a hole or two, and then everything will be together again.

There are no construction workers, no noise from vendors, no one climbing on the wall to spy on your movements, point fingers and make irresponsible remarks. Above all, they will not be disturbed by the weather. Look at this mouse. When the river rose by a foot or two, he had to move and rent another house. It is uncomfortable and inconvenient, and the rent is too expensive. Let's talk about toad again.

Well, I don't have to say anything. As far as the house is concerned, it is one of the best in this area, but it caught fire together-where did toad go? In case the tiles on the roof are blown off by the strong wind, or the walls of the house collapse and crack, or the window glass is broken-where will Toad go? The room is full of air conditioning-I hate air conditioning the most-what about toad? number

It's good to go to the field, go out for a walk and get something to live in, but eventually I have to go back to the field-this is my concept of home! "

The mole agreed with him from the bottom of his heart, so the badger liked him very much. "After lunch," he said, "I will show you around and visit my humble abode. You will like this place. You know what a residential building should look like, you know. "

After lunch, when the two men sat in front of the stove and had a heated argument about eels, the badger lit a lantern and asked the mole to follow him. Through the hall, they came to a main tunnel. The flickering lights of lanterns faintly reflect the large and small rooms on both sides, some are just small storage rooms, while others are spacious, like banquet halls on the moon.

A narrow passage crossing vertically leads them to another corridor, and the same situation appears again. The whole building is huge, with many branches, long dark passages, and the vault of the storage room is very strong, which is full of all kinds of things. There are mud buildings, colonnades, arches and sidewalks everywhere-all of which dazzle the mole. "My God!" Finally, he said, "How do you have time and energy to do so many things?" It's amazing! "

"If I did all this," said the Badger flatly, "it would be really surprising. But in fact, I didn't do anything-I just cleaned the passage and living room as needed. There are many such caves around. I know, you don't understand. Let me explain. The thing is this: a long time ago, in this land covered with wild forests, there was an ideal city, a city for human beings.

They live, walk, sleep and do business in the place where we stand. They set up stables here, hold banquets, ride horses from here, or drive cars to do business. They are a powerful country, rich and good at construction. The houses they built are durable because they think their city will last forever.

"So, what happened to them?" Asked the mole.

"Who knows?" Said the badger. "People came, prospered for a while, built great buildings, and then left. They always come and go as usual. But we never left. It is said that badgers existed here long before that city appeared. Today, there are still badgers here We are a group of long-lived animals. We may move out for a while, but we always wait patiently and then move back. This will always be the case. "

"So, what happens when those humans finally leave?" Asked the mole.

"After they left," the badger continued, "year after year, the storm kept eroding this place, and we badgers may have contributed to it. Who knows? So the city fell, fell, fell, bit by bit collapsed, leveled and disappeared. Then, it grows up bit by bit, long, long, and the seeds grow into saplings, and the saplings grow into trees. Thorns and ferns also join in the fun.

Humic soil is thick and lost; When the tide rises in winter, the stream is covered with sediment, silted up and covered the ground. As time went on, our home was ready again, so we moved in. The same thing is happening on the ground above us. All kinds of animals came, took a fancy to it, settled down and thrived. Animals never worry about the past. They are too busy.

This place is mountainous and full of caves; That's not bad either. In the future, it is possible that humans will move in for a while, but animals are not worried about the future. Wild forests are full of animals now. As usual, they are always good and bad, and they are also good and bad-I won't mention their names. The world used to be made up of all kinds of creatures. I think you know something about them now "

"Exactly." Said the mole, trembling slightly.

"Come on, come on," said the badger, patting him on the shoulder. "This is the first time you touch them. In fact, they are not really that bad; We live by ourselves and let others live. However, I will say hello to them tomorrow, so that you won't have any more trouble. In this area, but all my friends can walk unimpeded, otherwise, I will find out why! "

When they returned to the kitchen, they saw the mouse pacing back and forth uneasily. The underground air oppressed him and made him nervous. He seems really worried that if he doesn't go back to look after the river, it will run away. He put on his coat and put a row of pistols in his belt. "Come on, Mole," he said eagerly as soon as he saw Mole and Badger. "We must go back during the day. I can't stay in the wild forest for another night. "

"It's not a problem, my dear friend," said the otter. "I'll go with you. Even blindfolded, I can recognize every road. If someone needs to be beaten, see if I will give him a good beating. "

You don't have to worry, Rat,' said the Badger quietly. "My channel is much longer than you think. I still have many refuge caves leading to the edge of the forest from several directions, but I don't want outsiders to know. If you really want to go, you can take a shortcut. Now, relax and sit for a while. "

However, the Rat was still anxious to go back to look after his river, so the Badger lit the lantern again and led the way through a winding tunnel, which was humid and stuffy, dripping with water, partly dome-shaped and partly carved out of hard rock. After a long and tiring walk, it seems to be several miles long. Finally, through the messy vegetation hanging at the exit of the tunnel, I finally saw the fragmentary skylight.

Badger said goodbye to them in a hurry, quickly pushed them out of the hole, then hid the hole with vines, broken branches and dead leaves, leaving no trace as much as possible, and turned back.

They found themselves standing on the edge of the wild forest. Behind, rocks, thorns and roots are piled up and intertwined. There is an endless quiet field ahead, with rows of hedges on both sides and snow all around. Further on, I saw the old river shining, and the sun was red in winter, hanging low in the air.

The otter is familiar with all the trails, and he is responsible for guiding them to a fence door in the distance. They rested there and looked back, only to see that huge wild forest, dense, embedded in endless white leaves, looked so scary.

They all turned around and hurried home, rushing to the familiar things reflected by the fire and the river singing outside the window. They are familiar with the temperament of the river, and they trust it because it will never do anything strange that scares them.

Mole hurried on, eager to go home, back to the place he knew and loved. At this time, he clearly saw that he was originally an animal belonging to cultivated land and hedges. What is closely related to him is farming, the pasture he often goes to, the tree path he lingers in the dusk, and the garden lawn cultivated by people.

As for the harsh environment, tenacious endurance, or a real conflict with violent nature, let other animals bear it. He must be smart and honest to stay in the promised land. It is the place where he has lived for generations, and it also has its own adventures, which is enough for him to entertain himself for a lifetime.

Extended data

Creation background

As for the specific reasons for the creation of The Wind in the Willows, it is generally believed that it began with Graham's experience of telling stories to his son at the bedside at night, especially the story about toad's adventure. In fact, since May 1904, Graham always tells stories to his 4-year-old son "Mouse" before going to bed at night.

In the original story, besides animals such as toads, moles and mice, there were also giants such as giraffes, but they were later abandoned because they were not suitable for entering the animal world along the Liulin River. 1907 In May, my son alastair went on vacation with the governess as planned.

But he didn't want to leave, because he wanted to continue listening to his father's story, so Graham promised to continue telling his son by writing. He didn't break his promise. He wrote a story for several months on time and sent it to his son, who read it to the female teacher. These stories written in letters naturally become a part of Wind in the Willows.

In addition, in the month of 1903, 1 1, Graham was threatened with a gun or even shot by a radical eccentric person at the Bank of England for three consecutive times. Critics believe that this incident may have been conceived in a story: when toad tried to find out his occupied mansion, the mink on guard shot him to death.

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