new-found
friend the River was lapping the sill of his window.

This day was only the first of many similar ones for the emancipated
Mole, each of them longer and full of interest as the ripening summer
moved onward. He learnt to swim and to row, and entered into the joy
of running water; and with his ear to the reed-stems he caught, at
intervals, something of what the wind went whispering so constantly
among them.

II. THE OPEN ROAD

'Ratty,' said the Mole suddenly, one bright summer morning, 'if you
please, I want to ask you a favour.'

The Rat was sitting on the river bank, singing a little song. He had
just composed it himself, so he was very taken up with it, and would not
pay proper attention to Mole or anything else. Since early morning he
had been swimming in the river, in company with his friends the ducks.
And when the ducks stood on their heads suddenly, as ducks will, he
would dive down and tickle their necks, just under where their chins
would be if ducks had chins, till they were forced to come to the
surface again in a hurry, spluttering and angry and shaking their
feathers at him, for it is impossible to say quite ALL you feel when
your head is under water. At last they implored him to go away and
attend to his own affairs and leave them to mind theirs. So the Rat went
away, and sat on the river bank in the sun, and made up a song about
them, which he called

'DUCKS' DITTY.'

All along the backwater,
Through the rushes tall,
Ducks are a-dabbling,
Up tails all!
Ducks' tails, drakes' tails,
Yellow feet a-quiver,
Yellow bills all out of sight
Busy in the river!

Slushy green undergrowth
Where the roach swim--
Here we keep our larder,
Cool and full and dim.

Everyone for what he likes!
_We_ like to be
Heads down, tails up,
Dabbling free!

High in the blue above
Swifts whirl and call--
_We_ are down a-dabbling
Uptails all!

'I don't know that I think so VERY much of that little song, Rat,'
observed the Mole cautiously. He was no poet himself and didn't care who
knew it; and he had a candid nature.

'Nor don't the ducks neither,' replied the Rat cheerfully. 'They say,
"WHY can't fellows be allowed to do what they like WHEN they like and AS
they like,