d the
stoats grappled with the weasels, and the weasels fought to get away,
and they wrestled and wriggled and punched each other, and rolled
over and over, till most of 'em rolled into the river! They've all
disappeared by now, one way or another; and I've got their rifles. So
that's all right!'

'Excellent and deserving animal!' said the Badger, his mouth full of
chicken and trifle. 'Now, there's just one more thing I want you to do,
Mole, before you sit down to your supper along of us; and I wouldn't
trouble you only I know I can trust you to see a thing done, and I wish
I could say the same of every one I know. I'd send Rat, if he wasn't a
poet. I want you to take those fellows on the floor there upstairs with
you, and have some bedrooms cleaned out and tidied up and made really
comfortable. See that they sweep UNDER the beds, and put clean sheets
and pillow-cases on, and turn down one corner of the bed-clothes, just
as you know it ought to be done; and have a can of hot water, and clean
towels, and fresh cakes of soap, put in each room. And then you can give
them a licking a-piece, if it's any satisfaction to you, and put them
out by the back-door, and we shan't see any more of THEM, I fancy. And
then come along and have some of this cold tongue. It's first rate. I'm
very pleased with you, Mole!'

The goodnatured Mole picked up a stick, formed his prisoners up in a
line on the floor, gave them the order 'Quick march!' and led his squad
off to the upper floor. After a time, he appeared again, smiling, and
said that every room was ready, and as clean as a new pin. 'And I didn't
have to lick them, either,' he added. 'I thought, on the whole, they had
had licking enough for one night, and the weasels, when I put the point
to them, quite agreed with me, and said they wouldn't think of troubling
me. They were very penitent, and said they were extremely sorry for
what they had done, but it was all the fault of the Chief Weasel and the
stoats, and if ever they could do anything for us at any time to make
up, we had only got to mention it. So I gave them a roll a-piece, and
let them out at the back, and off they ran, as hard as they could!'

Then the Mole pulled his chair up to the table, and pitched into the
cold tongue; and Toad, like the gentleman he was, put all his jealousy
from him, and said heartily, 'Thank you kindly, dear Mole, for all
your pains and trouble tonight, and especially for your cleverness this
morni