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 THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS you fellows!—At least—I beg pardon—I don’t exactly mean that, you know."

There was a rustle behind them, proceeding from a hedge wherein last year’s leaves still clung thick, and a stripy head, with high shoulders behind it, peered forth on them.

"Come on, old Badger!" shouted the Rat.

The Badger trotted forward a pace or two, then grunted, "H’m! Company," and turned his back and disappeared from view.

"That’s just the sort of fellow he is!" observed the disappointed Rat. "Simply hates Society! Now we shan’t see any more of him to-day. Well, tell us, who’s out on the river?"

"Toad’s out, for one," replied the Otter. "In his brand-new wager-boat; new togs, new everything!"

The two animals looked at each other and laughed.

"Once, it was nothing but sailing," said the Rat. "Then he tired of that and took to punting. Nothing would please him but to punt all day and every day, and a nice mess he made of it. Last year it was house-boating, and we all 18