the wind in the willows

I fe1t a brute all the ti1ne,as it Was C1ear to me they Were very un- happy,thought they tried to hide it.1诳o1c,I’1n afraid they’re in trouble.Little Portly is rnissing again;and you know what aIot his fathcr thinks of hi1n,th0ugh he never says1nuch about it.” ‘ηV‰at,that chⅡdP’said thc`Ιo1e lightly。 ‘η∧「e11,suppose he is; why worη厂about itP He’s always straying oⅡ and getting lost,and turn1ng up aga1n;he’s so advcnturous.But no harn△ever happens to hi1n。Eve〃body hercabouts knows hirn and1ikes hi1n,just as they do old ottcr,and you may be sure some ani1nal or other wⅡ1 come aCroζs hi1n and bring hi1n back again a11right,Why,we’ve found hi1n ourselves,∏1ilcs from home,and quite self-possesscd and cheerfulP’ “Yes;but this ti1nc irs1n。re scrious,”said the Rat grave1y.‘ ‘He’s bccn ∏吐ssing for some days now, and the C)tters have huntcd eve1f∶ ,`rⅠ ′′厂here,high and low,v注thout fInding thc shghtest trace.And they’ve asked eve叮 anhnal,too,for miles around,and no one knows anything about hi1n。Otter’s cvidently more anxious than he11ad∏止t,I got out of hi1n that young Portly hasn’tlearnt to sWim very wc11yct,and I can see he’s thinking ofthe weir.Thcre’s a lot of water CO1ning doWn stⅡl,considering the tiIne of ycar,and the placc always had a fascination for thc chⅡd.And then there are_ well,traPs and things-VorJ know。C)tte`s not the fe11ow to bo ner- vous about any son of his before iVs ti1ne.And now he1i(l ncrvous。 When I lcR,he came out with me—said he wanted some air,and talkcd about strctChing his1cgs.But I cou1d see it wasn’t that,so I drew him out and pump。d him,and gotit a11from him atlast.He was going to spcnd the night watching by the ford.You know the p1ace wherc thc old ford used to be,in bygone days before they built the bridge?” “I know it wc11,’’said the卜Ⅰolc.‘‘But why should otter choose to watch therc'’ ‘γVe11,it sccms that it was there he gave Port1y his flrst swi∏1- 1ning l。sson,”continucd thc Rat。 “FrO1n that shallow,gravelly spit 100 ncar the bank。And it was there he uscd to teach hi1nf1shing,and thcre young Portly caught his flrst fIsh,of which he was so very proud.The child lovcd thc spo1and C〉tter thinks that if he came wandering back from whcrever he is-ˉif hc 峦anywhere by this tirnc,poor little chap_he∏1ight1nake for the ford he was so fond o∴orif he came across it he’d rememberit well,and stop thcre and play,perhaps.so Otter goes thcre cvcry night and watches~on the chance,you know,just on the chanccP’ Thcy werc sⅡent for a thne,both thinking ofthe same thing-the Ioncly,hcart-sore ani1na1,crouchcd by the ford,watching and wait- ing,the long night through_on thc chancc. “We11,wc11,’’said thc Rat presently,“I suppose wc ought to be thinking about turning in.”But he nevcr orcred t。m。vc. “Ra△”said thc`Ιolc,“I shnply can`go and turn in,and go to 、lccp,and d0nothing,cven though there doesn`seena to bc any- (hing to be done.l、/Vc’ll get the boat out,and paddlc upstrcam.The lnoon Will bc up in an hour or so,and then wc willsearch as wcll as wc can~anyhow,it wi11bc bcttcr than going to bcd and doing91oˉ `乃 jP1坠” Vust what I was thinking mysclG’’said the Rat.‘‘Irs n。t the sort 。r night f。r bcd anyhow;and daybrcak is not so vc1γ far o1〕f∶ and 1hcn wc may pick up somc ne、vs of hin△fron1carly risers as wc go ∶11o11g.’’ ′Γhcy gotthe boat ou△and thC Rattook the scuⅡs,paddhng with (∶ t"tion, Out in midstream thcrc was a Clcar, narrow traCk that l∶liIldy rcⅡectcd the sky;but whcrever shadows fe1l on the watcr hon1bank,bush,or trcc;thcy werc as solid to all apPcarance as thc h:1n ks thcⅡlselvcs,and the Mole had to stccr withjudgment accor- 〈h"gly。 】Dark and dcserted as it was,the night was full of smalI lloi、cs, song and chatter and rustling, telⅡng of the busy littlc I)(〉 I)1】 lation who were up and about,plying their tradcs and voca- (io"s through the night ull sunshine should fa11on then△atlast and ..(△ 1〈 lthCm or to their wcⅡ~earned rcposc。The、vatcr’s own noiscs, 一 艹 ¨ - 101 too,Werc morc apparent than by day,its gurglings and‘‘cloops” more unexpcctcd and near at hand;and constantly they startcd at what scemcd a suddcn clcar call fro∏1an actual articu1atc voicc.} Thc linc ofthe horizon was c1car and hard against thc sky,and in onc particular quartcr it showcd black against a si1vcΓy cliInbing phosphoresccncc that grcw and greW。At last,ovCr thc riIn of the waiting earth thC moon hRcd with slow m泛、jesty til1⒒swung dear ofthe horizon and rodc o残fI·eC of m。orings;and once Inore thcy bcgan to sce surfaccs_InCadows、videspread,and quict gardens, and thc rivcr itsclf from bank to bank, a11 soR1y discloscd, a11 washed clcan of mystcr/and terror,a1l radiant again as by day,but with a diffcrencc that was trcmendous。Thcir old haunts grcetcd thcΠ1again in othcr raiIncn1as ifthcy had忘1ippcd away and put on this purc nCw apparel and come quictly back,sΠ1ihng as they shyly waitcd to sec ifthcy、vould bC rccognizcd again undcr it。 Fastcning their boatto a wⅡlow,thc friends landcd in this sncnt, silver kingdon1, and paticntly cxplorcd the hcdgcs, thc hol1ow trccs,thc runncls and their littlc culvcrts,the ditchcs and dΓy wa- tcr、″ays.Embarking again and crossing ovcr,thcy workcd their way up thc strcam in this Inanncr,whilc thc moon,scrcnc and dc- tached in a cloudlcss sky,did what she could,though so far o战to hclp thcm in thcir quest;tⅡl hcr hour camc and she sank carth- wards reluctantly,and lcft thcn1,and I】ystery oncc Inorc hcld fIcld and r1ver. Thcn a change bcgan s1owIy to dcclare itscl￡The horizon bc- camc clcarer,fIcld and trce camc morc into sigh△and somehow with a diffcrcnt look;thc rnystcry bcgan to drop away fronn them。A bird piped suddcn1y,and was std1;and a light brcczc sprang up and sct thc rceds and bulrushcs rusding.Ra△who was in the stcrn ofthc boat,、vhilc l√【olc scullcd,sat up suddcnly and listcned with a passionatc intcntncss.Mole,who with gendc strokes wasjust kccpˉ ing thc boat Inoving、vhilc hC scanncd thc banks、vith care,lookcd at hiⅡ1with curiosity. 102 ‘‘ It’s goncP’氵ighed the Rat,sinking back in his scat again。 “so bcautiful and strangc and new!sincc it wasto end so soon,I ahnost wisIl I had ncvcr heard it。For it has roused a longing in rne that is I〉 I1in,and nothing seems worth whⅡc butjust to hear that sound Oncc rnorc and go on listening to it for evcr。No!Thcrc it is againP’ hc cricd,alcrt oncc rnore.Entranccd,he was si1ent for a long spacc, 、Pcllbound。‘‘Now it passes on and I bcgin to losc it,”hc said prcscntly。“C), Mo丨c!the bcauty ofid Thc mcΠγ bubble and joy,thc thin,dcar happy call of the distant piping!such music I ncver drcamcd of∶ I")(l the call in itis strongcr cvcn than thc rnusic is swect!Row on, N/lOlc,row!For thc Iuusic and thc cal1Inust bc for us。” ′Γhc Mole,grcatly wondering,obcycd.‘‘I hcar nothing myscl￡” hc said,“butthc wind playing in the rccds and rushes and osicrs。” ′Γhc Rat ncvcr answered,ifindccd hc hcard。Rapt,transportcd, lr(△nbhng,hc was posscsscd in a11his scnscs by this ncw divinc H、 ing that caught up his helPlcss soul and swung and dandled iξ a I× )wCrlcss but happy infant in a strong sustaining grasp. h1silcnccˇΙole rowed stcadily,and soon they camc to a point whcrc the rivcr dividcd,a1ong backwater branching off to onc 、idc~ With a slight movement of his hcad Rat who had long dIoppcd thc ruddcr-lincs,dirccted thc rowcr to take thc backwatcr. rhc crccping tide of hght gaincd and gaincd,and now thcy could 、cc thc col°ur ofthc Ⅱowcrs that gc∏1Incd the watcr’s cdge. “Clcarcr and nearcr sd1l,’’cried thc Ratjoyously。“Now you must ‘·l"(1y hcar it!Ah~at last~_I sec you doP’ I;Iˉ cathlcss and trans「lxcd the R/lolc stoppcd rowing as thc liquid It"l ofthat glad piping brokc On hirll likc a wavc,caught hiIn up, ""d posscssed hiIn utterly. Hc saw thc tears on his comrade’s (hccks,and bowed his hcad and undcrstood。For a spacc thcy hung "l(Ic,brushcd by the purplc loosc-strifc that fringcd the bank;thcn "lc〈 1car iInpcrious su【tlrllons that Fnarchcd hand-in~hand with thc "Ⅱ Oxicating Iuclody imposcd its wiⅡ on`Ιolc,and Inechanical1y hc 103 bent to his oars again。And the light gre、v stcadily stronger,but no birds sang as they wcre wont to do at thc approach of dawn;and but for thc heavenly music all was1narvellously still。 on cithcr side of then、as thcy ghdcd onwards,thc rich mead- ow-grass secmed that rnorning of a frcshness and a grcenness un- surpassable.Nevcr had thcy noticcd the roscs so ViVid,thc willow- hcrb so riotous, thc mcadow-s、vcet so odorous and peWading. Thcn the murmur ofthc approaching wcir bcgan to hold the air, and thcy fclt a consciousness that they were ncaring thc end,what- eVer it1night bc,that surcly awaited thcir cxpcdition. A widc hal【circlc of foan△and ghnting lights and shining shoul- dcrs of grcen water,the great weir closed thc backwatcr from bank to bank,troubled a11thc quict surfacc with twirhng cddics and ∏oating foa∏1-streaks,and dcadcned all other sounds with its so- lcmn and soothing rumble,In1nidmost ofthc strcan1,cmbraccd in the weir’s shiFnmering arⅡ⒈sprcad,a smaⅡ island lay anchored, fringed closc ivith willow and silvcr birch and aldcr.Rcscrvcd,shy, but full of signi「lcance,it hid whatcvcr itlnight hold bchind a vcn, kceping it tⅡlthc hour should comc,and,with thc hour,thosc who 、vcrc ca11ed and choscn. slowly,but with no doubt or hcsitation lvhateVcr,and in somc- thing of a solcmn expectancy,thc t、vo ani1nals passcd through thc brokcn,tumultuous watcr and moorcd their boat at thc Πo、vc, margin of the island。In sⅡence they landcd,and pushcd through thc blossoΠ1and sccntcd hcrbagc and undcrgrowth thatlcd up to thc lcvel ground,till thcy stood on a little la、vn of a marvellous grecn, set round with Naturc’s Own orChard-trecs—crab-applc, 、vild chcrp巧and sloc. “This is the placc ofrny song-drcaΠl,thc placc thc music p1ayed to me,”whispercd the Rat,as if in a trancc.“Herc,in this holy placc,hcre if anˇ、vherc,surcly、vc shall fInd⒈ⅡmP’ Thcn suddcnly the Molc fclt a grcat A、、厂c【a1l upon hhn,an awc that turncd his1nusclcs to watcr,bowcd hts head,and rootcd his 104 lt)ct to the ground.It was no panic terror-ˉindecd he fclt wondcr- ruⅡy at pCacc and happy一but it、vas an awe that smotc and held hi1n and,without seeing,he kncw it could only mean that some august Presence was Very,vCry near.With dir1culty hc turncd to Iook for his friend,and saw hi1n at his side cowed,stricken,and (rcmbling violcntly。And still thcrc was uttcr silcnco in the poPu- Ious bird-haunted branchcs around thc1n;and stⅡl the light grew and grcw. Pcrhaps hc would never have darcd to raisc his cycs,but tha△ (hough the piPing was now hushcd,thc cal1 and the suⅡⅡnons `ccmed sdll do1ninant and impcrious.He【night not rehse,were I)cath hi1nself、vai“ng to strike hiln instantly,once hc had lookcd with mortal eyc On things rightly kcpt hiddcn。Trcmbhng he ob- cYcd,and raiscd his humble head;and thcn,in that uttcr clearncss Ofthc i11△1nincnt dawn,whⅡe Naturc,nushed with ful1ness of in- (△ cdible co1our,secmcd to hold hcr brcath for the cvcnt,he lookcd iI、 thc vcry cycs ofthc Fricnd and IIclper;saw thC baCkward swcep of thc curved horns,glca1ning in the grov沁ng daylight;saw thc `lcrn, hookcd nosc bctwccn the kindly cyes that werc looking 〈k〉、vn on thcln humorously,、hˇilc the beardcd mouth brokc into a I)Id卜sIuⅡe at the corncrs;saw thc ripphng11tuscles on thc arm that I"y across the broad chcst,the long supplc hand stiⅡ holding thc P· l1】 pipcs onIJ/just falIcn away f1·om the paI、ted hps;saw the splen- (Iid culves of thc shaggy lin1bs disposcd in m苟estic Casc on thc ‘、VV:"d;saw,last of all,ncstling bct、vcen his vcry hooves,slceping ∶,ollndly in cntire peace and contcnt1ncnt,the littlc,round,podgy, 〈Ilil〈 "sh form of the baby otter.All this he saw,for onc momcnthI〈(11hlcss and intcnsc,vivid on thc Inorning sky;and sti11,as he l〈 ※〉kcd,he lhcd;and stm,as hc lkcd,hc wondc(0· ! 1· 1〈 atr’he f。und brcath to whispcr,shaking。“Arc you afraid?” “ΛI、uid?”munuured thc Rat,his cycs shining with unuttei·able 丨〈,、 〈∷“Λf1·aid!Of rfJPll?O,ncvcr,nevcr!And yet~and yet~0, `l〈 )l(、 I am afraidP 105