“Yes, and that’s part of the trouble,” continued the Rat. “Toad’s rich, we all know; but he’s not a millionaire. And he’s a hopelessly bad driver, and quite regardless of law and order. Killed or ruined⁠—it’s got to be one of the two things, sooner or later. Badger! we’re his friends⁠—oughtn’t we to do something?”

The Badger went through a bit of hard thinking. “Now look here!” he said at last, rather severely; “of course you know I can’t do anything now ?”

His two friends assented, quite understanding his point. No animal, according to the rules of animal etiquette, is ever expected to do anything strenuous, or heroic, or even moderately active during the off-season of winter. All are sleepy⁠—some actually asleep. All are weather-bound, more or less; and all are resting from arduous days and nights, during which every muscle in them has been severely tested, and every energy kept at full stretch.