The Wind in the Willows (1908) originated in bedtime stories told by Kenneth Grahame to his young son Alistair, and continued in letters to the boy when he was away with his governess in the summer of 1907, before being revised for publication. After Grahame’s death, his widow Elspeth published the letters in First Whisper of “The Wind in the Willows” (1944).
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Green Bank Hotel, Falmouth,
10th May 1907
My Darling Mouse,
…Have you heard about the Toad? He was never taken prisoner by brigands at all. It was all a horrid low trick of his. He wrote that letter himself—the letter saying that a hundred pounds must be put in the hollow tree. And he got out of the window early one morning, & went off to a town called Buggleton, & went to the Red Lion Hotel & there he found a party that had just motored down from London, & while they were having breakfast he went into the stable-yard & found their motor-car & went off in it without even saying Poop-poop! And now he has vanished & every one is looking for him, including the police. I fear he is a bad low animal.
Goodbye, from
Your loving Daddy.
Green Bank Hotel, Falmouth,
23rd May 1907
My Dearest Mouse,
…No doubt you have met some of the animals & have heard about Toad’s Adventures since he was dragged off to prison by the bobby & the constable. At first he lay full length on the floor, and shed bitter tears, and abandoned himself to dark despair. For he said “How can I ever hope to be set free again, I who have been imprisoned—and justly—so often, for stealing so many—so many—he could not utter the word, for his sobs choked him. Base animal that I am (he said): O unhappy and abandoned toad (he said); I must languish in this dungeon (he said) till people have forgotten the very name of Mr. Toad. With lamentations such as these he passed his days & nights, refusing consolation, refusing food or other light refreshments: till one day the gaoler’s daughter, who was a tenderhearted young woman, took pity on him & said “Cheer up toad! & try & eat a bit of dinner.” But the toad lay on the floor & wailed & wouldn’t eat his dinner. Then the gaoler’s daughter went & fetched a cup of hot tea & some very hot buttered toast, cut thick, very brown on both sides, with the butter running through the holes in it in great golden drops like honey. When the toad smelt the buttered toast he sat up & dried his eyes for he was exceedingly fond of buttered toast; & the gaoler’s daughter comforted him & he drank his tea & had another plate of toast. Then they discussed plans for his escape from the dungeon, & the gaoler’s daughter said “Tomorrow my aunt, who is the washerwoman to the prison, will bring home your week’s washing, & I will dress you up in her clothes & you will escape as the washerwoman.” So when the washerwoman came with the linen, they dressed toad up in her clothes & put a bonnet on his head & out he marched, past the gaolers, as bold as you please. As he was passing one of them, the man said “Hullo mother washerwoman, why didn’t you send home my Sunday shirt last week, you lazy old pig?” & he took his stick & beat her full sore. And the toad was mad with rage, because he wanted to give him a punch in the eye, but he controlled himself & ran on through the door, which banged behind him & he was Free. This is as far as I have heard at present.
Your affectionate Daddy.
The Fowey Hotel, Fowey, Cornwall,
28 May 1907
My dearest Mouse,
…Now I daresay you will want to hear something more of the sad misadventures of Mr. Toad. Well, when he found himself outside the prison gates it was quite dark & he was in a strange land, with no friends, & he was frightened, & didn’t know what to do. But he could hear the puffing of steam-engines not very far off, & he saw some red & green lights through the trees, & he said to himself “That must be a railway station, & if I am to get home the first thing to do is to get into a train that goes there.” So he made his way down to the station & went into the ticket office & asked for a ticket. And the man said “Where for?” And the toad told him. And the man said “That will cost five shillings.” So the toad felt for his pocket, to find the money, when to his horror & dismay he couldn’t find any pocket! Because he had got the washerwoman’s dress on. Then he remembered that when he had changed clothes in such a hurry he had left all his money, & his keys, & pencil, & matches, & everything, in the pockets of the clothes he had taken off. So there he was, miles & miles from home, dressed like a washerwoman, without a penny of money. Then Mr. Toad shed bitter tears, & said to the man “Please I have lost all my money—will you be very kind & give me a ticket for nothing.” But the man only laughed and said “Go away old woman! We don’t carry washerwomen for nothing on this railway!” So the toad went away crying, and wandered down the platform by the side of the train, thinking whatever should he do, till he came to where the engine was. And the engine-driver saw he was crying, & said cheerfully “What’s the matter, mother?” And the toad replied “I want to get home, so badly, but I’ve lost all my money, & I can’t buy a ticket.” Now the engine-driver was a kind-hearted man, & he said “Look here, washerwoman! This engine-driving is very dirty work, and I dirty so many shirts that my wife says she’s tired of washing ’em. If you will wash two shirts for me next week, I’ll let you ride on the engine with me now, & so you will get home for nothing!” Then the toad was overjoyed, and he sprang up on the engine with great delight. Of course he had never washed a shirt in his life, and couldn’t if he tried, but he thought “When I get home, & get some more money, I will send the engine-driver some, to pay for his washing, & that will be just the same.” Presently the engine-driver blew his whistle & the train began to move out of the station; & soon they were puffing and rattling through the country, ever so fast, & the toad was jumping up & down with sheer delight, to think that soon he would be home again.
Suddenly the engine-driver began to listen; presently he said “It’s very funny, but I believe I hear another train following us!” The toad began to feel nervous. Then the engine-driver looked over the back of the train, for the moon was shining brightly & he could see a long way down the line, & at last he cried out “Yes! I see an engine! It is coming along very fast. I believe we are being pursued!” And the toad began to feel very nervous. Presently the engine-driver looked again, & then he cried “Yes, they are gaining on us! I can see them clearly now! It is an engine pursuing us! It is full of policemen, and they are all brandishing revolvers & calling out Stop, Stop, Stop, STOP, STOP!!!!
This is all the news I have up to the present time.
Your affectionate Daddy.
The Fowey Hotel, Fowey, Cornwall,
31st May 1907
My dearest Mouse,
…Now you may like to hear something further about poor Toad. When Toad heard that they were being pursued by an engine full of policemen with revolvers, he fell on his knees among the coals & cried out, “O kind Mr. Engine-driver, save me, save me, & I will confess everything! I am not the washerwoman I seem to be! I am a toad—the well-known Mr. Toad, of Toad Hall—& I have escaped from prison, & those policemen are coming to recapture me!” Then the engine-driver looked very grave, & said, “What were you in prison for, toad?” And the toad blushed deeply & said, “I only borrowed a motor-car while the people were having lunch. I didn’t mean to steal it really.”
“Well,” said the engine-driver, “you have evidently been a bad toad. But I will save you if I can.” So he piled more coals on the fire, and the engine flew over the rails, but the engine behind kept gaining & gaining, & presently the engine-driver said with a sigh, “I’m afraid it’s no use. They must catch us up soon, & then they will climb along our train till they get to our engine, & if we attempt to resist they will shoot us dead with their revolvers.” Then the toad said, “O dear kind Mr. Engine-driver, do think of something to save me!” And the engine-driver thought a bit & then he said, “There’s just one thing I can do, & it’s your only chance. We are coming to a long tunnel, & on the other side of the tunnel is a thick wood. I will put on all speed while we are runni
ng through the tunnel, & as soon as we are through I will ‘slow up’ for a few seconds, & you must jump off & run into the wood & hide yourself before the other engine gets through the tunnel, & then I will go on at full speed & they will continue to chase me, thinking you are still on the train.”
Next moment they shot into the tunnel, & the engine-driver piled on more coals, & the sparks flew, & the train rushed & roared and rattled through the tunnel & at last they shot out into the moonlight on the other side, & then the engine-driver put on his brakes hard & the train slowed down to almost a walking pace & the toad got down on the step & the engine-driver said, “Now jump!” and the toad jumped, & rolled down the embankment & scrambled into the wood & hid himself. Then he peeped out & saw the train get up speed again & go off very fast. And presently the other engine came roaring & whistling out of the tunnel, in hot pursuit, with the policemen waving their revolvers & shouting “Stop, Stop, Stop!!!” Then toad had a good laugh—for the first time since he was put into prison.
But it was now very late, & dark, & cold, & here he was in a wild wood, with no money & no friends. And little animals peeped out of their holes & pointed at him & made fun of him; & a fox came slinking by, & said “Hullo washerwoman! How’s the washing business doing?” and sniggered. And the toad looked for a stone to throw at him, & couldn’t find one, which made him sad. Presently he came to a hollow tree, full of dry leaves; & there he curled himself up as comfortably as he could, & slept till the morning.
In my next letter I will try to tell you the Adventure of the Toad & the Bargee; & about the Gipsy, & how the Toad went into Horse-dealing.
Ever your affectionate Daddy.
The Fowey Hotel, Fowey, Cornwall,
7th June 1907
My dearest Mouse,
…You may be wishing to hear what further things happened to Toad on his way home, after his escape from the policemen who were pursuing him to take him back to prison. Well, next morning the sun shone brightly into the hollow tree, & woke up Mr. Toad, who was sleeping soundly after his fatiguing exertions of the previous day. He got up, shook himself, combed the dead leaves out of his hair with his fingers, & set off walking briskly, for he was very cold & rather hungry. Well, he walked & he walked, till he came to a canal, & he thought that must lead to a town, so he walked along the tow-path, & presently he met a horse, with a long rope attached to it, towing a barge; & he waited for the barge to come up, & there was a man steering it, & he nodded, & said “Good-morning, washerwoman! what are you doing here?” Then the toad made a pitiful face, & said “Please, kind Sir, I am going to pay a visit to my married daughter, who lives near a fine house called ‘Toad Hall’ but I’ve lost my way, & spent all my money & I’m very tired.” Then the man said, “Toad Hall? Why, I’m going that way myself. Jump in, & I’ll give you a lift.” So he steered the barge close to the bank, & the toad stepped on board & sat down, very pleased with himself. Presently the man said, “I don’t see why I should give you a lift for nothing, so you take that tub of water standing over there, & that bit of yellow soap, & here are some shirts, & you can be washing them as we go along.” Then the toad was rather frightened, for he had never washed a shirt in his life; but he dabbed the shirt into the water, & he dabbed some soap on it, but it never seemed to get any cleaner, & his fingers got very cold & he began to get very cross. Presently the man came to see how he was getting on, & burst out laughing at him, & said “Call yourself a washerwoman? That’s not the way to wash a shirt, you very silly old woman!” Then the toad lost his temper, & quite forgot himself, & said “Don’t you dare to speak to your betters like that! And don’t call me a silly old woman! I’m no more an old woman than you are yourself, you common, low, vulgar bargee!” Then the bargee looked closely at him, & cried out “Why, no, I can see you’re not really a washerwoman at all! You’re nothing but an old toad!” Then he grabbed the toad by one hind-leg & one fore-leg, & swung him round & sent him flying through the air. SPLOSH. He found himself head-over-ears in the water!
When the toad came to the surface he wiped the water out of his eyes & struck out for the shore; but the woman’s dress he was wearing got round his legs, & made it very hard work. When at last he was safely on the tow-path again, he saw the barge disappearing in the distance, & the man looking back & laughing at him. This made Mr. Toad mad with rage. He tucked the wet skirt up well under his arms, & ran as hard as he could along the path, & passed the barge, & ran on till he overtook the horse that was towing it, and unfastened the tow-rope, & jumped on the horse’s back, & dug his heels into its sides, & off they went at a gallop! He took one look back as they went, & he saw that the barge had run into the opposite bank of the canal, & stuck, & the bargee was shaking his fist at him & calling out “Stop, Stop, Stop!!” But the toad never stopped, but only laughed & galloped on & on & on, across country, over fields & hedges, until he had left the canal, & the barge, & the bargee, miles & miles behind him.
I am afraid the Gipsy will have to wait till the next letter.
Your affectionate Daddy.
16 Durham Villas, Campden Hill, W.
21 June 1907
My dearest Mouse,
No doubt you will be interested to hear the further adventures of Mr. Toad, after he galloped away across country on the bargee’s horse, with the bargee shouting after him in vain. Well presently the horse got tired of galloping so fast, and broke from a gallop into a trot, and then from a trot into a walk, & then he stopped altogether & began to nibble grass. And the toad looked round about him & found he was on a large common. On the common stood a gipsy tent, and a gipsy man was sitting beside it, on a bucket turned upside-down, smoking. In front of the tent a fire of sticks was burning, & over the fire hung an iron pot, and out of the pot came steam, & bubblings, and the most beautiful good smell that ever you smelt. Then the toad felt very hungry indeed, for he had had no breakfast that morning, & no supper the night before; so he sniffed & sniffed, & looked at the pot, & the gipsy; & the gipsy sat & smoked, & looked back at him.
Presently the gipsy took his pipe out of his mouth & said “Like to sell that there horse of yours?” (Now you must understand that gipsies are very fond of buying & selling horses, & never miss an opportunity.)
This was an entirely new idea to Toad. He had never thought of trying to sell the horse; but now he saw a way of getting a little money, which he wanted so badly. So he said, “What, sell this beautiful young animal o’ mine? No, I can’t say I had thought of selling this beautiful young animal o’ mine. You see it’s such a beautiful young animal—half an Arab & half a Race Horse & half a Prize Hackney. However, how much might you feel disposed to give me for this very beautiful young animal o’ mine?”
The gipsy looked at the horse, & he looked at the Toad, & he looked at the horse again, & then he said—“Shilling a leg,” & turned away & went on smoking.
“A shilling a leg?” said Mr. Toad—“please I shall want a little time to work that out, & add it up, & see what it comes to.” So he climbed down off the horse & left it to graze, & sat down by the gipsy, & counted on his fingers, & did sums in his head, & presently he said “A shilling a leg? Why, that comes to exactly four shillings. O no. I could not think of selling this beautiful young animal for four shillings.”
“Well,” said the gipsy, “I’ll tell you what I’ll do. I’ll make it five shillings & that’s a shilling more than he’s worth; & that’s my last word.”
Then the toad pondered deeply. For he was penniless, & five shillings seemed a very large sum of money. On the other hand, it did not seem very much to get for a horse. But then the horse hadn’t cost him anything, so it was all clear profit. At last he said, “Look here, gipsy. You shall give me six shillings & sixpence, cash, & as much breakfast as I can eat, out of that iron pot of yours that keeps sending forth such delicious smells. And I will give you my fine young horse & all the beautiful harness that is on him.” Well the gipsy grumbled a bit, but at last he agreed. And he counted out six shill
ings & sixpence into toad’s paw; & then he fetched plates out of the tent, & poured hot stew into them out of the pot; & it was the most beautiful stew, made of partridges & pheasants & chickens & hares & rabbits & pea-hens & guinea fowls. And the toad stuffed & stuffed, & kept asking for more & thought that he had never eaten so good a breakfast in all his life.
Your affectionate Daddy.
16 Durham Villas, Campden Hill, W.
17 July 1907
My dear Robinson,
Well!
So when the Toad had stuffed as much breakfast inside of him as he could possibly hold, he stood up, and shook hands with the Gipsy and said goodbye to him, & said goodbye to the horse, & set off in the direction of Toad Hall. And by this time he was feeling very happy, for the sun was shining brightly, & his wet clothes were quite dry again, & he had had a first-rate breakfast, & he had got money in his pocket, & he was getting near his home. And he thought of his adventures, & all the dangers he had escaped, & he began to be very proud & stuck-up, and “Ho ho,” he said to himself as he tramped along, “What a clever animal I am! There is no one like me in the whole world! My enemies shut me up in prison; I escape with the greatest ease. They pursue me with engines & policemen & revolvers; I simply laugh at them & disappear. I am thrown into canals; I swim to land, seize a horse, sell it for a pocketful of money, get breakfasts given me & am made welcome wherever I go! Ho ho! I am The Toad, the handsome, the popular, the glorious Toad!” Then he got so puffed up with pride & conceit that he made up a song, in praise of himself, & sang it as he walked along & it was a conceited song! Here are some of the verses:—
The world has held great Heroes,
As history-books have showed,
never a name to go down to fame
Compared with that of Mr. Toad!
Tales Before Narnia Page 26