--- title: The Wind in the Willows, chapter IV, part 4: Mr. Badger (the city under the Wild Wood, and the way home) — a lesson of Mova's school · trees and pragmatics description: «The Wind in the Willows, chapter IV, part 4: Mr. Badger (the city under the Wild Wood, and the way home)», a lesson of the books course of Mova's primary school, sentence by sentence with dependency trees and pragmatics. It begins: While the Rat and the Otter argue about eels by the fire, the Badge --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/40-willows-ch4-part4-the-city-under-the-wood/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/) / [Books](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/) / The Wind in the Willows, chapter IV, p… # The Wind in the Willows, chapter IV, part 4: Mr. Badger (the city under the Wild Wood, and the way home) Lesson 40 of the books course of Mova's primary school: 30 sentences, each with its syntax tree and pragmatics. The lessons are written for Mova, and their agreed trees are part of Mova corpus 0.4 (CC BY-SA 4.0). How Mova does on its tests: [the lesson at school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/books/40-willows-ch4-part4-the-city-under-the-wood/). - [0](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/40-willows-ch4-part4-the-city-under-the-wood/0/) — While the Rat and the Otter argue about eels by the fire, the Badger takes the Mole on a tour with a lantern. - [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/40-willows-ch4-part4-the-city-under-the-wood/1/) — There are passages and rooms everywhere, pillars, arches and stone floors. - [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/40-willows-ch4-part4-the-city-under-the-wood/2/) — «How did you ever build all this?» asks the Mole. - [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/40-willows-ch4-part4-the-city-under-the-wood/3/) — «I didn't,» says the Badger. - [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/40-willows-ch4-part4-the-city-under-the-wood/4/) — Long ago, he explains, there was a city of people here — rich, powerful builders who thought their city would last for ever. - [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/40-willows-ch4-part4-the-city-under-the-wood/5/) — They went away; wind and rain and growing trees buried it, and the badgers moved back in. - [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/40-willows-ch4-part4-the-city-under-the-wood/6/) — «People come… and they go. - [7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/40-willows-ch4-part4-the-city-under-the-wood/7/) — But we remain.» The Wild Wood grew on top, with all sorts of animals, good, bad and so-so. - [8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/40-willows-ch4-part4-the-city-under-the-wood/8/) — The Badger promises to pass the word around: any friend of his can walk where he likes. - [9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/40-willows-ch4-part4-the-city-under-the-wood/9/) — Back in the kitchen the Rat is restless, overcoat on and pistols in his belt, worried the river will run off without him. - [10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/40-willows-ch4-part4-the-city-under-the-wood/10/) — So the Badger leads them along a long secret tunnel to the edge of the wood and hides the opening behind them. - [11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/40-willows-ch4-part4-the-city-under-the-wood/11/) — They hurry home across the snowy fields towards the river. - [14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/40-willows-ch4-part4-the-city-under-the-wood/14/) — The Mole is «staggered at the size, the extent, the ramifications of it all» (ramifications = branches, more and more passages leading off) — passages, store-chambers, «pillars, the arches, the pavements». - [15](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/40-willows-ch4-part4-the-city-under-the-wood/15/) — Some rooms are «mere cupboards, others nearly as broad and imposing as Toad's dining-hall» (imposing = big and grand). - [16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/40-willows-ch4-part4-the-city-under-the-wood/16/) — The Badger: «It would be astonishing indeed, if I had done it. - [17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/40-willows-ch4-part4-the-city-under-the-wood/17/) — But as a matter of fact I did none of it—only cleaned out the passages and chambers, as far as I had need of them.» - [18](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/40-willows-ch4-part4-the-city-under-the-wood/18/) — «Very long ago, on the spot where the Wild Wood waves now … there was a city—a city of people, you know … They built to last, for they thought their city would last for ever.» - [20](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/40-willows-ch4-part4-the-city-under-the-wood/20/) — It is their way. - [22](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/40-willows-ch4-part4-the-city-under-the-wood/22/) — First it was «all down, down, down, gradually—ruin and levelling and disappearance», then «all up, up, up», as seeds grew to saplings and saplings to trees, and leaf-mould and sand covered the stones. - [23](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/40-willows-ch4-part4-the-city-under-the-wood/23/) — The animals above «don't bother themselves about the past» or about «the future when perhaps the people will move in again». - [24](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/40-willows-ch4-part4-the-city-under-the-wood/24/) — The wood holds «good, bad, and indifferent—I name no names. - [25](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/40-willows-ch4-part4-the-city-under-the-wood/25/) — It takes all sorts to make a world.» - [27](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/40-willows-ch4-part4-the-city-under-the-wood/27/) — «Any friend of mine walks where he likes in this country, or I'll know the reason why!» - [29](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/40-willows-ch4-part4-the-city-under-the-wood/29/) — The Otter: «if there's a head that needs to be punched, you can confidently rely upon me to punch it.» - [30](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/40-willows-ch4-part4-the-city-under-the-wood/30/) — The Badger has «bolt-holes to the edge of the wood in several directions» (bolt-hole = secret escape tunnel), «which I don't want everybody to know about». - [31](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/40-willows-ch4-part4-the-city-under-the-wood/31/) — The tunnel is «part vaulted, part hewn through solid rock» and seems «miles» long; at the end he hides the mouth with «creepers, brushwood, and dead leaves». - [32](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/40-willows-ch4-part4-the-city-under-the-wood/32/) — Far ahead they saw «a glint of the familiar old river». - [33](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/40-willows-ch4-part4-the-city-under-the-wood/33/) — The Otter, who knew all the paths, took charge of the party and led them home. - [34](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/40-willows-ch4-part4-the-city-under-the-wood/34/) — From a stile they look back at the wood, «dense, menacing, compact», and hurry home to the river «that never made them afraid with any amazement». - [36](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/40-willows-ch4-part4-the-city-under-the-wood/36/) — Talk in this lesson: «gurt» (West Country, England) = great, big; «proper job» (West Country) = well done; «grand» (Ireland) = fine; «yinz» (Pittsburgh, US) = you all; «delulu» = dreaming, not facing reality. - ← previous: [The Wind in the Willows, chapter IV, part 3: Mr. Badger (the Otter comes through the snow, and the best home is underground)](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/39-willows-ch4-part3-the-otter-and-underground-homes/) - next →: [The Wind in the Willows, chapter V, part 1: Dulce Domum (the village windows and the call of home)](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/41-willows-ch5-part1-the-call-of-home/) - ↑ back to [Books](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/)