--- title: The Wind in the Willows, chapter X, part 4: The Further Adventures of Toad (the horse-pond, the chase and a face in the bank) — a lesson of Mova's school · trees and pragmatics description: «The Wind in the Willows, chapter X, part 4: The Further Adventures of Toad (the horse-pond, the chase and a face in the bank)», a lesson of the books course of Mova's primary school, sentence by sentence with dependency trees and pragmatics. It begins: Sitting by the driver, Toad asks sweetly if «s --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/64-willows-ch10-part4-into-the-horse-pond/) [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 X, pa… # The Wind in the Willows, chapter X, part 4: The Further Adventures of Toad (the horse-pond, the chase and a face in the bank) Lesson 64 of the books course of Mova's primary school: 35 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/64-willows-ch10-part4-into-the-horse-pond/). - [0](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/64-willows-ch10-part4-into-the-horse-pond/0/) — Sitting by the driver, Toad asks sweetly if «she» may try driving, just to tell her friends. - [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/64-willows-ch10-part4-into-the-horse-pond/1/) — The driver laughs, but the gentleman says «Bravo, ma'am! - [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/64-willows-ch10-part4-into-the-horse-pond/2/) — I like your spirit.» Toad starts slowly and carefully, and the gentlemen clap: fancy a washerwoman driving so well! - [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/64-willows-ch10-part4-into-the-horse-pond/3/) — Then faster, and faster. - [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/64-willows-ch10-part4-into-the-horse-pond/4/) — When they call «Be careful, washerwoman!» Toad loses his head. - [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/64-willows-ch10-part4-into-the-horse-pond/5/) — He pins the driver down with his elbow, goes full speed and shouts who he really is: «I am the Toad, the motor-car snatcher, the prison-breaker, the Toad who always escapes!» The whole party jumps up to seize him — and nobody stops the car. - [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/64-willows-ch10-part4-into-the-horse-pond/6/) — With half a turn of the wheel it crashes through a hedge into a muddy horse-pond. - [7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/64-willows-ch10-part4-into-the-horse-pond/7/) — Toad flies through the air like a swallow and lands on his back in soft grass; the gentlemen and the driver flounder in the pond in their long coats. - [8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/64-willows-ch10-part4-into-the-horse-pond/8/) — Toad runs off, then laughs till he has to sit down, and sings again: «Who was it steered it into a pond? - [9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/64-willows-ch10-part4-into-the-horse-pond/9/) — Toad!» — «O, how clever I am! - [10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/64-willows-ch10-part4-into-the-horse-pond/10/) — How clever, how clever, how very clev——» - [11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/64-willows-ch10-part4-into-the-horse-pond/11/) — Two fields away, a chauffeur and two large country policemen are running after him! - [12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/64-willows-ch10-part4-into-the-horse-pond/12/) — Toad runs, calling himself a conceited ass, looks back over his shoulder — and runs straight into the river. - [13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/64-willows-ch10-part4-into-the-horse-pond/13/) — The current sweeps him along until he grabs the edge of a big dark hole in the bank. - [14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/64-willows-ch10-part4-into-the-horse-pond/14/) — Something small and bright twinkles inside it, and a face grows round it: brown and small, with whiskers. - [16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/64-willows-ch10-part4-into-the-horse-pond/16/) — Toad asks: «I wish you would kindly let me try and drive the car for a little... - [17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/64-willows-ch10-part4-into-the-horse-pond/17/) — I should like to be able to tell my friends that once I had driven a motor-car!» - [18](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/64-willows-ch10-part4-into-the-horse-pond/18/) — The gentleman: «Bravo, ma'am! - [19](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/64-willows-ch10-part4-into-the-horse-pond/19/) — I like your spirit. - [20](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/64-willows-ch10-part4-into-the-horse-pond/20/) — Let her have a try, and look after her. - [21](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/64-willows-ch10-part4-into-the-horse-pond/21/) — She won't do any harm.» - [23](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/64-willows-ch10-part4-into-the-horse-pond/23/) — «Be careful, washerwoman!» annoys him and he begins «to lose his head» (to lose your head = to stop thinking sensibly). - [25](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/64-willows-ch10-part4-into-the-horse-pond/25/) — «Washerwoman, indeed! ... - [26](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/64-willows-ch10-part4-into-the-horse-pond/26/) — I am the Toad, the motor-car snatcher, the prison-breaker, the Toad who always escapes!» - [27](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/64-willows-ch10-part4-into-the-horse-pond/27/) — The party cry «Seize the Toad, the wicked animal who stole our motor-car!»; the book says they «should have remembered to stop the motor-car somehow before playing any pranks of that sort». - [29](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/64-willows-ch10-part4-into-the-horse-pond/29/) — Toad flies «with the strong upward rush and delicate curve of a swallow» and wonders if he will turn into «a Toad-bird», then lands on his back in soft meadow grass. - [30](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/64-willows-ch10-part4-into-the-horse-pond/30/) — His new song: «The motor-car went Poop-poop-poop, / As it raced along the road. / Who was it steered it into a pond? / Ingenious Mr. - [31](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/64-willows-ch10-part4-into-the-horse-pond/31/) — Toad!» (ingenious = very clever at inventing things) - [32](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/64-willows-ch10-part4-into-the-horse-pond/32/) — He is cut off in the middle of «how very clev——» when he sees a chauffeur (a paid car driver) in leather gaiters and two large rural (country) policemen running after him, about two fields away. - [33](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/64-willows-ch10-part4-into-the-horse-pond/33/) — «What an ass I am! - [34](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/64-willows-ch10-part4-into-the-horse-pond/34/) — What a conceited and heedless ass! - [36](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/64-willows-ch10-part4-into-the-horse-pond/36/) — Looking back over his shoulder, he runs off the edge of the bank and «found himself head over ears in deep water»: the river. - [37](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/64-willows-ch10-part4-into-the-horse-pond/37/) — In the water he promises: «if ever I steal a motor-car again! - [38](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/64-willows-ch10-part4-into-the-horse-pond/38/) — If ever I sing another conceited song»— and goes under. - [40](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/64-willows-ch10-part4-into-the-horse-pond/40/) — Talk in this lesson: «gassing» (old British slang, used by Toad himself) = chattering, boasting; «delulu» = living in a dream; «I'm dead» = that's so funny; «fixin' to» (US South) = about to; «gadgie» (North East England) = a man, a bloke. - ← previous: [The Wind in the Willows, chapter X, part 3: The Further Adventures of Toad (the most conceited song and the very same motor-car)](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/63-willows-ch10-part3-the-conceited-song/) - next →: [The Wind in the Willows, chapter XI, part 1: «Like Summer Tempests Came His Tears» (home at the Rat's, a telling-off, and bad news)](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/65-willows-ch11-part1-why-steal-them/) - ↑ back to [Books](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/)