--- title: 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) — a lesson of Mova's school · trees and pragmatics description: «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)», a lesson of the books course of Mova's primary school, sentence by sentence with dependency trees and pragmatics. It begins: The Rat grips Toad by the scruff of the --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/65-willows-ch11-part1-why-steal-them/) [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 XI, p… # 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) Lesson 65 of the books course of Mova's primary school: 29 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/65-willows-ch11-part1-why-steal-them/). - [0](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/65-willows-ch11-part1-why-steal-them/0/) — The Rat grips Toad by the scruff of the neck and hauls him up into his hall, dripping with mud and weed. - [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/65-willows-ch11-part1-why-steal-them/2/) — Toad wants to argue, but he catches sight of himself in the mirror, the rusty black bonnet perched over one eye, and goes upstairs quickly and humbly. - [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/65-willows-ch11-part1-why-steal-them/3/) — Washed and in the Rat's clothes, he admires himself and wonders how anybody could ever have taken him for a washerwoman. - [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/65-willows-ch11-part1-why-steal-them/4/) — Over lunch Toad tells all his adventures as if they were splendid fun, and the Rat grows more and more grave and silent. - [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/65-willows-ch11-part1-why-steal-them/5/) — Then the Rat speaks seriously: Toad has been handcuffed, starved, chased, jeered at and flung into the water — and all because he must steal a motor-car. - [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/65-willows-ch11-part1-why-steal-them/6/) — Why be a convict? - [7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/65-willows-ch11-part1-why-steal-them/7/) — Does Toad think the Rat enjoys hearing that he «keeps company with gaol-birds»? - [8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/65-willows-ch11-part1-why-steal-them/8/) — Inside, Toad is still muttering «But it was fun, though! - [10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/65-willows-ch11-part1-why-steal-them/10/) — How sound you always are!» He promises a quiet life at Toad Hall — after a quick mention of a «brilliant idea» about motor-boats that makes the Rat stamp. - [11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/65-willows-ch11-part1-why-steal-them/11/) — Then the Rat cries: hasn't he heard? - [12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/65-willows-ch11-part1-why-steal-them/12/) — The Stoats and Weasels have taken Toad Hall! - [13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/65-willows-ch11-part1-why-steal-them/13/) — A large tear rolls down each of Toad's cheeks, plop! plop! - [14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/65-willows-ch11-part1-why-steal-them/14/) — The chapter's title, «Like Summer Tempests Came His Tears», comes, changed a little, from a line in Tennyson's poem «The Princess»; a summer tempest is a sudden storm that soon passes — like Toad's quick tears. - [16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/65-willows-ch11-part1-why-steal-them/16/) — Toad boasts: «Been in prison—got out of it, of course! - [17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/65-willows-ch11-part1-why-steal-them/17/) — Been thrown into a canal—swam ashore! - [18](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/65-willows-ch11-part1-why-steal-them/18/) — Stole a horse—sold him for a large sum of money! - [21](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/65-willows-ch11-part1-why-steal-them/21/) — «The more he talked and boasted, the more grave and silent the Rat became.» (grave = serious) - [22](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/65-willows-ch11-part1-why-steal-them/22/) — The Rat lists what Toad has been: «handcuffed, imprisoned, starved, chased, terrified out of your life, insulted, jeered at, and ignominiously flung into the water—by a woman, too!» (ignominiously = shamefully) - [23](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/65-willows-ch11-part1-why-steal-them/23/) — «Where's the amusement in that? - [24](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/65-willows-ch11-part1-why-steal-them/24/) — Where does the fun come in? - [26](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/65-willows-ch11-part1-why-steal-them/26/) — The Rat's sharpest point: «why choose to be a convict?» and «Do you suppose it's any pleasure to me... to hear animals saying... that I'm the chap that keeps company with gaol-birds?» (a gaol-bird = someone often in prison; gaol = jail) - [27](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/65-willows-ch11-part1-why-steal-them/27/) — Toad «never minded being jawed by those who were his real friends» (to jaw = to tell off at length) and could always «see the other side of the question». - [28](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/65-willows-ch11-part1-why-steal-them/28/) — Inside he mutters «But it was fun, though! - [29](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/65-willows-ch11-part1-why-steal-them/29/) — Awful fun!» and makes stifled noises «k-i-ck-ck-ck, and poop-p-p», like snorts or soda-water bottles opening. - [32](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/65-willows-ch11-part1-why-steal-them/32/) — Yes, I've been a conceited old ass... but now I'm going to be a good Toad» (sound = wise, sensible). - [35](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/65-willows-ch11-part1-why-steal-them/35/) — And how they've been and taken Toad Hall?» - [37](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/65-willows-ch11-part1-why-steal-them/37/) — The worst is over. - [38](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/65-willows-ch11-part1-why-steal-them/38/) — I am an animal again. - [39](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/65-willows-ch11-part1-why-steal-them/39/) — I can bear it.» - ← previous: [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)](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/64-willows-ch10-part4-into-the-horse-pond/) - next →: [The Wind in the Willows, chapter XI, part 2: «Like Summer Tempests Came His Tears» (how Toad Hall was taken, a gun at the gate and a sunken boat)](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/66-willows-ch11-part2-the-wild-wooders-take-toad-hall/) - ↑ back to [Books](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/)