--- title: The Wind in the Willows, chapter XII, part 4: The Return of Ulysses (Toad's last little song, an altered Toad, and the end of the book) — a lesson of Mova's school · trees and pragmatics description: «The Wind in the Willows, chapter XII, part 4: The Return of Ulysses (Toad's last little song, an altered Toad, and the end of the book)», a lesson of the books course of Mova's primary school, sentence by sentence with dependency trees and pragmatics. It begins: Then he heaves a long, long sigh, fl --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/73-willows-ch12-part4-an-altered-toad/) [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 XII,… # The Wind in the Willows, chapter XII, part 4: The Return of Ulysses (Toad's last little song, an altered Toad, and the end of the book) Lesson 73 of the books course of Mova's primary school: 33 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/73-willows-ch12-part4-an-altered-toad/). - [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/73-willows-ch12-part4-an-altered-toad/1/) — Then he heaves a long, long sigh, flattens his hair down neatly, and goes quietly downstairs to his guests. - [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/73-willows-ch12-part4-an-altered-toad/2/) — Everyone cheers him and praises his courage, but Toad only murmurs «Not at all!» or «On the contrary!» When Otter tries to parade him round the room, Toad says gently that Badger was the mastermind, Mole and Rat did the hardest fighting, and he did «little or nothing». - [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/73-willows-ch12-part4-an-altered-toad/3/) — No speech, no song, however much the young animals bang the table — just polite talk and questions about their families. - [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/73-willows-ch12-part4-an-altered-toad/4/) — Badger and the Rat stare at each other with their mouths open. - [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/73-willows-ch12-part4-an-altered-toad/5/) — «He was indeed an altered Toad!» - [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/73-willows-ch12-part4-an-altered-toad/6/) — Afterwards Toad sends the gaoler's daughter a gold chain and locket with pearls and a modest, grateful letter; the engine-driver is thanked and paid for his trouble; and, though Toad grumbles terribly, the barge-woman is paid for her horse. - [7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/73-willows-ch12-part4-an-altered-toad/7/) — On long summer evenings the four friends stroll through the Wild Wood, and mother-weasels point them out to their babies: the great Mr. - [8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/73-willows-ch12-part4-an-altered-toad/8/) — Toad, the gallant Water Rat, the famous Mr. - [9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/73-willows-ch12-part4-an-altered-toad/9/) — Mole — and the terrible grey Badger, who is really rather fond of children. - [10](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/73-willows-ch12-part4-an-altered-toad/10/) — Looking back over the whole book: a Mole flung down his spring-cleaning and found the River, a best friend in the Rat, the shelter of Badger's home in the snowy Wild Wood, and the sweetness of his own little home again. - [11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/73-willows-ch12-part4-an-altered-toad/11/) — The Rat heard the piper at dawn and the call of the South, and came back to his river. - [12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/73-willows-ch12-part4-an-altered-toad/12/) — And Toad went from boats to caravans to motor-cars, prison, disguises and escapes, until friends who never gave up on him won his home back — and he learned, at least for one evening, to let others have the praise. - [14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/73-willows-ch12-part4-an-altered-toad/14/) — The song begins: «The Toad—came—home! / There was panic in the parlours and howling in the halls, / There was crying in the cow-sheds and shrieking in the stalls, / When the Toad—came—home!» The second verse («There was smashing in of window and crashing in of door») ends the same way. - [15](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/73-willows-ch12-part4-an-altered-toad/15/) — The song has four verses in all. - [16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/73-willows-ch12-part4-an-altered-toad/16/) — Another verse: «Bang! go the drums! / The trumpeters are tooting and the soldiers are saluting, / And the cannon they are shooting and the motor-cars are hooting, / As the—Hero—comes!» It ends: «For it's Toad's—great—day!» - [17](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/73-willows-ch12-part4-an-altered-toad/17/) — He sang it «very loud, with great unction and expression; and when he had done, he sang it all over again» (unction = great feeling). - [18](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/73-willows-ch12-part4-an-altered-toad/18/) — «Then he heaved a deep sigh; a long, long, long sigh.» - [19](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/73-willows-ch12-part4-an-altered-toad/19/) — He «parted his hair in the middle, and plastered it down very straight and sleek» with water from his hairbrush, and went «quietly» down the stairs. - [20](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/73-willows-ch12-part4-an-altered-toad/20/) — To all the praise Toad «only smiled faintly, and murmured, "Not at all!" Or, sometimes, for a change, "On the contrary!"» - [21](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/73-willows-ch12-part4-an-altered-toad/21/) — To Otter: «Badger's was the mastermind; the Mole and the Water Rat bore the brunt of the fighting; I merely served in the ranks and did little or nothing.» (bore the brunt = took the hardest part; served in the ranks = was an ordinary soldier) - [22](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/73-willows-ch12-part4-an-altered-toad/22/) — When the younger animals cried «Toad! - [23](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/73-willows-ch12-part4-an-altered-toad/23/) — Speech from Toad! - [24](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/73-willows-ch12-part4-an-altered-toad/24/) — Toad's song!», Toad shook his head, raised one paw in mild protest, and offered them delicacies (special tasty food) and polite small-talk. - [25](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/73-willows-ch12-part4-an-altered-toad/25/) — Some of the younger and livelier animals whispered to each other that things were not so amusing as they used to be in the good old days. - [26](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/73-willows-ch12-part4-an-altered-toad/26/) — Badger and the Rat kept «staring at each other with their mouths open; and this gave him the greatest satisfaction». - [27](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/73-willows-ch12-part4-an-altered-toad/27/) — «He was indeed an altered Toad!» (altered = changed) - [28](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/73-willows-ch12-part4-an-altered-toad/28/) — Toad sent the gaoler's daughter «a handsome gold chain and locket set with pearls» with a letter «that even the Badger admitted to be modest, grateful, and appreciative»; the engine-driver «was properly thanked and compensated» (paid back). - [29](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/73-willows-ch12-part4-an-altered-toad/29/) — «Under severe compulsion from the Badger» the barge-woman was found and paid the value of her horse; Toad «kicked terribly at this» and still called her rude names — the old Toad had not quite gone. - [31](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/73-willows-ch12-part4-an-altered-toad/31/) — In the tamed Wild Wood, mother-weasels said: «Look, baby! - [32](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/73-willows-ch12-part4-an-altered-toad/32/) — There goes the great Mr. - [33](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/73-willows-ch12-part4-an-altered-toad/33/) — And that's the gallant Water Rat, a terrible fighter, walking along o' him! - [34](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/73-willows-ch12-part4-an-altered-toad/34/) — And yonder comes the famous Mr. - [35](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/73-willows-ch12-part4-an-altered-toad/35/) — To quiet naughty babies they said «the terrible grey Badger would up and get them» — «a base libel on Badger, who, though he cared little about Society, was rather fond of children» (a base libel = a mean, untrue thing said about someone). - ← previous: [The Wind in the Willows, chapter XII, part 3: The Return of Ulysses (the invitations, «SPEECH BY TOAD» and «not one little song»)](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/72-willows-ch12-part3-no-speeches-and-no-songs/) - next →: [Just So Stories (Rudyard Kipling), 1: How the Whale got his Throat](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/74-justso-whale-throat/) - ↑ back to [Books](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/)