Summary

As the summer goes on in River Bank, Rabbit repeatedly returns to Toad Hall by herself, in order to hear more of Toad's improbable tales. Toad quietly notices, but ignores, that Rabbit's own small tales of adventure from her real life are both completely true and, in a way, more thrilling than the tales Toad tells about himself. Toad's old friends Badger, Water Rat, and Mole decide that, after getting his ego repeatedly (and accidentally) pumped up by Rabbit, Toad has become an "unmanageable ass" (44).

Badger, Water Rat, and Mole have a meeting to discuss how to handle Toad's new attitude. They decide that they will go to Beryl, and ask her to ask Rabbit to stop visiting Toad. Mole refuses to join along with them, as he still holds an inexplicable grudge towards Beryl. When they...