The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

Ichabod and Mr Toad

Ichabod

Ichabod and Mr Toad

Ichabod, Ichabod and Mr Toad...

If you were asked to chose the most

fabulous character in English literature,

who would it be?

Robin Hood? King Arthur?

Becky Sharp?

Sherlock Holmes?

Oliver Twist, perhaps?

Any one of them would

be an excellent choice.

But as the most fabulous

character of all, I nominate

a toad.

J Thaddeus Toad, Esquire.

Have you never met him?

You'll find his story in

"The Wind in the Willows".

Toad was the one

disturbing element.

Incurable adventurer, mad,

reckless, tried everything.

A positive mania for fads, and

he never counted the cost.

He had a host of

fair-weather friends.

But there were only three who had

his best interests at heart.

One was a badger. MacBadger.

And then there was a water rat.

A bit stuffy, perhaps, but really

a fine fellow. And a mole.

A gentle creature,

kind and sympathetic.

They all made their homes in a

quaint community along a riverbank.

On that particular day, Mole

was in a hurry because...

because he was late for tea.

A regrettable habit, but Rat

had learned to put up with it.

Sorry, says Mole. Quite

alright, says Rat. Two lumps?

Then, just as they were

getting settled...

- Special Delivery, Mr Rat.

- Thank you, Postman.

How's everything on the river, sir?

Dashed quiet, as usual, thank you.

Mole, listen.

"Dear Rat:
You and Mole must

come to Toad Hall at once."

"Urgent!! A MacBadger."

Rat was certain Toad was

making trouble again.

The answer to that lay just

around the bend at Toad Hall,

the ancestral home of

J Thaddeus himself.

This impressive structure was

the finest home on the river.

The animals were

tremendously proud of it.

They felt it gave the whole

community an air of respectability.

To lose Toad Hall was,

of course, unthinkable,

and yet it was no secret

that Toad's follies

had brought him to the

brink of bankruptcy.

So, MacBadger had volunteered

to put Toad's house in order.

Smashed fence. Two guineas.

Damage, lamp post. Four pound six.

Destruction of hen house...

How can a man figure

with all this hubbub?

- I'll not be put off!

- Pay my bill!

- I want my money!

- Silence!

You'll get your money

in due course.

Now, go along with you.

I'll pay no more today.

Why did I assume the

responsibility of looking after...

Didn't I tell you...?

It's you, Rat. And Mole, too.

Thank goodness, lads.

You've come at last.

Poor MacBadger. He'd reached

the end of his rope.

As he said himself...

I'm practically a nervous wreck.

I say! What seems

to be the trouble?

Summat's got to be done about Toad!

This time he's gone too far!

But he promised us...

Promises? What good are promises

when wild manias take him?

Now, look, you're his closest

friends, are you not?

- Yes.

- Very dear friends.

Then you must find

Toad and stop him!

- What's he doing?

- He's got a new mania.

He's rampaging about the county

in a canary-yellow gypsy cart.

With a horse named Cyril.

Tally-ho!

Are we on our way to Nottingham,

to Brittingham, to Buckingham

Or any hammy hamlet by the sea? No!

Are we on our way to Devonshire,

to Lancashire or Worcestershire?

I'm not so sure

We'll have to wait and see

Are we on our way to Dover?

Or going merrily over

The jolly old road that

goes to Plymouth Ho?

No! We're merrily, merrily,

merrily, merrily, merrily

On our way to nowhere in particular

We're merrily, merrily, merrily,

merrily, merrily on our way

Though the roads are perpendicular

- We're always in a hurry

- We have no time to stall

We've gotta be there

We've gotta be there

But where, we can't recall

We're merrily, merrily, merrily,

merrily, merrily on our way

And we may be going to Devonshire,

to Lancashire, to Worcestershire

We're not so sure,

but what do we care?

We're only sure we've

got to be there

We're merrily on our

way to nowhere at all

Hello, you fellows!

You're the very animals

I was coming to see!

Come along! Hop up!

We'll go for a jolly ride!

The open road, the dusty

highway. Come!

I'll show you the world.

Travel, change, excitement...

How stupid of me! I want you fellows

to meet my noble steed Cyril.

Aye, that's me.

A bit of a trotter,

a bit of a rotter.

How do you do, how do

you do, how do you do?

How do you do?

Say, guv'nor, your friends

seem a bit on the stuffy side.

Toad, we want to have

a talk with you.

A visit! Splendid!

This is serious. You must

give up that horse and cart.

Give up my... But my dear

Ratty, this is my career!

- You can't mean...

- I do!

- You must stop this foolishness!

- No.

- You must!

- No. I won't do it.

Your reckless behaviour is

giving animals a bad name!

You're becoming a

menace to society.

At least think of poor MacBadger!

And as for that horse, no good

will come of gadding about

with such a fast and

irresponsible beast!

- Get him, Mole!

- Come down, Toady.

Stop it! Let me go!

Giddy up, Cyril! Giddy up!

It's no use. You'll never

get me to give this up!

Tally-ho! Yikes!

Look!

Gad! What is it?

- Lummy, guv'nor, it's a motorcar.

- Motorcar?

A motorcar... Gad! What

have I been missing?

- Ratty, it isn't... He hasn't...

- It is, and he has.

A new mania. Motor mania.

Mania.

That's it. That's what it was.

A positive mania.

No telling where it would end.

Might linger for months.

And with Toad Hall at stake,

Rat and Mole had no choice.

Only one thing to do.

Lock the poor chap up until the

poison worked out of his system.

Hold him, Moley!

- That's better.

- And you can't escape.

Simply no use trying.

Let me out! Open up, I say! Please!

Open the door!

Playing jailer to one's dearest

friend wasn't pleasant.

In fact, Moley immediately wanted to

call it quits, but Ratty said no.

This time they must be firm.

It wasn't just a matter of

saving Toad from himself.

There was MacBadger to consider, and

Toad Hall and all it stood for.

There was only one thing wrong

with Ratty's cure for motor mania.

It didn't work. You see,

Toad was far too clever.

And, at the moment, completely mad.

He was determined to get a motorcar,

even if he had to beg, borrow or...

Toad arrested! Extra!

His Majesty versus J

Thaddeus Toad, Toad Hall,

Riverbank, Doodle-Bunton-

Maxon-Morton, Surrey.

24th day of August, set forth

in the following brief.

Accused is J Thaddeus Toad,

of stealing a motorcar,

and with it, endangering sundry

subjects of His Majesty,

- their life and limbs.

- Counsel for the Crown,

proceed with the case.

My lord, I call, as

first Crown witnesses,

Mr Rat and Mr Mole!

Is it true that you had the

accused locked in his own house

because he had threatened

to get a motorcar?

Did you, or did you not,

have him locked up?

- We did.

- Thank you! That is all!

- Next witness.

- Mr Angus MacBadger!

As trustee of the Toad estate,

you knew of the prisoner's

mania for motorcars?

And due to his extravagance,

you cut off his allowance?

Then he was, to the best of

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