Tod's preparations were complete. The pail was full of
water; the rope was tightly strained over the top of the bed, and across
the window sill to the tree outside.
"It will make a great mess in my bedroom; but I could never sleep in
that bed again without a spring cleaning of some sort," said Mr. Tod.
[Illustration]
Mr. Tod took a last look at the badger and softly left the room. He went
out of the house, shutting the front door. The rabbits heard his
footsteps over the tunnel.
He ran round behind the house, intending to undo the rope in order to
let fall the pailful of water upon Tommy Brock--
"I will wake him up with an unpleasant surprise," said Mr. Tod.
The moment he had gone, Tommy Brock got up in a hurry; he rolled Mr.
Tod's dressing-gown into a bundle, put it into the bed beneath the pail
of water instead of himself, and left the room also--grinning immensely.
He went into the kitchen, lighted the fire and boiled the kettle; for
the moment he did not trouble himself to cook the baby rabbits.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
When Mr. Tod got to the tree, he found that the weight and strain had
dragged the knot so tight that it was past untying. He was obliged to
gnaw it with his teeth. He chewed and gnawed for more than twenty
minutes. At last the rope gave way with such a sudden jerk that it
nearly pulled his teeth out, and quite knocked him over backwards.
[Illustration]
Inside the house there was a great crash and splash, and the noise of a
pail rolling over and over.
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