Mole could not believe what he heard!
"Rat is leaving the riverbank?" he thought.
"Impossible!"
Mole looked into Rat's eyes.
"Something is wrong!" Mole thought.
"Rat's eyes are all red!"
Mole stood in the door to block Rat's way.
"Let me go," said Rat.
He pushed at Mole to get by.
"I'm not letting you out, Rat!" cried Mole.
Mole grabbed his friend's arms.
"Let me go," said Rat again.
The two friends struggled.
Mole threw his friend into a chair.
"You're staying here!" yelled Mole.
Mole held Rat firmly.
Finally, Rat stopped struggling.
"Oh my, oh my," said Rat, bursting into tears.
"You'll be all right," said Mole.
Mole locked the door.
He hung Rat's coat on a hook.
Mole sat in a chair next to his friend.
"I'll stay until you feel better," said Mole.
As Rat cried, he called out strangely:
"Secret islands! Shellfish!
Lighthouses! Sea songs!"
"What odd things he's saying," Mole thought.
"I don't know what he's talking about."
Rat fell into a deep sleep.
"My poor friend," sighed Mole.