his long tongue this way, and he swept it that way, and each time he drew
it back into his mouth, it was covered with ants. At last Old Mr. Toad
couldn't hold another ant. Then he remembered Buster Bear and looked up a
little fearfully. Buster was smacking his lips, and there was a twinkle in
each eye.

"Good, aren't they?" said he.

"The best I ever ate," declared Old Mr. Toad with a sigh of satisfaction.

"Come dine with me again," said Buster Bear, and somehow this time Old Mr.
Toad didn't mind because his voice sounded grumbly-rumbly.

"Thank you, I will," replied Old Mr. Toad.




XX


OLD MR. TOAD IS PUFFED UP

Old Mr. Toad hopped slowly down the Lone Little Path. He usually does hop
slowly, but this time he hopped slower than ever. You see, he was so puffed
up that he couldn't have hopped fast if he had wanted to, and he didn't
want to. In the first place his stomach was so full of ants that there
wasn't room for another one. No, Sir, Old Mr. Toad couldn't have swallowed
another ant if he had tried. Of course they made his stomach stick out, but
it wasn't the ants that puffed him out all over. Oh, my, no! It was pride.