"Ratty! Please stop!" shouted Mole again.
But Rat was far ahead.
"It's my old home!" cried Mole.
"I must go there!"
Rat didn't turn back.
"Hurry up, Mole," Rat called without looking.
"Oh, please come back!" yelled Mole.
He stood in the road alone.
Mole's home was nearby.
"Should I go home?" he wondered.
"Or should I go with my friend?"
The choice made his heart ache.
With a sigh, Mole ran after Rat.
Finally Mole caught up.
"Won't it be great to sit by the fire?" asked Rat.
"Sure," said Mole, dragging his feet.
Rat turned and looked at Mole.
"Mole, you're tired. Sit down," said Rat.
Mole sat on a fallen log.
His lips trembled, and he burst into tears.
"What is it, Mole?" asked Rat, surprised.
"I know it's not cozy like your house," sobbed Mole.
"Or grand like Toad Hall.
But it was mine!"
"What was yours?" asked Rat.
"I went away and forgot all about it," cried Mole.
"Then I smelled it again."
"But what did you smell?" Rat asked.
"My home!" sobbed Mole.
"It was my old home!
And you wouldn't turn back!"