"The valiant Toad"

Michael Dirda reviews The River Bank, a new sequel to The Wind in the Willows, set soon after the victory of Toad Hall, and declares it "an absolutely delightful book." He quotes this passage from the new book:

Over the mantel, the Toad had caused to be mounted a tasteful arrangement of crossed swords and pistols, clustered appetizingly on either side of a large painting in a gilded rococo frame, of a mighty Toad brandishing pistols in each hand, vanquishing quite a crowd of Weasels, Stoats, and Foxes, as a rather smaller Badger, Mole and Water Rat looked on admiringly from the corners of the picture. There was some sort of thunderstorm going on in the background, and a bit of sunlight breaking through managed to illuminate the Toad while leaving everything else in gloom. A small brass plate affixed to the frame read, The Valiant Toad, Amidst the Fray.

Ordered.

Michael Dirda reviews 'The River Bank' - The Washington Post