The Toad Online, or Pardon my intubation

   Now the proprietor of this hospital had one, almost grown, child.  She was "a pleasant wench and good-hearted, who assisted her father in the lighter duties of his post. She was particularly fond of animals, and, besides her canary, whose cage hung on a nail in the massive wall of the keep by day, to the great annoyance of prisoners who relished an after dinner nap, and was shrouded in an antimacassar on the parlour table at night, she kept several piebald mice and a restless revolving squirrel. This kind-hearted girl, pitying the misery of Toad, said to her father one day, `Father! I can't bear to see that poor beast so unhappy, and getting so thin! You let me have the managing of him. You know how fond of animals I am. I'll make him eat from my hand, and sit up, and do all sorts of things.'
   Her father replied that she could do what she liked with him. He was tired of Toad, and his sulks and his airs and his meanness. So that day she went on her errand of mercy, and knocked at the door of Toad's cell.
   `Now, cheer up, Toad,' she said, coaxingly, on entering, `and sit up and dry your eyes and be a sensible animal. "

Toad turned to the the girl but could say nary a word,  what with the miles and miles of paraphernalia going in, out and through him (Dr. William himself, on retiring of a night to his grandfather's den would remark to Old Father William,   "Thank goodness that Toad had such a wide, wide mouth or we should never have been able to get all those tubes past his lips!") He groaned and turned his sad miserable eyes to the girl.

Having spent not a few minutes finding out what she could about Toad's condition (speaking with  those of the stoats that viewed the arrogant behavior of some of their brethren with distaste) the girl was able to keep those concerned about the Toad apprised of his condition.

Rat and Mole had been coming to the hospital to check on their friend. Toad would look at them with his sad bleary eyes as if to say "I am so, so sorry I can't entertain you with some tale of foolish folly,  but I have this tube, don't you know."  But the girl did her best to speak for the Toad.  She told Rat, who was the brighter of the two, all about blood chemistry and the like,  while Mole got hugs and reassurances.

"He is getting better daily, "she beamed. "They already removed the nasty chest tube they had to stick in when Dr. Williams' minions pushed one of their tubes through his lung", she told Rat (quietly adding for Mole that the lung was the part of the Toad that allowed him to breathe.) "and I think they may well get all those horrid things out of his mouth in just a few more days!" Rat looked pensive while Mole,  buoyed by the girl's smile, seemed reassured. "He will be free soon" said Mole (perhaps asking as much as averring.) And Rat mumbled back, "Most likely if we take things into our own hands.  This calls for a plan."

And with that (and a nod to the girl) Rat grabbed Mole and left.  Until they should return, with a plan.......