Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert O'Brien

had, before coming out of the garden, looked around carefully to be sure Dragon was nowhere in sight. But even Dragon, though he would chase a rat up to the edge of the bush, would not follow him into it.
    The thorns, of course, helped to discourage trespassers. Mrs Frisby had never realized until that moment standing next to it, how very big the bush was, how dense, how incredibly thorny. It was bigger than the tractor shed, and its branches were so densely intertwined that as small as she was, Mrs Frisby could find no easy way to crawl into it, though she walked all the way around it looking. She remembered approximately where she had seen the rats go in, and she studied that part of the bush carefully. How had they done it?
    Then she saw that on one branch, close to the ground, the thorns had been scraped off, and about a half-inch of it - just big enough for a handhold - was worn smooth. She put her hand on this and pushed timidly. The branch yielded easily, rather like a swinging door, and behind it she saw a trail, a sort of tunnel through the bush, wide enough so that she could walk into it without touching thorns on either side. When she went forward, she released the branch, and it swung back silently into place behind her. She was inside the bush, and it was dark.
    She walked forward, peering into the dimness and following the small trail which wound in a curving course towards the centre of the bush, its earthen floor packed firm by the pressure of small feet. Then, straight ahead of her she saw the entrance.
    She had expected - what? A round hole in the earth, most likely, but certainly nothing like what she saw. First, a sizeable clearing - about five feet across - had been cut from the centre of the bush. Branches overhead had been cleared away, too, not quite to the top of the bush but almost, so that the sunlight filtered through easily, and soft moss grew on the ground. In the middle of this bright green cave rose a small mound, eight inches tall, in the end of which was an arched entrance neatly lined with stone, like a small doorway without any door. Behind the entrance a tunnel, its floor also lined with stones, led backwards and downwards.
    Beside the entranceway, looking at her with dark, unblinking eyes, stood the biggest rat she had ever seen.

Brutus

    Stop where you are,' said the rat. 'How did you get in here?'
    'I walked in,' said Mrs Frisby, keeping her voice calm with an effort. 'I found a branch with the thorns smoothed off. I pushed it back, and found...
    'I know,' said the rat, rather rudely. 'And now, walk out again. You aren't allowed in here.' He moved a few inches towards her, placing himself between her and the entrance. She noticed how powerful his muscles looked under his glossy coat. He would almost be a match for Dragon - almost, but not quite.
    'Go on,' he repeated.
    'But I have a reason…'
    'I don't care what you have. Go away. You're small. I wouldn't want to hurt you.'
    'Are you Justin?' Mrs Frisby inched back as the rat inched forward.
    'I'm Brutus, Justin's not here.' That was reasonably obvious, Mrs Frisby thought. The rat named Brutus added: 'You know Justin?'
    'No,' said Mrs Frisby. 'That is, not exactly.'
    'If you don't know him, how do you know his name?' Brutus sounded puzzled, and Mrs Frisby observed that although he was greatly oversized and muscular, and his eyes were bright enough, he looked very young.
    'It was told to me by a friend. Can I see him?'
    'Justin? No. He's at a meeting. I'm taking his place. They're all at a meeting but me.'
    Bad luck, thought Mrs Frisby. He's a substitute. She said:
    'Then I'll wait for him.'
    'No,' said Brutus. 'You can't stay here. I've got orders. Now go, or I'll have to take you out myself.' He moved forward again.
    'My name,' said the mouse desperately, 'is Mrs Jonathan Frisby. I want to see Nicodemus.' It did not work.
    'I don't care what your name is, and you can't see Nicodemus, that's sure.' Brutus now looked puzzled and