第四章，鼹鼠和水鼠终于来到了獾的家，从风雪中得救了。这一章从故事情节上看，好像没有特别复杂，但是这一章有一个非常重要的功能，就是让鼹鼠和水鼠都对“家”，对“自我”有了更进一步的认识。
鼹鼠和水鼠在得到回应之后就站在门口，等着獾来开门，等待的时间总是过的很慢，所以他们似乎等了很久（THEY waited patiently for what seemed a very long time），等的时候还得跺脚保暖（ stamping in the snow），终于听到了缓慢拖沓的脚步声，the sound of slow shuflling footsteps，鼹鼠甚至脑补了画面，说来的人穿着肥大的拖鞋走在地毯上，这个拖鞋还 down at heel，这是个固定的用法，破破烂烂的。门闩来开，门开了一个小缝，嘴上不饶人、不耐烦但是很谨慎的獾的形象就出来了。结果当獾听到来的人是水鼠的时候，立刻就转换了态度（in quite a different voice），亲切了起来。獾不用问都知道发生了这么，这个天气，这个时间，这个地点，小动物肯定没少遭罪。He looked kindly down on them and patted both their heads. 'This is not the sort of night for small animals to be out,' he said paternally. 'I'm afraid you've been up to some of your pranks again（恶作剧，胡闹）, Ratty. But come along; come into the kitchen. There's a first-rate fire there, and supper and everything.'（P62）獾带着他们走过通道，这个通道很长，很阴暗，还很破旧，这里他们走路也很生动，能感觉到很暗，不宽，所以你推我搡的，nudging each other in an anticipating sort of way（P62）。顺着通道来到了hall（大厅），能看出来其实这里四通八达的，不只是一条主路，还有很多辅路，看不到尽头（without apparent end），他们最终是到了厨房。厨房这里有很多环境和陈列的描写。首先是地面well-worn red brick，紧接着跟着一句on the wide hearth burnt a fire of logs, between two attractive chimney-corners tucked away in the wall, well out of any suspicion of draught.是说一个很宽的壁炉，多宽呢，between two attractive chimney-corners，夹在两面墙的烟囱角之间，draught 指通风，通风well out of any suspicion，那就是很好。虽然是地下空间，但是通风很好，很科学。写完硬装，写软装，high-backed settles，是一种高背座椅，而且这种座椅不是单人的，有点像我们现在说的卡座。大家看中文版的插图，椅子造型其实很贴合原文的，但是文章提到椅子是一对，而且是正对着的，所以中文版的插图又有了一些不对应情节的地方。A couple of high-backed settles, facing each other on either side of the fire（P63）。房子中间有桌椅板凳，还有一面墙放的是各种碗碟，头顶也有东西，火腿，香草（herb），洋葱和鸡蛋。接下来这段描写就很有趣了，是描写这个兼具餐厅功能的厨房的：It seemed a place where heroes could fitly feast after victory, where weary harvesters could line up in scores along the table and keep their Harvest Home with mirth and song, or where two or three friends of simple tastes could sit about as they pleased and eat and smoke and talk in comfort and contentment. a place 引领着三个定语从句，说这个厨房很舒服很棒，能接待凯旋英雄，能招待务农的农民，也能好友聊天，是能让人放松下来并感觉舒适的一个地方。 The ruddy brick floor smiled up at the smoky ceiling; the oaken settles, shiny with long wear, exchanged cheerful glances with each other; plates on the dresser grinned at pots on the shelf, and the merry firelight flickered and played over everything without distinction. 这段就写这些没有生命的事物仿佛都带有一种欢乐的氛围，全部做了拟人。
这一段有一点从地狱到天堂的感觉，寒冷、饥饿、受伤对应室内的温暖、丰盛和照顾，到了獾的家就像回家了一样，说之前的这些经历仿佛一场梦（all that they had suffered in it a half-forgotten dream），现在他俩就敞开了吃。
吃东西的时候也很有趣，不知道吃啥好（it seemed only a question of what they should attack first where all was so attractive, and whether the other things would obligingly wait for them till they had time to give them attention. P64），嘴巴里都是东西（it was that regrettable sort of conversation that results from talking with your mouth full. ）。后面这段是老獾的高光，就像大家说的，他散发着一种父辈的包容和慈爱。He sat in his arm-chair at the head of the table, and nodded gravely at intervals as the animals told their story; and he did not seem surprised or shocked at anything, and he never said, `I told you so,' or, `Just what I always said,' or remarked that they ought to have done so-and-so, or ought not to have done something else. The Mole began to feel very friendly towards him.（P65）这段话就透着一种人情味，还有隐隐地对读者的一种暗示，我们和别人说话时候的一种修养，你可以把它理解为一种大人对孩子的关爱，应该是这样的。你也可以把它理解为人和人之间的，不是大人和孩子才需要这样，是人和人之间都需要这样。就是少一点儿马后炮，少一点爹味。酒足饭饱，话题来到了蛤蟆这里。不知道怎么做到的，一说到蛤蟆就有了喜剧的感觉，蛤蟆的现状用水鼠的话说就是：from bad to worse，主要还是前面提到的，又菜又爱玩（he's hopelessly incapable.），车都已经玩坏6辆了，坚持不找司机，就要自己开，he's convinced he's a heaven-born driver, and nobody can teach him anything。这后面跟着一句，and all the rest follows. 问题接踵而至。更逗的是写这些蛤蟆之前的车的下场， it's piled up（摞成了一座小山）-- literally piled up to the roof（堆到了屋顶）-- with fragments of motor-cars, none of them bigger than your hat! （ 没有比你帽子更大的碎片了，这些汽车都已经被他玩散了）（P66）
