Mrs. Frisby arrives home to find Martin, Cynthia, and Teresa worried for her. They all hug her and ask what she learned, and Mrs. Frisby then goes to see Timothy, who wanted to keep his bed in the bedroom to think instead of being moved to the living room again. He expresses concerns over the smell of damp spring air seeping into the tunnel and asks when the family plans to move. Mrs. Frisby fibs and tells him it will not be for awhile. Timothy explains that he tried to walk around a little bit and felt dizzy before long; he knows he is not yet well enough to move. He reassures his mother, telling her that he is not scared of what could happen. He imagines the summer by the brook and hopes to see it. Mrs. Frisby, at a loss of what to say, tells him to stop thinking about it for now.

The next morning, Mrs. Frisby heads to the rosebush to talk to the rats. She finds it rather intimidating but after searching all around the dense thorns, she spots a handhold where the thorns had been worn away. She pushes through a sort of swinging door and makes her way through a tunnel inside the bush.