“She loped along briskly, moving in the easy, horselike canter mice use when they are trying to cover ground. Her progress was almost completely noiseless; she chose her path where the earth was bare, or where grass grew, and she avoided dead leaves, which would rustle and crackle even under her small weight.”

The majority of the story takes place either on the ground or below it in the natural environment. For this reason, the author regularly describes the scenery in great detail to provide lucid imagery for the reader. Here, the author describes the protagonist Mrs. Frisby, as she makes her way to Mr. Ages. Mrs. Frisby is skilled at going across the farm without being seen or heard while still managing to keep up a good speed. This skill will come in use later when she must sneak into the kitchen.

“This had been the beginning of his frailness. From that time on he tended to stumble a little when he walked, especially when he was tired; he never grew as vigorous as his brother, Martin. But he thought a deal more, and in that he resembled his father.” 

Timothy has been prone to illness since he was small. He developed a sickness as an infant, which required Mr. Ages’s care, and has not been able to recover to full health ever since. It is for this reason that he develops his current pneumonia and comes close to death once again. This quote also foreshadows the intelligence of Jonathan Frisby and the fact that he was part of an experiment that gave him that intelligence. Timothy seems to have inherited the most of it, though all of the Frisby children are keen learners.