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Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH Chapter 20 Summary

The Main Hall

  • Back in real time, in the rats' nest, Mr. Ages and Justin come into the office. 
  • Justin gives Mrs. Frisby the Dragon medicine and asks Mrs. Frisby if she has learned about the Toy Tinker yet.
  • She says she has not, but that she must get back to her children. It's getting late, after all.
  • The animals decide that Mrs. Frisby will come back later that afternoon to administer the potion to Dragon.
  • Then the house moving will begin promptly at 11 pm. 
  • Hurrying home, Mrs. Frisby wonders how much she should tell her kids and decides to only share the minimum: that the rats will help move the house, and she's gotta go back to the rosebush to help plan. 
  • The family eats lunch together and then Mrs. Frisby heads out, feeling happy and cheerful. 
  • Even though she is excited, she's also is afraid of making a mistake. 
  • As she nears the rosebush, she spies Dragon dozing in the sun. Mrs. Frisby moseys on by.
  • Brutus greets her when she arrives at the main entrance and says he will go get Justin for her. 
  • Justin arrives and offers to show Mrs. Frisby their main hall, so that she can understand what the Plan is all about. 
  • They go down a bunch more tunnels and finally enter into a room that is filled with rats and buzzing with activity. 
  • Proudly, Justin shows her their most important asset: a plow that they have made. That's right: a plow. Now that's some engineering.
  • Then, he shows her their stockpiles of oats, corn, barley and wheat. They also have seeds to plant. 
  • As they head towards Nicodemus's office, he explains that the whole Plan is to live without stealing. They're gonna make it on their own.