PETER PAN AND WENDY

o leapt lightly through the window. Again Mrs. Darling screamed, this time in distress for him, for she thought he was killed, and she ran down into the stree

Mr and Mrs

e the boy's shadow. As he leapt at the window Nana had closed it quickly, too late to catc

amined the shadow carefully, bu

by the window as it looked so like the washing and lowered the whole tone of the house. She thought of showing it to Mr. Darling, but he was totting up winter great-coats for John and Michael, with a wet towel around his head to keep his brain clear, and it s

, on that never-to-be-forgotten F

usband again and something in her mind

ng at being herself and father on the occa

are now a mother," in just such a tone as Mr. Da

y, just as the real Mrs.

hael came from his bath to ask to be born also. And John brutally said No and Micheal cried"n

id, "I so want

sked Michael, no

oy

r. and Mrs. Darling and Nana to recall now, but not so lit

ith their re

o, wasn't it?" Mr. Darling would say scorni

stounding thing to have to tell, but this man, though he knew about stocks and shares, had no real mastery of his tie. Sometimes the thing yielded t

shing into the nursery with the crump

the matter,

round my neck! Round the bed-post! Oh yes, twenty times have I made it up

this tie is round my neck we don't go out to dinner to-night, and if I don't go out to dinner to-night, I never go to the

s tie , while the children stood around to see their fate decided. Some men would have resented her being able to do it so easily, but Mr. Darling had far

d!" says Mrs. Darlin

mp!" Mr. Dar

ael suddenly said to me, 'How d

emem

r sweet, don't y

urs, ours and no

They were not only new trousers, but they were the first he had ever had with braid on them, and he had had to bite his lip to preven

Nana is a

feeling at times that she look

tfully, I wonder".This may be an opportunity, his wife felt, for telling him about the boy.

d, examining it carefully, "b

"when Nana came in with Michael's medicine. You will never carr

all his life he had taken medicine boldly, and so now, when Micheal dodged the spoon he said reprovingly "Be a Man Micheal and take the medicine" W

n I was your age I took medicine without a murmur. I said, 'Th

ht-gown, believed it also, and she said, to encourage Michael, "Th

er he bravely s

e to you, Michael, if I

e top of the wardrobe and hidden it there. What he did not know was t

of service. "I'll bring it," and she was off before he coul

it's most beastly stuff. It's

hn said cheerily, and then in rush

quick as I cou

ed, with a vindictive politeness that was quite thro

Michael, who was of

u know," Mr. Darling

father,"

e, John," his fa

. "I thought you took i

the point," h

glass than in Michael's spoon." His proud heart was nearly bursting. "And it

waiting," said

to say you are waiti

a cowardly

u a coward

t frigh

am I fr

then, t

hen, you

dea. "Why not both tak

Mr. Darling. "Are

and Michael took his medicine and Mr

e from Michael, and "O

rling demanded. "Stop that row, Michael.

e, all of you," he said entreatingly, as soon as Nana had gone into the bathroom. "I have just thought o

umour, and they looked at him reproachfully has he poured the medicine into Nana's

ting her, "I have put a littl

gave Mr. Darling such a look, not an angry look: she showed him the great

would not give in. In a horrid silence Mrs. Darling sme

he roared while she

d bitterly, "my wearing myself to the

. "Coddle her! Nobody coddles me. Oh dear no! I am only

ud; the servants will hear you." Somehow they ha

the whole world. But I refuse to allow that do

He felt he was a strong man again. "In vain, in vain," he cried; "the prop

ng whispered, "remember what

it with honeyed words, and seizing her roughly, dragged her from the nursery. He was ashamed of himself, and yet he did it. It was all owing to his too affect

e and lit their night-lights. They could hear Nana barking, and John whimpe

, little guessing what was about to happen;

ng

u sure,

, y

rowding round the house, as if curious to see what was to take place there, but she did not notice this, nor that one or two of the smalle

e was perturbed, and he asked, "Can anything ha

hey are the eyes a mother leaves

Michael flung his arms round her. "Mother," he cried, "I'm glad of

they must just look on for ever. It is a punishment put on them for something they did so long ago that no star now knows what it was. So the older ones have become glassy-eyed and seldom speak (winking is the star language), but the little ones still wonder. They are not really friendly to Peter, who had a mischievous way

, p