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room but Nana.
"O Nana, I dreamt my dear ones had come back."
Nana had filmy eyes, but all she could do was put her paw gently on her mistress's lap;
and they were sitting together thus when the kennel was brought back. As Mr. Darling
puts his head out to kiss his wife, we see that his face is more worn than of yore, but has a
softer expression.
He gave his hat to Liza, who took it scornfully; for she had no imagination, and was
quite incapable of understanding the motives of such a man. Outside, the crowd who had
accompanied the cab home were still cheering, and he was naturally not unmoved.
 "Listen to them," he said; "it is very gratifying."
"Lots of little boys," sneered Liza.
"There were several adults to-day," he assured her with a faint flush; but when she
tossed her head he had not a word of reproof for her. Social success had not spoilt him; it
had made him sweeter. For some time he sat with his head out of the kennel, talking with
Mrs. Darling of this success, and pressing her hand reassuringly when she said she hoped
his head would not be turned by it.
"But if I had been a weak man," he said. "Good heavens, if I had been a weak man!"
"And, George," she said timidly, "you are as full of remorse as ever, aren't you?"
"Full of remorse as ever, dearest! See my punishment: living in a kennel."
"But it is punishment, isn't it, George? You are sure you are not enjoying it?"
"My love!"
You may be sure she begged his pardon; and then, feeling drowsy, he curled round in
the kennel.
"Won't you play me to sleep," he asked, "on the nursery piano?" and as she was crossing
to the day-nursery he added thoughtlessly, "And shut that window. I feel a draught."
"O George, never ask me to do that. The window must always be left open for them,
always, always."
Now it was his turn to beg her pardon; and she went into the day-nursery and played,
and soon he was asleep; and while he slept, Wendy and John and Michael flew into the
room.
Oh no. We have written it so, because that was the charming arrangement planned by
them before we left the ship; but something must have happened since then, for it is not
they who have flown in, it is Peter and Tinker Bell.
Peter's first words tell all.
"Quick Tink," he whipered, "close the window; bar it! That's right. Now you and I must
get away by the door; and when Wendy comes she will think her mother has barred her
out; and she will have to go back with me."
Now I understand what had hitherto puzzled me, why when Peter had exterminated the
pirates he did not return to the island and leave Tink to escort the children to the
mainland. This trick had been in his head all the time.
 Instead of feeling that he was behaving badly he danced with glee; then he peeped into
the day-nursery to see who was playing. He whispered to Tink, "It's Wendy's mother! She
is a pretty lady, but not so pretty as my mother. Her mouth is full of thimbles, but not so
full as my mother's was."
Of course he knew nothing whatever about his mother; but he sometimes bragged about
her.
He did not know the tune, which was "Home, Sweet Home," but he knew it was saying,
"Come back, Wendy, Wendy, Wendy"; and he cried exultantly, "You will never see
Wendy again, lady, for the window is barred!"
He peeped in again to see why the music had stopped, and now he saw that Mrs. Darling
had laid her head on the box, and that two tears were sitting on her eyes.
"She wants me to unbar the window," thought Peter, "but I won't, not I!"
He peeped again, and the tears were still there, or another two had taken their place.
"She's awfully fond of Wendy," he said to himself. He was angry with her now for not
seeing why she could not have Wendy.
The reason was so simple: "I'm fond of her too. We can't both have her, lady."
But the lady would not make the best of it, and he was unhappy. He ceased to look at
her, but even then she would not let go of him. He skipped about and made funny faces,
but when he stopped it was just as if she were inside him, knocking.
"Oh, all right," he said at last, and gulped. Then he unbarred the window. "Come on,
Tink," he cried, with a frightful sneer at the laws of nature; "we don't want any silly
mothers"; and he flew away.
Thus Wendy and John and Michael found the window open for them after all, which of
course was more than they deserved. They alighted on the floor, quite unashamed of
themselves, and the youngest one had already forgotten his home.
"John," he said, looking around him doubtfully, "I think I have been here before."
"Of course you have, you silly. There is your old bed."
"So it is," Michael said, but not with much conviction.
"I say," cried John, "the kennel!" and he dashed across to look into it.
"Perhaps Nana is inside it," Wendy said. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]