PETER PAN ,

K E N SIN G T GARD E N S FROM 5 THE L ITTL E WHITE B IRD Y J M ' B ARRIE NEW E D IT ION IL L UST RATED B Y A RT HUR RACKHAM

L ON D ON

HOD D E R 8 ‘ STOUC-HTON

T O SYL V IA A N D ARTHUR L L EWEL YN D AV IES

A N D T HEIR BOYS (MY B OYS)

C ON T E N T S

CHAPTER I

TH E GRAND TOU R OF TH E GARD ENS

CHAPTER II

PETER PAN

CHAPTER III

TH E TH RUSH ’S N EST

CHAPTER IV

LOCK-OUT TIME

CHAPTER V

TH E LITTLE H OUSE .

CHAPTER V I

P ETER’S GOAT

DAVI D

COL OURED IL L USTRATIONS

’ ’ I Frontzrpzece PAGE

“S t K are w The ensington Gardens in London , here the Kin g lives

. w th e ballo o n s wh o 3 The lady ith , sits just outside

In W m th e ho 4 . the Broad alk you eet all people w are worth knowing

. m w c is th e the W 5 The Hu p , hi h part of Broad alk where all th e big ra c es are ru n

4 is m h as c 6. There al ost nothing that su h a keen sense of fun as a fallen leaf

is is 7 . The Serpentine a lovely lake , and there a m If drowned forest at th e botto of it . you peer over the edge you c an se e the trees all w w t s a gro ing upside do n , and hey y that at night there are als o drowned stars in it [llurlmtio m

PAGE

5 c 8. The island on whi h all the birds are born that be c ome baby boys and girls

f a - f ld Mr. w s c o 9 . O Sal ord a rab apple an old gentle man wh o wandered all day in the Gardens

h 1 0 . w fl w t e to the A ay he e , right over houses Gardens

i I I . The fairies have their t s with the birds

’ W P c m 1 2 . hen he heard eter s voi e he popped in alar behind a tulip

1 . w m wh o w w d o wn a 3 A band of ork en , ere sa ing g w toadstool , rushed a ay , leaving their tools behind them

P u t his m Ca I 4 . strange c ase before old Solo on w

’ P c m o u t D o ! w eter s rea ed , it again and ith great good-nature they did it several times

1 6. fle w o ff w P A hundred ith the string , and eter c lung to th e tail

1 w 7 . After this the birds said that they ould help h im no more in his mad enterprise

’ I 8 P ! c m . reposterous ried Solo on in a rage

Fo r fi his c 1 9 . years he had been q uietly lling sto king

V I ’ I llwtm tzo 721

PAGE W m - hen you eet grown up people in th e Gardens wh o puff and blow as if they thought them selves bigger than they are

He passed under the bridge and c ame within full Sight of the delec table Gardens

n o w m m was There arose a ighty Stor , and he tossed this way and that

Fairies are all more o r less in hiding until dusk

When they think you are n o t looking they skip along pretty lively

if f is m But you look , and they ear there no ti e

s to hide , they stand q uite till pretending to be flowers

The fairies are ex q uisite danc ers

h These tri c ky fairies sometimes slyly c hange t e board on a ball night

Linkmen running in front c arrying winter c herries

When her Majesty wants to know th e time

f sit m m fi s The airies round on ushroo s , and at r t they are well behaved

f Butter is got from the roots o old trees vii ’ I llurtm tzo m

PAC E Wallflower jui c e is good fo r reviving dan c ers wh o fall to th e ground in a fit

’ Peter P an is th e fairies orc hestra

They all ti c kled him on th e shoulder

On e day they were overheard by a fairy

The little people weave their summer c urtains from skeleton leaves

h e n w w w 3 7 . An afternoon when t Garde s ere hite ith snow

’ o o r s W She ran to St . G v ell and hid

c th e w An elderberry hobbled a ross alk , and stood c hatting with some young q uin c es

C m m h er A hrysanthe u heard , and said pointedly ,

H o it — w is this ? y toity , hat _

They warned h e r

Q Mab wh o the ueen , rules in Gardens

h is m m C Shook bald head and ur ured , old , q uite c old

‘ ’ F sa W e : w airies never y, feel happy hat they

s a is W e Ja me y , feel y

Looking very u n d an c ey indeed viii T la W the ba ll s who he dy ith oon , s i s s s e t ju t out id Page 2

’ I llwtm tzo m

PAGE ‘ ’ M D th e s c y Lord uke , said phy i ian elatedly , ‘ I have the honour to inform your ex c ellen cy that your gra c e is in love

Building the house for Maimie

If th e bad ones among the fairies happen to be out

w c m c f 4 9 . They ill ertainly is hie you

I th e m c 50 . think that q uite ost tou hing sight in th e Gardens is th e tw o tombstones of Walter Stephen Matthews and Ph o ebe Phelps IL L USTRA TIONS IN THE TEX T

D avid Kensington Gardens P orthos On e of the Paths that have Made T hemselves

‘ Tailpie c e to The Grand Tour of th e Gardens Headpiec e to Peter P an

H is The birds on th e island never got used to him . oddities ti c kled them every day Tailpie c e t o Peter P an

’ Headpie c e to The Thrush s N est

’ Tailpie c e to The Thrush s N est

Headpie c e to Lo c k - out Time

They are s o c unning A fairy ring

Tailpie c e to Lo c k- out Time Headpie c e to The Little House There was a good deal going on in the Baby Walk She esc orted them up the Baby Walk and ba c k again

‘ Tailpie c e to The Little House

’ ’ Headpie c e to Peter s Goat

’ Tailpie c e to Peter s Goat

alk In the B road W you meet l are all the pe op e who worth kno wmg Page 3 3 53 m u o JIIS V v V bc o vii adj a I

h 9 1 1; o d w l d ow e qo s q a dj [Is s flx 5; g v mwo ml

THE GRAND TOUR OF THE GARDENS

OU must see for yourselves that it will be difficult to follow Peter Pan’s adventures unless you are familiar with the Kensington

Gardens . They are in London , where the King lives , and I used to take David there nearly every N day unless he was looking decidedly flushed . o child has ever been in the whole of the Gardens ,

to because it is so soon time turn back . The reason it is soon time to turn back is that , if you are as small as David , you sleep from twelve to one . If your mother was not so sure that you sleep from twelve to one , you could most likely see the whole of them . The Gardens are bounded on one side by a ' — never ending line of omnibuses , over which your nurse has such authority that if she holds up her

finger to any one of them it stops immediately . ’ Tée Gra nd Tour of Me Ga ra em She then crosses with you in safety to the other

to side . There are more gates the Gardens than o n e i o gate , but that s the one you g in at , and before you go in you speak to the lady with the

who . to balloons , sits just outside This is as near d being insi e as she may venture , because , if she were to let go her hold of the railings fo r o n e moment , the balloons would lift her up , and she would be flown away . She sits very squat , for the balloons are always tugging at her , and the strain has given her quite a red face . Once she was a

o new one , because the old one had let g , and David

o ld was very sorry for the one, but as she did let go , he wished he had been there to see .

The Gardens are a tremendous big place , with millions and hundreds of trees and first you come to Pi s to the g , but you scorn loiter there , for the

Figs is the resort of superior little persons , who are

s o forbidden to mix with the commonalty , and is named , according to legend , because they dress in full fig . These dainty ones are themselves con te m tu o u sl p y called Figs by David and other heroes , and you have a key to the manners and customs of this dandiacal section of the Gardens when I tell

Io I ' I s o rb a: rb I rlw rn u H SHI T q ( q d d ' 3 1 a j [Is 3 1 3 t Jlls W hs o rfl3 d) ‘ s a gxxfi n ui 9 1 5 3 3 03 1

’ Tae Gra a a Tour of 166 Ga rden;

o u y that cricket is called crickets here . Occasionally a rebel Fig climbs over the fence into the world ,

who m I and such a one was Miss Mabel Grey , of

’ shall tell you when we come to Miss Mabel Grey s gate . She was the only really celebrated Fig .

We are now in the Broad Walk , and it is as mu c h bigger than the other walks as your father is bigger than you . David wondered if it began little, and grew and grew , until it was quite grown up , and whether the other walks are its babies , and he

o f drew a picture , which diverted him very much , the Broad Walk giving a tiny walk an airing in a perambulator . In the Broad Walk you meet all the people who are worth knowing, and there is usually a grown - u p with them to prevent them

c going on the lamp grass , and to make them stand disgraced at the corner of a seat if they have been

— - A n n ish — m mad dog or Mary . To be Mary A nish is

c , be ause nurse to behave like a girl ! whimpering ’ won t carry you , or simpering with your thumb in

to your mouth , and it is a hateful quality ; but be —d mad o g is to kick out at everything , and there is some satisfaction in that . If I were to point o u t all the notable places as Tée Gra nd Tour of Me Ga rdem

to we pass up the Broad Walk , it would be time

turn back before we reach them , and I simply wave

’ c my sti k at Cecco Hewlett s Tree , that memorable

spot where a boy called Cecco lost his penny , and ,

looking for it , found twopence . There has been a

good deal of excavation going on there ever since . Farther up the walk is the little wooden house in

which Marmaduke Perry hid . There is no more awful story of the Gardens than this of Marmaduke

—A n n is h Perry , who had been Mary three days in

to succession , and was sentenced appear in the

’ Broad Walk dressed in his sister s clothes . He hid

to in the little wooden house , and refused emerge until they brought him knickerbockers wi th

pockets .

n o w to You try to go the Round Pond , but

c n o t nurses hate it , be ause they are really manly ,

o u and they make y look the other way , at the Big

’ Penny and the Baby s Palace . She was the most

c o f elebrated baby the Gardens , and lived in the

s o s o palace all alone , with ever many dolls , people

o f h rang the bell , and up she got out her bed , thoug

’ c it was past six o clo k , and she lighted a candle and t opened the door in her nigh y , and then they all

Tne Gra nd Tour of Me Ga rdenf to the other Figs , and the only game she played at was flinging a ball gracefully and letting the nurse

c o n e bring it ba k to her . Then day she tired of it

—d o to all and went mad g, and , first, show that she

- really was mad dog , she unloosened both her boot

o u t laces and put her tongue east , west , north , and

south . She then flung her sash into a puddle and danced on it till dirty water was squirted over her frock , after which she climbed the fence and had a

o n e series of incredible adventures , of the least of

o ff which was that she kicked both her boots . At last she came to the gate that is now called after

o f her , out which she ran into streets David and I have never been in though we have heard them

roaring , and still she ran on and would never again have been heard of had not her mother jumped into ’ a bus and thus overtaken her . It all happened , I

a o n o t should say , long g , and this is the Mabel

Grey whom David knows . Returning up the Broad Walk we have on o u r

e ram right the Baby Walk , which is so full of p bulato rs that yo u could cross from side to side

’ o n o u d o stepping babies , but the nurses won t let y ’ it . From this walk a passage called Bunting s 6 T i s a l s t here mo t nothing th a h as s uch a k e en s en s e of fun a s a fa ll e n le a f Page 5 Q ,

Je n rlJ ' di g i o n Jao mls z I 3 1 3 1IT mfi 30 u s e )! A IlOUZ an d

I s e l n e lls I s as

Tne Gra nd Tour of Me Ga rdeny

Thumb , because it is that length , leads into Picnic

Street , where there are real kettles , and chestnut blossom falls into your mug as you are drinking .

c c Quite ommon hildren picnic here also , and the blossom falls into their mugs just the same . ’ c Go vo r s Next omes St . Well , which was full of l water when Malco m the Bold fell into it . He ’ was his mother s favourite , and he let her put her arm round his neck in publi c because she was a widow but he was also partial to adventures , and liked to play with a c himney - sweep who had killed

’ a good many bears . The sweep s name was Sooty , and one day , when they were playing near the well , Malcolm fell in and would have been drowned had not Sooty dived in and rescued him ; and the water had washed Sooty clean , and he now stood ’ - c revealed as Malcolm s long lost father . So Mal olm would not let his mother put her arm round his

nec k any more . Between the well and the Round Pond are the

c c c ricket pit hes , and frequently the hoosing of sides exhausts so much time that there is s c arc ely any

cricket . Everybody wants to bat first, and as soon as he is out he bowls unless you are the better Tne Gra nd Tour of Me Ga rdenr wrestler, and while you are wrestling with him the

ld rs to fie e have scattered play at something else . The Gardens are noted for two kinds of cricket bo y cricket , which is real cricket with a bat , and

c girl cri ket , which is with a racquet and the

’ governess . Girls can t really play cricket , and when yo u are watching their fu tile efforts you make funny sounds at them . Nevertheless , there was a very disagreeable incident one d ay when some D ’ forward girls challenged avid s team , and a dis tu rbin g creature called Angela Clare sent down so many yorkers that However , instead of telling you the result of that regrettable match I shall pass

i to on hurr edly the Round Pond , which is the wheel that keeps all the gardens going . It is round because it is in the very middle of

to the Gardens , and when you are come it you

’ to o never want g any farther . You can t be good o all the time at the R und Pond , however much you try . You can be good in the Broad Walk all

the time , but not at the Round Pond , and the

reason is that you forget, and , when you remember,

you are so wet that you may as well be wetter .

who There are men sail boats on the Round Pond , 8

’ ‘ m bflfl' s ai e min aqi s a ad I 3 , 51 9 . ad : as jas ro I bs n wmb i s aq 31 M l“ 9 8b9 9 d ) Tevo gram mg [In s e a y “bflS fl‘N Ob abla u marl: i rigm m q ‘X 3 1 533 banwo xb 03 113 3 15 M4 sgix

Tda Gra nd Tour Of 168 Ga rdenr

such big boats that they bring them in barrows , and

sometimes in perambulators , and then the baby has to — walk . The bow legged children in the Gardens are those who had to walk to o soon because their

father needed the perambulator . You always want to have a yacht to sail on the

Round Pond , and in the end your uncle gives you one ; and to carry it to the pond the first day i s

splendid , also to talk about it to boys who have no

uncle is splendid , but soon you like to leave it at

home . For the sweetest craft that slips her moorings

- in the Round Pond is what is called a stick boat , because she is rather like a stick until she is in the

water and you are holding the string . Then as you

walk round , pulling her , you see little men running

about her deck , and sails rise magically and catch the

breeze , and you put in on dirty nights at snug

harbours which are unknown to . the lordly yachts . N ight passes in a twink, and again your rakish

craft noses for the wind , whales spout , you glide

over buried cities , and have brushes with pirates , and cast anchor on coral isles . You are a solitary

bo two y while all this is taking place, for boys together cannot adventure far _upon the Round B 9 Tne Gra nd Tour of Me Ga rd enr

to Pond , and though you may talk yourself through

out the voyage , _ giving orders and executing them

to with despatch , you know not , when it is time go

o r home , where you have been what swelled your sails your treasure - trove is all locked away in your

t o hold , so speak , which will be opened , perhaps ,

by another little boy many years afterwards .

But those yachts have nothing in their hold . Does any one return to this haunt of his youth

to n o because of the yachts that used sail it Oh .

t - I is the stick boat that is freighted with memories .

- The yachts are toys , their owner a fresh water mariner ; they can cross and recross a pond only

— to Yo u while the stick boat goes sea . yachtsmen

who to with your wands , think we are all there

o f hi gaze on you , your ships are only accidents t s

place , and were they all to be boarded and sunk by

DU SII‘ICSS ' Of the ducks , the real the Round Pond

would be carried on as usual . Paths fi' o m everywhere crowd like children to

the pond . Some of them are ordinary paths , which

have a rail on each side , and are made by men with

o ff their coats , but others are vagrants , wide at one

spot , and at another so narrow that you can stand

I O T i s l l i he and on which a l the b rds are born th at become ba by boys and girls Page I 5 a i 13“ ‘ b ld 3 : l dou lwmo bus l e i MIT a o d d v v s d s mo o ed ja m mo d 3 1 s ! I s gs fl

Tda Gra nd Tour of Me Ga rden;

astride them . They are called Paths that have

c Made Themselves , and David did wish he ould see

. u them doing it But , like all the most wonderf l

things that happen in the Gardens , it is done , we

c c con luded , at night after the gates are losed . We have also decided that the paths make themselves because it is their only chanc e o f getting to the

Round Pond . One of these gypsy paths comes from the place

where the sheep get their hair cut . When David

’ ‘ shed his curls at the hairdresser s , I am told , he

- to said good bye them without a tremor , though his mother has never been quite the same bright creature since ; so he despises the sheep as they i run from the r shearer , and calls out tauntingly , ‘ ! ’ Cowardly , cowardly custard But when the man grips them between his legs David shakes a fist

c at him for using su h big scissors . Another startling moment is when the man turns back the grimy wool from the sheep ’s shoulders and they look e suddenly like ladies in the stalls of a theatr . The sheep are so frightened by the shearing that it makes them quite white and thin , and as soon as they are

f to set ree they begin nibble the grass at once , quite

I I Tne Gra nd Tour of Me Ga rdens anxiously , as if they feared that they would never be worth eating . David wonders whether they

s o ff know each other , now that they are di erent , and if it makes them fight with the wrong ones . They

s o are great fighters , and thus unlike country sheep that every year they give my St . Bernard dog,

Porthos , a shock . He can make a field of country sheep fly by merely an

n o u n c in g his approach , but these town sheep come toward him with no pro mise of gentle entertain

an d ment , then a light from last year breaks upon he Porthos . He cannot with dignity retreat , but stops and looks about him as if lost in admiration of the scenery , and presently he strolls away with

' a fin e indifference and a glint at me from the corner of his eye .

The Serpentine begins near here . It is a lovely lake , and there is a drowned forest at the bottom of it . If you peer over the edge you can see the trees all growing upside down , and they say that at night there are also drowned stars in it . If so , Peter Pan

1 2 ON E OF THE PATHS THA T H AVE MAD E TH EMSE L VE S

Old r a l wa s a a —a l e M . S ford cr b pp of an old gentl e m a n who w and e re d a ll d ay in the G a rden s Page 1 5 — blO e q s d s n s as w b i o I ls d 1 M be i a bn nw o dw n s ms lme g blo ms Io at s guq an s bi s O S fll m vs b lls

Tne Gra nd Tour of Me Ga rden; sees them when he is sailing across the lake in the ’ Thrush s Nest . A small part only o f the Serpentine is in the Gardens , for soon it passes beneath a bridge to far away where the island is o n which all the birds are born that become baby boys and girls .

o who No ne is human , except Peter Pan (and he is

the ~ islan d o u only half human), can land on , but y

W o u bo o r o r may write hat y want ( y girl , dark fair)

o f on a piece paper , and then twist it into the shape o f a boat and slip it into the water , and it reaches

’ Peter Pan s island after dark .

n o w o f We are on the way home , though

course , it is all pretence that we can go to so many

to of the places in one day . I should have had be

a o carrying David long g , and resting on every seat

like old Mr . Salford . That was what we called

to o f him , because he always talked us a lovely

place called Salford where he had been born . He was a crab -apple of an old gentleman who wandered all day in the Gardens from seat to seat trying to fall in with somebody who was acquainted with the

town of Salford , and when we had known him for a year or more we actually did meet another aged solitary who had once spent Saturday to Monday in I S Tne Gra nd Tour of Me Ga rden;

Salford . He was meek and timid , and carried his

o f address inside his hat , and whatever part London he was in search of he always went to Westminster

- Abbey first as a starting point . Him we carried in

to triumph our other friend , with the story of that

Saturday to Monday , and never shall I forget the

gloating joy with which Mr . Salford leapt at him .

They have been cronies ever since , and I notice

who o f that Mr . Salford , naturally does most the

’ o ld talking , keeps tight grip of the other man s coat . The two last places before yo u come to o u r ’ ’ gate are the Dogs Cemetery and the c haflin c h s ’ n o t to nest , but we pretend know what the Dogs

Cemetery is , as Porthos is always with us . The nest is very sad . It is quite white , and the way we

wo n d e rfii l found it was . We were having another

’ > look among the bushes for David s lost worsted all , and instead of the ball we found a lovely nest ade

" of the worsted , and containing four eggs , ith

’ s o scratches on them very like David s handwriting , we think they must have been the mother ’s love letters to the little ones inside . Every day we were in the Gardens we paid a call at the nest , taking

1 6 fle w the se s A wa y h e right over hou to the G a rden s

PETER PAN

you ask your mother Whether she knew

about Peter Pan when she was a little girl , she

c will say , Why , of ourse I did , child 3 and if you ask her whether he rode on a goat in those

to days , she will say , What a foolish question ask ’ o u certainly he did . Then if y ask your grand mother whether she knew about Peter Pan when

a she was girl , she also says , Why , of course I did ,

’ child , but if you ask her whether he rode on a

o f goat in those days , she says she never heard his

having a goat . Perhaps she has forgotten , just as J 1 8 “ h f r s a e t e ! f s T e a i i e h v h ir i f W ith th e bird s

P eter P a n

distin c tly remembered a youthful desire to return

- to the tree tops , and with that memory came others , as that he had lain in bed planning to escape as

soon as his mother was asleep , and how she had

— once caught him half way up the chimney . All c hildren could have su c h recollections if they

to would press their hands hard their temples , for,

having been birds before they were human , they

are naturally a little wild during the first few weeks ,

and very itchy at the shoulders , where their wings

to So used be . David tells me . I ought to mention here that the following is

o u r : to way with a story First I tell it him , and h then he tells it to me , the understanding being t at it is quite a different story ; and then I retell it

s o o n o o n e with his additions , and we g on until

o r could say whether it is more his story mine . In this story of Peter Pan , for instance , the bald narrative and most of the moral reflections are mine ,

n o t fo r bo though all , this y can be a stern moralist but the interesting bits about the ways and customs of babies in the bird - stage are mostly reminiscences

’ c to of David s , re alled by pressing his hands his temples and thinking hard .

2 0 fPeter P a n

Well , Peter Pan got out by the window , which

a had no b rs . Standing on the ledge he could see

trees far away , which were doubtless the Kensington

Gardens , and the moment he saw them he entirely

bo forgot that he was now a little y in a nightgown ,

to and away he flew , right over the houses the

Gardens . It is wonderful that he could fly without

wings , but the place itched tremendously, and and — perhaps we could all fly if we were as dead c o n fide n t— sure of our capacity to do it as was bold

Peter Pan that evening .

He alighted gaily on the open sward , between

’ the Baby s Palace and the Serpentine, and the first

thing he did was to lie on his back and kick . He was quite unaware already that he had ever

e been human , and thought he was a bird , ev n in

appearance , just the same as in his early days , and when he tried to catch a fly he did n o t understand that the reason he missed it was because he had

to o f attempted seize it with his hand , which ,

course , a bird never does . He saw , however, that

— fo r it must be past Lock out Time , there were a

to o to good many fairies about , all busy notice him

they were getting breakfast ready , milking their

2 1 Peter P a n

s o o n o f cows , drawing water , and , and the sigh .

- to the water pails made him thirsty , so he flew over

to the Round Pond have a drink . He stooped and dipped his beak in the pond ; he thought it was his beak , but, of course , it was only his nose , and

r. s therefore , very little water came up , and that o

so refreshing as usual , next he tried a puddle and

flo n flo he fell p into it . When a real bird falls p,

e e ks c r he spreads out his feathers and p them y, but Peter could n o t remember what was the thing to

o to do , and he decided rather sulkily to g sleep on

- the weeping beech in the Baby Walk . At first he found some diffi culty in balancing

o n himself a branch , but presently he remembered the way , and fell asleep . He awoke long before ‘ morning, shivering, and saying to himself, I never was o ut o n such a cold night he had reall ' been o u t o n o u t o f colder nights when he was a bird , , course , as everybody knows , what seems warm night to a bird is a cold night to a boy in a night

‘ gown . Peter also felt strangely uncomfortable , as if his head was stuffy ; he heard lo ud noises that made him look round sharply , though they were

s o m really himself sneezing . There was thing he

2 2

Peter P a n wanted very much , but , though he knew he wanted

c it , he ould not think what it was . What he

t o wanted so much was his mother blow his nose ,

to but that never struck him , so he decided appeal to the fairies for enlightenment . They are reputed to know a good deal . There were two of them strolling along the

’ Baby Walk , with their arms round each other s hO d e . waists , and he pp down to address them The ff fairies have their ti s with the birds , but they usually give a civil answer to a civil question , and he was quite angry when these two ran away the moment they saw him . Another was lolling on a

- garden chair, reading a postage stamp which some

’ human had let fall , and when he heard Peter s voice he popped in alarm behind a tulip .

’ To Peter s bewilderment he dis c overed that every fairy he met fled from him . A band of workmen , who were sawing down a toadstool , rushed away , leaving their tools behind them . A milkmaid turned her pail upside down and hid in it . Soon the Gardens were in an uproar . Crowds of fairies were running this way and that , asking each other l stoutly who was afraid ; ights were extinguished , 2 3 Peter P a n doors barricaded , and from the grounds of Queen

’ Mab s - a — palace came the rub dub of drums , showing that the royal guard had been called out . A regi ment of Lancers came charging down the Broad

- Walk , armed with holly leaves , with which they jag the enemy horribly in passing . Peter heard the little people crying everywhere that there was a

— human in the Gardens after Lock out Time , but he never thought fo r a moment that he was the

s ffi r ffie r . tu e stu human He was feeling and , and more and more wistful to learn what he wanted done to his nose , but he pursued them with the V ital question in vain ; the timid creatures ran

a from him , and even the Lancers , when he p

ro ac he d ft p them up the Hump , turned swi ly into

- a side walk , on the pretence that they saw him there .

Despairing of the fairies , he resolved to consult the birds , but now he remembered , as an odd thing , that all the birds on the weeping— beech had flown away when he alighted on it , and though this had not troubled him at the time , he saw its meaning now . Every living thing was shunning him . Poor ! little Peter Pan he sat down and cried , and even

n o t fo r then he did know that, a bird , he was 2 4 A a k e b nd of wor men, who w re s awnn a a s l s g down to d too , ru hed a a leavm l s i w y, g their too beh nd them Page 2 3 esteem pf Lan c e rs ca m charging down the Broad

Walk e wit h h - h c , arm d olly leaves , with w i h they

n a“ ari a : n a jag the e em M tl! in passi g . Peter he rd the little peo pl e f ryin g everywhe re that there was a

uman in fire Ga n r o -out Ti h rde s afte L ck me, but h e n e ve r thw ght fo r a momen t that he was the

t ' human . Iétt wa s i stu ffie r fi an d feel ng and stuf er, mo re " an d we re wis tfiJ l to learn what he wanted dnne m is n o se he h , but he pursued t m with the vital ane stwu m vain the timid creatures ran fmm him an d e the an e he a , ven L c rs , w n he p

ro ac he d. the m m n i I o p up the Hu p , tur ed sw ftly nt

- a s e v: 3 3 o n r saw him h . id k, the p etence that they t ere

D e t mmn i i to ns t j g of the fa r es , he resolved co ul the d s ha t no w e b an o dd in bir , he rem m ered , as th g , that alt the is rds o n the weeping- be ech had flo wn awa w o n i i had v t , and though th s

the i saw I ts me ni n t me, he a g

Peter P a n

‘ ’ H o w many of your toes are thumbs ? said

to Solomon a little cruelly, and Peter saw , his consternation , that all his toes were fingers . The shock was so great that it drove away his cold .

’ ffl o ld Ru e your feathers , said that grim Solomon , and Peter tried most desperately hard to ruffle his feathers , but he had none . Then he rose up ,

fo r o n quaking , and the first time since he stood

who the window ledge , he remembered a lady had been very fond of him . ‘ ’ I think I shall go back to mother , he said . timidly .

’ — Good bye , replied Solomon Caw with a queer look . ‘ ’ ’ But Peter hesitated . Why don t you go P the old one asked politely . ‘ ’ ‘ I suppose , said Peter huskily , I suppose I can still fly P

You see he had lost faith .

— - ! who Poor little half and half said Solomon ,

— o u was not really hard hearted , y will never be

Yo u to n o t o n . able fly again , even windy days

’ must live here on the island always .

2 6 h is s a a s b l Put tr nge c e efore o d l a w So omon C Page 2 5 : The sho ck was so great that it drove away his

“ ’ ffl a m fira the rs i o ld m Ru e y , said that gr m Solo on , An d Pete r tria l most desperately hard to ruffle his

he h o f ha n . a t, e thers , had one T en he r se up , ki and fbr o n qua ng , the first time since he stood the Wi w who had ndo ledge , he remembered a lady w o h en very Raid f him . ‘ ’ I think o a Sai I shall g b ck to mother , he d l timid y . ’ Go o ~ h e e i d y , r plied Solomon Caw w th a queer

‘ ’ ’ u t P e ? B et r hesitated . Why don t you go _

" e ld o s th o n e a ked politely . ‘ ’ ‘ I u m e ai P s m , s d eter huskily, I suppose I am still fly

Yo u se e had ai he lost f th . — Pn o r t le half an d ~ half ai who li t l s d Solomon , you will n ever be

an fl s aan n o t e o n s . Yo u y g , ev n windy day ’ W r Ir" a t the s a ea E s : (in n a . , i l d lways v 2 6

And never even go to the Kensington Gardens ? ’

Peter asked tragically . ‘ ? ’ How could you get across said Solomon .

to He promised very kindly, however , teach Peter as many of the bird ways as could be learned by

one of such an awkward shape . ‘Then I shan ’t be exactly a human ? ’ Peter asked .

’ N o . Nor exactly a bird P ’ N ’ o . What shall I be P ’ — - You will be a Betwixt and Between , Solomon

o ld said , and certainly he was a wise fellow, for

o u t that is exactly how it turned .

The birds on the island never got used to him .

His oddities tickled them every day , as if they were quite new , though it was really the birds that

o u t were new . They came of the eggs daily , and laughed at him at once then o ff they soon flew to

o u t o f be humans , and other birds came other eggs t and so it went on for ever . The craf y mother birds , when they tired of sitting on their eggs , used to get the young ones to break their shells a day 2 7 Peter P a n before the right time by whispering to them that now was their chance to see Peter washing o r

o r drinking eating . Thousands gathered round

d o o u him daily to watch him these things , just as y watch the peacocks , and they screamed with delight when he lifted the crusts they flung him with his

o f hands instead in the usual way with the mouth . All his food was brought to him from the Gardens

’ n o t at Solomon s orders by the birds . He would eat worms o r insects (which they thought very silly

so of him), they brought him bread in their beaks . ‘ ’ o u o ut ! ! to Thus , when y cry , Greedy Greedy

o u the bird that flies away with the big crust , y

i o u o u ht n o t to i know now that y g do this , for he s

to very likely taking it Peter Pan .

n o n o w Yo u Peter wore nightgown . see , the birds were always begging him for bits o f it to line

— their nests with , and , being very good natured , he

’ n o t u s o could ref se , by Solomon s advice he had

f o w o . n hidden what was left it But, though he was

o u n o t quite naked , y must think that he was cold o r unhappy . He was usually very happy and gay , and the reason was that Solomon had kept his

promise and taught him many o f the bird ways .

2 8

P s a D o a a eter cre med out, it g in and with gre at good -na ture th e y

i i s e a l s a e d d t ev r time P g 3 4. a s Jx 0 m b ‘ m g G o e ms s ma t ars I varli 3 1 11 13 11 boog mai n dn w hm: ‘ Ag s ga l 3 5mmls ravs a I t bi b

Peter P a n

To be easily pleased , for instance , and always to be really doing something , and to think that what ever he was doing was a thing of vast importance . Peter became very clever at helping the birds to build their nests soon he could build better than

- a wood pigeon , and nearly as well as a blackbird , though never did he satisfy the finches , and he made nice little water- troughs near the nests and dug up worms for the young ones with his fingers .

- He also became very learned in bird lore , and knew an east wind from a west wind by its smell , and he could see the grass growing and hear the insects

- walking about inside the tree trunks . But the best thing Solomon had done was to teach him to have

o u a glad heart . All birds have glad hearts unless y

rob their nests , and so , as they were the only kind

to of heart Solomon knew about , it was easy him

to to teach Peter how have one . Peter’s heart was so glad that he felt he must

S ing all day long, just as the birds sing for joy, but ,

being partly human , he needed an instrument , so

he made a pipe of reeds , and he used to sit by the

o f o f shore the island an evening, practising the

o f o f sough the wind and the ripple the water , and 3 1 Peter P a n catching handfuls of the shine of the moon , and he put them all in his pipe and played them so beauti fully that even the birds were deceived , and they would say to each other , Was that a fish leaping in the water or was it Peter playing leaping fish on his pipe ? ’ And sometimes he played the birth of birds , and then the mothers would turn round in their nests to see whether they had laid an egg . If yo u are a child o f the Gardens you must know

- o ut the chestnut tree near the bridge , which comes

o u in flower first of all the chestnuts , but perhaps y have not heard why this tree leads the way . It is . because Peter wearies for summer and plays that it

s o has come , and the chestnut being near , hears him and is cheated . But as Peter sat by the shore tootling divinely o n his pipe he sometimes fell into sad thoughts , and

o f then the music became sad also , and the reason all this sadness was that he could n o t reach the

Gardens , though he could see them through the

o f arch the bridge . He knew he could never be

to a real human again , and scarcely wanted be one , but oh ! ho w he longed to play as other children

n o to play , and of course there is such lovely place 3 2

Peter P a n

o f after the manner a bird that has broken its wing .

s o Peter was frightened that he hid , but the birds told

him it was only a kite , and what a kite is , and that

’ o u t b it must have tugged its string of a oy s hand , and soared away . After that they laughed at Peter fo r being so fond of the kite he loved it so much

that he even slept with one hand on it , and I think

this was pathetic and pretty , for the reason he loved

to bo it was because it had belonged a real y .

T o the birds this was a very poor reason , but the older ones felt grateful to him at this time because he had nursed a number o f fle dglin gs ,

ff to through the German measles , and they o ered

So o f show him how birds fly a kite . six them took the end o f the string in their beaks and flew away with it ; and to his amazement it fle w after them and went even higher than they . ‘ ’ D o ! Peter screamed out , it again and with

— great good nature they did it several times , and ‘ D o always instead of thanking them he cried , it again ! ’ which shows that even now he had not quite forgotten what it was to be a boy .

At last , with a grand design burning within his brave heart , he begged them to do it once more with 3 4 A fte r thi s the bird s sa id th a t they would h e lp him no more in h is mad ente rpri s e Page 3 5

Peter P a n

to n o w him clinging the tail , and a hundred flew o ff to with the string , and Peter clung the tail , meaning to drop o ff when he was over the Gardens .

to But the kite broke pieces in the air , and he would have been drowned in the Serpentine had he n o t caught hold o f two indignant swans and

made them carry him to the island . After this the birds said that they would help him n o more in his

mad enterprise .

Nevertheless , Peter did reach the Gardens at

’ o f n o w to last by the help Shelley s boat , as I am

tell you . III THE THRU SH ’S NEST HELLEY was a young gentleman and as grown

up as he need ever expect to be . He was a

- poet ; and they are never exactly grown u p . They are people who despise money except what

o u to — y need for day , and he had all that and five So pounds over . , when he was walking in the

Kensington Gardens , he made a paper boat of his

- o n bank note , and sent it sailing the Serpentine . It reached the island at night ; and the look o u t it to who brought Solomon Caw , thought at

first that it was the usual thing , a message from a a l dy , saying she would be obliged if he could let

o n e her have a good . They always ask for the

best one he has , and if he likes the letter he sends f one from Class A , but if it ru fles him he sends

very hi nny ones indeed . Sometimes he sends none 36

’ ‘ Tae a arnf J Qert

to he could surely at last contrive reach the Gardens , and he considered all the possible ways , and decided

to (wisely , I think) choose the best way . But , first , ’ he had to tell the birds o f the value o f Shelley s boat and though they were to o honest to demand it back , he saw that they were galled , and they

who cast such black looks at Solomon , was rather

o f to vain his cleverness , that he flew away the end of the island , and sat there very depressed with his

N o w head buried in his wings . Peter knew that

o n o u o t unless Solomon was your side , y never g

o u d so anything done for y in the islan , he followed

i to him and tr ed hearten him . Nor was this all that Peter did to gain the

’ rfii l o ld - Yo u po we fellow s good will . must know that Solomon had n o intention o f remaining in

f to o fice all his life . He looked forward retiring

o ld to by and by , and devoting his green age a life of pleasure o n a certain yew- stump in the Figs

n fo r which had taken his fa cy , and years he had been quietly filling his stocking . It was a stocking belonging to some bathing person which had been

o f cast upon the island , and at the time I speak it

- contained a hundred and eighty crumbs , thirty four 3 8 Prepos terou s cri e d Solomon in a rage Pa ge 3 7

’ ! Tae a ni ni .7! ert

— - nuts , sixteen crusts , a pen wiper , and a boot lace . f When his stocking was ull , Solomon calculated

to o n c that he would be able retire a ompetency .

o ff Peter now gave him a pound . He cut it his

— bank note with a sharp stick .

fo r This made Solomon his friend ever , and after the two had consulted together they c alled a t meeting of the hrushes . You will see presently

why thrushes only were invited . The scheme to be put before them was really ’ o f Peter s , but Solomon did most the talking , because

he soon became irritable if other people talked . He began by saying that he had been much im pressed by the superior ingenuity shown by the

- thrushes in nest building , and this put them into

- to d o good humour at once , as it was meant ; for all the quarrels between birds are about the best

way of building nests . Other birds , said Solomon ,

omitted to line their nests with mud , and as a result

they did not hold water . Here he cocked his head

as if he had used an unanswerable argument ; but ,

to unfortunately , a Mrs . Finch had come the meeting ‘ ’ o ut uninvited , and she squeaked , We don t build ’ to nests to hold water , but hold eggs , and then the 3 9 ’ Tne a a r/z r wi t

s o thrushes stopped cheering , and Solomon was

perplexed that he took several sips of water . ’ ho w Consider , he said at last , warm the mud ’ makes the nest .

’ Consider , cried Mrs . Finch , that when water gets into the nest it remains there and your little ’ ones are drowned . The thrushes begged Solomon with a look to

to say something crushing in reply this , but again he was perplexed . ’ Try another drink , suggested Mrs . Finch pertly . Kate was her name , and all Kates are saucy .

Solomon did try another drink, and it inspired ‘ ’ ’ i fin c h s o n him . If, sa d he , a nest is placed the

’ to Serpentine it fills and breaks pieces , but a thrush s ’ ’ nest is still as dry as the cup of a swan s back . H o w the thrushes applauded Now they knew why they lined their nests with mud , and when ‘ ’ o u t Mrs . Finch called , We don t place our nests ’ on the Serpentine , they did what they should have

first— done at chased her from the meeting . After this it was most orderly . What they had been

to brought together hear , said Solomon , was this 4 0

’ Tne a nrnr My

’ n o t been pairing , but a thrush s nest was built

o n e so except this big , and Solomon soon ran short of thrushes with which to supply the demand from

the mainland . The stout , rather greedy children , who look so well in perambulators but get puffed

easily when they walk , were all young thrushes

fo r once , and ladies often ask specially them . What d o yo u think Solomon did ? He sent over to the house - tops fo r a lo t o f sparrows and ordered them

’ o ld to lay their eggs in thrushes nests , and sent their young to the ladies and swore they were all thrushes ! It was known afterwards on the island ’ s o o u as the Sparrows Year ; and , when y meet grown -u p people in the Gardens who puff and blow as if they thought themselves bigger than they Y to . o u are , very likely they belong that year ask

them . i Peter was a just master , and pa d his work

people every evening . They stood in rows on the

branches , waiting politely while he cut the paper

o u t o f — sixpences his bank note , and presently he

called the roll , and then each bird , as the names

fl S were mentioned , ew down and got ixpence . It

must have been a fine sight . 4 2 w -u l When you meet gro n p peop e in s ff an d l w s the Garden who pu b o a if th ey thought them s elve s bigge r th an they are Page 4 2

’ a a n 7! t Tae r r . ! er

ft And at last , a er months of labour , the boat 0 f was finished . the glory o Peter as he saw it growing more and more like a great thrush ’s nest !

’ From the very beginning o f the building of it he slept by its side , and often woke up to say sweet things to it , and after it was lined with mud and the mud had dried he always slept in it . He sleeps

o f in his nest still , and has a fascinating way curling i i him round in it , for t s just large enough to hold It comfortably when he curls round like a kitten . is brown inside , of course , but outside it is mostly

o f green , being woven grass and twigs , and when these wither or snap the walls are thatched afresh . h There are also a few feathers here and there , whic

o ff came the thrushes while they were building . d The other bir s were extremely jealous , and

n o t said that the boat would balance on the water , but it lay most beautifully steady ; they said the

n o o water would come into it , but water came int

n o it . Next they said that Peter had oars , and this caused the thrushes to look at each other in dismay ; but Peter replied that he had n o need of oars , for he had a sail , and with such a proud , happy face he produced a sail which he had fashioned 4-3 ’ r ! Tae Ta a rnr .7(ert

o f out his nightgown , and though it was still rather like a nightgown it made a lovely sail . And that

u night , the moon being f ll , and all the birds asleep , he did enter his coracle (as Master Francis Pretty

o u t would have said)and depart of the island . And

n o t first , he knew why , he looked upward , with his hands clasped , and from that moment his eyes

t o were pinned the west . He had promised the thrushes to begin by making short voyages , with them as his guides , but far away he saw the Kensington Gardens beckoning i to him beneath the br dge , and he could not wait . i H s face was flushed , but he never looked back ; there was an exultation in his little breast that drove o t o f u fear . Was Peter the least gallant the English mariners who have sailed westward to meet the U nknown P

an d At first , his boat turned round and round ,

to he was driven back the place of his starting,

o n e whereupon he shortened sail , by removing of

the sleeves , and was forthwith carried backwards by w n o . no a contrary breeze , to his small peril He

o let g the sail , with the result that he was drifted

towards the far shore , where are black shadows he 44

’ ! Tne a nrnf j (ert

to to o ff fo r landing , and shouting shrilly him be ,

- o u t it was long past Lock Time . This , with much brandishing of their holly - leaves ; and also a com pany o f them carried an arrow which some boy had

t to lef in the Gardens , and this they were prepared

- use as a battering ram .

‘ who fo r i Then Peter, knew them the fa ries , called o u t that he was n o t an ordinary human and

n o to d o to had desire them displeasure , but be their friend ; nevertheless , having found a jolly

n o to o ff harbour , he was in temper draw there

an to m from , d he warned them if they sought ischief

to o him stand t their harms .

So saying , he boldly leapt ashore , and they

to gathered around him with intent slay him , but h t ere then arose a great cry among the women , and it was because they had now observed that his sail

’ was a baby s nightgown . Whereupon , they straight way loved him , and grieved that their laps were to o small , the which I cannot explain , except by saying that such is the way of women . The men fairies n o w sheathed their weapons o n observing the

i o f o n behav our their women , whose intelligence

to they set great store , and they led him civilly 46 H e pas sed underthe bridge an d c a m e i ll s i l a le w thin fu ght of the de e ct b G a rd e n s Page 4 5 H d a d j i s i bs aas S 3 mm has s gbii hm q

' i O‘ ‘J dgia

an s bi s D

’ ‘ Tne Tdra rnr J Cert ‘ " who their queen , conferred upon him the courtesy

- o u t of the Gardens after Lock Time , and henceforth

o Peter could g whither he chose , and the fairies

to had orders put him in comfort .

to Such was his first voyage the Gardens , and you may gather from the antiquity of the language

a o that it took place a long time g . But Peter never grows any older , and if we could be watching

to - o f for him under the bridge night (but , course ,

’ we can t), I dare say we should see him hoisting his nightgown and sailing o r paddling towards us in

’ the Thrush s Nest . When he sails , he sits down ,

to but he stands up paddle . I shall tell yo u presently how he got his paddle . Long before the time for the opening o f the

to gates comes he steals back the island , for people

s o must not see him (he is not human as all that),

but this gives him hours for play , and he plays d exactly as real chil ren play . At least he thinks s o , and it is one of the pathetic things about him that he often plays quite wrongly .

n o to You see , he had one tell him how children

really play , for the fairies are all more or less in

s o hiding until dusk , and know nothing, and though 47 ’ ‘ Tne a a rnr J Qert the birds pretended that they could tell him a great deal , when the time for telling came , it was wonder ful ho w little they really knew . They told him

- — ft the truth about hide and seek , and he o en plays it

o n by himself, but even the ducks the Round Pond could not explain to him what it is that makes the

to pond s o fascinating boys . Every night the

o f ducks have forgotten all the events the day , except the number o f pieces o f cake thrown to them . They are gloomy creatures , and say that

n o t i i cake is what it was n the r young days . So Peter had to find o u t many things for him

at self. He often played ships the Round Pond , but his ship was only a hoop which he had found o n the grass . Of course , he had never seen a hoop ,

o u and he wondered what y play at with them, and decided that yo u play at pretending they are boats .

This hoop always sank at once , but he waded in for it , and sometimes he dragged it gleefully round

to the rim of the pond , and he was quite proud think that he had discovered what boys d o with hoop s

’ Another time , when he found a child s pail , he

so thought it was for sitting in , and he sat hard in J 48

’ Tne a a rnr wi t

had gone , and he never saw any other one . I have i prom sed to tell you also about his paddle . It was

’ ’ Go o r s a child s spade which he had found near St . v

Well , and he thought it was a paddle . Do you pity Peter Pan for making these mis

takes If so , I think it rather silly of you . What

n o w I mean is that , of course , one must pity him

and then , but to pity him all the time would be

impertinence . He thought he had the most splendid

time in the Gardens , and to think you have it is

to almost quite as good as really have it . He

witho u t c easin played g, while you often waste time

—d o - A n n ish by being mad g or Mary . He could be

o f neither these things , for he had never heard of

d o them , but you think he is to be pitied for that P ! Oh , he was merry He was as much merrier than you , for instance , as you are merrier than your

— r father . Sometimes he fell , like a spinning top , f om

sheer merriment . Have you seen a greyhound leaping the fences of the Gardens ? That is how

Peter leaps them .

And think of the music of his pipe . Gentlemen who walk home at night write to the papers to say 50 Fa irie s are i il h ding unt ' u i 23 3 ! no s i om [In 3 1 8 as m s d

l [ti i i bi d > aub rin gr

they heard a nightingale in the Gardens , but it is

’ really Peter s pipe they hear . Of course , he had

— at ? no mother least , what use was she to him

’ You can be sorry for him for that , but don t be to o sorry , for the next thing I mean to tell you is how he revisited her . It was the fairies who gave him the chance . LOCK —OUT TIME

is frightfully diffi cult to know much about

the fairies , and almost the only thing known for certain is that there are fairies wherever there are children . Long ago children were forbidden the Gardens , and at that time there was n o t a fairy in the place ; then the children were 52

e k ar When th y thin you e not l k ki l e oo ing they s p a ong pr tty lively I o n a ir; n o v >ln irli vs di n s e ‘ Jl a l l ( q gno s (pol e ve rb grin lo o ! ‘ b s i ‘ l gn vlfi n l

Lore-o a t Time admitted , and the fairies came trooping in that very

’ evening . They can t resist following the children ,

o u but y seldom see them , partly because they live in the daytime behind the railings , where you are not allowed to go , and also partly because they are s o ft cunning . They are not a bit cunning a er

- o u t - Lock , but until Lock out , my word When you were a bird you knew the fairies pretty well , and you remember a good deal about them in your babyhood , which it is a great pity

’ you can t write down , for gradually you forget , and I have heard of children who declared that they V had never once seen a fairy . ery likely if they

said this in the Kensington Gardens , they were

standing looking at a fairy all the time . The reason they were cheated was that she pretended to be

something else . This is one of their best tricks .

They usually pretend to be flowers , because the ’ court sits in the Fairies Basin , and there are so many f t lowers here , and all along the Baby Walk , that

a flower is the thing least likely to attract attention .

They dress exactly like flowers , and change with

the seasons , putting on white when lilies are in and

fo r . blue bluebells , and so on They like crocus 55 Lock -o a t Time

o f t and hyacinth time best all , as they are partial o

o f a bit colour , but tulips (except white ones , which

are the fairy cradles)they consider garish , and they

o ff fo r so sometimes put dressing like tulips days , that the beginning of the tulip weeks is almost the

best time to catch them . When they think you are n o t looking they

o u skip along pretty lively , but if y look , and they

n o to fear there is time hide , they stand quite still

to . ft pretending be flowers Then , a er you have passed without knowing that they were fairies , they rush home and tell their mothers they have had

. such an adventure . The Fairy Basin , you remember, is all covered with ground - ivy (from which they

- ro wm i i make their castor oil), with flowers g g n t

o f fl here and there . Most them really are owers ,

Yo u but some of them are fairies . never can be

o f to sure them , but a good plan is walk by looking the other way , and then turn round sharply .

Another good plan , which David and I sometimes

to . follow , is stare them down After a long time

’ they can t help winking , and then you know for certain that they are fairies . There are also numbers of them along the Baby 56

Lore-o a t Time

c an o u houses . You see our houses by day but y

’ can t see them by dark . Well , you can see their

’ houses by dark , but you can t see them by day , for

they are the colour of night , and I never heard of

who any one yet could see night in the daytime .

This does not mean that they are black , for night

s o has its colours just as day has , but ever much

brighter . Their blues and reds and greens are like ours with a light behind them . The palace is

— entirely built of many coloured glasses , and it is quite the loveliest of all royal residences , but the queen sometimes c omplains because the common

to people will peep in see what she is doing . They are very inquisitive folk , and press quite hard against the glass , and that is why their noses are mostly snubby . The streets are miles long and very twisty , and have paths on each side made of bright worsted . The birds used to steal the worsted for their nests , but a policeman has been appointed to hold on at the other end . One of the great differences between the fairies

u and us is that they never do anything usef l . When the first baby laughed for the first time , his laugh

broke into a million pieces , and they all went 58

Leek-o a t TWe

skipping about . That was the beginning of fairies .

They look tremendously busy , you know , as if they

to o u t o had not a moment spare , but if y were ask

them what they are doing , they could not tell you

in the least . They are frightfully ignorant , and

— everything they do is make believe . They have a

postman , but he never calls except at Christmas

with his little box , and though they have beautiful

schools , nothing is taught in them ; the youngest

child being chief person is always elected mistress ,

and when she has called the roll , they all go out

c for a walk and never ome back . It is a very

c noti eable thing that , in fairy families , the youngest

c is always chief person , and usually becomes a prin e

o r princess and children remember this , and think

it must be so among humans also , and that is why they are often made uneasy when they come upon their mother furtively putting new frills on the

ba sin e tte . You have probably observed that your baby sister wants to do all sorts of things that your mother and her nurse want her not to do — to stand

— to up at sitting down time , and sit down at stand

fo r o r t o up time instance , wake up when she 59 Loci -o a t Time

t o should fall asleep , or crawl on the floor when

s o she is wearing her best frock, and on , and

perhaps you put this down to naughtiness . But it is not it simply means that she is doing as she has seen the fairies do ; she begins by following their i ways , and t takes about two years to get her into

the human ways . Her fits of passion , which are

to awful behold , and are usually called teething ,

n o are such thing they are her natural exasperation ,

’ because we don t understand her , though she is talking an intelligible language . She is talking fairy . The reason mothers and nurses know what her remarks mean , before other people know , as

’ ’ that Guch means Give it to me at once , while Wa is Why do yo u wear such a funny hat is

s o because , mixing much with babies , they have

picked up a little of the fairy language . Of late David has been thinking back hard about

the fairy tongue , with his hands clutching his

temples , and he has remembered a number of their phrases which I shall tell you some day if I don ’t

forget . He had heard them in the days when he

to was a thrush , and though I suggested him that

perhaps it is really bird language he is remembering ,

60

Leek-o a t Time

n o t fun he says , for these phrases are about and adventures , and the birds talked of nothing but

- nest building . He distinctly remembers that the birds used to go from spot to spot like ladies at ff shop windows , looking at the di erent nests and ‘ ’ ‘ saying , Not my colour , my dear , and How would that do with a soft lining P and But will it

s wear and What hideous trimming and o o n .

The fairies are exquisite dancers , and that is why one of the first things the baby does is to sign to you to dance to him and then to cry when yo u d o . it They hold their great balls in the open air , t in what is called a fairy ring . For weeks af erwards

o u n o t y can see the ring on the grass . It is there

waltz m when they begin , but they make it by g

o u round and round . Sometimes y will find mush rooms inside the ring , and these are fairy chairs

to that the servants have forgotten clear away . The chairs and the rings are the only tell - tale marks these little people leave behind them , and they would remove even these were they not so fond o f dancing that they to e it till the very moment o f the

Opening of the gates . David and I once found a fairy ring quite warm . 63 Leek-o a t Time But there is also a way of finding out about the

ball before it takes place . You know the boards which tell at what time the Gardens are to close

—da to y . Well , these tricky fairies sometimes slyly

change the board on a ball night , so that it says the

to - Gardens are close at six thirty , for instance ,

instead of at seven . This enables them to get

begun half an hour earlier . If on such a night we could remain behind in

Maimie M the Gardens , as the famous annering did , we might see delicious sights ; hundreds of lovely

to fairies hastening the ball , the married ones wearing their wedding rings round their waists ;

the gentlemen , all in uniform , holding up the

’ c ladies trains , and linkmen running in front arrying

- winter cherries , which are the fairy lanterns ; the cloakroom where they put on their silver slippers and get a ticket for their wraps ; the flowers streaming up from the Baby Walk to look on , and always welco me because they can lend a pin ; the

- supper table , with Queen Mab at the head of it, and r behind her chair the Lord Chamberlain , who car ies a dandelion on which he blows when her Majesty wants to know the time . 64

Lock-o a t Time

to body adjourns the dance , the Queen walking in front while the Lord Chamberlain walks behind

two o n e o f i her , carrying little pots , which conta ns the juice of wallflo we r and the other the juice ’ o f Solomon s Seal . Wallflower juice is good for

to reviving dancers who fall the ground in a fit , and

’ Solomon s Seal juice is for bruises . They bruise very easily , and when Peter plays faster and faster

Fo r they foot it till they fall down in fits . , as you

o u know without my telling y , Peter Pan is the ’ o f fairies orchestra . He sits in the middle the ring ,

‘ and they would never dream o f having a smart dance ’ i o n nowadays without him . P . P . is wr tten the corner Of the invitation - cards sent out by all really

rate fii l to o good families . They are g little people , ,

’ and at the princess s coming —o f—age ball (they come of age on their second birthday and have a birthday every month)they gave him the wish Of his heart .

The way it was done was this . The Queen

to ordered him kneel , and then said that for playing so beautifully she would give him the wish of his

to heart . Then they all gathered round Peter hear

fo r what was the wish of his heart, but a long time

n o t . he hesitated , being certain what it was himself 66 he r M When aje s ty wan ts to know the tim e Page 64 M is rl ne dW won )! 03 ai rts w vi ae Ls

Loan-ea t Time

‘ ’ to to If I chose go back mother , he asked ’ l o u at ast , could y give me that wish P

N o w to this question vexed them , for were he

to s o return his mother they should lose his music , u the Q een tilted her nose contemptuously and said , ’ fo r Pooh ask a much bigger wish than that .

Is that quite a little wish P he inquired . ’ As little as this , the Queen answered , putting her hands near each other . ’ What size is a big wish P he asked . She measured it OfT on her skirt and it was a

n very handsome le gth . ‘ Then Peter reflected and said , Well , then , I think I shall have two little wishes instead o f one

’ big one .

to h Of course , the fairies had agree , thoug his cleverness rather shocked them , and he said that his

to o to first wish was g his mother , but with the right to return to the : Gardens if he f ound her disappointing . His second wish he would hold in reserve .

to They tried dissuade him , and even put obstacles in the way . ‘ ’ to to I can give you the power fly her house , 67 Loaf-o a t Time

‘ ’ bu t the Queen said , I can t open the door for

’ o u y . ’ o u t The window I flew at will be open , Peter ‘ said confidently . Mother always keeps it open ’ in the hope that I may fly back . ’ d o o u ? How y know they asked , q uite

n o t ho w surprised , and , really , Peter could explain he knew . d ’ o . I just know , he said

So to as he persisted in his wish , they had grant it . The way they gave him power to fly was this

o n They all tickled him the shoulder, and soon he felt a funny itching in that part , and then up he

o u t o f rose higher and higher , and flew away the

Gardens and over the housetops . It was s o delicious that instead Of flying straight ’ to his own home he skimmed away over St . Paul s to the Crystal Palace and back by the river and

’ Regent s Park , and by the time he reached his mother’s window he had quite made up his mind that his second wish should be to become a bird .

n The window was wide open , just as he k ew it would be , and in he fluttered , and there was his

f o n mother lying asleep . Peter alighted so tly the 68

Lock-oa t Time

to it . In returning his mother he never doubted that he was giving her the greatest treat a woman can have . Nothing can be more splendid , he

to bo o f o wn thought , than have a little y your . H o w proud o f him they are ! and very right and

to o proper , . But why does Peter sit s o long on the rail ; why does he n o t tell his mother that he has come back i I quite shrink from the truth , wh ch is that he sat there in two minds . Sometimes he looked longingly at his mother , and sometimes he looked i longingly at the w ndow . Certainly it would be

to bo o n pleasant be her y again , but the other hand , what times those had been in the Gardens ! Was he so sure that he should enjoy wearing clothes again ? He popped Off the bed and opened some

to l drawers have a look at his o d garments . They

n o t ho w were still there , but he could remember

o n fo r you put them . The socks , instance , were they worn o n the hands o r o n the feet ? He was

to o n e o f o n about try them his hand , when he had a great adventure . Perhaps the drawer had creaked ;

fo r at any rate , his mother woke up , he heard her 7 0 T i i t s he fa r e s si round on mu h l - s an d at fi s are well room , r t they be h aved i MIT bn ii o i i ia as n is ~ dan m n o i n ] i d i s h a s am001 [law 51 1; vad an , bs vn i led t m“ ab ra

Loan-oa t Time

’ say Peter , as if it was the most lovely word in the

o n language . He remained sitting the floor and held his breath , wondering how she knew that he ‘ ’ had come back . If she said Peter again , he ‘ ’ o to meant t cry Mother and run her . But she spoke no more , she made little moans only , and when he next peeped at her she was once more asleep , with tears on her face .

d o o u It made Peter very miserable , and what y think was the first thing he did ? Sitting on the rail at the foot of the bed , he played a beautiful

to lullaby his mother on his pipe . He had made ‘ ’ it up himself out of the way she said Peter , and he never stopped playing until she looked happi He thought this s o clever of him that he could ‘ 0 scarcely resist wakening her to hear her say , ! ’ Peter , how exquisitely you play However , as

n o w she seemed comfortable , he again cast looks at

Yo u the window . must not think that he meditated

flying away and never coming back . He had quite

’ to bo decided be his mother s y, but hesitated about

- beginning to night . It was the second wish which

n o to troubled him . He longer meant make it a 7 1 Lock-o a t Time

to to fo r wish be a bird , but not ask a second wish

waste fii l n o t seemed , and , of course , he could ask

fo r to . it without returning the fairies Also , if he

fo r to o o put Off asking his wish long it might g bad . He asked himself if he had not been hard —hearted

- to to fly away without saying good bye Solomon . ‘ I should like awfii lly to sail in rr v boat just once ’

to . more , he said wistfully his sleeping mother He i quite argued with her as if she could hear h m . ‘ It would be so splendid to tell the birds o f this ’ ‘ to adventure , he said coaxingly . I promise come ’ to o back , he said solemnly , and meant it , .

o u And in the end , y know, he flew away .

Twice he came back from the window, wanting to o f kiss his mother, but he feared the delight it

so might waken her , at last he played her a lovely

o n to kiss his pipe , and then he flew back the

Gardens .

Many nights , and even months , passed before he asked the fairies for his second wish and I am not sure that I quite know why he delayed s o long . One reason was that he had s o many good - byes to

n o t to to say , only his particular friends , but a

his i hundred favourite spots . Then he had last sa l , 7 2

Lock-o a t Time was his second wish . But he smoked their design ‘ o n and though occasions he began , I wish SO he always stopped in time . when at last he ‘ to n o w to o to said them bravely , I wish g back ’ fo r to mother ever and always , they had tickle his

o shoulders and let him g .

He went in a hurry in the end , because he had dreamt that his mother was crying, and he knew

fo r what was the great thing she cried , and that a hug from her splendid Peter would quickly make

to i ! o f s o her sm le . Oh he felt sure it , and eager was he to be nestling in her arms that this time he

to to flew straight the window , which was always

fo r be open him .

But the window was closed , and there were i iron bars on it, and peering inside he saw h s mother sleeping peacefully with her arm round

bo another little y . ! Peter called , Mother mother but she heard him not in vain he beat his little limbs against the

to to iron bars . He had fly back , sobbing, the

Gardens , and he never saw his dear again . What

bo to to ! a glorious y he had meant be her Ah ,

! who ho w Peter we have made the great mistake , 74

Loan-Oa t Time ff di erently we should all act at the second chance .

— n o But Solomon was right there is second chance , n o t for most of us . When we reach the win d o w — it is Lock out Time . The iron bars are up f o r life . V

THE LITTLE HOUSE

V ERYBOD Y has heard o f the Little House

in the Kensington Gardens , which is the only house in the whole world that the fairies

fo r n o o n e have built humans . But has really seen

c n o t it , ex ept just three or four , and they have only seen it but slept in it, and unless you sleep in 76

Tae Little Hmire

Maimie was always rather a strange girl , and it was at night that she was strange . She was four years of age , and in the daytime she was the ordinary kind . She was pleased when her brother

' who o f Tony , was a magnificent fellow six , took

to i notice of her , and she looked up him n the

to i right way , and tried in vain im tate him , and was flattered rather than annoyed when he shoved her about . Also , when she was batting, she would pause though the ball was in the air to point o u t to you that she was wearing new shoes . She was quite the ordinary kind in the daytime .

But as the shades of night fell , Tony , the

c Maimie swaggerer , lost his ontempt for and eyed

n o her fearfully ; and wonder , for with dark there came into her face a look that I can describe only

‘ as a leary look . It was also a serene look that

’ contrasted grandly with Tony s uneasy glances . Then he would make her presents o f his favourite

' toys (whi c h he always took away from her next morning), and she accepted them with a disturbing smile . The reason he was n o w become s o wheedling and She so mysterious was (in brief)that they knew

to to they were about be sent bed . It was then 78

Tne Little Ho m e

o n e often did with splendid firmness , that day he meant to remain behind in the Gardens after the

gates were closed . ‘0 ’ Tony , she would say with awful respect , but the fairies will be so angry ‘ ’ I dare say , replied Tony carelessly . ‘ ’ ‘ Perhaps , she said , thrilling , Peter Pan will give you a sail in his boat ! ’ ‘ ’ n o I shall make him , replied Tony ; wonder

she was proud of him .

n o t SO But they should have talked loudly , for o n e day they were overheard by a fairy who had

been gathering skeleton leaves , from which the little people weave their summer curtains , and after

bo that Tony was a marked y . They loosened the

s o rails before he sat on them , that down he came on the back of his head ; they tripped him up by

to catching his bootlace , and bribed the ducks sink

o u his boat . Nearly all the nasty accidents y meet with in the Gardens occur because the fairies have

- o u so o u taken an ill will to y , and it behoves y to

u be careful what yo say about them . Maimie was one of the kind who like to fix a

n o t day for doing things , but Tony was that kind ,

80 T a ll i kl i hey t c ed h m on the s hould e r Page 68 lT i lls vs r iii no m d

Tne Little Ho m e

and when she asked him which day he was to remain behind in the Gardens after Lock- o u t he ‘ ’ merely replied , Just some day ; he was quite

vague about which day except when she asked , Will it be to - day and then he could always say

- for certain that it would not be to day . So she saw

that he was waiting for a real good chance . This brings us to an afternoon when the Gardens

were white with snow , and there was ice on the

c o n Round Pond ; not thi k enough to skate , but at least you could spoil it for to - morrow by flinging

stones , and many bright little boys and girls were doing that . When Tony and his sister arrived they wanted to go straight to the pond , but their ayah said they must take a sharp walk first , and as she said this she glanced at the time - board to see when the

c — Gardens losed that night . It read half past five . Poor ayah she is the one who laughs c ontinuously because there are s o many white c hildren in the world , but she was not to laugh much more that day .

Well , they went up the Baby Walk and back , and when they returned to the time —board she was

1 81 Tne Little Ho m e

’ surprised to see that it now read five o clock

- fo r closing time . But she was unacquainted with

s o n o t the tricky ways of the fairies , and did see (as Maimie and Tony saw at once) that they had changed the hour because there was to be a ball

— n o w to to night . She said there was only time

to to walk the p of the Hump and back , and as they trotted along with her she little guessed what was

Yo u thrilling their little breasts . see the chance

had come of seeing a fairy ball . Never , Tony felt ,

c e c ould he hop for a better chan e .

Maimie He had to feel this , for so plainly felt

fo r it him . Her eager eyes asked the question , Is

to — it day and he gasped and then nodded .

’ Maimie slipped her hand into Tony s , and hers was

ho t , but his was cold . She did a very kind thing ; ‘ o ff t o she took her scarf and gave it him . In case ’ o u y should feel cold , she whispered . Her face was

’ aglow , but Tony s was very gloomy . As they turned on the top of the Hump he ’ whispered to her , I m afraid nurse would see me ,

’ ’ so I shan t be able to do it . Maimie admired him more than ever for being

o f afraid nothing but their ayah , when there were

82

Tde Little Ho m e

legs and up her arms and dropped into her heart .

It was the stillness of the Gardens . Then she

cla n ela n heard g, then from another part g, then

cla n cla n g, g far away . It was the Closing of the

Gates . Immediately the last clang had died away ’ Maimie distinctly heard a voice say , So that s all ’ right . It had a wooden sound and seemed to come

in from above , and she looked up time to see an

— elm tree stretching out its arms and yawning . ‘ She was about to say , I never knew you could speak when a metallic voice that seemed to come from the ladle at the well remarked to the elm, ‘I suppose it is a bit coldish up there ? ’ and the ‘ d o elm replied , Not particularly , but you get

’ fla e d numb standing so long on one leg , and he pp his arms vigorously just as the cabmen d o before

o f Maimie to they drive f . was quite surprised see that a number of other tall trees were doing the

o f same sort thing , and she stole away to the Baby Walk and crouched observantly under a Minorca holly which shrugged its shoulders but did not

to seem mind her . d She was not in the least col . She was wearing 84 T l l l he itt e peop e we ave their s i s k l ummercurt a n from s e eton Page 80

THE RE WAS A GOOD DEAL GOING ON I N THE B ABY WAL K

Tne Little Ho nre

I Maimie child cried indignantly , for she knew what it was to have a dripping umbrella about

your ears . Fortunately the mischievous fellow was o ut o f

C earshot , but a hrysanthemum heard her and said

s o H o it - ? pointedly , y toity , what is this that she t had to come o u and show herself. Then the whole

to d o vegetable kingdom was rather puzzled what . ’ n o ff o f - Of course it is a air ours , a spindle tree

afie r o u said they had whispered together , but y

o u to know quite well y ought not be here , and perhaps o u r duty is to report you to the fairies ; what do you think yourself ? ’

’ o u Maimie I think y should not , replied , which s o perplexed them that they said petulantly there ‘ ’ o f was no arguing with her . I wouldn t ask it ’ ‘ ’ n you , she assured them , if I thought it was wro g, and of course after this they could not well carry ’ —a— tales . They then said , Well day , and Such is

’ fo r life , they can be frightfully sarcastic ; but she

who n o felt sorry for those of them had crutches ,

- o to and she said good naturedly , Before I g the ’ to fairies ball , I should like take you for a walk one ’ at a time you can lean on me , you know . 88

Tne Little Ho m e

At this they clapped their hands , and she escorted them up the Baby Walk and back again , o n e at a time, putting an arm or a finger round the

f o t to o very rail , setting their leg right when it g ridiculous , and treating the foreign ones quite as

n o t courteously as the English , though she could understand a word they said .

They behaved well on the whole , though some whimpered that she had not taken them as far as

she took Nancy or Grace or Dorothy , and others jagged her, but it was quite unintentional , and she

to o was much of a lady to cry out . So much walk

o ff to ing tired her , and she was anxious to be the

n o ball , but she longer felt afraid . The reason she

n o — felt more fear was that it was now night time ,

Maimie and in the dark , you remember , was always rather strange .

They were now loth to let her go , for, If the

’ o u fairies see y , they warned her , they will mischief

o u — t o to y stab you death , or compel you nurse m their children , or turn you into so ething tedious , ’ o k like an evergreen a . As they said this they ff looked with a ected pity at an evergreen oak , for in winter they are very envious of the evergreens . M 89 Tae Little Ho m e

o ak ho w Oh , la replied the bitingly , deli c io u sly cosy it is to stand here buttoned to the neck ’ and watch you poor naked creatures shivering .

This made them sulky , though they had really

o n Maimie brought it themselves , and they drew for a very gloomy picture o f the perils that would face

o n to her if she insisted going the ball . She learned from a purple filbe rt that the court

n o t o c was in its usual g od temper at present, the ause being the tantalising heart o f the Duke o f Christmas

Daisies . He was an Oriental fairy , very poorly of a d re adfii l to complaint , namely , inability love , and though he had tried many ladies in many lands he

n o t o n e could fall in love with of them . Queen

Mab , who rules in the Gardens , had been confident that her girls would bewitch him, but alas his heart ,

’ r m in e d c o ld e a . irritat the doctor said , This rather

who ing doctor , was his private physician , felt the Duke ’s heart immediately after any lady was pre

and sented , then always shook his bald head and ‘ murmured , Cold , quite cold Naturally Queen ff Mab felt disgraced , and first she tried the e ect of ordering the court into tears for nine minutes , and then she blamed the Cupids and decreed that they 9 0

Tde Little Ho m e should wear fools ’ caps until they thawed the Duke’s frozen heart . H o w I should love to see the Cupids in their ’ Maimie dear little fools caps cried , and away she

to fo r ran look for them very recklessly , the Cupids

to hate be laughed at . ’ It is always easy to discover where a fairies ball is being held , as ribbons are stretched between it and

o n all the populous parts of the Gardens , which those invited may walk to the dance without wetting their pumps . This night the ribbons were red , and looked very pretty on the snow . Maimie walked alongside o n e of them for some distance without meeting anybody , but at last she

T o saw a fairy cavalcade approaching . her surprise they seemed to be returning from the ball , and she had just time to hide from them by bending her knees and holding out her arms and pretending to be a garden chair . There were six horsemen in front and six behind in the middle walked a prim

two lady wearing a long train held up by pages , and o n the train , as if it were a couch , reclined a lovely girl , for in this way do aristocratic fairies travel about .

She was dressed in golden rain , but the most enviable 9 3 Tne Little Ho nre

o f part her was her neck , which was blue in colour

o f o ff and a velvet texture , and of course showed her diamond necklace as n o white throat could have

- ad glorified it . The high born fairies obtain this ff mired e ect by pricking their skin , which lets the

c blue blood ome through and dye them , and you cannot imagine anything so dazzling unless you have ’ ’ seen the ladies busts in the jewellers windows . Maimie also noticed that the whole cavalcade

to seemed be in a passion , tilting their noses higher than it can be safe for even fairies to tilt them , and she concluded that this must be another case in

’ which the doctor had said , Cold , quite cold .

Well , she followed the ribbon to a place where it became a bridge over a dry puddle into which another fairy had fallen and been unable t o c limb o u t Maimie . At first this little damsel was afraid of , who to most kindly went her aid , but soon she sat in her hand chatting gaily and explaining that her name was Brownie , and that though only a poor street singer she was on her way to the ball to see if

e the Duk would have her . ’ ‘ ’ Of course , she said , I am rather plain , and

a Maimie this m de uncomfortable , for indeed the 94

Tfie Little Ho w e

a wonderful light . She crept forward until she was

quite near it , and then she peeped from behind a

tree .

The light , which was as high as your head above

the ground , was composed of myriads of glow

o n to worms all holding each other , and so forming

a dazzling canopy over the fairy ring . There were

thousands of little people looking on , but they were in shadow and drab in colour compared to the

glorious creatures within that luminous circle , who were s o bewilderingly bright that Maimie had to

wink hard all the time she looked at them . It was ama cing and even irritating to her that the Duke of Cl ristmas Daisies should be able to keep out of love for a moment yet out of love his dusky grace still was you could see it by the shamed looks ofthe Queen and court (though they pretended

to not care), by the way darling ladies brought for ward for his approval burst into tears as they were

to . told pass on , and by his own most dreary face Maimie could also see the pompous doctor feeling

’ the Duke s heart and hear him give utterance to his

fo r parrot cry , and she was particularly sorry the

’ Cupids , who stood in their fools caps in obscure 9 6 Chry s a nthemum h e a rd he r a n d s a e l H e i t - id point d y, y toity , wh a t i s thi s P Page 88

Tne Little Ho m e places and , every time they heard that Cold , quite

’ cold , bowed their disgraced little heads .

She was disappointed not to see Peter Pan , and I may as well tell you now why he was so late that night . It was because his boat had got wedged on the Serpentine between fields of floating ice , through which he had to break a perilous passage with his trusty paddle .

The fairies had as yet scarcely missed him , for they could not dance , so heavy were their hearts .

They forget all the steps when they are sad , and

remember them again when they are merry . David ‘ ’ tells me that fairies never say , We feel happy

’

d a n c . what they say is , We feel ey

u n dan c e Well , they were looking very y indeed , when sudden laughter broke out among the o n lookers , caused by Brownie , who had just arrived and was in sisting on her right to be presented to the Duke . Maimie craned forward eagerly to see how her friend fared , though she had really no hope ; no one seemed to have the least hope ex c ept Brownie herself, who , however , was absolutely confident .

She was led before his grace , and the doctor putting 97 Tde Little Ho m e

a finger carelessly on the ducal heart , which for

’ convenienc e sake was reached by a little trap — door

in his diamond shirt , had begun to say mechanically ,

Cold , qui when he stopped abruptly . ‘ ’ ’ s ? What this he cried , and first he shook

the heart like a watch , and then he put his ear

to it .

’ ! c Bless my soul ried the doctor , and by this time of course the excitement among the spectators t was tremendous , fairies fainting right and lef .

Everybody stared breathlessly at the Duke , who

o was very much startled , and looked as if he w uld ! ’ like to run away . Good gracious me the

doctor was heard muttering, and now the heart was

evidently on fire , for he had to jerk his fingers away

from it and put them in his mouth .

u The suspense was awf l . ‘ lo w Then in a loud voice , and bowing , My

’ Lord Duke , said the physician elatedly , I have the honour to inform your excellency that your grace

’ is in love .

’ You can t conceive the effect of it . Brownie held out her arms to the Duke and he flung himself into them , the Queen leapt into the arms 9 8

Tee Little Ho m e

be between the locking and the opening o f the gates she heard the murmur ofan angry multitude f she saw a thousand swords lashing for her blood , f and she uttered a cry of terror and led . How she ran ! and all the time her eyes were

starting out of her head . Many times she lay down ,

and then quickly jumped up and ran on again . Her little mind was so entangled in terrors that she

n o longer knew she was in the Gardens . The one thing she was sure of was that she must never cease to run , and she thought she was still running long after she had dropped in the Figs and gone to sleep . She thought the snowflakes falling on her face were

- her mother kissing her good night . She thought her coverlet of snow was a warm blanket , and tried to pull it over her head . And when she heard talking through her dreams she thought it was mother bringing father to the nursery door to look at her as she slept . But it was the fairies . I am very glad to be able to say that they n o longer desired to mischief her . When she rushed away they had rent the air with such cries as Slay

’ her ! Turn her into something extremely u n ! ’ pleasant and so on , but the pursuit was delayed

I OO Tée Little H o w e

while they discussed who should march in front , and this gave Duchess Brownie time to cast herself

before the Queen and demand a boon .

'

Every bride has a right to a boon , and what

’ Maimie s she asked for was life . Anything except ’ that , replied Queen Mab sternly , and all the fairies ‘ ’ echoed , Anything except that . But when they learned how Maimie had befriended Brownie and so enabled her to attend the ball to their great

fo r glory and renown , they gave three huzzas the

o ff to little human , and set , like an army , thank

her , the court advancing in front and the canopy

Maimie keeping step with it . They traced easily

by her footprints in the snow . But though they found her deep in snow in

Maimie the Figs , it seemed impossible to thank , for

they could not waken her . They went through

— the form of thanking her that is to say , the new King stood on her body and read her a long address

o f of welcome , but she heard not a word it . They

o ff also cleared the snow her , but soon she was

o f covered again , and they saw she was in danger perishing of cold . Turn her into something that does n o t mind

I O I Tée Little Ho m e

’ ’ the cold , seemed a good suggestion of the doctor s , but the only thing they could think of that does ‘ not mind cold was a snowflake . And it might

’ o u t melt , the Queen pointed , so that idea had to be given up . A magnificent attempt was made to carry her to a sheltered spot , but though there were so many

to o of them she was heavy . By this time all the ladies were crying in their handkerchiefs , but

presently the Cupids had a lovely idea . Build a

’ house round her , they cried , and at once everybody perceived that this was the thing to do in a moment a hundred fairy sawyers were among the branches ,

Maimie architects were running round , measuring

’ her ; a bricklayer s yard sprang up at her feet , seventy - five masons rushed up with the foundation

stone , and the Queen laid it , overseers were appointed

to o ff ff keep the boys , sca oldings were run up , the whole place rang with hammers and Chisels

— and turning lathes , and by this time the roof was on and the glaziers were putting i n the

windows .

Maimie The house was exactly the size of , and

perfectly lovely . One of her arms was extended ,

1 0 2

Tl e Little He m e ‘ ! ’ f Gracious me cried a brass manu acturer ,

’ ’

s . there no handle on the door , and he put one on

o ld An ironmonger added a scraper , and an — lady ran up with a door mat . Carpenters arrived

— with a water butt , and the painters insisted on painting it . Finished at last 1

’ fi Finished how can it be nished , the plumber

s c o rn fii ll demanded y, before hot and cold are put in P and he put in hot and cold . Then an army of gardeners arrived with fairy carts and spades and

- seeds and bulbs and forcing houses , and soon they

— to had a flower garden the right of the verandah ,

to and a vegetable garden the left , and roses and clematis on the walls of the house , and in less time than five minutes all these dear things were in fil ll bloom .

n o w ! Oh , how beautiful the little house was

But it was at last finished true as true , and they

to had to leave it and return the dance . They all kissed their hands to it as they went away , and the last to go was Brownie . She stayed a moment behind the others to drop a pleasant dream down the chimney . 1 04 k his l a d Shoo ba d he a d n C l i murmured o d , qu te cold Page 9 2 bns be ad bl ed aid >lood 8

bl g be m rmu m c o ‘ s o s gn l blo o

Tae Little Ho m e All through the night the exquisite little house

Maimie stood there in the Figs taking care of , and she never knew . She slept until the dream was quite finished , and woke feeling deliciously cosy just f as morning was breaking rom its egg , and then she almost fell asleep again , and then she called out , ‘ ’ Tony , for she thought she was at home in the

n o nursery . As Tony made answer , she sat up , whereupon her head hit the roof, and it opened like the lid of a box , and to her bewilderment she saw all around her the Kensington Gardens lying deep in snow . As she was not in the nursery she won dered whether this was really herself, so she pinched her cheeks , and then she knew it was herself, and this reminded her that she was in the middle of a great adventure . She remembered now everything that had happened to her fi' o m the closing of the

r gates up to her running away f om the fairies , but how ever , she asked herself, had she got into ? this funny place She stepped out by the roof,

cl right over the garden , and then she saw the ear

so house in which she had passed the night . It entranced her that she could think of nothing else . 1 0 5 Tae Little Ho m e

‘ ’ 0 you darling ! 0 yo u sweet ! O you love ! she cried . Perhaps a human voice frightened the little

n o w house , or maybe it knew that its work was

fo r Maimie done , no sooner had spoken than it began to grow smaller 3 it shrank so slowly that she could scarce believe it was shrinking , yet she soon knew

n o t n o w re that it could contain her . It always mained as complete as ever , but it became smaller and smaller , and the garden dwindled at the same time , and the snow crept closer , lapping house and

o f garden up . Now the house was the size a little

’ ’ n o w o f dog s kennel , and a Noah s Ark , but still yo u could see the smoke and the door —handle and

o n o n e . the roses the wall , every complete The

— to o glow worm light was waning , but it was still

’ o Maimie there . Darling, loveliest , don t g cried ,

o n falling her knees , for the little house was now the

o f . size of a reel thread , but still quite complete But as she stretched out her arms imploringly the snow

o n crept up all sides until it met itself, and where the little house had been was n o w o n e unbroken

o f expanse snow .

Maimie stamped her foot naughtily , and was

1 0 6

PETER ’S GOAT

A IMIE n o t felt quite shy , but Peter knew

what shy was . ‘ ’ o u I hope y have had a good night , he

said earnestly . ‘ ’ ‘ s o Thank you , she replied , I was cosy and

— warm . But you and she looked at his nakedness awkwardly don ’t you feel the least bit cold P ’

Now cold was another word Peter had forgotten , s o he answered , I think not , but I may be wrong

o u y see I am rather ignorant . I am not exactly a ’ - — boy Solomon says I am a Betwixt and Between .

1 0 8 ’ Peter s Goa t

’ Maimie So that is what it is called , said thoughtfully .

’ ’ s That not my name , he explained , my name

’ is Peter Pan . ’ ‘ Yes , of course , she said , I know , everybody

’ knows .

’ You can t think how pleased Peter was to learn

that all the people outside the gates knew about him . He begged Maimie to tell him what they knew and

what they said , and she did so . They were sitting by this time on a fallen tree Peter had cleared o ff

Maimie the snow for , but he sat on a snowy bit

himself.

Maimi Squeeze closer e said . i' What is that he asked , and she showed him ,

a n d and then he did it . They talked together he found that people knew a great deal about him , but not everything , not that he had gone back to his mother and been barred out , for instance , and he

Maimie said nothing of this to , for it still humiliated him . D o they know that I play games exactly like

Maimi ? . e real boys he asked very proudly O , please tell them ! ’ But when he revealed how he 1 09 ’ Teter r Goa t played , by sailing his hoop on the Round Pond , and

s o . on , she was simply horrified ‘ ’ wa s All your y of playing , she said with her

n o t big eyes on him , are quite , quite wrong , and in ’ the least like how boys play .

Poor Peter uttered a little moan at this , and he

. cried for the first time for I know not how long .

Maimie fo r was extremely sorry him , and lent him

’ “ her handkerchief, but he didn t know in the least

to d o to what with it , so she showed him , that is say ,

to she wiped her eyes , and then gave it back him ,

’ N o w d o saying , you it , but instead of wiping his o wn to eyes he wiped hers , and she thought it best pretend that this was what she had meant . ‘ o u t o f She said pity for him , I shall give you

’ a kiss if you like , but though he once knew , he had long forgotten what kisses are , and he replied ,

’ o u Thank y , and held out his hand , thinking she ff had o ered to put something into it . This was a

n o t great shock to her , but she felt she could explain

s o without shaming him , with charming delicacy she gave Peter a thimble which happened to be in her pocket , and pretended that it was a kiss . Poor little bo y he quite believed her , and to this day he wears

I I O

P ete/ J Goa t answered adoringly , but Peter thought she meant

that he was stupid . She had told him about Tony and of the wicked thing she did in the dark to frighten him (she knew quite well that it was wicked), but Peter misunderstood her meaning and said ,

ho w Oh , I wish I was as brave as Tony

Yo u It quite irritated her . are twenty thou ’ sand times braver than Tony , she said ; you are

’ s ever o much the bravest boy I ever knew .

He could scarcely believe she meant it , but when he did believe he screamed with joy . i ’ And if you want very much to give me a k ss , M imi ’ a e . said , you can do it V ery reluctantly Peter began to take the thimble o ff his finger . He thought she wanted it back . ‘ ’ ’ ‘ I don t mean a kiss , she said hurriedly , I

’ mean a thimble . ’ s What that P Peter asked . ‘ ’ ’ s i It like this , she sa d , and kissed him .

’ I should love to give you a thimble , Peter said gravely , so he gave her one . He gave her quite a number of thimbles , and then a delightful

’ Maimie idea came into his head . , he said , will you marry me P

1 1 2 ’ M L D ke s a h snc nan y ord u , id the p y e l a l I a m ted y, h ve the honour to form your e x c e llency th a t your gra ce i s in love Pa ge 9 8 ' (I bI OJ. n c ro iavrlg a dh bma ! En no rl gil l m 01 mo r

P ete/ f Goa t

to Now , strange tell , the same idea had come ’ ‘ Maimie s at exactly the same time into head . I ’ to should like , she answered , but will there be room in your boat for two P ’

’ If you squeeze close , he said eagerly . Perhaps the birds would be angry P ’ He assured her that the birds would love to

so o f f. have her , though I am not certain it mysel Also that there were very few birds in winter Of ' ’ to course they might want your clothes , he had admit rather falteringly .

She was somewhat indignant at this . ’ They are always thinking of their nests , he

i o f said apologetically , and there are some b ts yo u -he stroked the fur o n her pelisse that ’ would excite them very much .

’ ’

fii r . They shan t have my , she said sharply ‘ ’ ‘ N o n o . , he said , still fondling it , however , ’ Maimie d o o u O , he said rapturously , y know why I love yo u ? It is because you are like a ’ beau tifii l nest . ‘ o u Somehow this made her uneasy . I think y ’ are speaking more like a bird than a boy now , she

said , holding back , and indeed he was even looking P 1 1 3 Pete/ r Goa t

‘ ’ rather like a bird . After all , she said , you are ’ - — only a Betwixt and Between . But it hurt him so ‘ much that she immediately added , It must be a ’ delicious thing to be . ‘ ’ Maimie Come and be one , then , dear , he

o ff implored her , and they set for the boat , for it

- was now very near Open Gate time . And you

’ to are not a bit like a nest , he whispered please

her . ‘ ’ But I think it is rather nice to be like one , ’ ‘ she said in a woman s contradictory way . And ,

’ Peter , dear , though I can t give them my fur , I

’ wouldn t mind their building in it . Fancy a nest m in y neck with little spotty eggs in it O Peter , ho w perfectly lovely

But as they drew near the Serpentine , she

shivered a little , and said , Of course I shall go and t see mother often , quite of en . It is not as if I was

— saying good bye for ever to mother , it is not in the

’ least like that .

’ n o Oh , answered Peter , but in his heart he

knew it was very like that , and he would have told her so had he not been in a quaking fear of losing

her . He was so fond of her , he felt he could not 1 1 4

’ ’ ~ Yeter i Goa t

‘ ’ o u But why don t y look at me she asked , i tak ng him by the arm .

i to to Peter tr ed hard not look , he tried push o ff , then he gave a great gulp and jumped ashore i and sat down miserably n the snow .

to i She went h m . What is it , dear , dear

Peter she said , wondering . ’ ‘ ’ Maimie to O , he cried , it isn t fair take you with me if yo u think yo u can go back ! Your ’ mo ther — he gulped again you don t know them ’ do as well as I . And then he told her the woefu l story of how

o u t . he had been barred , and she gasp ed all the time ‘m But my mother , she said , y mother ’ ‘ Yes , she would , said Peter, they are all the

i fo r o n e same . I dare say she s looking another ’ already . ‘ ’ Yo Maimie i . u sa d aghast , I can t believe it

o u see , when y went away your mother had none , but my mother has Tony, and surely they are ’ o n e satisfied when they have .

Yo u Peter replied bitterly , should see the

’ letters Solomon gets from ladies who have six .

i ar ea l Just then they heard a grat ng , followed

1 1 6 Pete/ r Goa t

erea é crea l . by , , all round the Gardens It was the

Opening of the Gates , and Peter jumped nervously

Maimie n o t into his boat . He knew would come

n o w to with him , and he was trying bravely not

Maimie u . cry . But was sobbing painf lly ’ to o 0 If I should be late , she said in agony ,

o t Peter , if she has g another one already Again he sprang ashore as if she had called him ’ ‘ - . to back I shall come and look for you night , he said , squeezing close , but if you hurry away I ’ think you will be in time . Then he pressed a last thimble on her sweet

s o little mouth , and covered his face with his hands that he might not see her go .

Dear Peter she cried . M imi Dear a e cried the tragic boy .

so She leapt into his arms , that it was a sort of fairy wedding , and then she hurried away . Oh ,

o u how she hastened to the gates Peter , y may be sure , was back in the Gardens that night as soon as

- n o Maimie Lock out sounded, but he found , and s o i 1 he knew she had been n t me . For long he hoped that some night she would come back to him often he thought he saw her waiting for 1 1 7 ’ " Peter s Goa t him by the shore of the Serpentine as his bark drew

Maimie to land , but never went back . She wanted to , but she was afraid that if she saw her dear Betwixt- and - Between again she would linger with him too long , and besides the ayah now kept a sharp eye on her . But she often talked lovingly of

— Peter , and she knitted a kettle holder for him , and one day when she was wondering what Easter present he would like , her mother made a suggestion .

’ tho u htfii ll s o Nothing , she said g y, would be

’ useful to him as a goat . ’ Maimie He could ride on it , cried , and play ’ on his pipe at the same time .

’ ’ Then , her mother asked , won t you give i him your goat , the one you frighten Tony w th at night

’ ’ Maimie But it isn t a real goat , said .

’ It seems very real to Tony , replied her mother . ‘ ’ u to o Maimie It seems frightf lly real to me , P admitted , but how could I give it to Peter

ac c o m Her mother knew a way , and next day ,

an ie d p by Tony (who was really quite a nice boy , though of course he could not compare), they went

Maimie to the Gardens , and stood alone within a

1 1 8

’ P eter f Gea t

s o ho w the goat into a real one , and that is Peter go t the goat on which he n o w rides round the

Gardens every night playing sublimely on his pipe .

Maimie r And kept her promise , and never f ightened

Tony with a goat again , though I have heard that U she created another animal . ntil she was quite a big girl she continued to leave presents fo r Peter in the Gardens (with letters explaining ho w humans

i who play with them), and she s not the only one D i has done this . avid does t , for instance , and he and I know the likeliest place for leaving them in ,

’ o u fo r and we shall tell you if y like , but mercy s sake ’ so o f don t ask us before Porthos , for he is fond toys

to o u t that , were he find the place , he would take

o n f every e o them . Though Peter still remembers Maimie he is become as gay as ever , and often in sheer happiness he jumps o ff his goat and lies kicking merrily on the grass . Oh , he has a joyful time But he has still a vague memory that he was a human once , and it makes him especially kind to the house - swallows — when they visit the island , for house swallows are the w spirits of little children ho have died . They always build in the eaves of the houses where they lived

1 2 0 T W ll i l i s hey i cert a n y m chief you

’ Peter s~ Goa t

to when they were humans , and sometimes they try

fly in at a nursery window , and perhaps that is why

Peter loves them best of all the birds . And the little house P Every lawfii l night (that

to is say , every night except ball nights)the fairies n o w build the little house lest there should be a

human child lost in the Gardens , and Peter rides the

marches looking for lost ones , and if he finds them

he carries them on his goat to the little house , and

when they wake up they are in it , and when they

step out they see it . The fairies build the house

merely because it is so pretty , but Peter rides round

Maimie in memory of , and because he still loves to d o just as he believes real boys would do .

But you must not think that , because somewhere

among the trees the little house is twinkling , it is a safe thing to remain in the Gardens after Lock- o ut time . If the bad ones among the fairies happen to

o u t be that night they will certainly mischief you , and even though they are not , you may perish of

cold and dark before Peter Pan comes round . He

to o has been late several times , and when he sees he

’ is to o late he runs back to the Thrush s Nest for his

Maimie paddle , of which had told him the true use , Q 1 2 1 ’ “ Peter s Goa t and he digs a grave for the child and erects a little

’

o n . tombstone , and carves the poor thing s initials it He does this at once because he thinks it is what real

d o boys would , and you must have noticed the little stones , and that there are always two together . He puts them in twos because they seem less lonely . I think that quite the most touching sight in the Gardens is the two tombstones of Walter Stephen

oe Matthews and Ph be Phelps . They stand together

’ at the spot where the parish of Westminster St . Mary s

to is said meet the parish of Paddington . Here Peter

two who found the babes , had fallen unnoticed from

Pha abe their perambulators , aged thirteen months and Walter probably still younger , for Peter seems to have felt a delicacy about putting any age o n his

in sc ri stone . They lie side by side , and the simple p tions read

St. M .

David sometimes places white flowers o n these i two nnocent graves .

But how strange for parents , when they hurry

1 2 2

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d d A rz H i Ma e s P e b T an . Co n sr a n P e s to s t rint y . , rint r j y at d u e s t P e s s the E inb rgh Univ r i y r