Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens

shy, but Peter kne

ad a good night,'

arm. But you'-and she looked at his nakedness

I think not, but I may be wrong: you see I am rather ignorant. I

is called,' said M

,' he explained, 'm

she said, 'I know,

e begged Maimie to tell him what they knew and what they said, and she did so. They were sitting by th

loser,' Ma

hat people knew a great deal about him, but not everything, not that he had gone back to his mother a

oudly. 'O Maimie, please tell them!' But when he revealed how he played,

er big eyes on him, 'are quite, quite wrong

her handkerchief, but he didn't know in the least what to do with it, so she showed him, that is to say, she wiped her eyes, and then gave it back t

ery undan

ock to her, but she felt she could not explain without shaming him, so with charming delicacy she gave Peter a thimble which happened to be in her pocket, and pretended that it was a kiss. Poor little boy! he quite believed her, and to this day he wears i

this, she soon found she was very much mistaken. Her eyes glistened with admiration when he told her of h

is was another unknown word, and he hung

not have done that?'

ered with conviction, 'h

ht it must be some splendid thing. 'I do wish you

upid. She had told him about Tony and of the wicked thing she did in the dark to frighten him (she knew quite

and times braver than Tony,' she said; 'you a

e meant it, but when he did

h to give me a kiss,' Mai

take the thimble off his finge

,' she said hurriedl

hat?' Pet

s,' she said,

e her one. He gave her quite a number of thimbles, and then a deligh

edly, 'I have the honour to inform your

the same time into Maimie's head. 'I should like to,' sh

ze close,' he

e birds wou

certain of it myself. Also that there were very few birds in winter. 'Of

ewhat indig

getically, 'and there are some bits of you'-he stroked t

ave my fur,' s

aimie,' he said rapturously, 'do you know why I lov

ng back, and indeed he was even looking rather like a bird. 'After all,' she said, 'you are only a Betwix

set off for the boat, for it was now very near Open-Gate time.

'And, Peter, dear, though I can't give them my fur, I wouldn't mind their building in i

the house

f course I shall go and see mother often, quite often. It is not as if I

in a quaking fear of losing her. He was so fond of her, he felt he could not live without her. 'She will forget her m

ked tremblingly about her mother. 'You know quite well, Peter, don't you,' she said, 'that I woul

could no longer l

her will always want you,

lways wanting me!' Maimie c

bar you out,' sa

lways, always be open, and mother w

'step in, if you feel so sure of her,' a

ok at me?' she asked,

ush off, then he gave a great gulp and jump

is it, dear, dear Peter

th me if you think you can go back! Your mother'-he

e had been barred out, and she gasped all the

are all the same. I dare say she i

you went away your mother had none, but my mother has T

hould see the letters Solomon

s the Opening of the Gates, and Peter jumped nervously into his boat. He knew Maimie would n

said in agony, 'O Peter, if s

hall come and look for you to-night,' he said, squeezing c

t little mouth, and covered his face with

ter!' sh

!' cried the

me. For long he hoped that some night she would come back to him; often he thought he saw her waiting for him by the shore of the Serpentine as his bark drew to land, but Maimie never went back. She wanted to, but she was afraid that if she saw her dear Betwixt-and-Betwee

stra

among the fairie

ng fro

ghtfully, 'would be so u

ied Maimie, 'and play on

you give him your goat, the one

a real goat,

eal to Tony,' re

me too,' Maimie admitted, 'but

boy, though of course he could not compare), they went to the Gardens, and Maimie st

r, tell me,

ou got for

Maimie

goat for h

cast it far

as if she were sowing seed,

Tony

find it wa

again make

imie a

r light I

see goats

how Peter got the goat on which he now rides round the Gardens every night playing sublimely on his pipe. And Maimie kept her promise, and never frightened Tony with a goat again, though I have heard that she created another animal. Until she was quite a big girl she continued to leave presents for Peter in the Gardens (with letters explaini

stra

certainly

ng fro

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 spirits of little children who have died. The

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 the

for his paddle, of which Maimie had told him the true use, and he digs a grave for the child and erects a little tombstone, and carves the poor thing's initials on it. He does this at once because he thinks it is what real boys would do, 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 tom

white flowers on thes

t in the Gardens is the two tombstones of

the gates looking for their lost one, to find the sweetest little tombstone inst

A. CONSTABLE, Prin

burgh Unive