9
It was something for Michael, who on his birthday was
getting into shirts. The fire was warm, however, and
the nursery dimly lit by three night-lights, and
presently the sewing lay on Mrs. Darling's lap. Then her
head nodded, oh, so gracefully. She was asleep. Look at
the four of them, Wendy and Michael over there, John
here, and Mrs. Darling by the fire. There should have
been a fourth night-light.
While she slept she had a dream. She dreamt that the
Neverland had come too near and that a strange boy
had broken through from it. He did not alarm her, for
she thought she had seen him before in the faces of
many women who have no children. Perhaps he is to
be found in the faces of some mothers also. But in her
dream he had rent the film that obscures the
Neverland, and she saw Wendy and John and Michael
peeping through the gap.
The dream by itself would have been a trifle, but while
she was dreaming the window of the nursery blew
open, and a boy did drop on the floor. He was
accompanied by a strange light, no bigger than your
fist, which darted about the room like a living thing and
I think it must have been this light that wakened Mrs.
Darling.
She started up with a cry, and saw the boy, and
somehow she knew at once that he was Peter Pan. If
you or I or Wendy had been there we should have seen
that he was very like Mrs. Darling's kiss.
