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Chapter 1 - Peter Breaks Through
All children, except one, grow up. They soon know that
they will grow up, and the way Wendy knew was this.
One day when she was two years old she was playing
in a garden, and she plucked another flower and ran
with it to her mother. I suppose she must have looked
rather delightful, for Mrs. Darling put her hand to her
heart and cried, "Oh, why can't you remain like this for
ever!" This was all that passed between them on the
subject, but henceforth Wendy knew that she must
grow up. You always know after you are two. Two is
the beginning of the end.
Of course they lived at 14 [their house number on their
street], and until Wendy came her mother was the
chief one. She was a lovely lady, with a romantic mind
and such a sweet mocking mouth.
The way Mr. Darling won her was this: the many
gentlemen who had been boys when she was a girl
discovered simultaneously that they loved her, and
they all ran to her house to propose to her except Mr.
Darling, who took a cab and nipped in first, and so he
got her.
For a week or two after Wendy came it was doubtful
whether they would be able to keep her, as she was
another mouth to feed. Mr. Darling was frightfully
proud of her, but he was very honourable, and he sat
on the edge of Mrs. Darling's bed, holding her hand and
calculating expenses, while she looked at him
