Nothing, precious, she said; they are the eyes a mother leaves
behind her to guard her children.
She went from bed to bed singing enchantments over them, and little
Michael flung his arms round her. Mother, he cried, I m glad of
you. They were the last words she was to hear from him for a long
time.
No. 27 was only a few yards distant, but there had been a slight fall
of snow, and Father and Mother Darling picked their way over it deftly
not to soil their shoes. They were already the only persons in the
street, and all the stars were watching them. Stars are beautiful, but
they may not take an active part in anything, they must just look on
for ever. It is a punishment put on them for something they did so long
ago that no star now knows what it was. So the older ones have become
glassy-eyed and seldom speak (winking is the star language), but the
little ones still wonder. They are not really friendly to Peter, who
had a mischievous way of stealing up behind them and trying to blow
them out; but they are so fond of fun that they were on his side
to-night, and anxious to get the grown-ups out of the way. So as soon
as the door of 27 closed on Mr. and Mrs. Darling there was a commotion
in the firmament, and the smallest of all the stars in the Milky Way
screamed out:
Now, Peter!
Chapter III.
COME AWAY, COME AWAY!
For a moment after Mr. and Mrs. Darling left the house the night-lights
by the beds of the three children continued to burn clearly. They were
awfully nice little night-lights, and one cannot help wishing that they
could have kept awake to see Peter; but Wendy s light blinked and gave
such a yawn that the other two yawned also, and before they could close
their mouths all the three went out.
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