peter pan-第12部分

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　the　best　（the　early）　period　of　Margery　and　Robin。　　There　was　a　chandelier　from　Tiddlywinks　for　the　look　of　the　thing；　but　of　course　she　lit　the　residence　herself。　　Tink　was　very　contemptuous　of　the　rest　of　the　house；　as　indeed　was　perhaps　inevitable；　and　her　chamber；　though　beautiful；　looked　rather　conceited；　having　the　appearance　of　a　nose　permanently　turned　up。

　　I　suppose　it　was　all　especially　entrancing　to　Wendy；　because　those　rampagious　boys　of　hers　gave　her　so　much　to　do。　　Really　there　were　whole　weeks　when；　except　perhaps　with　a　stocking　in　the　evening；　she　was　never　above　ground。　　The　cooking；　I　can　tell　you；　kept　her　nose　to　the　pot；　and　even　if　there　was　nothing　in　it；　　even　if　there　was　no　pot；　she　had　to　keep　watching　that　it　　came　aboil　just　the　same。　　You　never　exactly　knew　whether　there　would　be　a　real　meal　or　just　a　make…believe；　it　all　depended　upon　Peter's　whim：　　he　could　eat；　really　eat；　if　it　was　part　of　a　game；　but　he　could　not　stodge　＇cram　down　the　food＇　just　to　feel　stodgy　＇stuffed　with　food＇；　which　is　what　most　children　like　better　than　anything　else；　the　next　best　thing　being　to　talk　about　it。　　Make…believe　was　so　real　to　him　that　during　a　meal　of　it　you　could　see　him　getting　rounder。　　Of　course　it　was　trying；　but　you　simply　had　to　follow　his　lead；　and　if　you　could　prove　to　him　that　you　were　getting　loose　for　your　tree　he　let　you　stodge。

　　Wendy's　favourite　time　for　sewing　and　darning　was　after　they　had　all　gone　to　bed。　　Then；　as　she　expressed　it；　she　had　a　breathing　time　for　herself；　and　she　occupied　it　in　making　new　things　for　them；　and　putting　double　pieces　on　the　knees；　for　they　were　all　most　frightfully　hard　on　their　knees。

　　When　she　sat　down　to　a　basketful　of　their　stockings；　every　heel　with　a　hole　in　it；　she　would　fling　up　her　arms　and　exclaim；　〃Oh　dear；　I　am　sure　I　sometimes　think　spinsters　are　to　be　envied！〃

　　Her　face　beamed　when　she　exclaimed　this。

　　You　remember　about　her　pet　wolf。　　Well；　it　very　soon　discovered　that　she　had　come　to　the　island　and　it　found　her　out；　and　they　just　ran　into　each　other's　arms。　　After　that　it　followed　her　about　everywhere。

　　As　time　wore　on　did　she　think　much　about　the　beloved　parents　she　had　left　behind　her？　　This　is　a　difficult　question；　because　it　is　quite　impossible　to　say　how　time　does　wear　on　in　the　Neverland；　where　it　is　calculated　by　moons　and　suns；　and　there　are　ever　so　many　more　of　them　than　on　the　mainland。　　But　I　am　afraid　that　Wendy　did　not　really　worry　about　her　father　and　mother；　she　was　absolutely　confident　that　they　would　always　keep　the　window　open　for　her　to　fly　back　by；　and　this　gave　her　complete　ease　of　mind。　　What　did　disturb　her　at　times　was　that　John　remembered　his　parents　vaguely　only；　as　people　he　had　once　known；　while　Michael　was　quite　willing　to　believe　that　she　was　really　his　mother。　　These　things　scared　her　a　little；　and　nobly　anxious　to　do　her　duty；　she　tried　to　fix　the　old　life　in　their　minds　by　setting　them　examination　papers　on　it；　as　like　as　possible　to　the　ones　she　used　to　do　at　school。　　The　other　boys　thought　this　awfully　interesting；　and　insisted　on　joining；　and　they　made　slates　for　themselves；　and　sat　round　the　table；　writing　and　thinking　hard　about　the　questions　she　had　written　on　another　slate　and　passed　round。　　They　were　the　most　ordinary　questions　　　〃What　was　the　colour　of　Mother's　eyes？　　Which　was　taller；　Father　or　Mother？　　Was　Mother　blonde　or　brunette？　　Answer　all　three　questions　if　possible。〃　　〃（A）　Write　an　essay　of　not　less　than　40　words　on　How　I　spent　my　last　Holidays；　or　The　Characters　of　Father　and　Mother　compared。　　Only　one　of　these　to　be　attempted。〃　　Or　〃（1）　Describe　Mother's　laugh；　（2）　Describe　Father's　laugh；　（3）　Describe　Mother's　Party　Dress；　（4）　Describe　the　Kennel　and　its　Inmate。〃

　　They　were　just　everyday　questions　like　these；　and　when　you　could　not　answer　them　you　were　told　to　make　a　cross；　and　it　was　really　dreadful　what　a　number　of　crosses　even　John　made。　　Of　course　the　only　boy　who　replied　to　every　question　was　Slightly；　and　no　one　could　have　been　more　hopeful　of　coming　out　first；　but　his　answers　were　perfectly　ridiculous；　and　he　really　came　out　last：　　a　melancholy　thing。

　　Peter　did　not　compete。　　For　one　thing　he　despised　all　mothers　except　Wendy；　and　for　another　he　was　the　only　boy　on　the　island　who　could　neither　write　nor　spell；　not　the　smallest　word。　　He　was　above　all　that　sort　of　thing。

　　By　the　way；　the　questions　were　all　written　in　the　past　tense。　　What　was　the　colour　of　Mother's　eyes；　and　so　on。　　Wendy；　you　see；　had　been　forgetting；　too。

　　Adventures；　of　course；　as　we　shall　see；　were　of　daily　occurrence；　but　about　this　time　Peter　invented；　with　Wendy's　help；　a　new　game　that　fascinated　him　enormously；　until　he　suddenly　had　no　more　interest　in　it；　which；　as　you　have　been　told；　was　what　always　happened　with　his　games。　　It　consisted　in　pretending　not　to　have　adventures；　in　doing　the　sort　of　thing　John　and　Michael　had　been　doing　all　their　lives；　sitting　on　stools　flinging　balls　in　the　air；　pushing　each　other；　going　out　for　walks　and　coming　back　without　having　killed　so　much　as　a　grizzly。　　To　see　Peter　doing　nothing　on　a　stool　was　a　great　sight；　he　could　not　help　looking　solemn　at　such　times；　to　sit　still　seemed　to　him　such　a　comic　thing　to　do。　　He　boasted　that　he　had　gone　walking　for　the　good　of　his　health。　　For　several　suns　these　were　the　most　novel　of　all　adventures　to　him；　and　John　and　Michael　had　to　pretend　to　be　delighted　also；　otherwise　he　would　have　treated　them　severely。

　　He　often　went　out　alone；　and　when　he　came　back　you　were　never　absolutely　certain　whether　he　had　had　an　adventure　or　not。　　He　might　have　forgotten　it　so　completely　that　he　said　nothing　about　it；　and　then　when　you　went　out　you　found　the　body；　and；　on　the　other　hand；　he　might　say　a　great　deal　about　it；　and　yet　you　could　not　find　the　body。　　Sometimes　he　came　home　with　his　head　bandaged；　and　then　Wendy　cooed　over　him　and　bathed　it　in　lukewarm　water；　while　he　told　a　dazzling　tale。　　But　she　was　never　quite　sure；　you　know。　　There　were；　however；　many　adventures　which　she　knew　to　be　true　because　she　was　in　them　herself；　and　there　were　still　more　that　were　at　least　partly　true；　for　the　other　boys　were　in　them　and　said　they　were　wholly　true。　　To　describe　them　all　would　require　a　book　as　large　as　an　English…Latin；　Latin…　English　Dictionary；　and　the　most　we　can　do　is　to　give　one　as　a　specimen　of　an　average　hour　on　the　island。　　The　difficulty　is　which　one　to　choose。　　Should　we　take　the　brush　with　the　redskins　at　Slightly　Gulch？　　It　was　a　sanguinary　＇cheerful＇　affair；　and　especially　interesting　as　showing　one　of　Peter's　peculiarities；　which　was　that　in　the　middle　of　a　fight　he　would　suddenly　change　sides。　　At　the　Gulch；　when　victory　was　still　in　the　balance；　sometimes　leaning　this　way　and　sometimes　that；　he　called　out；　〃I'm　redskin　to…day；　what　are　you；　Tootles？〃　　And　Tootles　answered；　〃Redskin；　what　are　you；　Nibs？〃　and　Nibs　said；　〃Redskin；　what　are　you　Twin？〃　and　so　on；　and　they　were　all　redskins；　and　of　course　this　would　have　ended　the　fight　had　not　the　real　redskins　fascinated　by　Peter's　methods；　agreed　to　be　lost　boys　for　that　once；　and　so　at　it　they　all　went　again；　more　fiercely　than　ever。

　　The　extraordinary　upshot　of　this　adventure　was　　but　we　have　not　decided　yet　that　this　is　the　adventure　we　are　to　narrate。　　Perhaps　a　better　one　would　be　the　night　attack　by　the　redskins　on　the　house　under　the　ground；　when　several　of　them　stuck　in　the　hollow　trees　and　had　to　be　pulled　out　like　corks。　　Or　we　might　tell　how　Peter　saved　Tiger　Lily's　life　in　the　Mermaids'　Lagoon；　and　so　made　her　his　ally。

　　Or　we　could　tell　of　that　cake　the　pirates　cooked　so　that　the　boys　might　eat　it　and　perish；　and　how　they　placed　it　in　one　cunning　spot　after　another；　but　always　Wendy　snatched　it　from　the　hands　of　her　children；　so　that　in　time　it　lost　its　succulence；　and　became　as　hard　as　a　stone；　and　was　used　as　a　missile；　and　Hook　fell　over　it　in　the　dark。

　　Or　suppose　we　tell　of　the　birds　that　were　Peter's　friends；　particularly　of　the　Never　bird　that　built　in　a　tree　overhanging　the　lagoon；　and　how　the　nest　fell　into　the　water；　and　still　the　bird　sat　on　her　eggs；　and　Peter　gave　orders　that　she　was　not　to　be　disturbed。　　That　is　a　pretty　story；　and　the　end　shows　how　grateful　a　bird　can　be；　but　if　we　tell　it　we　must　also　tell　the　whole　adventure　of　the　lagoon；　which　would　of　course　be　telling　two　adventures　rather　than　just　one。　　A　shorter　adventure；　and　quite　as　exciting；　was　Tinker　Bell's　attempt；　with　the　help　of　some　street　fairies；　to　have　the　sleeping　Wendy　conveyed　on　a　great　floating　leaf　to　the　mainland。　　Fortunately　the　leaf　gave　way　and　Wendy　woke；　thinking　it　was　bath…time；　and　swam　back。　　Or　again；　we　might　choose　Peter's　defiance　of　the　lions；　when　he　drew　a　circle　round　him　on　the　ground　with　an　arrow　and　dared　them　to　cross　it；　and　though　he　waited　for　hours；　with　the　other　boys　and　Wendy　looking　on　breathlessly　from　trees；　not　one　of　them　dared　to　accept　his　challenge。

　　Which　of　these　adventures　shall　we　choose？　　The　best　way　will　be　to　toss　for　it。

　　I　have　tossed；　and　the　lagoon　has　won。　　This　almost　makes　one　wish　that　the　gulch　or　the　cake　or　Tink's　leaf　had　won。　　Of　course　I　could　do　it　again；　and　make　it　best　out　of　three；　however；　perhaps　fairest　to　stick　to　the　lagoon。　



　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Chapter　8

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　THE　MERMAIDS'　LAGOON


　　If　you　shut　your　eyes　and　are　a　lucky　one；　you　may　see　at　times　a　shapeless　pool　of　lovely　pale　colours　suspended　in　the　darkness；　then　if　you　squeeze　your　eyes　tighter；　the　pool　begins　to　take　shape；　and　the　colours　become　so　vivid　that　with　another　squeeze　they　must　go　on　fire。　　But　just　before　they　go　on　fire　you　see　the　lagoon。　　This　is　the　nearest　you　ever　get　to　it　on　the　mainland；　just　one　heavenly　moment；　if　there　could　be　two　moments　you　might　see　the　surf　and　hear　the　mermaids　singing。

　　The　children　often　spent　long　summer　days　on　this　lagoon；　swimming　or　floating　most　of　the　time；　playing　the　mermaid　games　in　the　water；　and　so　forth。　　You　must　not　think　from　this　that　the　mermaids　were　on　friendly　terms　with　them：　　on　the　contrary；　it　was　among　Wendy's　lasting　regrets　that　all　the　time　she　was　on　the　island　she　never　had　a　civil