Slightly was the first to speak.  “This is no bird,” he said in a scared voice.  “I think it must be a lady.”

“…a lady to take care of us at last,” said one of the Twins.

“Now,” said he, “shall I give you a kiss?”…he merely dropped an acorn button into her hand; so she slowly returned her face to where it had been before, and said nicely that she would wear his kiss on the chain round her neck.

…truth is best, and I want to tell only what really happened.  Well, not only could they not understand each other, but they forgot their manners.  

“What nonsense you talk, precious.  No one can get into the house without knocking.”

“I think he comes in by the window,” she said.

“My love, it is three floors up.”

…. surely she must have been dreaming.

“Wendy, Wendy, when you are sleeping in your silly bed you might be flying about with me saying funny things to the stars.”

None of us has ever been tucked in at night….

Wendy was pained too to find that the past year was but as yesterday to Peter; it had seemed such a long year of waiting to her.  But he was exactly as fascinating as ever…

Some people love with restraint

As if they were someday to hate

But we hated gently, carefully

As if we were someday to love

They began the verse but they never finished it….

Now surely he would understand; but not a bit of it.  “Peter,” she said, faltering, “Are you expecting me to fly away with you?”

“Of course; that is why I have come.”  He added a little sternly, “Have you forgotten that this is spring-cleaning time?”

She knew it was useless to say that he had let many spring-cleaning times pass.

“So I ran away to Kensington Gardens and lived a long long time among the fairies.”

She gave him a look of the most intense admiration, and he thought it was because he had run away, but was really because he knew fairies.

“I think it’s perfectly sweet of you,” she declared.  She also said she would give him a kiss if he liked but Peter did not know what she meant, and he held out his hand expectantly. 

“Surely you know what a kiss is?’  She asked, aghast.

“I shall know when you give it to me,” he replied stiffly.

The kiss that had been for no one else Peter took quite easily. Funny.  But she seemed satisfied.

“Oh no, he isn’t grown up,” Wendy assured her confidently, “and he is just my size.”  She meant that he was her size in both mind and body; she didn’t know how she knew it, she just knew it.

…He was so full of wrath against grown-ups, who as usual were spoiling everything, that as soon as he got inside his tree, he breathed intentionally quick short breaths at the rate of about five to a second.  He did this because there was a saying in the Neverland that every time you breathe a grown-up dies; and Peter was killing them off as fast as possible.

Wendy melted…

“Don’t have a mother,” he said.

Not only had he no mother, but he had not the slightest desire to have one.  He thought them very over-rated persons.

“Oh Peter, no wonder you were crying,” she said, and got out of bed and ran to him.

“I wasn’t crying about mothers,” He said rather indignantly. 

“I was crying because I can’t get my shadow to stick on.  Besides, I wasn’t crying.”

She liked his tears so much that she put out her beautiful finger and let them run over it.

“Keep back, lady, no one is going to catch me and make me a man…” She had to tell him.

“I am old, Peter.  I am ever so much more than twenty.  I grew up long ago.”

“You promised not to !”

“I couldn’t help it.”

“She thinks we have lost the way,” He replied stiffly, “and she is rather frightened.  “You don’t think I would send her away all by herself when she is frightened?”  

“Which story was it?”

“About the prince who couldn’t find the lady who wore the glass slipper.”

“Peter,” said Wendy excitedly, “that was Cinderella and he found her..!”

“How clever I am,” he crowed rapturously, “oh, the cleverness of me!”

Wendy was shocked, “you conceit,” she exclaimed.  “Of course I did nothing!”

“You did a little,” Peter said carelessly, and continued to dance.

They are, however, allowed to change, only it must be a complete change.

“Wendy,” he continued, in a voice no woman has ever been able to resist.   “Wendy, one girl is worth twenty boys.”

This dread made her forgetful of what must be Peter’s feelings, and she said to him rather sharply, “Peter, will you make the necessary arrangements?”

“If you wish it,” he replied, as coolly as if she had asked him to pass the nuts.  

I will tell you where they are… they are already in their home under the ground, a very delightful residence.

So they stayed away for years and had a lovely time.

“See,” he said, “the arrow struck against this.  It is the kiss I gave her.  It has saved her life.”