Liza was in a bad temper, for she was mixing the Christmas puddings (布丁) in the kitchen, and had been drawn from them, with a raisin (葡萄干) still on her cheek, by Nana's absurd (荒谬的) suspicions.{1}
She thought the best way of getting a little quiet was to take Nana to the nursery for a moment, but in custody (监护) of course.
"There, you suspicious brute (畜生)," she said, not sorry that Nana was in disgrace.
"They are perfectly safe, aren't they? Every one of the little angels sound asleep in bed. Listen to their gentle breathing."
Here Michael, encouraged by his success, breathed so loudly that they were nearly detected (察觉).
Nana knew that kind of breathing, and she tried to drag herself out of Liza's clutches (掌握).
But Liza was dense (愚钝的).
"No more of it, Nana," she said sternly, pulling her out of the room.
"I warn you if bark again I shall go straight for master and missus and bring them home from the party, and then, oh, won't master whip you, just."
She tied the unhappy dog up again, but do you think Nana ceased (停止) to bark?
Bring master and missus home from the party! Why, that was just what she wanted.
Do you think she cared whether she was whipped (鞭打) so long as her charges were safe?
Unfortunately Liza returned to her puddings, and Nana, seeing that no help would come from her, strained (用力拉) and strained at the chain until at last she broke it.{2}
In another moment she had burst into the dining-room of 27 and flung up her paws to heaven, her most expressive (有表现力的) way of making a communication.
Mr. and Mrs. Darling knew at once that something terrible was happening in their nursery, and without a good-bye to their hostess they rushed into the street.
But it was now ten minutes since three scoundrels had been breathing behind the curtains, and Peter Pan can do a great deal in ten minutes.
We now return to the nursery.
"It's all right," John announced, emerging (浮现) from his hiding-place.
"I say, Peter, can you really fly?"
Instead of troubling to answer him Peter flew around the room, taking the mantelpiece (壁炉架) on the way.
"How topping (极好的)!" said John and Michael.
"How sweet!" cried Wendy.
"Yes, I'm sweet, oh, I am sweet!" said Peter, forgetting his manners again.
It looked delightfully easy, and they tried it first from the floor and then from the beds, but they always went down instead of up.{3}
"I say, how do you do it?" asked John, rubbing his knee. He was quite a practical boy.
"You just think lovely wonderful thoughts," Peter explained, "and they lift you up in the air."
He showed them again.
"You're so nippy (敏捷的) at it," John said, "couldn't you do it very slowly once?"
Peter did it both slowly and quickly.
"I've got it now, Wendy!" cried John, but soon he found he had not.
Not one of them could fly an inch, though even Michael was in words of two syllables, and Peter did not know A from Z.
Of course Peter had been trifling with them, for no one can fly unless the fairy dust has been blown on him.
Fortunately, as we have mentioned, one of his hands was messy with it, and he blew some on each of them, with the most superb results.
"Now just wiggle (使扭动) your shoulders this way," he said, "and let go."
They were all on their beds, and gallant Michael let go first.
He did not quite mean to let go, but he did it, and immediately he was borne (负荷) across the room.
"I flewed!" he screamed while still in mid-air.
John let go and met Wendy near the bathroom.
"Oh, lovely!"
"Oh, ripping!"
"Look at me!"
"Look at me!"
"Look at me!"
They were not nearly so elegant as Peter, they could not help kicking a little, but their heads were bobbing against the ceiling, and there is almost nothing so delicious as that.{4}
Peter gave Wendy a hand at first, but had to desist (停止), Tink was so indignant.
Up and down they went, and round and round. Heavenly was Wendy's word.
"I say," cried John, "why shouldn't we all go out?"
Of course it was to this that Peter had been luring (诱惑) them.
Michael was ready: he wanted to see how long it took him to do a billion miles.
But Wendy hesitated.
"Mermaids!" said Peter again.
"Oo!"
"And there are pirates (海盗)."
"Pirates," cried John, seizing his Sunday hat, "let us go at once."
It was just at this moment that Mr. and Mrs. Darling hurried with Nana out of 27.
They ran into the middle of the street to look up at the nursery window;
and, yes, it was still shut, but the room was ablaze with light, and most heart-gripping sight of all, they could see in shadow on the curtain three little figures in night attire circling round and round, not on the floor but in the air.{5}
Not three figures, four!
In a tremble they opened the street door.
Mr. Darling would have rushed upstairs, but Mrs. Darling signed him to go softly.
She even tried to make her heart go softly.
Will they reach the nursery in time?
If so, how delightful for them, and we shall all breathe a sigh of relief, but there will be no story.
On the other hand, if they are not in time, I solemnly (庄严地) promise that it will all come right in the end.
They would have reached the nursery in time had it not been that the little stars were watching them.
Once again the stars blew the window open, and that smallest star of all called out:
"Cave, Peter!"
Then Peter knew that there was not a moment to lose.
"Come," he cried imperiously (专制地), and soared (向上飞) out at once into the night, followed by John and Michael and Wendy.
Mr. and Mrs. Darling and Nana rushed into the nursery too late.
The birds were flown.
