16 - Peter Pan by J M Barrie

Peter Pan returns to steal Wendy and her brothers away to a magical land. Together they encounter Tinker Bell, Captain Hook, and countless fantastical challenges in this beloved fantasy classic.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
According by Patrick Saville, chapter sixteen, the return home by

(00:07):
three bells that morning. They were all stirring their stumps,
for there was a big sea running and toodles. The
bow Sin was among them, with a rope's end in
his hand and chewing tobacco. Footnote stumps, legs and footnote.
The all doned pirate clothes, cut off at the knee,

(00:28):
shaved smartly, and tumbled up with the true nautical roll,
and hitching their trousers. It need not be said who
was the captain. Nibs and John were first and second mate.
There was a woman aboard. The rest were tars before
the mast and lived in the forecastle. Footnote tars, sailors

(00:50):
and footnote. Peter had already lashed himself to the wheel,
but he piped all hands and delivered a short address
to them. Said he hoped they would do their duty
like gallant parties, but that he knew they were the
scum of Rio and the Gold Coast, and if they
snapped at him, he would tear them the bluff. Strident

(01:11):
words struck the note. Sailors understood, and they cheered him lustily.
Then a few sharp orders were given, and they turned
the ship round and nosed her for the mainland. Captain
Pan calculated, after consulting the ship's chart, that if this
weather lasted, they would strike the Azores about the twenty

(01:31):
first of June, after which it would save time to fly.
Some of them wanted it to be an honest ship,
and others were in favor of keeping it a pirate,
but the captain treated them as dogs, and they dared
not express their wishes to him, even in a round robin.
Instant obedience was the only safe thing. Slately got a

(01:56):
dozen for looking perplexed when told to take soundings. The
general feeling was that Peter was honest just now to
low Wendy's suspicions, but that there might be a change
when the new suit was ready, which against her will,
she was making for him out of some of Hook's
wickedest garments. It was afterwards whispered among them that on

(02:18):
the first night he wore this suit, he sat long
in the cabin with Hook's cigar holder in his mouth,
and one hand clenched all but the forefinger, which he
bent and held threateningly aloft like a hook, instead of
watching the ship. However, we must now return to that
desolate home from which three of our characters had taken

(02:38):
heartless flight so long ago. It seems a shame to
have neglected No. Fourteen all this time. And yet we
may be sure that Missus Darling does not blame us.
If we had returned sooner to look with sorrowful sympathy
at her, she would probably have cried, don't be silly,
what do I matter? Do go back and keep an

(03:00):
eye on the children. So as long as mothers are
like this, their children will take advantage of them, and
they may lay to that footnote, lay too, bet on
end footnote. Even now we venture into that familiar nursery
only because its lawful occupants are on their way home.

(03:23):
We are merely hurrying on in advance of them, to
see that their beds are properly aired, and that mister
and Missus Darling do not go out for the evening.
We are no more than servants. Why on earth should
their beds be properly aired, seeing that they left them
in such a thankless hurry. Would it not serve them

(03:43):
jolly well right? If they came back and found that
their parents were spending the weekend in the country. It
would be the moral lesson they have been in need
of ever since we met them. But if we contrive
things in this way, Missus Darling would never forgive us
one thing I should like to do immensely, and that

(04:03):
is to tell her and the way authors have that
the children are coming back, and indeed they will be
here on Thursday week. This would spoil so completely the
surprise to which Wendy and John and Michael are looking forward.
They have been planning it out on the ship. Mother's rapture,

(04:23):
father's shout of joy, Nana's leap through the air to
embrace them first, when what they ought to be prepared
for is a good hiding. How delicious to spoil it
all by breaking the news in advance, so that when
they enter grandly, Missus Darling may not even offer Wendy
her mouth, and mister Darling may exclaim pettishly dash it all.

(04:47):
Here are these boys again. However, we should get no
thanks even for this. We are beginning to know Missus
Darling by this time, and may be sure that she
would upbraid us for depraving the children of the little pleasure.
But my dear Madame, is it ten days till Thursday week?

(05:08):
So that by telling you what's what, we can save
you ten days of unhappiness. Yes, but at what cost
by depriving the children of ten minutes of delight? Oh?
If you look at it in that way. But other
way is there in which to look at it? You see,
the woman had no proper spirit. I had meant to

(05:32):
say extraordinarily nice things about her, but I despise her,
and not one of them will I say? Now? She
does not really need to be told to have things ready,
for they are ready. All the beds are aired, and
she never leaves the house and observe the window was open.
For all the use we are to her, we might

(05:53):
well go back to the ship. However, as we are here,
we may as well stay and look on. That is
all we are lookers on. Nobody really wants us, so
let us watch and say jaggy things and the hope
that some of them will hurt. The only change to
be seen in the night Nursery is that between nine

(06:17):
and six the kennel is no longer there. When the
children flew away, mister Darling felt in his bones that
all the blame was his for having Changnana up, and
that from first to last she had been wiser than he.
Of course, as we have seen, he was quite a
simple man. Indeed, he might have passed for a boy

(06:39):
again if he had been able to take his baldness off.
But he had also a noble sense of justice and
a lion's courage to do what seemed right to him. And,
having thought the matter out with anxious care, after the
flight of the children, he went down on all fours
and crawled into the kennel. To all missus Darling's dear

(07:00):
invitations to him to come out, he replied, sadly but firmly, no,
my own one, this is the place for me. In
the bitterness of his remorse, he swore that he would
never leave the kennel until his children came back. Of course,
this was a pity, but whatever mister Darling did, he

(07:21):
had to do in excess. Otherwise he soon gave up
doing it. And there never was a more humble man
than the once proud George Darling. As he sat in
the kennel of an evening talking with his wife of
their children and all their pretty ways, very touching was
his difference to Nana. He would not let her come

(07:42):
into the kennel but on all other matters he followed
her wishes implicitly. Every morning, the kennel was carried with
mister Darling in it, to a cab, which conveyed him
to his office, and he returned home in the same
way at six. Something of the strength of case character
of the man will be seen if we remember how

(08:03):
sensitive he was to the opinion of neighbors, This man
whose every moment now attracteds surprise attention. Inwardly, he must
have suffered torture, but he preserved a calm exterior even
when the young criticized his little home, and he always
lifted his hat courteously to any lady who looked inside.

(08:24):
It may have been quixotic, but it was magnificent. Soon
the inward meaning of it leaked out, and the great
heart of the public was touched. Crowds followed the cab,
cheering it lustily, charming girls, scalded to get his autograph.
Interviews appeared in the better class of papers, and society

(08:45):
invited him to dinner and asked do come in the kennel.
On that eventful Thursday week, Missus Darling was in the
night nursery awaiting George's return home a very sad eyed
woman now that we look at her closely and remember
the gaiety of her in the old days, all gone now,

(09:07):
just because she has lost her babes, I find I
won't be able to say nasty things about her. After all,
if she was too fond of her rubbishy children, she
couldn't help it. Look at her in her chair where
she has fallen asleep. The corner of her mouth, where
one looks first, is almost withered up. Her hand moves

(09:30):
restlessly on her breast, as if she had a pain there.
Some like Peter Best and some like Wendy Best, but
I like her best. Suppose to make her happy, we
whisper to her in her sleep that the brats are
coming back. They are really within two miles of the
window now and flying strong. But we all need whisper

(09:53):
is that they are on the way. Lets. It is
a pity we did it, for she has started up
calling their names, and there is no one in the
room but Nana, Oh Nana. I dreamt my dear ones
had come back. Nana had filmy eyes. But all she

(10:13):
could do was put her paulagantly on her mistress's lap,
and they were sitting together. Thus, when the kennel was
brought back, as mister Darling puts his head out to
kiss his wife, we see that his face is more
worn than of yore, and has a softer expression. He
gave his hat to Liza, who took it scornfully, for

(10:37):
she had no imagination and was quite incapable of understanding
the motives of such a man. Outside, the crowd who
had accompanied the cab home were still cheering, and he
was naturally not unmoved. Listen to them, he said, it
is very gratifying. Lots of little boys, sneered Liza. There

(11:00):
were several adults to day, he assured her with a
faint flush. But when she tossed her head, he had
not a word of reproof, for her social success had
not spoilt him. It had made him sweeter. For some
time he sat with his head out of the kennel,
talking with missus Darling of his success, and pressing her

(11:22):
hand reassuringly. When she said she hoped his head would
not be turned by it. But if I had been
a weak man, he said, good heavens, if I had
been a weak man. And George, she said, timidly, you
are as full of remorse as ever. Aren't you full

(11:43):
of remorse as ever? Dearest? See my punishment living in
a kennel. But it is punishment, isn't it, George? You
are sure you are not enjoying it? My love? You
may be sure. She begged his pardon, and then, feeling drowsy,
he curled down in the kennel. Won't you play me

(12:04):
to sleep? He asked on the nursery piano, And as
she was crossing to the day nursery, he added, thoughtlessly,
and shut that window. I feel a draft. Oh, George,
never ask me to do that. The window must always
be left open for them, always, always, Now it was
his turn to beg her pardon, and she went into

(12:27):
the day nursery and played, and soon he was asleep.
And while he slept, Wendy and John and Michael flew
into the room. Oh no, we have written it so,
because that was the charming arrangement planned by them before
we left the ship. But something must have happened since then,
for it is not they who have flown in. It

(12:50):
was Peter and tinker Bell. Peter's first words, tell all
quick tink, He whispered, close the window bar. It that's right. Now,
you and I must get away by the door, and
when Wendy comes, she will think her mother has barred
her out, and she will have to go back with me.
Now I understand that had hitherto puzzled me. Why when

(13:14):
Peter had exterminated the pirates, he did not return to
the island and leave Tink to escort the children to
the mainland. This trick had been in his head all
the time. Instead of feeling that he was behaving badly,
he danced with glee. Then he peeped into the day
nursery to see who was playing. He whispered to Tink,

(13:38):
it's Wendy's mother. She is a pretty lady, but not
so pretty as my mother. Her mouth is full of thimbles,
but not so full as my mother's was. Of course,
he knew nothing whatsoever about his mother, but he sometimes
bragged about her. He did not know the tune, which

(13:58):
was Home, Sweet Home, but he knew it was saying,
come back, Wendy, Wendy, Wendy, and he cried exultantly, you
will never see Wendy again, lady, for the window is barred.
He peeped in again to see why the music had stopped,
and now he saw that missus Darling had laid her

(14:19):
head on the box, and that two tears were sitting
on her eyes. She wants me to unbar the window,
thought Peter. But I won't, not I. He peeped again,
and the tears were still there, or another two had
taken their place. She's awfully fond of Wendy, he said

(14:39):
to himself. He was angry with her now for not
seeing why she could not have Wendy. The reason was
so simple. I'm fond of her too. We can't both
have her, lady. But the lady would not make the
best of it, and he was unhappy. He ceased to
look at her, but even then she would not let

(15:01):
go of him. He skipped about and made funny faces,
but when he stopped, it was just as if she
were inside him knocking. Oh all right, he said at last,
and gulped. Then he unbarred the window. Come on, tink,
he cried, with a frightful sneer at the laws of nature.

(15:23):
We don't want any silly mothers, and he flew away. Thus,
Wendy and John and Michael found the window open for
them after all, which of course was more than they deserved.
They alighted on the floor, quite unashamed of themselves, and
the youngest one had already forgotten his home. John, he said,

(15:45):
looking around him, doubtfully. I think I have been here before.
Of course you have, you silly, And there is your
old bed. So it is, Michael said, but not with
much conviction. I say, cried John. The kennel, and he
dashed across to look into it. Perhaps Nana is inside it,

(16:08):
Wendy said, But John whistled, Ugh, hello, he said, there's
a man inside it. It's father, exclaimed Wendy. Let me
see father, Michael begged eagerly, and he took a good look.
He is not so big as the pirate I killed,

(16:29):
he said, with such frank disappointment that I am glad
mister Darling was asleep. It would have been sad if
those had been the first words he heard his little
Michael say. Wendy and John had been taken aback somewhat
at finding their father and the kennel. Surely, said John,
like one who had lost faith in his memory. He

(16:51):
used not to sleep in the kennel, John, Wendy said, falteringly.
Perhaps we don't remember the old life as well as
we thought we did. A chill fell upon them, and
serve them right. It is very careless of mother said
that young scoundrel John not to be here when we
come back. It was then that missus Darling began playing again.

(17:17):
It's mother, cried Wendy, peeping so it is, said John,
Then are you not really our mother? Wendy asked Michael,
who was surely sleepy. Oh dear, exclaimed Wendy, with her
first real twinge of remorse for having gone. It was
quite time we come back. Let us creep in, John suggested,

(17:41):
and put our hands over her eyes. But Wendy, who
saw that they must break the joyous news more gently,
had a better plan. Let us all slip into our
beds and be there when she comes in, just as
if we had never been away. And so, when missus
Darling went back to the night nursery to see if
her husband was asleep, all the beds were occupied. The

(18:05):
children waited for her cry of joy, but it did
not come. She saw them, but she did not believe
they were there. You see, she saw them in their
beds so often in her dreams that she thought this
was just a dream. Hanging around her. Still she sat
down in the chair by the fire where in the
old days she had nursed them. They could not understand this,

(18:30):
and a cold fear fell upon all the three of them.
Mother Wendy cried, that's Wendy, she said. But still she
was sure it was the dream. Mother. That's John, she said.
Mother cried, Michael. He knew her. Now, that's Michael, she said,

(18:54):
And she stretched out her arms for the three little,
selfish children. They would never envelope again. Yes they did.
They went round Wendy and John and Michael, who had
slipped out of bed and run to her. George, George.
She cried when she could speak, and mister Darling woke
to share her bliss, and Nana came rushing in. There

(19:17):
could not have been a lovelier sight, But there was
none to see it except a little boy who was
staring in at the window. He had had ecstasies innumerable
that other children can never know, But he was looking
through the window at the one joy from which he
must be forever barred. End of Chapter sixteen.