The last sound Peter heard before he was quite alone were themermaids retiring one by one to their bedchambers under the sea. He was too far away to hear their doors shut; but every door inthe coral caves where they live rings a tiny bell when it opensor closes (as in all the nicest houses on the mainland), and heheard the bells.

Steadily the waters rose till they were nibbling at his feet; and to pass the time until they made their final gulp, he watchedthe only thing on the lagoon. He thought it was a piece offloating paper, perhaps part of the kite, and wondered idly howlong it would take to drift ashore.

Presently he noticed as an odd thing that it was undoubtedlyout upon the lagoon with some definite purpose, for it wasfighting the tide, and sometimes winning; and when it won, Peter,always sympathetic to the weaker side, could not help clapping;it was such a gallant piece of paper.

It was not really a piece of paper; it was the Never bird,making desperate efforts to reach Peter on the nest. By workingher wings, in a way she had learned since the nest fell into thewater, she was able to some extent to guide her strange craft,but by the time Peter recognised her she was very exhausted. Shehad come to save him, to give him her nest, though there wereeggs in it. I rather wonder at the bird, for though he had beennice to her, he had also sometimes tormented her. I can supposeonly that, like Mrs. Darling and the rest of them, she was meltedbecause he had all his first teeth.

She called out to him what she had come for, and he called outto her what she was doing there; but of course neither of themunderstood the other's language. In fanciful stories people cantalk to the birds freely, and I wish for the moment I couldpretend that this were such a story, and say that Peter repliedintelligently to the Never bird; but truth is best, and I want totell you only what really happened. Well, not only could theynot understand each other, but they forgot their manners.

"I -- want -- you -- to -- get -- into -- the -- nest," thebird called, speaking as slowly and distinctly as possible, "and-- then -- you -- can -- drift -- ashore, but -- I -- am -- too -- tired -- to -- bring -- it -- any -- nearer -- so -- you --must -- try -- to -- swim -- to -- it."

"What are you quacking about?" Peter answered. "Why don't youlet the nest drift as usual?"

"I -- want -- you -- " the bird said, and repeated it all over.

Then Peter tried slow and distinct.

"What -- are -- you -- quacking -- about?" and so on.

The Never bird became irritated; they have very short tempers.

"You dunderheaded little jay," she screamed, "Why don't you doas I tell you?"

Peter felt that she was calling him names, and at a venture heretorted hotly:

"So are you!"

Then rather curiously they both snapped out the same remark:

"Shut up!"

"Shut up!"

Nevertheless the bird was determined to save him if she could,and by one last mighty effort she propelled the nest against therock. Then up she flew; deserting her eggs, so as to make hermeaning clear.

Then at last he understood, and clutched the nest and wavedhis thanks to the bird as she fluttered overhead. It was not toreceive his thanks, however, that she hung there in the sky; itwas not even to watch him get into the nest; it was to see whathe did with her eggs.

There were two large white eggs, and Peter lifted them up andreflected. The bird covered her face with her wings, so as notto see the last of them; but she could not help peeping betweenthe feathers.

I forget whether I have told you that there was a stave on therock, driven into it by some buccaneers of long ago to mark thesite of buried treasure. The children had discovered theglittering hoard, and when in a mischievous mood used to flingshowers of moidores, diamonds, pearls and pieces of eight to thegulls, who pounced upon them for food, and then flew away, ragingat the scurvy trick that had been played upon them. The stavewas still there, and on it Starkey had hung his hat, a deeptarpaulin, watertight, with a broad brim. Peter put the eggsinto this hat and set it on the lagoon. It floated beautifully.

The Never bird saw at once what he was up to, and screamed heradmiration of him; and, alas, Peter crowed his agreement withher. Then he got into the nest, reared the stave in it as amast, and hung up his shirt for a sail. At the same moment thebird fluttered down upon the hat and once more sat snugly on hereggs. She drifted in one direction, and he was borne off inanother, both cheering.

Of course when Peter landed he beached his barque [small ship, actually the Never Bird's nest in this particular case in point] in a place where the bird would easily find it; but the hat wassuch a great success that she abandoned the nest. It drifted abouttill it went to pieces, and often Starkey came to the shore of thelagoon, and with many bitter feelings watched the bird sittingon his hat. As we shall not see her again, it may be worthmentioning here that all Never birds now build in that shape ofnest, with a broad brim on which the youngsters take an airing.

Great were the rejoicings when Peter reached the home under theground almost as soon as Wendy, who had been carried hither andthither by the kite. Every boy had adventures to tell; butperhaps the biggest adventure of all was that they were severalhours late for bed. This so inflated them that they did variousdodgy things to get staying up still longer, such as demandingbandages; but Wendy, though glorying in having them all homeagain safe and sound, was scandalised by the lateness of thehour, and cried, "To bed, to bed," in a voice that had to beobeyed. Next day, however, she was awfully tender, and gave outbandages to every one, and they played till bed-time at limpingabout and carrying their arms in slings.