Питер Пэн в Кенсингтонском Саду
Lock-Out Time
Youhaveprobablyobservedthatyourbaby-sisterwantstodoallsortsofthingsthatyourmotherandhernursewanthernottodo—tostandupatsitting-downtime,andtositdownatstand-uptime,forinstance,ortowakeupwhensheshouldfallasleep,ortocrawlonthefloorwhensheiswearingherbestfrock,andsoon,andperhapsyouputthisdowntonaughtiness.Butitisnot;itsimplymeansthatsheisdoingasshehasseenthefairiesdo;shebeginsbyfollowingtheirways,andittakesabouttwoyearstogetherintothehumanways.Herfitsofpassion,whichareawfultobehold,andareusuallycalledteething,arenosuchthing;theyarehernaturalexasperation,becausewedon’tunderstandher,thoughsheistalkinganintelligiblelanguage.Sheistalkingfairy.Thereasonmothersandnursesknowwhatherremarksmean,beforeotherpeopleknow,asthat’Guch’means’Giveittomeatonce,’while’Wa’is’Whydoyouwearsuchafunnyhat?’isbecause,mixingsomuchwithbabies,theyhavepickedupalittleofthefairylanguage.
OflateDavidhasbeenthinkingbackhardaboutthefairytongue,withhishandsclutchinghistemples,andhehasrememberedanumberoftheirphraseswhichIshalltellyousomedayifIdon’tforget.Hehadheardtheminthedayswhenhewasathrush,andthoughIsuggestedtohimthatperhapsitisreallybirdlanguageheisremembering,hesaysnot,forthesephrasesareaboutfunandadventures,andthebirdstalkedofnothingbutnest-building.Hedistinctlyremembersthatthebirdsusedtogofromspottospotlikeladiesatshopwindows,lookingatthedifferentnestsandsaying,’Notmycolour,mydear,’and’Howwouldthatdowithasoftlining?’and’Butwillitwear?’and’Whathideoustrimming!’andsoon.
Thefairiesareexquisitedancers,andthatiswhyoneofthefirstthingsthebabydoesistosigntoyoutodancetohimandthentocrywhenyoudoit.
