“Certainly!” said Peter Pan. “All he has to do is to be good; but he won’t be! He’s just naturally wicked. He’d murder fairies if he could, and he’d steal all the stories in the world, and he’d feed children on charcoal and castor oil--he told me so once. It was after I caught him trying to steal my shadow.”
“He must have a wicked heart!” said Mary Frances.
“Once I asked him why he was so bad,” Peter told her “and what do you think he said?”
“He said it was because his mother never kissed him.”
“His mother never kissed him!” exclaimed Mary Frances. “Why, what a queer kind of mother! Now my mother----”
Suddenly she felt very homesick. Tears sprang to her eyes. “Why, Peter!” she cried wistfully. “Why, Peter! It must be over a year since my mother kissed me! Shall I turn wicked, too? Oh, I wish I could see her--my own dear mother!”
As she finished speaking, a beautiful little sail-boat appeared before them. It was smaller than The Good Ferry.
“Step aboard, then,” said Peter Pan, rising and leading her toward the boat. “This is a fairy boat. You will be home in an hour. Sit in the stern. Take the tiller in your hand. Hold it steady, and wish out loud where you want to go.”
“Oh, but I haven’t thanked the Story People for my wonderful, wonderful time!” she exclaimed. “I wish I could thank them!”
Even as she spoke, every door and window of the castle opened and the Story People appeared.
“Thank you all! Thank you forever--and--ever! Thank you for all the girls and boys in the world!” cried Mary Frances.
“Have you your stories?” called the Story King.
“Yes, I have them here!” said Mary Frances, holding up her story satchel.
“When you want more, come again, dear child,” called the Story Queen.
“Oh, yes, come again!” called all the Story People. “For we love you! The Story People love all children. Take our love to all you can, and good-by! Good-by! Good-by!”
“Good-by, dear, dear friends!” called Mary Frances, as the little boat sailed away. “Good-by, and thank you!”
She watched until the island was too far away for her to make out the forms of the people at the castle windows. Then she wished aloud, “Home! Take me to my mother and father and my brother, little fairy sail-boat!”
And the wind blew and filled the sails and the sun warmed and cheered her, and the waves danced about the boat, making little lapping sounds which were like music--and the next thing she knew she was running up the garden walk into her mother’s open arms.