永无鸟
彼得完全孤身一人之前听到的最后声响，是美人鱼们一个接一个退回海底的闺房。他离得太远，听不见她们关门的声响；但她们所居的珊瑚洞里，每一扇门开合时都会摇响一声小铃铛（就像大陆上所有最体面的宅邸那样），于是他听见了铃声。
潮水稳步上涨，直到漫上来轻咬他的脚；为了消磨时光，直等到海水做那最后一口吞没，他望着泻湖上唯一一样东西。他以为那是一张漂浮的纸，也许是风筝的碎片，便漫不经心地猜想着，它要漂到岸上得花多久。
不久他注意到一件怪事：那东西无疑是带着某种明确目的来到泻湖上的，因为它正与潮水相抗，有时竟占了上风；而每当它取胜，向来同情弱者的彼得忍不住拍手叫好——那真是一张勇武的纸。
那其实不是一张纸；那是永无鸟，正拼命挣扎着，要带着巢来靠近彼得。自巢落入水中后，她练就了一种扇翅的法子，多少能驾驭这古怪的筏子；可等到彼得认出她时，她已筋疲力尽。她是来救他的，要把自己的巢给他，虽则巢里还躺着蛋。我倒有些奇怪这鸟，因他虽待她不坏，却也时常捉弄她。我只能猜想，如同达林太太和他们其余人等，她心里软了，全因他一口乳牙俱全。
她冲他喊出此来的用意，他也冲她喊出她在此做甚；可自然，谁也听不懂对方的语言。在玄想的故事里，人能与鸟畅谈，我此刻倒愿假装这是个那样的故事，说彼得对永无鸟答得明明白白；但真相最好，我只想告诉你实发生的事。唉，他俩不仅互不相通，还忘了礼数。
“我——要——你——进——巢——里，”鸟喊道，说得极慢极清，“然后——你——能——漂——上岸，可——我——太——累——带——不——更——近——了——你——得——游——过——去。”
“你嘎嘎乱叫什么？”彼得答道，“干吗不叫巢像往常那样漂着？”
“我——要——你——”鸟说，又把一整套重复一遍。
于是彼得也慢而清楚地试：
“你——嘎——嘎——乱——叫——什——么？”如此这般。
永无鸟恼了；她们脾气向来短。
“你这蠢笨的小松鸦！”她尖叫，“干吗不照我说的做？”
彼得觉出她在骂他，便冒然火辣辣回敬：
“你也是！”
接着颇奇怪，俩人同时迸出同一句：
“闭嘴！”
“闭嘴！”
然而鸟决意能救他便救，凭最后一搏，将巢推抵岩石。随即她飞起；弃了蛋，好教他明白心意。
这下他终于懂了，抓紧巢，朝头顶翩飞的那鸟挥手致谢。可她悬在天上，不为受他谢；甚至不为看他进巢；是为瞧他拿她蛋怎办。
有两只白大蛋，彼得提起，凝神一想。鸟拿翅掩面，不忍看它们终局；却忍不住自羽隙偷窥。
我忘了对没说过，岩上有一根木桩，乃久前某海盗所钉，以标埋宝之地。孩子们寻得那闪光藏物，顽皮时便抓把莫伊多金币、钻石、珍珠、八里亚尔掷向海鸥，鸥们扑来当食，继而飞走，恼那耍弄的卑劣把戏。木桩还在，斯塔基曾把帽挂其上——一顶深帆布帽，防水，宽檐。彼得将蛋放进帽里，置于泻湖。漂得极妙。
永无鸟立看穿他心思，尖叫赞他；唉，彼得也啼鸣附和。随后他进巢，立桩为桅，挂衫为帆。同时鸟翩然落帽，复安稳卧蛋。她漂向一方，他驶向另一方，皆欢呼。
自然彼得登陆后，将筏搁于鸟易寻处；可帽大成功，她便弃了巢。巢漂至散架，斯塔基常来泻湖岸，满心苦涩，望鸟坐他帽上。因咱不再见她，不妨在此一提：今所有永无鸟皆筑此状巢，宽檐上雏鸟乘凉。
彼得几乎与温迪同时抵地下之家，温迪方才被风筝抛来掷去。众男孩皆有奇遇可讲；然或许最大奇遇，是迟寝数时。这教他们得意，使出诸般狡黠拖得更晚，如讨绷带；但温迪虽喜众人平安归，却为时晏大惊，喝“睡觉，睡觉”，声不可违。翌日她却极温柔，发绷带与人，他们整日扮跛行、臂悬带，玩到寝时。
THE NEVER BIRD
The last sound Peter heard before he was quite alone were the mermaids
retiring one by one to their bedchambers under the sea. He was too far
away to hear their doors shut; but every door in the coral caves where
they live rings a tiny bell when it opens or closes (as in all the
nicest houses on the mainland), and he heard 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 watched the only
thing on the lagoon. He thought it was a piece of floating paper,
perhaps part of the kite, and wondered idly how long it would take to
drift ashore.
Presently he noticed as an odd thing that it was undoubtedly out upon
the lagoon with some definite purpose, for it was fighting 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 working her wings, in
a way she had learned since the nest fell into the water, she was able
to some extent to guide her strange craft, but by the time Peter
recognised her she was very exhausted. She had come to save him, to
give him her nest, though there were eggs in it. I rather wonder at the
bird, for though he had been nice to her, he had also sometimes
tormented her. I can suppose only that, like Mrs. Darling and the rest
of them, she was melted because he had all his first teeth.
She called out to him what she had come for, and he called out to her
what she was doing there; but of course neither of them understood the
other’s language. In fanciful stories people can talk to the birds
freely, and I wish for the moment I could pretend that this were such a
story, and say that Peter replied intelligently to the Never bird; but
truth is best, and I want to tell you only what really happened. Well,
not only could they not understand each other, but they forgot their
manners.
“I—want—you—to—get—into—the—nest,” the bird 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 you let 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 do as I
tell you?”
Peter felt that she was calling him names, and at a venture he retorted
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 the rock. Then up
she flew; deserting her eggs, so as to make her meaning clear.
Then at last he understood, and clutched the nest and waved his thanks
to the bird as she fluttered overhead. It was not to receive his
thanks, however, that she hung there in the sky; it was not even to
watch him get into the nest; it was to see what he did with her eggs.
There were two large white eggs, and Peter lifted them up and
reflected. The bird covered her face with her wings, so as not to see
the last of them; but she could not help peeping between the feathers.
I forget whether I have told you that there was a stave on the rock,
driven into it by some buccaneers of long ago to mark the site of
buried treasure. The children had discovered the glittering hoard, and
when in a mischievous mood used to fling showers of moidores, diamonds,
pearls and pieces of eight to the gulls, who pounced upon them for
food, and then flew away, raging at the scurvy trick that had been
played upon them. The stave was still there, and on it Starkey had hung
his hat, a deep tarpaulin, watertight, with a broad brim. Peter put the
eggs into this hat and set it on the lagoon. It floated beautifully.
The Never bird saw at once what he was up to, and screamed her
admiration of him; and, alas, Peter crowed his agreement with her. Then
he got into the nest, reared the stave in it as a mast, and hung up his
shirt for a sail. At the same moment the bird fluttered down upon the
hat and once more sat snugly on her eggs. She drifted in one direction,
and he was borne off in another, both cheering.
Of course when Peter landed he beached his barque in a place where the
bird would easily find it; but the hat was such a great success that
she abandoned the nest. It drifted about till it went to pieces, and
often Starkey came to the shore of the lagoon, and with many bitter
feelings watched the bird sitting on his hat. As we shall not see her
again, it may be worth mentioning here that all Never birds now build
in that shape of nest, with a broad brim on which the youngsters take
an airing.
Great were the rejoicings when Peter reached the home under the ground
almost as soon as Wendy, who had been carried hither and thither by the
kite. Every boy had adventures to tell; but perhaps the biggest
adventure of all was that they were several hours late for bed. This so
inflated them that they did various dodgy things to get staying up
still longer, such as demanding bandages; but Wendy, though glorying in
having them all home again safe and sound, was scandalised by the
lateness of the hour, and cried, “To bed, to bed,” in a voice that had
to be obeyed. Next day, however, she was awfully tender, and gave out
bandages to every one, and they played till bed-time at limping about
and carrying their arms in slings.
