It reached the island at night : and the look-out brought it to Solomon Caw , who thought at first that it was the usual thing , a message from a lady , saying she would be obliged if he could let her have a good one . They always ask for the best one he has , and if he likes the letter he sends one from Class A , but if it ruffles him he sends very funny ones indeed . Sometimes he sends none at all , and at another time he sends a nestful ; it all depends on the mood you catch him in . He likes you to leave it all to him , and if you mention particularly that you hope he will see his way to making it a boy this time , he is almost sure to send another girl . And whether you are a lady or only a little boy who wants a baby-sister , always take pains to write your address clearly . You ca n't think what a lot of babies Solomon has sent to the wrong house . Shelley 's boat , when opened , completely puzzled Solomon , and he took counsel of his assistants , who having walked over it twice , first with their toes pointed out , and then with their toes pointed in , decided that it came from some greedy person who wanted five . They thought this because there was a large five printed on it . `` Preposterous ! '' cried Solomon in a rage , and he presented it to Peter ; anything useless which drifted upon the island was usually given to Peter as a play-thing . But he did not play with his precious bank-note , for he knew what it was at once , having been very observant during the week when he was an ordinary boy . With so much money , he reflected , he could surely at last contrive to reach the Gardens , and he considered all the possible ways , and decided -LRB- wisely , I think -RRB- to choose the best way . But , first , he had to tell the birds of the value of Shelley 's boat ; and though they were too honest to demand it back , he saw that they were galled , and they cast such black looks at Solomon , who was rather vain of his cleverness , that he flew away to the end of the island , and sat there very depressed with his head buried in his wings . Now Peter knew that unless Solomon was on your side , you never got anything done for you in the island , so he followed him and tried to hearten him . Nor was this all that Peter did to pin the powerful old fellow 's good will . You must know that Solomon had no intention of remaining in office all his life . He looked forward to retiring by-and-by , and devoting his green old age to a life of pleasure on a certain yew-stump in the Figs which had taken his fancy , and for years he had been quietly filling his stocking . It was a stocking belonging to some bathing person which had been cast upon the island , and at the time I speak of it contained a hundred and eighty crumbs , thirty-four nuts , sixteen crusts , a pen-wiper and a bootlace . When his stocking was full , Solomon calculated that he would be able to retire on a competency . Peter now gave him a pound .
He cut it off his XXXXX with a sharp stick .
Figs Peter Shelley baby-sister bank-note bootlace crusts first look-out yew-stump