Wendy thought Napoleon could have got it , but I can picture him trying , and then going off in a passion , slamming the door . Mr. Darling used to boast to Wendy that her mother not only loved him but respected him . He was one of those deep ones who know about stocks and shares . Of course no one really knows , but he quite seemed to know , and he often said stocks were up and shares were down in a way that would have made any woman respect him . Mrs. Darling was married in white , and at first she kept the books perfectly , almost gleefully , as if it were a game , not so much as a brussels sprout was missing ; but by and by whole cauliflowers dropped out , and instead of them there were pictures of babies without faces . She drew them when she should have been totting up . They were Mrs. Darling 's guesses . Wendy came first , then John , then Michael . For a week or two after Wendy came it was doubtful whether they would be able to keep her , as she was another mouth to feed . Mr. Darling was frightfully proud of her , but he was very honourable , and he sat on the edge of Mrs. Darling 's bed , holding her hand and calculating expenses , while she looked at him imploringly . She wanted to risk it , come what might , but that was not his way ; his way was with a pencil and a piece of paper , and if she confused him with suggestions he had to begin at the beginning again . ` Now do n't interrupt , ' he would beg of her . ' I have one pound seventeen here , and two and six at the office ; I can cut off my coffee at the office , say ten shillings , making two nine and six , with your eighteen and three makes three nine seven , with five naught naught in my cheque-book makes eight nine seven , -- who is that moving ? -- eight nine seven , dot and carry seven -- do n't speak , my own -- and the pound you lent to that man who came to the door -- quiet , child -- dot and carry child -- there , you 've done it ! -- did I say nine nine seven ? yes , I said nine nine seven ; the question is , can we try it for a year on nine nine seven ? ' ` Of course we can , George , ' she cried . But she was prejudiced in Wendy 's favour , and he was really the grander character of the two . ` Remember mumps , ' he warned her almost threateningly , and off he went again . ` Mumps one pound , that is what I have put down , but I daresay it will be more like thirty shillings -- do n't speak -- measles one five , German measles half a guinea , makes two fifteen six -- do n't waggle your finger -- whooping-cough , say fifteen shillings ' -- and so on it went , and it added up differently each time ; but at last Wendy just got through , with mumps reduced to twelve six , and the two kinds of measles treated as one .
There was the same excitement over John , and XXXXX had even a narrower squeak ; but both were kept , and soon you might have seen the three of them going in a row to Miss Fulsom 's Kindergarten school , accompanied by their nurse .
Darling George German John Michael Wendy cheque-book mumps pound week