They tried to dissuade him , and even put obstacles in the way . `` I can give you the power to fly to her house , '' the Queen said , `` but I ca n't open the door for you . '' `` The window I flew out at will be open , '' Peter said confidently . `` Mother always keeps it open in the hope that I may fly back . `` How do you know ? '' they asked , quite surprised , and , really , Peter could not explain how he knew . `` I just do know , '' he said . So as he persisted in his wish , they had to grant it . The way they gave him power to fly was this : They all tickled him on the shoulder , and soon he felt a funny itching in that part and then up he rose higher and higher and flew away out of the Gardens and over the house-tops . It was so delicious that instead of flying straight to his old home he skimmed away over St. Paul 's to the Crystal Palace and back by the river and Regent 's Park , and by the time he reached his mother 's window he had quite made up his mind that his second wish should be to become a bird . The window was wide open , just as he knew it would be , and in he fluttered , and there was his mother lying asleep . Peter alighted softly on the wooden rail at the foot of the bed and had a good look at her . She lay with her head on her hand , and the hollow in the pillow was like a nest lined with her brown wavy hair . He remembered , though he had long forgotten it , that she always gave her hair a holiday at night . How sweet the frills of her night-gown were . He was very glad she was such a pretty mother . But she looked sad , and he knew why she looked sad . One of her arms moved as if it wanted to go round something , and he knew what it wanted to go round . `` Oh , mother , '' said Peter to himself , `` if you just knew who is sitting on the rail at the foot of the bed . '' Very gently he patted the little mound that her feet made , and he could see by her face that she liked it .
He knew he had but to say `` XXXXX '' ever so softly , and she would wake up .
Gardens Mother Palace Paul Peter Queen Regent house-tops night second