Yet a nameless fear clutched at her heart and made her cry , ` Oh , how I wish that I was n't going to a party to-night ! ' Even Michael , already half asleep , knew that she was perturbed , and he asked , ` Can anything harm us , mother , after the night-lights are lit ? ' ` Nothing , precious , ' she said ; ` they are the eyes a mother leaves behind her to guard her children . ' She went from bed to bed singing enchantments over them , and little Michael flung his arms round her . ` Mother , ' he cried , ` I 'm glad of you . ' They were the last words she was to hear from him for a long time . -LSB- Illustration : PETER FLEW IN -RSB- No. 27 was only a few yards distant , but there had been a slight fall of snow , and Father and Mother Darling picked their way over it deftly not to soil their shoes . They were already the only persons in the street , and all the stars were watching them . Stars are beautiful , but they may not take an active part in anything , they must just look on for ever . It is a punishment put on them for something they did so long ago that no star now knows what it was . So the older ones have become glassy-eyed and seldom speak -LRB- winking is the star language -RRB- , but the little ones still wonder . They are not really friendly to Peter , who has a mischievous way of stealing up behind them and trying to blow them out ; but they are so fond of fun that they were on his side to-night , and anxious to get the grown-ups out of the way . So as soon as the door of 27 closed on Mr. and Mrs. Darling there was a commotion in the firmament , and the smallest of all the stars in the Milky Way screamed out : ` Now , Peter ! ' CHAPTER III COME AWAY , COME AWAY ! For a moment after Mr. and Mrs. Darling left the house the night-lights by the beds of the three children continued to burn clearly . They were awfully nice little night-lights , and one can not help wishing that they could have kept awake to see Peter ; but Wendy 's light blinked and gave such a yawn that the other two yawned also , and before they could close their mouths all the three went out . There was another light in the room now , a thousand times brighter than the night-lights , and in the time we have taken to say this , it has been in all the drawers in the nursery , looking for Peter 's shadow , rummaged the wardrobe and turned every pocket inside out . It was not really a light ; it made this light by flashing about so quickly , but when it came to rest for a second you saw it was a fairy , no longer than your hand , but still growing . It was a girl called Tinker Bell exquisitely gowned in a skeleton leaf , cut low and square , through which her figure could be seen to the best advantage . She was slightly inclined to embonpoint .
A moment after the fairy 's entrance the window was blown open by the breathing of the little stars , and XXXXX dropped in .
CHAPTER Father Mother Peter Wendy embonpoint firmament second stealing to-night