After that they laughed at Peter for being so fond of the kite ; he loved it so much that he even slept with one hand on it , and I think this was pathetic and pretty , for the reason he loved it was because it had belonged to a real boy . -LSB- Illustration : After this the birds said that they would help him no more in his mad enterprise -RSB- To the birds this was a very poor reason , but the older ones felt grateful to him at this time because he had nursed a number of fledglings through the German measles , and they offered to show him how birds fly a kite . So six of them took the end of the string in their beaks and flew away with it ; and to his amazement it flew after them and went even higher than they . Peter screamed out , ` Do it again ! ' and with great good-nature they did it several times , and always instead of thanking them he cried , ` Do it again ! ' which shows that even now he had not quite forgotten what it was to be a boy . At last , with a grand design burning within his brave heart , he begged them to do it once more with him clinging to the tail , and now a hundred flew off with the string , and Peter clung to the tail , meaning to drop off when he was over the Gardens . But the kite broke to pieces in the air , and he would have been drowned in the Serpentine had he not caught hold of two indignant swans and made them carry him to the island . After this the birds said that they would help him no more in his mad enterprise . Nevertheless , Peter did reach the Gardens at last by the help of Shelley 's boat , as I am now to tell you . -LSB- Illustration : Tailpiece to ` Peter Pan ' -RSB- -LSB- Illustration : Headpiece to ` The Thrush 's Nest ' -RSB- III THE THRUSH 'S NEST Shelley was a young gentleman and as grown-up as he need ever expect to be . He was a poet ; and they are never exactly grown-up . They are people who despise money except what you need for to-day , and he had all that and five pounds over . So , when he was walking in the Kensington Gardens , he made a paper boat of his bank-note , and sent it sailing on the Serpentine . 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 , XXXXX with their toes pointed out , and then with their toes pointed in , decided that it came from some greedy person who wanted five .
Caw Gardens German baby-sister bank-note beaks first look-out nestful pounds