the glade. The soldiers hustled the
object forward. It was Captain Mittens! Mittens despoiled of his
scarlet sash, his turban, his sword and pistols, even of his fierce
expression! Mittens, no longer a bold and bloody robber of the seas
but a humble repentant kitten who let himself be cuddled into Peter's
arms without so much as a single scratch.

Peter stroked the pirate--and the pirate purred!

"Now then, all ready? All aboard!" It was Sandy's voice who spoke and
Sandy's were the arms that lifted the children gently into the
enormous sack held open by Noddy and Blink, and placed them at the top
of the toboggan-slide--but they were feeling too curiously tired and
sleepy to understand exactly what was happening. Rudolf, still
clasping his tin sword--that invaluable weapon--pillowed his sleepy
head on the shoulder of the Generous Gardener. Ann rested comfortably
on the large lap of the Cook-who-liked-living-in-the-Country, and
Peter snuggled close beside her, holding Mittens tightly in his arms.

[Illustration: "Now then, all ready?"]

They thought the new non-fadable curtains were packed in somewhere,
they thought they saw the kindly face of old Sandy peeping into the
mouth of the sack at them while the whole troop of Good Dreams pushed
and crowded one another to peer at them over his shoulder. Among all
the familiar faces were some they had almost forgotten but were not
sorry to see again: the Lady Goose, waving her spoon; the Gentleman
Goose, and Squealer and Squawker, his two little duck apprentices; the
cheerful grinning countenances of Prowler and Growler, the mates, with
Toddles and Towser the common sea-cats. But at the last all grew dim,
faded, melted into mist until two figures only stood out clearly and
distinctly. One was the Corn-cob Queen smiling and waving her tiny
hand in loving farewell, the other that of a little boy in long
trousers and a frill collar, a merry-faced boy with a toy sword
buckled round his waist and a toy ship in his hand. Though they had
not seen him until now, the children recognized him at once. It was
the little boy Aunt Jane had told them of--the Little Boy who Went
Away to Sea. It was also the Commander-in-Chief of the tin soldiers,
whom the Queen had said they might be allowed to see, if they were
good.

Just then the children began to feel it impossible to keep their eyes
open any longer. They heard the voices of all their friends calling
"Good-by", but they could not answe