e played her a lovely kiss on his pipe, and
then he flew back to the Gardens.

Many nights and even months passed before he asked the fairies for his
second wish; and I am not sure that I quite know why he delayed so long.
One reason was that he had so many good-byes to say, not only to his
particular friends, but to a hundred favourite spots. Then he had his
last sail, and his very last sail, and his last sail of all, and so on.
Again, a number of farewell feasts were given in his honour; and another
comfortable reason was that, after all, there was no hurry, for his
mother would never weary of waiting for him. This last reason displeased
old Solomon, for it was an encouragement to the birds to procrastinate.
Solomon had several excellent mottoes for keeping them at their work,
such as "Never put off laying to-day, because you can lay to-morrow,"
and "In this world there are no second chances," and yet here was Peter
gaily putting off and none the worse for it. The birds pointed this out
to each other, and fell into lazy habits.

But, mind you, though Peter was so slow in going back to his mother,
he was quite decided to go back. The best proof of this was his caution
with the fairies. They were most anxious that he should remain in the
Gardens to play to them, and to bring this to pass they tried to trick
him into making such a remark as "I wish the grass was not so wet," and
some of them danced out of time in the hope that he might cry, "I do
wish you would keep time!" Then they would have said that this was his
second wish. But he smoked their design, and though on occasions he
began, "I wish--" he always stopped in time. So when at last he said
to them bravely, "I wish now to go back to mother for ever and always,"
they had to tickle his shoulders and let him go.

He went in a hurry in the end because he had dreamt that his mother was
crying, and he knew what was the great thing she cried for, and that a
hug from her splendid Peter would quickly make her to smile. Oh, he felt
sure of it, and so eager was he to be nestling in her arms that this
time he flew straight to the window, which was always to be open for
him.

But the window was closed, and there were iron bars on it, and peering
inside he saw his mother sleeping peacefully with her arm round another
little boy.

Peter called, "Mother! mother!" but she heard him not; in vain he beat
his little limbs against the iron bars. He had to fly back, sobbing, to