dow, meaning "He is sure to come back for it; let us
put it where he can get it easily without disturbing
the children."

But unfortunately Mrs. Darling could not leave it
hanging out at the window, it looked so like the
washing and lowered the whole tone of the house.
She thought of showing it to Mr. Darling, but he
was totting up winter great-coats for John and Mi-
chael, with a wet towel round his head to keep his
brain clear, and it seemed a shame to trouble him;
besides, she knew exactly what he would say: "It all
comes of having a dog for a nurse."

She decided to roll the shadow up and put it away
carefully in a drawer, until a fitting opportunity came
for telling her husband. Ah me!

The opportunity came a week later, on that never.
to-be-forgotten Friday. Of course it was a Friday.

"I ought to have been specially careful on a Fri-
day," she used to say afterwards to her husband,
while perhaps Nana was on the other side of her,
holding her hand.

"No, no," Mr. Darling always said, "I am respon-
sible for it all. I, George Darling, did it. Mea culpa,
mea culpa." He had had a classical education.

They sat thus night after night recalling that fatal
Friday, till every detail of it was stamped on their
brains and came through on the other side like the
faces on a bad coinage.

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