An Afterthought: When Wendy Grew Up

A Gift to Miss Hilda Trevelyan, his ‘Incomparable Wendy.’

Duke of York’s Theatre, London, on 22 Feb 1908.

Published by Nelson 1957. Written by J.M. Barrie.

PETER: Will you be my mother?

JANE: Oh, yes. [Simply]

[She gets out of bed and stands beside him, arms around him in a child’s conception of a mother – PETER very happy. The lamp flickers and goes out as night-light did.]

PETER: I hear Wendy-Hide!

[They hide. Then PETER is seen teaching JANE to fly. They very gay. WENDY enters and stands right, taking in situation and much more. They don’t see her.]

JANE [flying]: Oh! Lucky Me!

PETER: And you’ll come with me?

JANE: If Mummy says I may.

WENDY: Oh!

JANE: May I, Mummy?

WENDY: May I come too?

PETER: You can’t fly.

JANE: It’s just for a week.

PETER: And I do so need a mother.

WENDY [nobly yielding]: Yes my love, you may go.

[Kisses and squeals with rapture, WENDY puts slippers and cloak on JANE and suddenly PETER and JANE can fly out hand in hand right into the night,

WENDY waving to them- NANA wakens, rises, is weak on legs, barks feebly—WENDY comes and get on her knees beside NANA]

WENDY: Don’t be anxious Nana. This is how I planned it if he ever came back. Every Spring Cleaning, except when he forgets, I’ll let Jane fly away with

him to darling Never Never Land, and when she grows up I will hope she will have a little daughter, who will fly away with him in turn-and in this way may

I go on forever and ever, dear Nana, so long as children young an Innocent.

[Gradual darkness-then two little lights seen moving slowly through the heavens.]

CURTAIN

Oxford College, England