MR. DARLING

(offstage)

Mother! Mother!

(MR. DARLING arrives in evening dress, without his coat, carrying a white tie.)

MRS. DARLING

What is the matter, George dear?

MR. DARLING

Matter? This tie, it will not tie. Not round my neck. Round the bedpost, oh yes – but round my neck, oh dear no.

(NANA pushes JOHN toward the door.)

JOHN

I won’t take a bath! Nana, I won’t take a bath!

MR. DARLING

Go and be bathed at once, sir.

(With bent head JOHN follows NANA offstage. On the way, NANA collides with MR. DARLING’s trousers.)

Oh, Mother, look here! Hair all over my trousers!!

(to NANA)

Clumsy! Clumsy!


MRS. DARLING

I’ll brush you off, Father dear.

MR. DARLING

Thank you. You know, Mother, sometimes I think it’s a mistake to have a dog for a nurse.

MRS. DARLING

George, we must keep Nana. I will tell you why. My dear, when I came into this room tonight I saw a face at the window.

MR. DARLING

A face at the window, two floors up?

MRS. DARLING

It was the face of a little boy; he was trying to get in.

MR. DARLING

Impossible.

MRS. DARLING

But wait— The boy was not quite alone. He was accompanied by – I don’t know how to describe it – by a ball of light that darted about the room like a living thing!

MR. DARLING

That is very unusual!


MRS. DARLING

George, what can all this mean?