he had not been discovered; he was close to the top of them and had not
been discovered; he was just about to climb over when he heard a cry
that rang in his ears long after, a sharp, piercing cry, and turning he
saw his great-grandmother in her cloak and hood standing in the entrance
of the alcove, and reaching out her hands as if she wanted to come and
meet him, but could not stir.

"Peter! Peter! Peter!" she cried, and her voice seemed to echo all over
the place.

Peter tumbled over the gate as fast as he possibly could; and as she
still cried, he ran to her at the top of his speed.

All in a moment she seemed to become quite still, and though she
trembled as she seized him, she did not scold him at all; while he
mumbled out, "I only just went down for a very little while. I only
wanted just to look for my top; I didn't take any of the nests," he
continued, mentioning the most valuable things he had been amongst,
according to his own opinion.

His grandmother had let go his hand and raised herself upright; her eyes
were on the bit of gold band. "What's that?" she said faintly.

"It's nothing particular," said Peter, unwinding it slowly from his
hand, and humbly giving it up. "It's nothing but a little sort of a gold
band and an ornament that I found stuck in a tree." Then Peter,
observing by her silence how high his misdemeanour had been, began to
sob a little, and then to make a few excuses, and then to say he hoped
his grandmother would forgive him.