Childhood is not from birth to a certain age and at a certain age468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6sNNkUfFHD
The child is grown, and puts away childish things.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfyRooVuYEU
Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies.
Nobody that matters, that is. Distant relatives of course468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDuQsQWi9Gz
Die, whom one never has seen or has seen for an hour,468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKAoCa5yIgh
And they gave one candy in a pink-and-green stripéd bag, or a jack-knife,468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9H6aSaRJl2
And went away, and cannot really be said to have lived at all.
And cats die. They lie on the floor and lash their tails,468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNu0egc2bEp
And their reticent fur is suddenly all in motion468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3HOC0crLOB
With fleas that one never knew were there,468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ04L92hXGL
Polished and brown, knowing all there is to know,468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF2iWHUb22m
Trekking off into the living world.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPlKIEgQcr1
You fetch a shoe-box, but it's much too small, because she won't curl up now:468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHMxKeM2CmL
So you find a bigger box, and bury her in the yard, and weep.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcovzbnAZxY
But you do not wake up a month from then, two months468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDozYzLpdfq
A year from then, two years, in the middle of the night468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr3G87ZYiyS
And weep, with your knuckles in your mouth, and say Oh, God! Oh, God!468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw1sruExn5C
Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies that matters,468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQnMLb7w2og
—mothers and fathers don't die.
And if you have said, "For heaven's sake, must you always be kissing a person?"468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN4vCbtNX6M
Or, "I do wish to gracious you'd stop tapping on the window with your thimble!"468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfXUoTt6cer
Tomorrow, or even the day after tomorrow if you're busy having fun,468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPPymVGR0wR
Is plenty of time to say, "I'm sorry, mother."
To be grown up is to sit at the table with people who have died,468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeshvr5jLQY
who neither listen nor speak;468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdWzdC2cK61
Who do not drink their tea, though they always said468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBxwXxqb03t
Tea was such a comfort.
Run down into the cellar and bring up the last jar of raspberries;468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAus52GXe3A
they are not tempted.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwP0UZNqlNd
Flatter them, ask them what was it they said exactly468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpW9pDT8tRS
That time, to the bishop, or to the overseer, or to Mrs. Mason;468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX32WdnDlIr
They are not taken in.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsiklbWUUgH
Shout at them, get red in the face, rise,468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT3Th9G5Ilr
Drag them up out of their chairs by their stiff shoulders and shake468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3aKVoIhmsk
them and yell at them;468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrwpidFBA9E
They are not startled, they are not even embarrassed; they slide468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqDgfZNxvUO
back into their chairs.
Your tea is cold now.468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2uFiRC9Djs
You drink it standing up,468Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBeHdQgCpTi
And leave the house.
