Childhood is not from birth to a certain age and at a certain age446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP9KvjmR7ll
The child is grown, and puts away childish things.446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdavJHoFR7l
Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies.
Nobody that matters, that is. Distant relatives of course446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCthxvQjXMx
Die, whom one never has seen or has seen for an hour,446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvLRs3RTPV1
And they gave one candy in a pink-and-green stripéd bag, or a jack-knife,446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡphiNe5O8TC
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,446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5M4AOEGw7t
And their reticent fur is suddenly all in motion446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRKEWBDk7aV
With fleas that one never knew were there,446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCV2TdybcIw
Polished and brown, knowing all there is to know,446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡURAsRFbEdc
Trekking off into the living world.446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvD4B5DT1rz
You fetch a shoe-box, but it's much too small, because she won't curl up now:446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡljxB6HzNLU
So you find a bigger box, and bury her in the yard, and weep.446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXcyHinwxRD
But you do not wake up a month from then, two months446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡarJOMmDYjQ
A year from then, two years, in the middle of the night446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo1KgE6ZjJq
And weep, with your knuckles in your mouth, and say Oh, God! Oh, God!446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCE19eDmawo
Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies that matters,446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAUf9lSJIs8
—mothers and fathers don't die.
And if you have said, "For heaven's sake, must you always be kissing a person?"446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkCzaWArRVd
Or, "I do wish to gracious you'd stop tapping on the window with your thimble!"446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOFVfB9m0bg
Tomorrow, or even the day after tomorrow if you're busy having fun,446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdai6vNAbKL
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,446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzTdxvztPSZ
who neither listen nor speak;446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP0TSZYAs23
Who do not drink their tea, though they always said446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrnILap54pE
Tea was such a comfort.
Run down into the cellar and bring up the last jar of raspberries;446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAiqvXKoVOX
they are not tempted.446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ZOPIX0EnN
Flatter them, ask them what was it they said exactly446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHHYOBeZ6ac
That time, to the bishop, or to the overseer, or to Mrs. Mason;446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNrgrS1iLfY
They are not taken in.446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5eeGGU417f
Shout at them, get red in the face, rise,446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG7yHjXo5mz
Drag them up out of their chairs by their stiff shoulders and shake446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuYedFEhBRS
them and yell at them;446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUO30recRkm
They are not startled, they are not even embarrassed; they slide446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjJd86auTtU
back into their chairs.
Your tea is cold now.446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbcoW5cJviK
You drink it standing up,446Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDC4zfgcyOr
And leave the house.
