Childhood is not from birth to a certain age and at a certain age545Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQMkKwmkFHF
The child is grown, and puts away childish things.545Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZzm4Ba34nP
Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies.
Nobody that matters, that is. Distant relatives of course545Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoJsyFOM2aJ
Die, whom one never has seen or has seen for an hour,545Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbB1fmUtmRF
And they gave one candy in a pink-and-green stripéd bag, or a jack-knife,545Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXf1Rbp9ukU
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,545Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN6tzk7d5jP
And their reticent fur is suddenly all in motion545Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlR8e3yyoGl
With fleas that one never knew were there,545Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7sFGjlS53b
Polished and brown, knowing all there is to know,545Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG5Vt8Zo8t9
Trekking off into the living world.545Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA5EcMejvzs
You fetch a shoe-box, but it's much too small, because she won't curl up now:545Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMKDUjE9QW8
So you find a bigger box, and bury her in the yard, and weep.545Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ZyPB0okWr
But you do not wake up a month from then, two months545Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOfCaFDIlYo
A year from then, two years, in the middle of the night545Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwFWqyH31Yn
And weep, with your knuckles in your mouth, and say Oh, God! Oh, God!545Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlbi3G8Xzgt
Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies that matters,545Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8NFBIwLAUL
—mothers and fathers don't die.
And if you have said, "For heaven's sake, must you always be kissing a person?"545Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPcZIRcVnfN
Or, "I do wish to gracious you'd stop tapping on the window with your thimble!"545Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9KvzjVXml6
Tomorrow, or even the day after tomorrow if you're busy having fun,545Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJOAXTTPevo
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,545Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHXW8K6zHBy
who neither listen nor speak;545Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4yMmHnqT8B
Who do not drink their tea, though they always said545Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk8KLdXb06m
Tea was such a comfort.
Run down into the cellar and bring up the last jar of raspberries;545Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbVQKNfArt3
they are not tempted.545Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN50AKGuibR
Flatter them, ask them what was it they said exactly545Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGHqY2e87Ku
That time, to the bishop, or to the overseer, or to Mrs. Mason;545Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKO2SNdiAve
They are not taken in.545Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzfoD00HV5u
Shout at them, get red in the face, rise,545Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡClBpKZmZCA
Drag them up out of their chairs by their stiff shoulders and shake545Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb257N4DoEb
them and yell at them;545Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9BXUWVppT1
They are not startled, they are not even embarrassed; they slide545Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv78IykVnf4
back into their chairs.
Your tea is cold now.545Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZtxfvujoH1
You drink it standing up,545Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ffMMgFpSd
And leave the house.
