Childhood is not from birth to a certain age and at a certain age596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3YsbFjqfff
The child is grown, and puts away childish things.596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbJMyBDnDl2
Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies.
Nobody that matters, that is. Distant relatives of course596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡualAYIa2va
Die, whom one never has seen or has seen for an hour,596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvwzPxxanGv
And they gave one candy in a pink-and-green stripéd bag, or a jack-knife,596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM6wpOUA5Z4
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,596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmYPRjkvjun
And their reticent fur is suddenly all in motion596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9T4SzCbSUJ
With fleas that one never knew were there,596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbHGhbvIFbS
Polished and brown, knowing all there is to know,596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE7UlUyRskE
Trekking off into the living world.596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCoJySgPTkK
You fetch a shoe-box, but it's much too small, because she won't curl up now:596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaqS3r2AOXs
So you find a bigger box, and bury her in the yard, and weep.596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKTW20FQTCA
But you do not wake up a month from then, two months596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Is0gal2vE
A year from then, two years, in the middle of the night596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhzRR6TF6nK
And weep, with your knuckles in your mouth, and say Oh, God! Oh, God!596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpD7lwU2PhJ
Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies that matters,596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhnagvtK8yQ
—mothers and fathers don't die.
And if you have said, "For heaven's sake, must you always be kissing a person?"596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLrwxVXXAIv
Or, "I do wish to gracious you'd stop tapping on the window with your thimble!"596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOaHEyL1ElO
Tomorrow, or even the day after tomorrow if you're busy having fun,596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzyamDW9Fgx
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,596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1OTh0XzfBz
who neither listen nor speak;596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ95olTrbE6
Who do not drink their tea, though they always said596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjhTgwR96dt
Tea was such a comfort.
Run down into the cellar and bring up the last jar of raspberries;596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrVcKBTzovL
they are not tempted.596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4iTujVoXdZ
Flatter them, ask them what was it they said exactly596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ22G5AHOyCn
That time, to the bishop, or to the overseer, or to Mrs. Mason;596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMER3Qn57qr
They are not taken in.596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMLIku9RRwA
Shout at them, get red in the face, rise,596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP9aPCBze4m
Drag them up out of their chairs by their stiff shoulders and shake596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpAkCdrcU4r
them and yell at them;596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf10cWEpxYh
They are not startled, they are not even embarrassed; they slide596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfyDz9Yny8B
back into their chairs.
Your tea is cold now.596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHWEw51UYYn
You drink it standing up,596Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhGCa10dgxh
And leave the house.
