Lords of the Nursery Their still watch keep.... They hear from the sheep-fold The rustle of sheep. A young bird twitters And hides its head; A little wind suddenly Breathes, and is dead. Slowly and slowly Dawns the new day.... What's become of John boy? No one can say. Some think that John boy Is lost on the hill; Some say he won't come back, Some say he will. _What's become of John boy? Nothing at all, He played with his skipping rope, He played with his ball. He ran after butterflies, Blue ones and red; He did a hundred happy things-- And then went to bed._ IN THE DARK I've had my supper, And _had_ my supper, And _HAD_ my supper and all; I've heard the story Of Cinderella, And how she went to the ball; I've cleaned my teeth, And I've said my prayers, And I've cleaned and said them right; And they've all of them been And kissed me lots, They've all of them said "Good-night." So--here I am in the dark alone, There's nobody here to see; I think to myself, I play to myself, And nobody knows what I say to myself; Here I am in the dark alone, What is it going to be? I can think whatever I like to think, I can play whatever I like to play, I can laugh whatever I like to laugh, There's nobody here but me. I'm talking to a rabbit ... I'm talking to the sun ... I think I am a hundred-- I'm one. I'm lying in a forest ... I'm lying in a cave ... I'm talking to a Dragon ... I'm BRAVE. I'm lying on my left side ... I'm lying on my right ... I'll play a lot to-morrow ... ....... I'll think a lot to-morrow ... ....... I'll laugh ... a lot ... to-morrow ... (_Heigh-ho!_) Good-night. THE END When I was One, I had just begun. When I was Two, I was nearly new. When I was Three, I was hardly Me. When I was Four, I was not much more. When I was Five, I was just alive. But now I am Six, I'm as clever as clever. So I think I'll be six now for ever and ever. * * * * * NEW UNIFORM EDITION These inimitable and imperishable Milne classics with the Shepard drawings are now available, _for the first time_, in a new edition, uniform with this volume. WHEN WE WERE VERY YOUNG The most popular book of child-verse of modern times. NOW WE ARE SIX A companion volume of verse to When We Were Very Young