A Gallery of Children/Chapter 12

by Alan Alexander Milne

CASTLES BY THE SEA

This is a story about Belinda, and, as it is the last, I think I shall tell it you in poetry. Belinda is the one in mauve, and I could have written much better poetry if she had been in brown or blue, but Mothers never think of things like this when they dress their children. However, she has a little red on her cap, which may be useful. We shall see.

First Verse

Belinda Brown was six or so,

Belinda had a grown-up spade,
Belinda Brown was six, and oh!
The castle that Belinda made!

That's the first verse; and now, if anybody asks you what her name was, you can answer at once "Belinda, because it says so in one of the lines."

Second Verse

Belinda Brown was six or so,

Although she looked a little more,
But she was only six, and oh!
The bonny cap Belinda wore!

Now you can tell everybody Belinda's age. Six. With a good poem like this one doesn't want to be in a hurry.

Third Verse

Belinda's cap was mauve and red—

A pity that it wasn't blue—
But it was red and mauve instead,
And very pretty colors, too.

I think I shall go straight on to the next verse without saying anything about that one.

Fourth Verse
(This is going to be a good one)

Belinda had a bathing-gown

Which had been brown a week before;
The envy of her native town
The bathing-gown Belinda wore!

I like that verse. Besides being good poetry, it explains everything. You see, Belinda's Aunt Rotunda had given her the beautiful cap, and when Belinda went to dig castles in the sand, she decided to wear the cap to keep the sun off her head, but to wear the bathing-dress, too, so as not to mind if she got wet, which was her own idea and none of the other children had thought of it. So her Mother said, "Then we'd better dye the dress mauve," to which her Father replied, "Wouldn't it be easier to dye the cap brown?" And Belinda's Mother said, "I think, dear, it might hurt Aunt Rotunda's feelings." So—

Belinda wore
Her bathing-gown
(A brilliant brown
The week before).
The local store
Had toned it down,
The bathing-gown
Belinda wore.

I think it looks nicer spread out like that. I will tell you a secret now. When people pay you to write poetry for them (as they often do), they pay you so much for every line you write, so sometimes you feel that a verse looks nice spread out, and sometimes the man who is paying you feels that it doesn't. It's just a matter of taste.

Fifth Verse
(I'm not counting the last one, because it's a different shape from the others)

Belinda Brown was not afraid,
(Belinda was as brave as three)
And in the castle she had made
She waited for the rising sea.
Belinda was as brave as 3,
Belinda was as brave as 8;
She waited calmly while the sea
Came in at a tremendous rate.

And now we are coming to the sad part of the story. There was Belinda, as you see her in the picture, not a bit afraid, and suddenly—

Seventh Verse

A monster wave came rolling on,

It washed Belinda's castle down,
And in a moment they were gone—
The castle and Belinda Brown.

But where was Belinda? That was what all the other children said. And when Mr. and Mrs. Brown came down to the beach they began saying it, too: "Where is Belinda?" Nobody knew. However, it was all right.

Eighth Verse

They found her later on the hill

A mile or so above the town,
A little out of breath, but still
Undoubtedly Belinda Brown.

You can imagine how excited they all were. All but Belinda. They came rushing up to her, saying, "Oh, Belinda, are you hurt?" and, "Are you sure you're all right, Belinda darling?" and some of the more polite ones, who had never seen her before, said, "I trust that you have not injured yourself in any way, Miss Brown?" And what did Belinda say?

Last Verse

Belinda tossed a scornful head—

Belinda was as brave as brave—
Belinda laughed at them and said,
"Oh, wasn't that a lovely wave?"