'MY INFANCY' 



33 



Now I can begin to tell the story backwards way, 

 and then we are sure to get to the birthday at last, 

 and I shan't want any reminding. After they had 

 buried the dog which I had killed with my deadly 

 and poisonous teeth, they came to the holes which 

 we had made, and sent down the most awful smelly 

 smoke. It came crawling right along the passages, 

 and we could not endure it for a moment, and were 

 obliged to make a bolt for it. You see, it was not 

 anything that we could bite, so we were not so very 

 cowardly. I was very lucky. I wanted to run first, 

 as usual, but there were three other rats in the 

 way. And while they were smacking these three 

 with their horrid great sticks I got off safe, being 

 rather too quick for them ; and they had not brought 

 any dogs, for fear of our poisonous teeth. It does 

 not always pay to go first. ' Go in first, come out 

 last,' is my rule now. 



And so we come backwards way to my birthday 

 quite easily, and as that is the very beginning, I 

 cannot possibly get past it on to any other story. 

 I cannot think why we found it so difficult. I 

 must remember that way of remembering. It was 

 on February 14, and I told you that it was a good 

 day, because I got big and strong before the winter. 

 You see how easy it is to remember when one 



3 



