I + 

There were only three people of real importance in VernonтАЩs world: Nurse, God and Mr.┬аGreen. + 

There were, of course, the nursemaids. Winnie, the present one, and behind her Jane and Annie and Sarah and Gladys. Those were all the ones that Vernon could remember, but there were lots more. Nursery maids never stayed long because they couldnтАЩt get on with Nurse. They hardly counted in VernonтАЩs world. + 

There was also a kind of twin deity called Mummy-Daddy mentioned by Vernon in his prayers and also connected with going down to dessert. They were shadowy figures, rather beautiful and wonderfulтБатАФespecially MummyтБатАФbut they again did not belong to the real worldтБатАФVernonтАЩs world. + 

The things in VernonтАЩs world were very real indeed. There was the drugget on the nursery floor, for instance. It was of green and white stripes and rather scrubbly to bare knees and in one corner of it was a hole which Vernon used surreptitiously to make bigger by working his fingers round in it. There were the nursery walls where mauve irises twined themselves interminably upwards round a pattern that was sometimes diamonds and sometimes, if you looked at it long enough, crosses. That seemed very interesting to Vernon and rather magical. + 

There was a rocking horse against one wall, but Vernon seldom rode on it. There was a basket-work engine and some basket-work trucks which he played with a good deal. There was a low cupboard full of more or less dilapidated toys. On an upper shelf were the more delectable contents that you played with on a wet day or when Nurse was in an unusually good temper. The Paint Box was there and the Real Camel Hair Brushes and a heap of illustrated papers for Cutting Out. In fact, all the things that Nurse said were тАЬthat messy she couldnтАЩt abear them about.тАЭ In other words, the best things. + 

And in the centre of this realistic nursery universe, dominating everything, was Nurse herself. Person No.┬а1 of VernonтАЩs Trinity. Very big and broad, very starched and crackling. Omniscient and omnipotent. You couldnтАЩt get the better of Nurse. She knew better than little boys. She frequently said so. Her whole lifetime had been spent looking after little boys (and incidentally little girls too, but Vernon was not interested in them) and one and all they had grown up to be a Credit to her. She said so and Vernon believed her. He had no doubt that he also would grow up to be a Credit to her, though sometimes it didnтАЩt seem likely. There was something awe-inspiring about Nurse, but at the same time infinitely comfortable. She knew the answer to everything. For instance, Vernon propounded the riddle about the diamonds and the crosses on the wallpaper. + 

тАЬAh! well,тАЭ said Nurse, тАЬthereтАЩs two ways of looking at everything. You must have heard that.тАЭ + 

And as Vernon had heard her say much the same to Winnie one day, he was soothed and satisfied. On the occasion in question, Nurse had gone on to say that there were always two sides to a question and in future Vernon always visualized a question as something like a letter A with crosses creeping up one side of it and diamonds going down the other. + 

After Nurse there was God. God was also very real to Vernon mainly because he bulked so largely in NurseтАЩs conversation. Nurse knew most things that you did, but God knew everything, and God was, if anything, more particular than Nurse. You couldnтАЩt see God, which, Vernon always felt, gave him rather an unfair advantage over you, because he could see you. Even in the dark, he could see you. Sometimes when Vernon was in bed at night, the thought of God looking down at him through the darkness used to give him a creepy feeling down the spine. + 

But on the whole, God was an intangible person compared with Nurse. You could conveniently forget about him most of the time. That was, until Nurse lugged him deliberately into the conversation. + 

Once Vernon essayed revolt. + 

тАЬNurse, do you know what I shall do when IтАЩm dead?тАЭ + 

Nurse, who was knitting stockings, said: тАЬOne, two, three, four, there now, IтАЩve dropped a stitch. No, Master Vernon, IтАЩm sure I donтАЩt.тАЭ + 

тАЬI shall go to HeavenтБатАФI shall go to HeavenтБатАФand I shall go right up to GodтБатАФright up to him I shall go, and I shall say: тАШYouтАЩre an тАЩorrible man and I тАЩate you!тАЩтАКтАЭ + 

Silence. It was done. He had said it. Unbelievable, unparalleled audacity! What would happen? What awful punishment terrestrial or celestial would descend upon him? He waitedтБатАФbreathless. + 

Nurse had picked up the stitch. She looked at Vernon over the top of her spectacles. She was sereneтБатАФunruffled. + 

тАЬItтАЩs not likely,тАЭ she remarked, тАЬthat the Almighty will take any notice of what a naughty little boy says. Winnie, give me those scissors, if you please.тАЭ + 

Vernon retired crestfallen. It was no good. You couldnтАЩt down Nurse. He might have known. + 