Dot: Lucy, darling---

Lucy: Yes, mother.

Dot: Haven't you any homework tonight?

Lucy: Sure I have.

Dot: Don't you think you better get it done before you go to bed?

Lucy: But mother, I am doing my homework.

Dot: Well, it doesn't look like homework to me.

Lucy: Oh, but it is. See? I'm cutting out golden keys. I've got most of them finished. And after I get them finished, I've got to make the golden ring.

Dot: Why are you making keys and a golden ring?

Lucy: It's my homework. [PAUSE] There---that's the last key I have to cut out. And now I'll cut out the ring. Just a minute, Mother, and I'll explain the whole thing to you.

Dot: All right, dear.

Lucy: Doesn't this look pretty, though? Look, Mother.

Dot: Where did you get the pattern for the keys, darling?

Lucy: Well, you see our teacher passed out the golden paper to us this morning, and then she passed out a big cardboard key, and told us to draw six keys on the paper.

Dot: Yes.

Lucy: And then she gave each one of us a cardboard ring, and we drew the cardboard ring on the golden paper. [PAUSE] There! The ring is finished. Now I'll show you how it works, Mother. The first key has printed on it---see---Good Morning. The second key has Good Night on it, and this one is Excuse Me---and then there's the Beg-Your-Pardon key and then there's one here---I Thank You, Sir, and the last one is If You Please. And look, Mother---on the golden ring it says Be Ye Kind.

Dot: This certainly is interesting, Lucy. But what does it all mean?

Lucy: Well, now look---

Dot: Yes.

Lucy: I'll make a slit in the golden ring like this---

Dot: Yes.

Lucy: Now I'll put the golden keys on the golden ring.

Dot: I see.

Lucy: Well, there's a poem that goes with them---now listen!

"A bunch of golden keys is mine
To make each day with gladness shine.
Good Morning---that's the Golden Key
That unlocks each new day for me."

Lucy: Then I take the Good Morning key off the golden ring.

"And when to rest, Good Night I say,
And close the door of each glad day."

And off comes the Good-Night key.

"When at the tablem If You Please,
I take from off my bunch of keys."

See, here it is.

"Excuse Me---Beg Your Pardon, too,
When by mistake some harm I do."

Lucy:

"Hearts, like doors, will ope with ease,
Through very, very little keys,
And don't forget that two are these,
I Thank You, Sir, and If You Please."

See? They're the last two keys. And then comes---

"Upon a golden ring these keys I bind,
This is the motto---'Be Ye Kind'."

See? That's written on the golden ring.

Dot: Why, Lucy---that's lovely.