"Never to come back?" asked Jerry.
The clown's mouth drooped again and his shoulders sunk forward.
"That's the tragedy of it," he said. "Sorrow takes such a firm hold on us sometimes, especially when one is grown up, that it comes back even after the secret of laughter has driven it away. But it is different with children; with them the secret of laughter almost always drives sorrow away for good and all and leaves them happy."
"How can it make them happy?" asked Jerry.
"By making them forget."
"Forget what?" pursued Jerry, puzzled.
"What made them cry," responded the clown, "as you have."
Then his face clouded and his white, chalky brows frowned.
"You have forgotten, haven't you?" he asked eagerly.
"Y-y-yes," replied Jerry, "almost."