Answer: The speaker, as well as other friends, are gathered together to bring the four-year-old girl Beatrice some treats, and make her laugh to forget about her troubles. However, although they tried their best, the little girl still burst into tears; the guys, watching the situation, took her to bed and read her a story until she was calm again. That's when the speaker realizes the pain that every child has to go through irremediably.
Explanation: In the poem, there's one thing that all characters have in common, and that is; having had lost something at the age of four. All the grown-up characters are close friends, and since they have gone through suffering as well when they were kids, they try to cheer the little girl up as much as they can but comprehend that there's an irreparable loss.