The rain continued for a week, but Mary didn't mind.
She spent hours every day with Colin in his room.
They talked about rajahs and gardens and Dickon.
They looked through Colin's books and took turns reading to each other.
Colin was still pale and lying on his sofa.
But Mary thought he looked much better when he was amused or interested in something.
Mrs. Medlock noticed something too:
Colin hadn't whined or had a tantrum since he and Mary had become friends.
Mary still didn't want to tell Colin that she had actually seen the secret garden.
But he seemed so pleased with the idea of the garden that perhaps she could trust him after all.
She did want him to go outside and meet Dickon, unless of course he didn't want to meet Dickon.
Colin was never happy when people looked at him.
"I always hated that, even when I was little," he told Mary one day.
"When I was taken to the seaside, ladies would stop and talk to my nurse.
I knew they were talking about how I wouldn't live to grow up.
Sometimes the ladies would pat my cheek.
Once I screamed out loud and bit a lady right on the hand.
She was so frightened, she ran away!"
"She probably thought you were a mad dog."
Mary did not approve of what Colin had done.
"I don't care what she thought."
Mary hesitated for a moment. "Would you care if my friend looked at you?"
Colin lay back on his cushion.
"I believe there's one person I wouldn't mind.
It's that boy who knows where the foxes live—Dickon.
The birds and other animals aren't bothered by him," Colin said, still thinking it over.
"So perhaps I wouldn't mind either.
He's a sort of animal charmer, and I'm a sort of boy animal."
And at that he and Mary both burst into laughter.
On the first morning when the sky was blue again, Mary woke up before anyone else.
She ran to her window and opened it.
The moor looked so blue, and the singing birds sounded like an orchestra warming up.
A gust of fresh, scented air blew into the room.
Mary stuck her hand out the window.
"It's warm! That will make the flowers push up and up in the garden."
She leaned out the window and drew in great breaths of fresh air.
Suddenly she had an idea. "I can't wait! I'm going to see the garden!"
By now Mary could dress herself.
In five minutes she had put on her clothes and run outside.
The beautiful day filled her with joy.
When she reached the door to the secret garden, she stopped.
Caw! Caw!
Mary looked up. There, on top of the wall, was a big black crow.
Mary had never seen a crow up close before, and she was a little nervous.
Just as she was wishing it would go away, it flew into the secret garden.
When Mary pushed open the door, she saw that the crow was perched in an apple tree.
A fox was lying underneath the tree, and they were both watching Dickon digging in the ground.
"Oh, Dickon! You're here!" cried Mary.
"I couldn't stay away when the garden was waiting."
The crow flew down and landed on Dickon's shoulder.
"This is Soot," he said. The red fox wandered over to meet Mary.
"And this is Captain. Now you must see what's new in the garden."
The two children ran from one part of the garden to another.
Dickon showed Mary the swelling leaf buds on the rose branches that had seemed dead.
He showed her what seemed like thousands of new green points pushing through the dirt.
And best of all, he showed her the robin.
The bird was fluttering about, carrying bits of twigs and straw to build a nest.
He had found a mate.
While they worked in the dirt, Mary told Dickon about meeting Colin.
"Do you really think he wants to die?"
Dickon stopped digging for a moment. "No, but he wishes he'd never been born.
Mother says that's the worst thing on earth for a child."
"Colin is so afraid he'll grow into a hunchback.
He says if he felt a lump coming, he'd scream himself to death."
"If he were out here, he wouldn't be watching for lumps to grow on his back."
"I know," said Mary.
"I keep wondering if we could bring him here without anyone seeing us."
Just then the robin landed nearby with a twig in its beak.
"Keep building your nest," Dickon said to the bird.
"You know we won't bother you. We're building a nest too.
Just be sure you keep this garden a secret."