Mary and Dickon worked in the secret garden all morning.
When Mary went inside for lunch, she ate quickly.
"Tell Colin I can't come right now," she said to Martha.
"I'm too busy working in the garden with Dickon."
Martha looked frightened. "Oh, that will put him in a bad mood."
But Mary didn't care.
She ran back to the secret garden, where Dickon was digging with his own shovel.
They worked all afternoon. The fox and crow were busy too.
Sometimes the crow flapped its wings and flew out of the garden.
Each time it returned, it perched near Dickon and cawed as if it were telling them about its adventures.
When Mary wanted to rest a bit, Dickon sat down with her under a tree.
He took out his pipe and began to play.
Two squirrels appeared on top of the wall to watch and listen.
After a while the children went back to work.
The sun was beginning to set when they finally decided to stop.
"I'll see you at dawn tomorrow," said Dickon.
Mary ran back to the house.
She could hardly wait to tell Colin about Dickon's fox and crow.
But when Mary arrived at her room, Martha was waiting.
"I wish you'd gone to see Colin today.
He's been on the verge of a tantrum all afternoon."
Mary pinched her lips together.
She saw no reason why a bad-tempered boy should interfere with what she enjoyed.
She marched down the corridor in a sour mood.
When she entered his room, Colin was not sitting up on his sofa.
Instead he was lying in bed.
"Why are you in bed?"
"I got up this morning when I thought you were coming," Colin said without looking at her.
"This afternoon I asked the servants to put me back in bed.
My back ached and my head ached and I was tired. Why didn't you come?"
"I was working in the garden with Dickon."
Colin frowned. "I won't let that boy in here if you stay with him instead of coming to talk to me."
Now Mary was angry. "If you do that, I'll never come into this room again."
"You'll have to if I want you to."
"I won't!" Mary stamped her foot.
"I'll make you. They'll drag you in."
"Will they, Mr. Rajah? They can drag me in, but they can't make me talk!
I'll sit and clench my teeth and never tell you one thing.
I won't even look at you. I'll stare at the floor!"
They glared at each other.
"You're a selfish thing!" cried Colin.
Mary's eyes flashed with fire. "And so are you!"
"I'm not as selfish as your perfect Dickon is.
He keeps you outside when I need you here.
And I'm not as selfish as you are because I'm always ill.
I'm sure there's a lump coming on my back, and I'm going to die!"
"Oh, you are not!"
Colin opened his eyes wide. No one had ever said anything like that to him.
"You know I am!" he said. "Everybody says so."
"You just say that to make people feel sorry for you.
I believe you're proud of it."
In spite of his bad back, Colin sat up in bed.
"Get out of this room!" He threw his pillow at her.
"I'm going, and I won't come back."
She walked to the door, but then she turned around.
"I was going to tell you all sorts of nice things about Dickon's fox and crow.
But now I won't tell you anything."
She stormed back to her room.
Martha was waiting for her, but this time the housemaid was smiling.
"Look what Mr. Craven sent!"
There on the table was a wooden box full of neatly wrapped packages.
Mary sat down and opened them.
Mr. Craven had sent her picture books and games and a beautiful pen and inkstand.
If she hadn't been fighting with Colin, she would have run to show him everything.
They would have read the books and played with the games.
He would have enjoyed himself so much, he would have forgotten all about checking for lumps.
"He always begins to think about that when he's tired or upset," Mary said to herself.
"He's upset today. Maybe he's been thinking about his back all afternoon."
She looked at her pile of presents.
"I said I'd never go back, but maybe I'll go in the morning."
She'd try to see him—even if he did throw his pillow at her again.