The secret garden bloomed and bloomed, and every day revealed new miracles.
There were eggs in the robin's nest.
The robin's mate sat upon them until they hatched.
On sunny days the robin watched the children working in the garden.
But on rainy days the robin and his family had the garden to themselves.
One morning when the rain was streaming down, Colin was lying on his sofa.
"Now that I'm a real boy, my arms and legs are so full of magic that I can't keep them still.
They want to be doing things all the time.
But it's not safe to get up and walk about.
What do you think would happen if I did that?"
Mary laughed. "The nurse and Mrs. Medlock would come running.
They'd send for Dr. Craven for sure."
"I wish my father would come home.
I don't know how much longer I can go on pretending I'm not well.
I wish it wasn't raining."
It was then that Mary had an idea.
"Do you know how many rooms are in this house?"
Colin guessed about a thousand.
"There are at least a hundred that no one goes into.
I could push you in your wheelchair, and we could visit some of them."
Colin liked that idea.
When they reached the long picture gallery, he sprang from his wheelchair.
"I am going to run from one end of the gallery to the other," he said.
They ran up and down the gallery.
Then they did some strengthening exercises that Dickon had taught them.
After that they wandered through the house opening doors.
They came upon the picture of the girl in the green dress.
"She looks a bit like you, Mary," said Colin.
"Not as you look now, but as you looked when you first came here.
Now you are a great deal fatter and better looking."
"So are you," said Mary, and they both laughed.
Eventually they came back to Colin's room for lunch.
Mary wanted to ask him a question because for several days she'd noticed a change in the room.
The curtain was drawn back to reveal the picture of Colin's mother.
"Two nights ago there was so much moonlight in the room, I woke up," Colin explained.
"A patch of moonlight was shining on the curtain, so I pulled the cord to open it.
My mother was looking right down at me and laughing, as if she were glad to see me standing there.
I want to see her all the time now.
I think she must have been some sort of magic person."
"Sometimes I think you are her ghost made into a boy."
"If I were her ghost, my father would be fond of me.
Then I could tell him about the magic, and that would make him more cheerful."
"That would be wonderful," said Mary.
The next day the weather cleared, and the children were able to go out into the garden.
Dickon and Mary were busy weeding when Colin called to them.
"Mary! Dickon! Look at me!"
They stopped working and looked at him, standing there.
"Do you remember that first morning you brought me here?
I was just thinking about that as I was digging with my trowel.
So I had to stand up on my feet once more, to make sure I could really do it.
And it is real! I'm well! I'm well!
And I'm going to live forever and ever!"
"Let's sing a song to celebrate," said Mary.
They stood together and sang a hymn.
As the last notes died away, Colin suddenly noticed something.
"Someone's coming!" He pointed toward the door in the wall.
A woman was entering the secret garden.
Colin had never seen her before, but he wasn't afraid.
Somehow he felt as if he already knew her.
"It's Mother—that's who it is!"
Dickon ran across the grass toward the kind-looking woman.
He brought his mother over to Mary and Colin.
"I told her where the door is because I knew you wanted to meet her."
"Even when I was ill, I wanted to see you." Colin shook her hand.
"You and Dickon and the secret garden.
I'd never wanted to see anyone or anything before."
"Oh, my dear boy." Tears filled Susan Sowerby's eyes.
"Are you surprised that I am so well?" asked Colin.
She put her hand on his shoulder.
"Yes, I am, but you look so much like your mother that it makes my heart jump."
Colin suddenly felt shy. "Do you think that will make my father like me?"
"Oh, for sure." She patted his arm.
"Your own dear mother is in this garden, I do believe.
She couldn't keep out of it.
And now your father must come home to see the miracle blooming here."