"I WON'T!" SAID MARY

They found a great deal to do that morning and Marywas late in returning to the house and was also in sucha hurry to get back to her work that she quite forgotColin until the last moment.

　　"Tell Colin that I can't come and see him yet," she saidto Martha. "I'm very busy in the garden."Martha looked rather frightened.

　　"Eh! Miss Mary," she said, "it may put him all outof humor when I tell him that."But Mary was not as afraid of him as other people wereand she was not a self-sacrificing person.

　　"I can't stay," she answered. "Dickon's waiting for me;"and she ran away.

　　The afternoon was even lovelier and busier than the morninghad been. Already nearly all the weeds were clearedout of the garden and most of the roses and trees hadbeen pruned or dug about. Dickon had brought a spadeof his own and he had taught Mary to use all her tools,so that by this time it was plain that though the lovelywild place was not likely to become a "gardener's garden"it would be a wilderness of growing things before thespringtime was over.

　　"There'll be apple blossoms an' cherry blossoms overhead,"Dickon said, working away with all his might.

　　"An' there'll be peach an' plum trees in bloom against th'

　　walls, an' th' grass'll be a carpet o' flowers."The little fox and the rook were as happy and busyas they were, and the robin and his mate flewbackward and forward like tiny streaks of lightning.

　　Sometimes the rook flapped his black wings and soared awayover the tree-tops in the park. Each time he came backand perched near Dickon and cawed several times as if hewere relating his adventures, and Dickon talked to himjust as he had talked to the robin. Once when Dickonwas so busy that he did not answer him at first, Soot flewon to his shoulders and gently tweaked his ear with hislarge beak. When Mary wanted to rest a little Dickonsat down with her under a tree and once he took his pipeout of his pocket and played the soft strange little notesand two squirrels appeared on the wall and looked and listened.

　　"Tha's a good bit stronger than tha' was," Dickon said,looking at her as she was digging. "Tha's beginningto look different, for sure."Mary was glowing with exercise and good spirits.

　　"I'm getting fatter and fatter every day," she saidquite exultantly. "Mrs. Medlock will have to get me somebigger dresses. Martha says my hair is growing thicker.

　　It isn't so flat and stringy."The sun was beginning to set and sending deep gold-coloredrays slanting under the trees when they parted.

　　"It'll be fine tomorrow," said Dickon. "I'll be at workby sunrise.""So will I," said Mary.

　　She ran back to the house as quickly as her feet wouldcarry her. She wanted to tell Colin about Dickon's fox cuband the rook and about what the springtime had been doing.

　　She felt sure he would like to hear. So it was not verypleasant when she opened the door of her room, to seeMartha standing waiting for her with a doleful face.

　　"What is the matter?" she asked. "What did Colin saywhen you told him I couldn't come?""Eh!" said Martha, "I wish tha'd gone. He was nigh goin'

　　into one o' his tantrums. There's been a nice to do allafternoon to keep him quiet. He would watch the clockall th' time."Mary's lips pinched themselves together. She was no moreused to considering other people than Colin was and shesaw no reason why an ill-tempered boy should interferewith the thing she liked best. She knew nothing aboutthe pitifulness of people who had been ill and nervousand who did not know that they could control their tempersand need not make other people ill and nervous, too.

　　When she had had a headache in India she had done herbest to see that everybody else also had a headache orsomething quite as bad. And she felt she was quite right;but of course now she felt that Colin was quite wrong.

　　He was not on his sofa when she went into his room.

　　He was lying flat on his back in bed and he did not turnhis head toward her as she came in. This was a bad beginningand Mary marched up to him with her stiff manner.

　　"Why didn't you get up?" she said.

　　"I did get up this morning when I thought you were coming,"he answered, without looking at her. "I made them putme back in bed this afternoon. My back ached and myhead ached and I was tired. Why didn't you come?""I was working in the garden with Dickon," said Mary.

　　Colin frowned and condescended to look at her.

　　"I won't let that boy come here if you go and staywith him instead of coming to talk to me," he said.

　　Mary flew into a fine passion. She could fly intoa passion without making a noise. She just grew sourand obstinate and did not care what happened.

　　"If you send Dickon away, I'll never come into thisroom again!" she retorted.

　　"You'll have to if I want you," said Colin.

　　"I won't!" said Mary.

　　"I'll make you," said Colin. "They shall drag you in.""Shall they, Mr. Rajah!" said Mary fiercely. "They may dragme in but they can't make me talk when they get me here.

　　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 were a nice agreeable pair as they glared at each other.

　　If they had been two little street boys they would havesprung at each other and had a rough-and-tumble fight.

　　As it was, they did the next thing to it.

　　"You are a selfish thing!" cried Colin.

　　"What are you?" said Mary. "Selfish people always say that.

　　Any one is selfish who doesn't do what they want.

　　You're more selfish than I am. You're the most selfish boyI ever saw.""I'm not!" snapped Colin. "I'm not as selfish as yourfine Dickon is! He keeps you playing in the dirt when heknows I am all by myself. He's selfish, if you like!"Mary's eyes flashed fire.

　　"He's nicer than any other boy that ever lived!" she said.

　　"He's--he's like an angel!" It might sound rather sillyto say that but she did not care.

　　"A nice angel!" Colin sneered ferociously. "He's a commoncottage boy off the moor!""He's better than a common Rajah!" retorted Mary.

　　"He's a thousand times better!"Because she was the stronger of the two s............