Chapter 164.docx

1、Chapter 164Chapter 16 I WONT! 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 cant come and see him yet, she saidto Martha. Im very b

2、usy 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 cant stay, she answered. Dickons waiting for me;and she ran away.The aftern

3、oon 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 t

4、hough the lovelywild place was not likely to become a gardeners gardenit would be a wilderness of growing things before thespringtime was over.Therell be apple blossoms an cherry blossoms overhead,Dickon said, working away with all his might.An therell be peach an plum trees in bloom against thwalls

5、, an th grassll 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

6、 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

7、 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.Thas a good bit stronger than tha was, Dickon said,looking at her as she was digging. Thas beginnin

8、gto look different, for sure.Mary was glowing with exercise and good spirits.Im 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 isnt so flat and stringy.The sun was beginning to set and send

9、ing deep gold-coloredrays slanting under the trees when they parted.Itll be fine tomorrow, said Dickon. Ill 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 Dickons fox cuband the rook and about what the springt

10、ime 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 couldnt come?Eh! said Martha, I wish thad gone. He w

11、as nigh goininto one o his tantrums. Theres been a nice to do allafternoon to keep him quiet. He would watch the clockall th time.Marys 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 t

12、he 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

13、 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

14、Mary marched up to him with her stiff manner.Why didnt 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 didnt you come?I was working in

15、the garden with Dickon, said Mary.Colin frowned and condescended to look at her.I wont 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

16、 not care what happened.If you send Dickon away, Ill never come into thisroom again! she retorted.Youll have to if I want you, said Colin.I wont! said Mary.Ill make you, said Colin. They shall drag you in.Shall they, Mr. Rajah! said Mary fiercely. They may dragme in but they cant make me talk when t

17、hey get me here.Ill sit and clench my teeth and never tell you one thing.I wont even look at you. Ill 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

18、, 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 doesnt do what they want.Youre more selfish than I am. Youre the most selfish boyI ever saw.Im not! snapped Colin. Im not as selfish as yourfine Dickon

19、is! He keeps you playing in the dirt when heknows I am all by myself. Hes selfish, if you like!Marys eyes flashed fire.Hes nicer than any other boy that ever lived! she said.Hes-hes like an angel! It might sound rather sillyto say that but she did not care.A nice angel! Colin sneered ferociously. He

20、s a commoncottage boy off the moor!Hes better than a common Rajah! retorted Mary.Hes a thousand times better!Because she was the stronger of the two she was beginningto get the better of him. The truth was that he hadnever had a fight with any one like himself in hislife and, upon the whole, it was

21、rather good for him,though neither he nor Mary knew anything about that.He turned his head on his pillow and shut his eyesand a big tear was squeezed out and ran down his cheek.He was beginning to feel pathetic and sorry for himself-notfor any one else.Im not as selfish as you, because Im always ill

22、,and Im sure there is a lump coming on my back, he said.And I am going to die besides.Youre not! contradicted Mary unsympathetically.He opened his eyes quite wide with indignation.He had never heard such a thing said before. He was atonce furious and slightly pleased, if a person couldbe both at one

23、 time.Im not? he cried. I am! You know I am! Everybodysays so.I dont believe it! said Mary sourly. You just saythat to make people sorry. I believe youre proud of it.I dont believe it! If you were a nice boy it might betrue-but youre too nasty!In spite of his invalid back Colin sat up in bed in quit

24、ea healthy rage.Get out of the room! he shouted and he caught holdof his pillow and threw it at her. He was not strongenough to throw it far and it only fell at her feet,but Marys face looked as pinched as a nutcracker.Im going, she said. And I wont come back!She walked to the door and when she reac

25、hed it she turnedround and spoke again.I was going to tell you all sorts of nice things,she said. Dickon brought his fox and his rook and I wasgoing to tell you all about them. Now I wont tell youa single thing!She marched out of the door and closed it behind her,and there to her great astonishment

26、she found the trainednurse standing as if she had been listening and, more amazingstill-she was laughing. She was a big handsome youngwoman who ought not to have been a trained nurse at all,as she could not bear invalids and she was alwaysmaking excuses to leave Colin to Martha or any one elsewho wo

27、uld take her place. Mary had never liked her,and she simply stood and gazed up at her as she stoodgiggling into her handkerchief.What are you laughing at? she asked her.At you two young ones, said the nurse. Its the bestthing that could happen to the sickly pampered thingto have some one to stand up

28、 to him thats as spoiledas himself; and she laughed into her handkerchief again.If hed had a young vixen of a sister to fight with itwould have been the saving of him.Is he going to die?I dont know and I dont care, said the nurse.Hysterics and temper are half what ails him.What are hysterics? asked

29、Mary.Youll find out if you work him into a tantrum afterthis-but at any rate youve given him something to havehysterics about, and Im glad of it.Mary went back to her room not feeling at all as shehad felt when she had come in from the garden. She wascross and disappointed but not at all sorry for C

30、olin.She had looked forward to telling him a great many thingsand she had meant to try to make up her mind whetherit would be safe to trust him with the great secret.She had been beginning to think it would be, but now shehad changed her mind entirely. She would never tell himand he could stay in hi

31、s room and never get any freshair and die if he liked! It would serve him right! Shefelt so sour and unrelenting that for a few minutes shealmost forgot about Dickon and the green veil creepingover the world and the soft wind blowing down fromthe moor.Martha was waiting for her and the trouble in her facehad been temporarily replaced by interest and curiosity.There was a wooden box on the table and its cover had beenremoved and revealed that it was full of neat packages.Mr. Craven sent it to you, said Martha. It looksas if it had