Mary was so tired that she went to bed right after supper. In the middle of the night, she was awakened by dreadful sounds. Someone was crying and screaming at the same time.
"It's Colin," she said. "He's having a tantrum. He sounds hysterical!"
She suddenly understood why people always gave in to him. Anything was better than listening to these horrible, sobbing screams. She was terrified. But at the same time, she was angry.
"Somebody ought to make him stop!" she cried.
Just then she heard a person running down the corridor. Her door opened, and the nurse came in.
"He's worked himself into hysterics," the nurse said breathlessly. "He'll do himself harm. No one can do anything with him. You must come and try to help him. He likes you."
Mary flew down the corridor. The closer she got to Colin's room, the angrier she grew. She threw open the door and ran to Colin's bed.
"Stop it!" she shouted at him. "Everybody hates you! I wish everybody would run away and let you scream yourself to death!"
A nice, sympathetic child would never have thought such things, never mind said them. But it was the best possible thing for Colin to hear. He had been lying on his stomach, beating his pillow with his hands. But at the sound of Mary's furious voice, he turned around suddenly. His face was red and swollen from crying, and he was gasping and choking. Mary did not care.
"If you scream another scream," she threatened, "I'll scream too. I can scream louder than you can, and I'll frighten you."
"I can't stop!" Colin gasped. He was shaking all over. "I can't!"
"You can!" shouted Mary. "Most of what's wrong with you is your temper and hysterics. Just hysterics, hysterics, hysterics!" She stamped her foot each time she said the word.
"I felt a lump," choked out Colin. "I'll be a hunchback. I'm going to die." He turned on his stomach again and began to sob, but he didn't scream.
"Nurse!" Mary commanded. "Come here and show me his back."
The nurse, Mrs. Medlock, and Martha had been standing together near the door, watching her deal with Colin. More than once they had gasped with fright.
"Perhaps he won't let me," said the nurse.
"Show her!" said Colin. "Then she'll see."
What a poor, thin back it was. Every rib could be counted and so could every bone of the spine. But Mary did not count them as she bent over his back and studied it solemnly. Everyone in the room waited breathlessly.
"There's not a single lump there," Mary said at last. "The only lumps are backbone lumps. And you can only feel those because you're so thin. Mine used to stick out just as much as yours until I started getting fatter."
"I didn't know that he thought he had a lump on his spine," said the nurse. "His back is weak because he refuses to sit up."
Colin lay still for a minute. Huge tears streamed down his face and wet the pillow. He felt so relieved. Finally he spoke to the nurse again. "Do you think I could live to grow up?"
"You probably could, if you do what you're told and go outside often."
Colin's tantrum had left him weak. He put out his hand toward Mary, and she reached over and took it. "I'll go out with you, Mary. I won't hate fresh air if we can find . . ." He stopped himself just before saying the secret garden. "I'd like to go out if Dickon would come and push my wheelchair. I very much want to see him and the fox and crow."
The nurse plumped up Colin's pillow and remade his bed. Then she brought tea to Colin and Mary. "He'll need to sleep soon," she said just before she left them alone.
"Would you like me to sing to you?" asked Mary.
"What I'd really like is to hear more about the secret garden. Did you notice I almost mentioned it? Have you found out any more about it?"
Mary hesitated. "I think I have."
"Oh, if I could go there, I think I could live to grow up. What do you think it looks like?"
"Well . . ." Mary gulped. "I think everything has grown into a lovely tangle. There are probably lots of roses just starting to wake up. I think daffodils and snowdrops and lilies are working their way out of the ground. Maybe there are clusters of purple and gold crocuses."
She looked over at Colin, who had fallen asleep. "And perhaps," she said softly, "perhaps the robin has found a mate and is building a nest."