The next morning, when Mary arrived in Colin's room, she saw that he looked pale and worn out from his temper tantrum.
"I'm glad you came. I ache all over because I'm so tired." He noticed she was wearing her hat. "Are you going somewhere?"
"I won't be long. I need to talk to Dickon. It's something about the garden."
"Oh, is it?" Colin said eagerly. "I dreamed about the garden all night."
Mary left him and went outside. Dickon was already at work in the secret garden. His animal friends were busy watching him. Besides the fox and crow, he'd brought along two squirrels named Nut and Shell. "I rode over on Jump, my moor pony," he told Mary. "Would you like to see him?"
Dickon led Mary into the woods, where the shaggy pony was eating grass. The boy and his pony seemed to have a conversation. Then Dickon made Jump give Mary a kiss on her cheek. She liked that.
Back in the garden, the two children sat under a tree. Mary began to tell Dickon about Colin's tantrum.
Dickon shook his head sadly. "Just listen to the birds this morning. The world seems full of them, all whistling and singing. And that poor boy has been lying shut up in the house, thinking thoughts that made him scream. We must get him out here, soaking up air and sunshine. We have no time to lose."
"No, there is no time to lose."
The two of them agreed upon a plan, and then Mary ran back into the house. When she sat down next to Colin's bed, he sniffed the air nearby.
"You smell like flowers and fresh things!"
"That's the wind from the moor—and the springtime and sunshine."
Colin took another big breath. There was so much to talk about. He wanted to hear all about Dickon's wild animal friends.
"Well," said Mary. "Today I met Jump, the moor pony. He trotted right up to Dickon and laid his head on Dickon's shoulder. Dickon talked into his ear, and Jump answered back with whinnies and snorts!"
"Do you think Jump really understands everything Dickon says?"
"It seems as if he does. Dickon says anything will understand you if you're friends with it."
Colin lay quietly for a little while. He seemed to be staring at the wall, but Mary knew he was thinking.
"I wish I were friends with things," he said at last. "But I'm not. I never had anything to be friends with, and I can't stand people."
"Can you stand me?"
"Yes, I can. It's funny, but I even like you."
Mary was thoughtful too. "Ben Weatherstaff, the gardener, once said that he and I were alike. I think you're like us too. Ben said neither of us was good-looking, and we were as sour as we looked. But I don't feel so sour anymore, now that I know Dickon and the robin."
"Did you feel as though you hated people?"
"Yes," said Mary. "I would have hated you if I'd seen you back then."
Colin reached out his hand and patted her. "Mary, I wish I hadn't said what I did about sending Dickon away. I wouldn't mind him looking at me. I want to see him."
"I'm glad you said that because . . . because . . ."
"Because what?" Colin said eagerly.
Mary was so anxious that she hopped up from her stool and caught hold of both his hands. "Can I trust you? Can I really trust you?"
"Yes! Yes!"
"Dickon will bring his creatures to see you tomorrow. But that's not all." Mary was shaking with excitement. "There's a door into the secret garden. I found it under the ivy on the wall."
If he had been a strong, healthy boy, Colin probably would have jumped up and shouted, "Hooray!" Instead his eyes grew bigger and he gasped for breath.
"Oh, Mary! Will I see it?" He pulled her toward him. "Will I live to get inside it?"
"Of course you'll see it," Mary said impatiently. "Of course you'll live to get inside it. Don't be silly."
She seemed so certain about this that he soon began to laugh at himself. He asked her to tell him again about the garden and how it might look. He listened to every detail and soon forgot his aches and tiredness.
"It sounds as if you've really seen it," he said.
Mary hesitated for a minute and then blurted out the truth.
"I found the key and went into the garden weeks ago. But I didn't dare tell you until I knew for sure that I could trust you."