“你可不能浪费时间”
当然，玛丽第二天早晨并没有早起。她睡到了很晚，因为她累了；当玛莎给她送来早餐时，玛莎告诉她，虽然科林很安静，但他病了，有些发烧——每次他大哭一场把自己折腾累了之后总是这样。玛丽一边吃早餐，一边听着。
“他说，他希望您能尽快去见他，”玛莎说，“真是怪事，他竟这么喜欢您。您昨晚可着实训了他一顿——是不是？别人谁也不敢那样做。唉！可怜的孩子！他被宠坏了，盐都救不了他。妈妈说，对孩子来说最糟的有两件事：一件是永远不能随心所欲，另一件是永远都随心所欲。她也不知道哪一件更糟。您自己昨晚脾气也不小。可我进他房间时，他对我说：‘请问问玛丽小姐，她愿不愿意来跟我说说话？’想想看，他竟会说‘请’！您去吗，小姐？”
“我先跑去见迪肯，”玛丽说，“不，我先去看科林，告诉他——我知道要告诉他什么了，”她忽然有了主意。
她出现在科林房间时戴着帽子，有那么一瞬间，科林显得有些失望。他躺在床上，脸色惨白得可怜，眼睛底下有黑眼圈。
“你来了，我很高兴，”他说，“我头疼，浑身都疼，因为太累了。你要去哪儿吗？”
玛丽走过去，靠在他的床边。
“我不会去很久，”她说，“我要去迪肯那儿，但我会回来。科林，这——这是关于秘密花园的事。”
他整张脸都亮了起来，泛起一丝血色。
“哦！是吗！”他叫出声来，“我整夜都梦见它了。我听见你说灰色变成绿色什么的，我梦见自己站在一个地方，满眼都是颤动的小绿叶——到处都有鸟在巢里，看上去那么柔软、那么安静。你回来之前，我就躺着想想这些吧。”
五分钟之内，玛丽就和迪肯一起待在他们的花园里了。狐狸和乌鸦又和他在一起，这一次他还带了两只有驯养的松鼠。
“今早我骑小马过来的，”他说，“哎！它真是个好小家伙——跳跳是！这两只我装在口袋里带来的。这只叫坚果，这只叫贝壳。”
他说“坚果”时，一只松鼠跳上他的右肩；他说“贝壳”时，另一只跳上他的左肩。
当他们坐在草地上，船长蜷在脚边，煤烟庄重地停在树上听着，坚果和贝壳在身旁嗅来嗅去时，玛丽觉得离开这样的快乐简直让人受不了；可当她讲起自己的事，迪肯滑稽脸上的神情不知怎的渐渐改变了她的想法。她看得出，他比自己更同情科林。他抬头望天，又环顾四周。
“听听那些鸟儿——世界里好像全是它们——都在吹哨儿、鸣叫，”他说，“看它们窜来窜去，听它们互相招呼。一到春天，就好像全世界都在呼唤。叶子正展开，你都看得见——哎哟，那股好闻的味儿！”他快乐地翘着鼻子嗅了嗅，“那个可怜的孩子关在屋里，见不到什么，就想些让自己尖叫的事。哎！我的天！咱们得把他弄出来——得让他看、听、吸吸这空气，让他浑身泡透阳光。咱们可一刻也不能耽误。”
他极感兴趣时，常说起很土的约克郡话；平时他则尽量改改口音，好让玛丽听懂。可玛丽喜欢他土土的约克郡话，事实上还一直试着学自己说。所以这会儿她也说了几句。
“哎，咱们可不能耽误，”她说（意思是“是啊，咱们一定得这样”）。“我告诉你咱们先干啥，”她接着说，迪肯咧嘴笑了，因为这小姑娘把舌头扭成约克郡调调，让他觉得好玩极了。“他可喜欢你啦。他想见你，也想见煤烟和船长。等我回屋跟他说话，我就问他你明早能不能来见他——把你的这些伙伴也带上——然后——等叶子再多些，说不定再冒一两朵花苞，咱们就让他出来，你推着他的椅子，带他来这儿，什么都给他看。”
说完她挺为自己骄傲。她以前从没用约克郡话讲过这么长一段话，而且记得相当清楚。
“你得跟科林少爷也说点这样的约克郡话，”迪肯咯咯笑，“你会把他逗笑的，对病人来说，没什么比笑更好了。妈妈说，她信每天早上笑上半点钟，连快得伤寒热的人都能治好。”
“今儿我就跟他说约克郡话，”玛丽说，自己也咯咯笑起来。
花园已到了那样的时节：仿佛每一天、每一夜，都有魔法师穿过它，用魔杖从泥土和枝桠里抽出美丽。离开这一切很难，尤其坚果竟爬上了她的衣裙，贝壳从他们坐的苹果树树干溜下来，停在那儿用探询的眼神望着她。但她还是回屋了；当她挨着科林的床坐下，他开始像迪肯那样嗅起来，只是没那么老练。
“你闻着像花儿，还有——还有清新的东西，”他欢快地叫道，“你身上是什么味儿？又凉又暖，还甜，同时都是。”
“是荒原的风，”玛丽说，“坐在树下草地上，跟迪肯、船长、煤烟、坚果、贝壳在一块儿，就有了。是春天，是户外，是阳光，闻着才这么好。”
她尽量说得土气，而你若没听过有人说约克郡话，就不知那腔调有多土。科林笑起来。
“你在干什么？”他说，“我从没听你这样说过话。多好玩的调调。”
“我给你来点约克郡话，”玛丽得意地答，“我说得没迪肯和玛莎那么地道，可你看我也能凑合几句。你听着约克郡话，就一点也懂不了？你自个儿可是约克郡土生土长的娃！哎！我都奇怪你不嫌害臊。”
然后她也笑起来，两人笑得停不下，笑声在屋里回荡；梅德洛克太太开门进来，又退到走廊里，站在那儿惊讶地听。
“哟，说真的！”她说，因为没别人听见，自己也说得挺土的约克郡话，而且她太吃惊了，“谁听过这事儿！天底下谁想得到！”
有太多可聊的了。科林好像永远听不够迪肯、船长、煤烟、坚果、贝壳，还有那匹叫跳跳的小马。玛丽曾跟迪肯跑进林子里看跳跳。它是只小小的荒原矮马，毛茸茸的，厚毛垂在眼上，脸儿俊，鼻子像天鹅绒般蹭人。吃荒原草长得偏瘦，却结实得像小腿里的肌肉是钢丝弹簧做的。一见迪肯它就抬头轻轻嘶鸣，小跑过去把头搭在他肩上；迪肯凑它耳边说话，它就古怪地小嘶、喷鼻、呼噜着回答。迪肯让它把小前蹄给玛丽，用绒鼻蹭了蹭她的脸颊。
“它真懂迪肯说的每句话？”科林问。
“好像是，”玛丽答，“迪肯说，只要你真把它当朋友，什么都能懂；可你得确实是朋友。”
科林安静躺了一会儿，奇特的灰眼睛像盯着墙，但玛丽看出他在想。
“我希望我跟东西是朋友，”他终于说，“可我不是。我从没东西可交，人也受不了。”
“你受不了我？”玛丽问。
“能，我受得了，”他答，“怪得很，我甚至喜欢你。”
“本·韦瑟斯塔夫说我和他像，”玛丽说，“他说敢担保我俩脾气都坏。我觉得你也像他。咱仨都像——你、我、本·韦瑟斯塔夫。他说我俩都不好看，也跟看上去一样酸。可我认识知更鸟和迪肯之前，没现在这么酸了。”
“你那时也恨人？”
“恨，”玛丽毫不掩饰地答，“要是见你之前先见知更鸟和迪肯，我准讨厌你。”
科林伸出瘦手碰了碰她。
“玛丽，”他说，“我真希望没说过把迪肯赶走的话。你说他像天使时我恨你，还笑你——可——可也许他是。”
“嗯，那么说是有点好笑，”她坦率承认，“因为他鼻子翘，嘴大，衣裳补丁摞补丁，说话土里土气；可——可要是真有天使来约克郡、住在荒原上——要是真有约克郡天使——我信他准懂绿东西，知道怎么养它们，也懂像迪肯那样跟野物说话，野物也知道他真是朋友。”
“我不介意迪肯看我，”科林说，“我想见他。”
“你这么说我很高兴，”玛丽答，“因为——因为——”
忽然，她心里闪过：此刻就该告诉他。科林知道要有新事。
“因为什么？”他急切地叫。
玛丽急得从小凳站起，走到他跟前，抓住他两只手。
“我能信你吗？我信迪肯，因为鸟儿信他。我能信你——一定——_一定_吗？”她恳求。
她神情太郑重，他几乎低声答：
“能——能！”
“嗯，迪肯明早来看你，还带他的伙伴们。”
“哦！哦！”科林欢喜地叫。
“可还不只这些，”玛丽接着说，严肃得激动得脸发白，“更好的在后面。花园有扇门。我找到了。在墙上常春藤底下。”
若科林是健壮孩子，大概会喊“好哇！好哇！好哇！”可他弱，又有点歇斯底里；眼睛越睁越大，喘不上气。
“哦！玛丽！”他半哽咽地叫，“我能看见吗？能进去吗？我能_活_着进去吗？”他攥着她的手把她拉向自己。
“你当然能看见！”玛丽气冲冲地说，“你当然能活进去！别傻了！”
她那么不歇斯底里、那么自然、那么孩子气，倒让他清醒了，笑起自己来；几分钟后她又坐回凳上，讲的不是她想象中的秘密花园，而是真的样子；科林的疼和累都忘了，听得入迷。
“正跟你想的一样，”他终于说，“听上去就像你真见过。你知道，你头回讲时我就这么说。”
玛丽犹豫了两分钟，然后大胆说了实话。
“我见过——还进去过，”她说，“几周前我找到钥匙进去了。可不敢告诉你——不敢，因为我怕信不过你——_信不过_！”
"THA' MUNNOT WASTE NO TIME"
Of course Mary did not waken early the next morning. She slept late
because she was tired, and when Martha brought her breakfast she told
her that though Colin was quite quiet he was ill and feverish as he
always was after he had worn himself out with a fit of crying. Mary ate
her breakfast slowly as she listened.
"He says he wishes tha' would please go and see him as soon as tha'
can," Martha said. "It's queer what a fancy he's took to thee. Tha' did
give it him last night for sure--didn't tha'? Nobody else would have
dared to do it. Eh! poor lad! He's been spoiled till salt won't save
him. Mother says as th' two worst things as can happen to a child is
never to have his own way--or always to have it. She doesn't know which
is th' worst. Tha' was in a fine temper tha'self, too. But he says to me
when I went into his room, 'Please ask Miss Mary if she'll please come
an' talk to me?' Think o' him saying please! Will you go, Miss?"
"I'll run and see Dickon first," said Mary. "No, I'll go and see Colin
first and tell him--I know what I'll tell him," with a sudden
inspiration.
She had her hat on when she appeared in Colin's room and for a second he
looked disappointed. He was in bed and his face was pitifully white and
there were dark circles round his eyes.
"I'm glad you came," he said. "My head aches and I ache all over because
I'm so tired. Are you going somewhere?"
Mary went and leaned against his bed.
"I won't be long," she said. "I'm going to Dickon, but I'll come back.
Colin, it's--it's something about the secret garden."
His whole face brightened and a little color came into it.
"Oh! is it!" he cried out. "I dreamed about it all night. I heard you
say something about gray changing into green, and I dreamed I was
standing in a place all filled with trembling little green leaves--and
there were birds on nests everywhere and they looked so soft and still.
I'll lie and think about it until you come back."
In five minutes Mary was with Dickon in their garden. The fox and the
crow were with him again and this time he had brought two tame
squirrels.
"I came over on the pony this mornin'," he said. "Eh! he is a good
little chap--Jump is! I brought these two in my pockets. This here one
he's called Nut an' this here other one's called Shell."
When he said "Nut" one squirrel leaped on to his right shoulder and when
he said "Shell" the other one leaped on to his left shoulder.
When they sat down on the grass with Captain curled at their feet, Soot
solemnly listening on a tree and Nut and Shell nosing about close to
them, it seemed to Mary that it would be scarcely bearable to leave such
delightfulness, but when she began to tell her story somehow the look in
Dickon's funny face gradually changed her mind. She could see he felt
sorrier for Colin than she did. He looked up at the sky and all about
him.
"Just listen to them birds--th' world seems full of 'em--all whistlin'
an' pipin'," he said. "Look at 'em dartin' about, an' hearken at 'em
callin' to each other. Come springtime seems like as if all th' world's
callin'. The leaves is uncurlin' so you can see 'em--an', my word, th'
nice smells there is about!" sniffing with his happy turned-up nose.
"An' that poor lad lyin' shut up an' seein' so little that he gets to
thinkin' o' things as sets him screamin'. Eh! my! we mun get him out
here--we mun get him watchin' an' listenin' an' sniffin' up th' air an'
get him just soaked through wi' sunshine. An' we munnot lose no time
about it."
