On that first morning when the sky was blue again Mary wakened very
early. The sun was pouring in slanting rays through the blinds and
there was something so joyous in the sight of it that she jumped out of
bed and ran to the window. She drew up the blinds and opened the window
itself and a great waft of fresh, scented air blew in upon her. The
moor was blue and the whole world looked as if something Magic had
happened to it. There were tender little fluting sounds here and there
and everywhere, as if scores of birds were beginning to tune up for a
concert. Mary put her hand out of the window and held it in the sun.
It s warm warm! she said. It will make the green points push up and
up and up, and it will make the bulbs and roots work and struggle with
all their might under the earth.
She kneeled down and leaned out of the window as far as she could,
breathing big breaths and sniffing the air until she laughed because
she remembered what Dickon s mother had said about the end of his nose
quivering like a rabbit s.
It must be very early, she said. The little clouds are all pink and
I ve never seen the sky look like this. No one is up. I don t even hear
the stable boys.
A sudden thought made her scramble to her feet.
I can t wait! I am going to see the garden!
She had learned to dress herself by this time and she put on her
clothes in five minutes. She knew a small side door which she could
unbolt herself and she flew downstairs in her stocking feet and put on
her shoes in the hall. She unchained and unbolted and unlocked and when
the door was open she sprang across the step with one bound, and there
she was standing on the grass, which seemed to have turned green, and
with the sun pouring down on her and warm sweet wafts about her and the
fluting and twittering and singing coming from every bush and tree. She
clasped her hands for pure joy and looked up in the sky and it was so
blue and pink and pearly and white and flooded with springtime light
that she felt as if she must flute and sing aloud herself and knew that
thrushes and robins and skylarks could not possibly help it. She ran
around the shrubs and paths towards the secret garden.
125