And it was like that with Colin when he first saw and heard and felt
the Springtime inside the four high walls of a hidden garden. That
afternoon the whole world seemed to devote itself to being perfect and
radiantly beautiful and kind to one boy. Perhaps out of pure heavenly
goodness the spring came and crowded everything it possibly could into
that one place. More than once Dickon paused in what he was doing and
stood still with a sort of growing wonder in his eyes, shaking his head
softly.
Eh! it is graidely, he said. I m twelve goin on thirteen an
there s a lot o afternoons in thirteen years, but seems to me like I
never seed one as graidely as this ere.
Aye, it is a graidely one, said Mary, and she sighed for mere joy.
I ll warrant it s the graidelest one as ever was in this world.
Does tha think, said Colin with dreamy carefulness, as happen it
was made loike this ere all o purpose for me?
My word! cried Mary admiringly, that there is a bit o good
Yorkshire. Tha rt shapin first-rate that tha art.
And delight reigned.
They drew the chair under the plum-tree, which was snow-white with
blossoms and musical with bees. It was like a king s canopy, a fairy
king s. There were flowering cherry-trees near and apple-trees whose
buds were pink and white, and here and there one had burst open wide.
Between the blossoming branches of the canopy bits of blue sky looked
down like wonderful eyes.
Mary and Dickon worked a little here and there and Colin watched them.
They brought him things to look at buds which were opening, buds which
were tight closed, bits of twig whose leaves were just showing green,
the feather of a woodpecker which had dropped on the grass, the empty
shell of some bird early hatched. Dickon pushed the chair slowly round
and round the garden, stopping every other moment to let him look at
wonders springing out of the earth or trailing down from trees. It was
like being taken in state round the country of a magic king and queen
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