Tha s doin Magic thysel , he said. It s same Magic as made these
ere work out o th earth, and he touched with his thick boot a clump
of crocuses in the grass.
Colin looked down at them.
Aye, he said slowly, there couldna be bigger Magic than that
there there couldna be.
He drew himself up straighter than ever.
I m going to walk to that tree, he said, pointing to one a few feet
away from him. I m going to be standing when Weatherstaff comes here.
I can rest against the tree if I like. When I want to sit down I will
sit down, but not before. Bring a rug from the chair.
He walked to the tree and though Dickon held his arm he was wonderfully
steady. When he stood against the tree trunk it was not too plain that
he supported himself against it, and he still held himself so straight
that he looked tall.
When Ben Weatherstaff came through the door in the wall he saw him
standing there and he heard Mary muttering something under her breath.
What art sayin ? he asked rather testily because he did not want his
attention distracted from the long thin straight boy figure and proud
face.
But she did not tell him. What she was saying was this:
You can do it! You can do it! I told you you could! You can do it! You
can do it! You _can!_
She was saying it to Colin because she wanted to make Magic and keep
him on his feet looking like that. She could not bear that he should
give in before Ben Weatherstaff. He did not give in. She was uplifted
by a sudden feeling that he looked quite beautiful in spite of his
thinness. He fixed his eyes on Ben Weatherstaff in his funny imperious
way.
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