same thing. How can we know the exact names of everything? Sing it
again, Dickon. Let us try, Mary. I want to sing it, too. It s my song.
How does it begin? Praise God from whom all blessings flow ?
And they sang it again, and Mary and Colin lifted their voices as
musically as they could and Dickon s swelled quite loud and
beautiful and at the second line Ben Weatherstaff raspingly cleared his
throat and at the third line he joined in with such vigor that it
seemed almost savage and when the Amen came to an end Mary observed
that the very same thing had happened to him which had happened when he
found out that Colin was not a cripple his chin was twitching and he
was staring and winking and his leathery old cheeks were wet.
I never seed no sense in th Doxology afore, he said hoarsely, but I
may change my mind i time. I should say tha d gone up five pound this
week Mester Colin five on em!
Colin was looking across the garden at something attracting his
attention and his expression had become a startled one.
Who is coming in here? he said quickly. Who is it?
The door in the ivied wall had been pushed gently open and a woman had
entered. She had come in with the last line of their song and she had
stood still listening and looking at them. With the ivy behind her, the
sunlight drifting through the trees and dappling her long blue cloak,
and her nice fresh face smiling across the greenery she was rather like
a softly colored illustration in one of Colin s books. She had
wonderful affectionate eyes which seemed to take everything in all of
them, even Ben Weatherstaff and the creatures and every flower that
was in bloom. Unexpectedly as she had appeared, not one of them felt
that she was an intruder at all. Dickon s eyes lighted like lamps.
It s mother that s who it is! he cried and went across the grass at a
run.
Colin began to move toward her, too, and Mary went with him. They both
felt their pulses beat faster.
It s mother! Dickon said again when they met halfway. I knowed tha
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