he told her how to plant them, and watch them,
and feed and water them.

"See here," he said suddenly, turning round to
look at her. "I'll plant them for thee myself.
Where is tha' garden?"

Mary's thin hands clutched each other as they
lay on her lap. She did not know what to say, so
for a whole minute she said nothing. She had
never thought of this. She felt miserable. And
she felt as if she went red and then pale.

"Tha's got a bit o' garden, hasn't tha'?"
Dickon said.

It was true that she had turned red and then
pale. Dickon saw her do it, and as she still said
nothing, he began to be puzzled.

"Wouldn't they give thee a bit?" he asked.
"Hasn't tha' got any yet?"

She held her hands even tighter and turned her
eyes toward him.

"I don't know anything about boys," she said
slowly. "Could you keep a secret, if I told you
one? It's a great secret. I don't know what I
should do if any one found it out. I believe I
should die!" She said the last sentence quite
fiercely.

Dickon looked more puzzled than ever and even
rubbed his hand over his rough head again, but
he answered quite good-humoredly.

[[125]]

p124 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p125w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p126

v?