irly into the
garden she saw that he probably did intend to stay because he had
alighted on a dwarf apple-tree, and under the apple-tree was lying a
little reddish animal with a bushy tail, and both of them were watching
the stooping body and rust-red head of Dickon, who was kneeling on the
grass working hard.

Mary flew across the grass to him.

"Oh, Dickon! Dickon!" she cried out. "How could you get here so early!
How could you! The sun has only just got up!"

He got up himself, laughing and glowing, and tousled; his eyes like a
bit of the sky.

"Eh!" he said. "I was up long before him. How could I have stayed abed!
Th' world's all fair begun again this mornin', it has. An' it's workin'
an' hummin' an' scratchin' an' pipin' an' nest-buildin' an' breathin'
out scents, till you've got to be out on it 'stead o' lyin' on your
back. When th' sun did jump up, th' moor went mad for joy, an' I was in
the midst of th' heather, an' I run like mad myself, shoutin' an'
singin'. An' I come straight here. I couldn't have stayed away. Why, th'
garden was lyin' here waitin'!"

Mary put her hands on her chest, panting, as if she had been running
herself.

"Oh, Dickon! Dickon!" she said. "I'm so happy I can scarcely breathe!"

Seeing him talking to a stranger, the little bushy-tailed animal rose
from its place under the tree and came to him, and the rook, cawing
once, flew down from its branch and settled quietly on his shoulder.

"This is th' little fox cub," he said, rubbing the little reddish
animal's head. "It's named Captain. An' this here's Soot. Soot he flew
across th' moor with me an' Captain he run same as if th' hounds had
been after him. They both felt same as I did."

Neither of the creatures looked as if he were the least afraid of Mary.
When Dickon began to walk about, Soot stayed on his shoulder and Captain
trotted quietly close to his side.

"See here!" said Dickon. "See how these has pushed up, an' these an'
these! An' Eh! look at these here!"

He threw himself upon his knees and Mary went down beside him. They had
come upon a whole clump of crocuses burst into purple and orange and
gold. Mary bent her face down and kissed and kissed them.

"You never kiss a person in that way," she said when she lifted her
head. "Flowers are so different."

He looked puzzled but smiled.

"Eh!" he said, "I've kissed mother many a time that way when I come in
from th' moor after a day's roamin' an' she stood there at t