not going to have a governess for a long time! Your mother is coming to
see me and I may go to your cottage! He says a little girl like me
could not do any harm and I may do what I like--anywhere!"

"Eh!" said Martha delightedly, "that was nice of him wasn't it?"

"Martha," said Mary solemnly, "he is really a nice man, only his face
is so miserable and his forehead is all drawn together."

She ran as quickly as she could to the garden. She had been away so
much longer than she had thought she should and she knew Dickon would
have to set out early on his five-mile walk. When she slipped through
the door under the ivy, she saw he was not working where she had left
him. The gardening tools were laid together under a tree. She ran to
them, looking all round the place, but there was no Dickon to be seen.
He had gone away and the secret garden was empty--except for the robin
who had just flown across the wall and sat on a standard rose-bush
watching her. "He's gone," she said woefully. "Oh! was he--was
he--was he only a wood fairy?"

Something white fastened to the standard rose-bush caught her eye. It
was a piece of paper, in fact, it was a piece of the letter she had
printed for Martha to send to Dickon. It was fastened on the bush with
a long thorn, and in a minute she knew Dickon had left it there. There
were some roughly printed letters on it and a sort of picture. At
first she could not tell what it was. Then she saw it was meant for a
nest with a bird sitting on it. Underneath were the printed letters
and they said:

"I will cum bak."

CHAPTER XIII

"I AM COLIN"

Mary took the picture back to the house when she went to her supper and
she showed it to Martha.

"Eh!" said Martha with great pride. "I never knew our Dickon was as
clever as that. That there's a picture of a missel thrush on her nest,
as large as life an' twice as natural."

Then Mary knew Dickon had meant the picture to be a message. He had
meant that she might be sure he would keep her secret. Her garden was
her nest and she was like a missel thrush. Oh, how she did like that
queer, common boy!

She hoped he would come back the very next day and she fell asleep
looking forward to the morning.

But you never know what the weather will do in Yorkshire, particularly
in the springtime. She was awakened in the night by the sound of rain
beating with heavy drops against her window. It was pouring down in
torrents and th