Mary was so tired after her day in the garden that she went to bed early. Before she went to sleep, she thought about Colin and decided to go and see him after breakfast the next morning. A terrible sound woke her up in the middle of the night. It was Colin. He was crying and screaming. Then Colin's nurse came in. She looked worried.
"He's having a tantrum(发脾气)," she said quickly. "No one else can do anything. Only you can make him calm. He and his family all like you. Can you come?"
Mary was angry but she went. When she got into Colin's room, she ran to the bed. "Stop!" she shouted. "Stop! I hate you! Everybody hates you."
"I can't stop!" he cried and cried. "I can't!"
"You can!" shouted Mary. "You're just having a tantrum!" She stamped her foot.
"I have a lump on my back," shouted Colin. "I'm going to be a hunchback (驼背) and then I'm going to die." And he began to cry again.
"Let me see your back!" said Mary.
The nurse, Mrs. Medlock and Martha were all looking very worried. Mary looked carefully at Colin's back.
"There are no lumps on your back!" she said at last.
"Do you think I can live to grow up?" he asked the nurse in low voice. "Yes, if you keep calm and go out in the fresh air," the nurse replied.
"Perhaps … perhaps I can go out with you, Mary," Colin said. "Dickon can push my wheelchair. I really want to see Dickon and the fox and the crow."
Colin was quiet now so the nurse, Mrs. Medlock and Martha went to bed and left Mary alone with him.
"Did you find the door to the secret garden?" he asked her. Mary looked at his tired face.
"Go to sleep now," she said, "We can talk tomorrow."
--from The Secret Garden
