his manner. Mary had poured out speech as rapidly as
she could as they had come down the Long Walk. The chief thing to be
remembered, she had told him, was that Colin was getting well--getting
well. The garden was doing it. No one must let him remember about
having humps and dying.

The Rajah condescended to seat himself on a rug under the tree.

"What work do you do in the gardens, Weatherstaff?" he inquired.

"Anythin' I'm told to do," answered old Ben. "I'm kep' on by
favor--because she liked me."

"She?" said Colin.

"Tha' mother," answered Ben Weatherstaff.

"My mother?" said Colin, and he looked about him quietly. "This was
her garden, wasn't it?"

"Aye, it was that!" and Ben Weatherstaff looked about him too. "She
were main fond of it."

"It is my garden now. I am fond of it. I shall come here every day,"
announced Colin. "But it is to be a secret. My orders are that no one
is to know that we come here. Dickon and my cousin have worked and
made it come alive. I shall send for you sometimes to help--but you
must come when no one can see you."

Ben Weatherstaff's face twisted itself in a dry old smile.

"I've come here before when no one saw me," he said.

"What!" exclaimed Colin.

"When?"

"Th' last time I was here," rubbing his chin and looking round, "was
about two year' ago."

"But no one has been in it for ten years!" cried Colin.

"There was no door!"

"I'm no one," said old Ben dryly. "An' I didn't come through th' door.
I come over th' wall. Th' rheumatics held me back th' last two year'."

"Tha' come an' did a bit o' prunin'!" cried Dickon. "I couldn't make
out how it had been done."

"She was so fond of it--she was!" said Ben Weatherstaff slowly. "An'
she was such a pretty young thing. She says to me once, 'Ben,' says
she laughin', 'if ever I'm ill or if I go away you must take care of my
roses.' When she did go away th' orders was no one was ever to come
nigh. But I come," with grumpy obstinacy. "Over th' wall I
come--until th' rheumatics stopped me--an' I did a bit o' work once a
year. She'd gave her order first."

"It wouldn't have been as wick as it is if tha' hadn't done it," said
Dickon. "I did wonder."

"I'm glad you did it, Weatherstaff," said Colin. "You'll know how to
keep the secret."

"Aye, I'll know, sir," answered Ben. "An' it'll be easier for a man
wi' rheumatics to come in at th' door."

On the grass near the tree Mary had dropped her t