The Secret Garden: Chapter 16 Summary & Analysis

Mary returns to the house late for dinner and asks Martha to tell Colin that she's too busy in the garden to visit. Martha looks afraid, but Mary isn't scared. She runs back out after dinner, and she and Dickon spend the afternoon working. Soot and Captain busy themselves, and the robin continues to build his nest. They rest after a while and Dickon comments that Mary is getting stronger and looking better. Proudly, Mary says that she's getting fatter and her hair is getting thicker. They agree to return the next day and Mary runs back to the house, excited to tell Colin about Dickon's animals.

Martha is waiting in Mary's room and says that Colin has been throwing a tantrum all afternoon. Mary isn't used to thinking about other people, and doesn't see why she should pander to Colin when she wants to spend all of her time in the garden. She doesn't know that it's pitiful when people who feel bad make others feel bad—which is exactly what she did in India—and feels annoyed with Colin for doing this. When she gets to Colin's room, she marches up to him and asks him why he stayed in bed all day. He insists he hurts and asks why Mary never came. She explains that she was in the garden with Dickon.

Colin says that he's going to ban Dickon from the manor if Mary chooses him over Colin, which makes Mary very angry. She threatens to never come again and the two begin arguing about which of them is the most selfish. Mary defends Dickon, whom Colin refers to as a "common cottage boy." Eventually, Mary gains the upper hand and Colin starts to feel sorry for himself and cry. He laments that he's going to die and develop a lump on his back. Mary irritably says that this isn't true, which Colin finds simultaneously upsetting and pleasing. Mary insists that Colin says those things to make people feel bad and acts proud of it. Colin angrily tells Mary to leave, and Mary walks out, just as angry as Colin.

In the hallway, Mary finds the nurse laughing into her handkerchief. She explains that having someone else spoiled to stand up to him is the best thing that could've happened to Colin and says that hysterics and his temper are half of his problem. This doesn't cheer Mary up. She returns to her room feeling disappointed that she didn't get to share the wonders of her day with Colin. She vows to not tell him about the secret garden and thinks he deserves to feel miserable.

Mary finds Martha in her room with a box of gifts from Mr. Craven. The box contains games, a writing set, and several beautifully illustrated books about gardens. Mary feels happy and decides to write Mr. Craven a letter of thanks. She thinks that if she and Colin were friends, they'd play the games and look at the books, and he wouldn't be so frightened and sad. The narrator notes that most of Colin's tantrums stem from the fact that he's terrified of developing a hunchback, something that only Mary is aware of. She wonders if he was upset today because he spent all day afraid, and she decides to go see him again.