How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
Somehow [Mary] was sorry for [Colin] and did not want him to lie awake, so she leaned against the bed and began to stroke and pat his hand and sing a very low little chanting song in Hindustani.
"That is nice," he said more drowsily still, and she went on chanting and stroking, but when she looked at him again his black lashes were lying close against his cheeks, for his eyes were shut and he was fast asleep. So she got up softly, took her candle and crept away without making a sound. (13.146-147)
Here we've got Mary—who up until now has been pretty much completely selfish—singing a lullaby to Colin to help him sleep the first night that she meets him. Once Mary finds someone who is even more spoiled and coddled than she is, she starts thinking less of herself and more about how Colin might get better. So, that sound you hear in this passage isn't just Mary's Hindi lullaby; it's also the sound of Mary more or less leaving the story as a central character so that Colin's journey to maturity and happiness can take over.
Quote #5
"Just listen to them birds—th' world seems full of 'em—all whistlin' an' pipin'," [Dickon] said. "Look at 'em dartin' about, an' hearken at 'em callin' to each other. Come springtime seems like as if all th' world's callin'. The leaves is uncurlin' so you can see 'em—an', my word, th' nice smells there is about!" sniffing with his happy turned-up nose. "An' that poor lad lyin' shut up an' seein' so little that he gets to thinkin' o' things as sets him screamin'. Eh! my! we mun get him out here—we mun get him watchin' an listenin' an' sniffin' up th' air an' get him just soaked through wi' sunshine. An' we munnot lose no time about it." (18.14)
Dickon basically lives outside, it seems, and he loves it: the bird song, the sweet smells, all of it. For Dickon, and for this book in general, being outside in the natural world is a great way of getting you to stop thinking about your troubles and to start thinking of things other than yourself.
Quote #6
"Listen again. Do you hear a bleat—a tiny one?"
"Oh, yes!" cried Colin, quite flushing.
"That's the new-born lamb," said Mary. "He's coming."
Dickon's moorland boots were thick and clumsy and though he tried to walk quietly they made a clumping sound as he walked through the long corridors. Mary and Colin heard him marching—marching, until he passed through the tapestry door on to the soft carpet of Colin's own passage. (19.69-75)
We can't deny that one big reason why we flagged this passage under the theme of "Happiness" is that lambs are adorable and it gave us an excuse to look at some happy lambs online. And hey, we're not the only people who think having lambs in your life makes you a happier and (possibly) better person—Dickon brings Colin his lamb and his tamed rook to try to cheer Colin up so he'll actually go outside and experience the world for himself.