秘密花园英文版图文稿

秘密花园英文版简介“咱俩差不多，”本·威瑟斯塔夫老头对玛丽说。“长得丑，脾气也不好。”可怜的玛丽！谁都不要她，也没人喜欢她。父母去世以后，她被人从印度送回英国的约克郡，住在她舅舅的家里。那是一幢旧房子，很大，差不多有上百个房间，可大部分都关得严严实实，还上了锁。玛丽住在那儿，情绪很坏，她感到厌烦、孤独，整天没事可做，除了园丁不过后来玛丽听说了有关秘密花园的事。那花园的门紧锁着，钥匙也不知哪儿去了。10年了，除了那只能够飞过围墙的知更鸟，没有一个人进过那园子。玛丽望着知更鸟，琢磨着钥匙会在哪儿……再后来，夜里房子中什么地方传来奇怪的哭声，听起来像是个孩子……书，《秘密花园》是她的代表作。1LittleMissMaryNobodyseemedtocareaboutMary．ShewasborninIndia，whereherfatherwasaBritishofficial．Hewasbusywithhiswork，andhermother，whowasverybeautiful，spentallhertimegoingtoparties．SoanIndianwoman，Kamala，waspaidtotakecareofthelittlegirl．Marywasnotaprettychild．Shehadathinangryfaceandthinyellowhair．ShewasalwaysgivingorderstoKamala，whohadtoobey．Maryneverthoughtofotherpeople，butonlyofherself．Infact，shewasaveryselfish，disagreeable，bad-temperedlittlegirl．Oneveryhotmorning，whenshewasaboutnineyearsold，shewokeupandsawthatinsteadofKamalatherewasadifferentIndianservantbyherbed．‘Whatareyoudoinghere’sheaskedcrossly．‘Goaway！AndsendKamalatomeatThewomanlookedafraid．‘I'msorry，MissMary，she—she—shecan'tcome！’Somethingstrangewashappeningthatday．Someofthehouseservantsweremissingandeverybodylookedfrightened．ButnobodytoldMaryanything，andKamalastilldidnotcome．SoatlastMarywentoutintothegarden，andplayedbyherselfunderatree．Shepretendedshewasmakingherownflowergarden，andpickedlargeredflowerstopushintotheground．Allthetimeshewassayingcrosslytoherself，esbackJustthenshesawhermothercomingintothegarden，withayoungEnglishman．Theydidnotnoticethechild，wholistenedtotheirconversation．‘It'sverybad，isit’hermotheraskedtheyoungmaninaworriedvoice．‘Verybad，’heansweredseriously．‘Peoplearedyinglikeflies．It'sdangeroustostayinthistown．Youshouldgotothehills，wherethere'snodisease．’‘Oh，Iknow！’shecried．‘Wemustleavesoon！’Suddenlytheyheardloudcriescomingfromtheatthesideofthehouse‘What'shappened’criedMary'smotherwildly．‘Ithinkoneofyourservantshasjustdied．Youdidn'ttellmethediseaseishere，inyourhouse！’Ididntknow’shescreamed．‘Quick，comewithNowMaryunderstoodwhatwaswrong．Theterriblediseasehadalreadykilledmanypeopleinthetown，andinallthehousespeopleweredying．InMary'shouseitwasKamalawhohadjustdied．Laterthatdaythreemoreservantsdiedthere．Allthroughthenightandthenextdaypeopleraninandoutofthehouse，shoutingandcrying．NobodythoughtofMary．Shehidinherbedroom，frightenedbythestrangeandterriblesoundsthatsheheardaroundher．Sometimesshecriedandsometimessheslept．Whenshewokethenextday，thehousewassilent．‘Perhapsthediseasehasgone，’shethought，‘andeverybodyiswellagain．IwonderwhowilltakecareofmeinsteadofKamalaWhydoesn'tsomeonebringmesomefoodIt'sstrangethehouseissoquiet．’Butjustthensheheardmen'svoicesinthehall．‘Howsad！’saidone．‘Thatbeautifulwoman！’‘Therewasachildtoo，wasn'tthere’saidtheother．‘Althoughnoneofuseversawher．’Marywasstandinginthemiddleofherroomwhentheyopenedthedoorafewminuteslater．Thetwomenjumpedbackinsurprise．‘MynameisMaryLennox，’shesaidcrossly．‘Iwasasleepwheneveryonewasill，andnowI'mhungry．’‘It'sthechild，theonenobodyeversaw！’saidtheoldermantotheother．‘They'veallforgottenher！’‘WhywasIforgotten’askedMaryangrily．‘Whyhasnobodycometotakecareofme’Theyoungermanlookedatherverysadly．‘Poorchild！’hesaid．‘Yousee，there'snobodyleftaliveinthehouse．Sonobodycancome．’InthisstrangeandsuddenwayMarylearntthatbothhermotherandherfatherhaddied．Thefewservantswhohadnotdiedhadrunawayinthenight．NoonehadrememberedlittleMissMary．Shewasallalone．Becauseshehadneverknownherparentswell，shedidnotmissthematall．Sheonlythoughtofherself，asshehadalwaysdone．‘WherewillIlive’shewondered．‘IhopeI'llstaywithpeoplewho'llletmedowhatIwant．’AtfirstshewastakentoanEnglishfamilywhohadknownherparents．Shehatedtheiruntidyhouseandnoisychildren，andpreferredplayingbyherselfinthegarden．Onedayshewasplayingherfavouritegame，pretendingtomakeagarden，whenoneofthechildren，Basil，offeredtohelp．‘Goaway！’criedMary．‘Idon'twantyourhelp！’ForamomentBasillookedangry，andthenhebegantolaughHedancedroundandroundMary，andsangafunnylittlesongaboutMissMaryandherstupidflowers．ThismadeMaryverycrossindeed．Noonehadeverlaughedathersounkindly．‘You'regoinghomesoon，’saidBasil．‘Andwe'reallverypleasedyou'releaving！’‘I'mpleasedtoo，’repliedMary．‘Butwhere'shome’‘You'restupidifyoudon'tknowthat！’laughedBasil．England，ofcourse！You'regoingtolivewithyouruncle，MrArchibaldGraven．’‘I'veneverheardofhim，’saidMarycoldly．‘ButIknowabouthimbecauseIheardFatherandMothertalking，’saidBasil．‘Helivesinabiglonelyoldhouse，andhasnofriends，becausehe'ssobadtempered．He'sgotacrookedback，andhe'shorrid！’‘Idon'tbelieveyou！’criedMary．ButthenextdayBasil'sparentsexplainedthatshewasgoingtolivewithheruncleinYorkshire，inthenorthofEngland．Marylookedboredandcrossandsaidnothing．Afterthelongseajourney，shewasmetinLondonbyMrCraven'shousekeeper，MrsMedlock．Togethertheytravellednorthbytrain．MrsMedlockwasalargewoman，withaveryredfaceandbrightblackeyes．Marydidnotlikeher，butthatwasnotsurprising，becauseshedidnotusuallylikepeople．MrsMedlockdidnotlikeMaryeither．‘Whatadisagreeablechild！’thoughtthehousekeeper．‘ButperhapsIshouldtalktoher．’‘Icantellyouabitaboutyouruncleifyoulike，’shesaidaloud．‘Helivesinabigoldhouse，alongwayfromanywhere．Therearenearlyahundredrooms，butmostofthemareshutandlocked．There'sabigparkroundthehouse，andallkindsofgardens．Well，whatdoyouthinkofthat’Marystaredoutofthetrainwindowatthegreyskyandtherain．Shewasnotlookingforwardtolifeatheruncle'shouse．Thetrainjourneylastedallday，anditwasdarkwhentheyarrivedatthestation．Thentherewasalongdrivetogettothehouse．Itwasacold，windynight，anditwasrainingheavily．AfterawhileMarybegantohearastrange，wildnoise．Shelookedoutofthewindow，butcouldseenothingexceptthedarkness．‘What'sthatnoise’sheaskedMrsMedlock．‘It's—It'snotthesea，isit’blowingacrossthemoor．’‘Whatisamoor’‘It'sjustmilesandmilesofwildland，withnotreesorhouses．Youruncle'shouseisrightontheedgeofthemoor．’Marylistenedtothestrange，frighteningsound．‘Idon'tlikeit，’shethought．‘Idon'tlikeit．’Shelookedmoredisagreeablethanever．2MaryinYorkshireTheyarrivedataverylargeoldhouse．Itlookeddarkandunfriendlyfromtheoutside．Inside，Marylookedaroundthebigshadowyhall，andfeltverysmallandlost．Theywentstraightupstairs．Marywasshowntoaroomwheretherewasawarmfireandfoodonthetable．‘Thisisyourroom，’saidMrsMedlock．‘Gotobedwhenyou'vehadsomesupper．Andremember，youmuststayinyourroom！MrCravendoesn'twantyoutowanderallovertheWhenMarywokeupthenextmorning，shesawayoungservantgirlcleaningthefireplace．Theroomseemeddarkandratherstrange，withpicturesofdogsandhorsesandladiesonthewalls．Itwasnotachild'sroomatall．Fromthewindowshecouldnotseeanytreesorhouses，onlywildland，whichlookedlikeakindofpurplesea．‘Whoareyou’sheaskedtheservantcoldly．‘Andwhat'sthatoutside’Marycontinued．‘That'sthemoor，’smiledMartha．‘Doyoulikeit’‘No，’repliedMaryimmediately．‘Ihateit．’‘That'sbecauseyoudon'tknowit．Youwilllikeit．Iloveit．It'slovelyinspringandsummerwhenthereareflowers．Italwayssmellssosweet．Theair'ssofresh，andthebirdssingsobeautifully．Ineverwanttoleavethemoor．’Marywasfeelingverybadtempered．‘You'reastrangeservant，’shesaid．‘InIndiawedon'thaveconversationswithservants．Wegiveorders，andtheyobey，andthat'sMarthadidnotseemtomindMary'scrossness．‘IknowItalktoomuch！’shelaughed．‘Areyougoingtobemyservant’askedMary．‘Well，notreally．IworkforMrsMedlock．I'mgoingtocleanyourroomandbringyouyourfood，butyouwon'tneedaservantexceptforthosethings．’‘Butwho'sgoingtodressme’Marthastoppedcleaning，andstaredatMary．‘Tha’canna'dressthysen’sheasked，shocked．‘WhatdoyoumeanIdon'tunderstandyourlanguage！’‘Oh，Iforgot．WeallspeaktheYorkshiredialecthere，butofcourseyoudon'tunderstandthat．Imeanttosay，can'tyouputonyourownclothes’alwaysusedtodressme‘Well！Ithinkyoushouldlearntodressyourself．Mymotheralwayssayspeopleshouldbeabletotakecareofthemselves，evenifthey'rerichandimportant．’LittleMissMarywasfuriouswithMartha．‘It'sdifferentinIndiawhereIcomefrom！Youdon'tknowanythingaboutIndia，oraboutservants，oraboutanything！You…you…’Shecouldnotexplainwhatshemeant．Suddenlyshefeltveryconfusedandlonely．Shethrewherselfdownonthebedandstartedcryinywildly．tMarthasaidgently．‘I'mverysorry．You'reright，Idon'tknowanythingaboutanything．Pleasestopcrying，miss．’Shesoundedkindandfriendly，andMarybegantofeelbetterandsoonstoppedcrying．Marthawentontalkingasshefinishedhercleaning，butMarylookedoutofthewindowinaboredway，andpretendednottolisten．enbrothersandsistersyouknowmiss．There'snotmuchmoneyinourhouse．Andtheyalleatsomuchfood！Mothersaysit'sthegoodfreshaironthemoorthatmakesthemsohungry．MybrotherDickon，he'salwaysoutonthemoor．He'stwelve，andhe'sgotahorsewhichherides‘Wheredidhegetit’askedMary．Shehadalwayswantedananimalofherown，andsoshebegantofeelalittleinterestinDickon．‘Oh，it'sawildhorse，buthe'sakindboy，andanimalslikehim，yousee．Nowyoumusthaveyourbreakfast，miss．Hereitisonthetable．’‘Idon'twantit，’saidMary．‘I'mnothungry．’‘What！’criedMartha．‘Mylittlebrothersandsisterswouldeatallthisinfiveminutes！’‘Why’askedMarycoldly．‘Becausetheydon'tgetenoughtoeat，that'swhy，andthey'realwayshungry．You'reveryluckytohavethefood，miss．’Marysaidnothing，butshedranksometeaandatealittlebread．‘Nowputacoatonandrunoutsidetoplay，’saidMartha．‘It'lldoyougoodtobeinthefreshair．’Marylookedoutofthewindowatthecoldgreysky．‘WhyshouldIgooutonadaylikethis’sheasked．‘Well，there'snothingtoplaywithindoors，isthere’MaryrealizedMarthawasright．‘Butwhowillgowithme’shesaid．Marthastaredather．‘Nobody．You'llhavetolearntoplaybyyourselfDickonplaysbyhimselfonthemoorsforhours，withthewildbirds，andthesheep，andtheotheranimals．’Shelookedawayforamoment．‘PerhapsIshouldn'ttellyouthis，but—butoneofthewalledgardensislockedup．Nobody'sbeeninitfortenyears．ItwasMrsGraven'sgarden，andwhenshediedsosuddenly，MrCravenlockeditandburiedthekey—Oh，Imustgo，IcanhearMrsMedlock'sbellringingforme．’Marywentdownstairsandwanderedthroughthegreatemptygardens．Manyofthefruitandvegetablegardenshadwallsroundthem，buttherewerenolockeddoors．Shesawanoldmandigginginoneofthevegetablegardens，buthelookedcrossandunfriendly，soshewalkedon．‘Howuglyitalllooksinwinter！’shethought．‘Butwhatamysterythelockedgardenis！WhydidmyuncleburythekeyIfhelovedhiswife，whydidhehatehergardenPerhapsI'llneverknow．Idon'tsupposeI'lllikehimifIevermeethim．Andhewon'tlikeme，soIwon'tbeabletoaskhim．’Justthenshenoticedarobinsingingtoherfromatreeontheothersideofawall．‘Ithinkthattree'sinthesecretgarden！’shetoldherself．‘There'sanextrawallhere，andthere'snowayin．’Shewentbacktowherethegardenerwasdigging，andspoketohim．Atfirstheansweredinaverybadtemperedway，butsuddenlytherobinflewdownnearthem，andtheoldmanbegantosmile．Helookedadifferentpersonthen，andMarythoughthowmuchnicerpeoplelookedwhentheysmiled．Thegardenerspokegentlytotherobin，andtheprettylittlebirdhoppedonthegroundnearthem．‘He'smyfriend，heis，’saidtheoldman．‘Therearen'tanyotherrobinsinthegarden，sohe'sabitlonely．’HespokeinstrongYorkshiredialect，soMaryhadtolistencarefullytounderstandhim．Shelookedveryhardattherobin．‘I'mlonelytoo，’shesaid．Shehadnotrealizedthisbefore．‘What'syourname’sheaskedthegardener．‘BenWeatherstaff．I'mlonelymyself．Therobin'smyonlyfriend，yousee．’‘Ihaven'tgotanyfriendsatall，’saidMary．Yorkshirepeoplealwayssaywhattheyarethinking，andoldBenwasaYorkshiremoorman．‘We'realike，youandme，’hetoldMary．‘We'renotprettytolookat，andwe'rebothverydisagreeable．’NobodyhadeversaidthistoMarybefore．‘AmIreallyasuglyanddisagreeableasBen’shewondered．SuddenlytherobinflewtoatreenearMaryandstartedsingingtoher．Benlaughedloudly．‘Well！’hesaid．‘Hewantstobeyourfriend！’‘Oh！Wouldyoupleasebemyfriend’shewhisperedtotherobin．Shespokeinasoft，quietvoiceandoldBenlookedatherinsurprise．‘Yousaidthatreallynicely！’hesaid．‘YousoundlikeDickon，whenhetalkstoanimalsonthemoor．’‘DoyouknowDickon’askedMary．Butjustthentherobinflewaway．‘Ohlook，he'sflownintothegardenwithnodoor！Please，Ben，howcanIgetintoit’Benstoppedsmilingandpickeduphisspade．‘Youcan't，andthat'sthat．It'snotyourbusiness．Nobodycanfindthedoor．Runawayandplay，willyou？Imustgetonwithmywork．’Andhewalkedaway．Hedidnotevensaygoodbye．InthenextfewdaysMaryspentalmostallhertimeinthegardens．Thefreshairfromthemoormadeherhungry，andshewasbecomingstrongerandhealthier．Onedayshenoticedtherobinagain．Hewasontopofawall，singingtoher．‘Goodmorning！Isn'tthisfun！Comethisway！’heseemedtosay，ashehoppedalongthewall．Marybegantolaughasshedancedalongbesidehim．‘Iknowthesecretgarden'sontheothersideofthiswall！’shethoughtexcitedly．‘Andtherobinlivesthere！Butwhere'sthedoor’ThateveningsheaskedMarthatostayandtalktoherbesidethefireaftersupper．Theycouldhearthewindblowingroundtheoldhouse，buttheroomwaswarmandcomfortable．Maryonlyhadoneideainherhead．‘Tellmeaboutthesecretgarden，’shesaid．‘Well，allrightthen，miss，butwearen'tsupposedtotalkaboutit，youknow．ItwasMrsGraven'sfavouritegarden，andsheandMrCravenusedtotakecareofitthemselves．Theyspenthoursthere，readingandtalking．Veryhappy，theywere．Theyusedthebranchofanoldtreeasaseat．Butonedaywhenshewassittingonthebranch，itbroke，andshefell．Shewasverybadlyhurtandthenextdayshedied．That'swhyhehatesthegardensomuch，andwon'tletanyonegoine‘Howsad！’saidMary．‘PoorMrCraven！’Itwasthefirsttimethatshehadeverfeltsorryforanyone．Justthen，asshewaslisteningtothewindoutside，sheheardanothernoise，inthehouse．‘Canyouhearachildcrying’sheaskedMartha．Marthalookedconfused．‘Er—no，’shereplied．‘No，Ithink…itmustbethewind．’Butatthatmomentthewindblewopentheirdoorandtheyheardthecryingveryclearly．ItoldyoucriedMary．AtonceMarthashutthedoor．‘Itwasthewind，’sherepeated．Butshedidnotspeakinherusualnaturalway，andMarydidnotbelieveher．Thenextdayitwasveryrainy，soMarydidnotgoout．Insteadshedecidedtowanderroundthehouse，lookingintosomeofthehundredroomsthatMrsMedlockhadtoldherabout．Shespentallmorninggoinginandoutofdark，silentrooms，whichwerefullofheavyfurnitureandoldpictures．Shesawnoservantsatall，andwasonherwaybacktoherroomforlunch，whensheheardacry．‘It'sabitlikehousekeeper，MrsMedlock，appeared，withherkeysinherhand．‘Whatareyoudoinghere’sheaskedcrossly．Ididn'tknowwhichwaytogo，andIheardsomeonecrying，’answeredMary．difyoudon'tstaythere，I'lllockyouin！’MaryhatedMrsMedlockforthis．‘Therewassomeonecrying，Iknowtherewas！’shesaidtoherself．‘ButI'lldiscoverwhoitissoon！’ShewasalmostbeginningtoenjoyherselfinYorkshire．3FindingthesecretgardenWhenMarywokeuptwodayslater，thewindandrainhadalldisappeared，andtheskywasabeautifulblue．‘Spring'llbeheresoon，’saidMarthahappily．‘You'lllovethemoorthen，whenit'sfullofflowersandbirds．’‘CouldIgettothemoor’askedMary．‘You'veneverdonemuchwalking，haveyou？Idon'tthinkyoucouldwalkthefivemilestoourcottage！’‘ButI'dliketomeetyourfamily，’Marysaid．Marthalookedatthelittlegirlforamoment．SherememberedhowdisagreeableMaryhadbeenwhenshefirstarrived．Butnow，Marylookedinterestedandfriendly．‘I'llaskMother，’saidMartha．‘Shecanalwaysthinkofagoodplan．She'ssensibleandhardworkingandkind—Iknowyou'lllikeher．’m‘IwonderwhatDickonwillthinkofyou’‘Hewon'tlikeme，’saidMary．‘Noonedoes．’Butdoyoulikeyourself？That'swhatMotherwould‘Well，Imustgonow．It'smydayoff，soI'mgoinghometohelpMotherwiththehousework．Goodbye，miss．SeeyouMaryfeltlonelierthaneverwhenMarthahadgone，soshewentoutside．Thesunshinemadethegardenslookdifferent．AndthechangeintheweatherhadevenmadeBenWeatherstaffeasiertotalkto．‘Canyousmellspringintheair’heaskedher．‘Thingsaregrowing，deepdownintheground．Soonyou'llseelittlegreenshootscomingup—youngplants，theyare．Youwatchthem．’littlebirdhoppedontoBen'sspade．‘Arethingsgrowinginthegardenwherehelives’‘Whatgarden’saidBen，inhisbadtemperedvoice．‘Youknow，thesecretgarden．Aretheflowersdeadthere’Shereallywantedtoknowtheanswer．‘Asktherobin，’saidBencrossly．‘He'stheonlyonewho'sbeeninthereforthelasttenyears．’Tenyearswasalongtime，Marythought．Shehadbeenborntenyearsago．Shewalkedaway，thinking．Shehadbeguntolikethegardens，andtherobin，andMarthaandDickonandtheirmother．BeforeshecametoYorkshire，shehadnotlikedanybody．Shewaswalkingbesidethelongwallofthesecretgarden，whenamostwonderfulthinghappened．Shesuddenlyrealizedtherobinwasfollowingher．Shefeltverypleasedandexcitedbythis，andcriedout，‘Youlikeme，don'tyou？AndIlikeyoutoshowhimthatshewashisfriend．Justthenhestoppedataplacewhereadoghaddugaholeintheground．AsMarylookedatthehole，shenoticedsomethingalmostburiedthere．Sheputherhandinandpulleditout．Itwasanoldkey．‘Perhapsit'sbeenburiedfortenyears，’shewhisperedtoherself．‘Perhapsit'sthekeytothesecretgarden！’Shelookedatitforalongtime．Howlovelyitwouldbetofindthegarden，andseewhathadhappenedtoitinthelasttenyears！Shecouldplayinitallbyherself，andnobodywouldknowshewasthere．Sheputthekeysafelyinherpocket．ThenextmorningMarthawasbackatMisselthwaiteManor，andtoldMaryallaboutherdaywithherfamily．‘Ireallyenjoyedmyself．IhelpedMotherwiththewholeweek'swashingandbaking．AndItoldthechildrenaboutyou．Theywantedtoknowaboutyourservants，andtheshipthatbroughtyoutoEngland，andeverything！’‘Icantellyousomemorefornexttime，’offeredcamels，wouldn'tthey’‘Oh，thatwouldbekindofyou，miss！Andlook，Motherhassentyouapresent！’ApresentrepeatedMaryHowcouldafamilyoffourteenhungrypeoplegiveanyoneapresent！‘Motherboughtitfromamanwhocametothedoortosellthings．Shetoldme，“Martha，you'vebroughtmeyourpay，likeagoodgirl，andweneeditall，butI'mgoingtobuysomethingforthatlonelychildattheManor，”andsheboughtone，andhereitis！’Itwasaskippingrope．Marystaredatit．‘Whatisit’sheasked．‘Don'ttheyhaveskippingropesinIndia？Well，thisishowyouuseit．Justwatchme．’Marthatooktheropeandranintothemiddleoftheroom．Shecounteduptoahundredassheskipped．‘Thatlookslovely，’saidMary．‘Yourmotherisverykind．DoyouthinkIcouldeverskiplikethat’‘Justtry，’saidMartha．‘Mothersaysit'llmakeyoustrongandhealthy．Skipoutsideinthefreshair．’Maryputhercoatonandtooktheskipping-rope．Asshewasopeningthedoor，shethoughtofsomethingandturnedround．‘Martha，itwasyourmoneyreally．Thankyou．’Sheneverthankedpeopleusuallyandshedidnotknowhowtodoit．Sosheheldoutherhand，becausesheknewthatadultsdidthat．Marthashookherhandandlaughed．‘You'reastrangechild，’shesaid．‘Likeanoldwoman！NowrunawayandTheskippingropewaswonderful．Marycountedandskipped，skippedandcounted，untilherfacewashotandred．Shewashavingmorefunthanshehadeverhadbefore．SheskippedthroughthegardensuntilshefoundBenWeatherstaff，whowasdiggingandtalkingtohisrobin．Shewantedthembothtoseeherskip．‘Well！’saidBen．‘You'relookingfineandhealthyyouMaryskippedallthewaytothesecretgardenwall．Andtherewastherobin！Hehadfollowedher！Marywasverypleased．‘Youshowedmewherethekeywasyesterday，’shelaughed．‘I'vegotitinmypocket．Soyououghttoshowmethedoortoday！’Therobinhoppedontoanoldclimbingplantonthewall，andsanghismostbeautifulsong．Suddenlythewindmadetheplantmove，andMarysawsomethingunderthedarkgreenleaves．Thethick，heavyplantwascoveringadoor．Mary'sheartwasbeatingfastandherhandswereshakingasshepushedtheleavesawayandfoundthekeyhole．Shetookthekeyoutofherpocket，anditfittedthehole．Usingbothhands，shemanagedtounlockthedoor．Thensheturnedroundtoseeifanyonewaswatching．Buttherewasnoone，soshepushedthedoor，whichopened，slowly，forthefirsttimeintenyears．Shewalkedquicklyinandshutthedoorbehindher．Atlastshewasinsidethesecretgarden！Itwastheloveliest，mostexcitingplaceshehadeverseen．Therewereoldrosetreeseverywhere，andthewallswerecoveredwithclimbingroses．Shelookedcarefullyatthegreybranches．Weretherosesstillalive？Benwouldknow．Shehopedtheyweren'talldead．Butshewasinsidethewonderfulgarden，inaworldofherown．Itseemedverystrangeandsilent，butshedidnotfeellonelyatall．Thenshenoticedsomesmallgreenshootscomingupthroughthegrass．Sosomethingwasgrowinginthegardenafterall！Whenshefoundalotmoreshootsindifferentplaces，shedecidedtheyneededmoreairandlight，soshebegantopulloutthethickgrassaroundthem．Sheworkedaway，clearingtheground，fortwoorthreehours，andhadtotakehercoatoffbecauseshegotsohot．Therobinhoppedaround，pleasedtoseesomeonegardening．Shealmostforgotaboutlunch，andwhenshearrivedbackinherroom，shewasveryhungryandatetwiceasmuchasusual．‘Martha，’shesaidasshewaseating，‘I'vebeenthinking．Thisisabig，lonelyhouse，andthereisn'tmuchformetodo．Doyouthink，ifIbuyalittlespade，Icanmakemyowngarden’‘That'sjustwhatMothersaid，’repliedMartha．‘You'denjoydiggingandwatchingplantsgrowing．Dickoncangetyouaspade，andsomeseedstoplant，ifyoulike．’Medlockgaveme．WillyouwriteandaskDickontobuythemforme’sherememberedsomething．‘Iheardthatcryinthehouseagain，Martha．Itwasn'tthewindthistime．I'vehearditthreetimesnow．Whoisit’Marthalookeduncomfortable．‘Youmustn'tgowanderingaroundthehouse，youknow．MrCravenwouldn'tlikeit．NowImustgoandhelptheothersdownstairs．I'llseeyouatteatime．’AsthedoorclosedbehindMartha，Marythoughttoherself，‘Thisreallyisthestrangesthousethatanyoneeverlived4MeetingDickonMaryspentnearlyaweekworkinginthesecretgarden．Eachdayshefoundnewshootscomingoutoftheground．Soon，therewouldbeflowerseverywhere—thousandsofthem．Itwasanexcitinggametoher．Whenshewasinsidethosebeautifuloldwalls，nooneknewwhereshewas．DuringthatweekshebecamemorefriendlywithBen，whowasoftendigginginoneofthevegetablegardens．‘Whatareyourfavouriteflowers，Ben’sheaskedhimoneday．yousee，andshehadalotinhergarden．Thatwastenyears‘Whathappenedtotheroses’askedMary．Ifrosebrancheslookdryandgrey，aretheystillalive’askedMary．Itwassoimportanttoknow！‘Inthespringthey'llshowgreenshoots，andthen—Butwhyareyousointerestedinroses’heasked．Mary'sfacewentred．‘Ijust…wantedtopretendI'vegotagarden．Ihaven'tgotanyonetoplaywith．’forher．MarydecidedshelikedoldBen，althoughhewassometimesbadtempered．Sheskippedalongandintothewoodattheendofthegardens．Suddenlysheheardastrangenoise，andthereinfrontofherwasaboy．Hewassittingunderatree，playingonawoodenpipe．Hewasabouttwelve，withahealthyredfaceandbrightblueeyes．Therewasasquirrelandacrowinthetree，andtworabbitssittingonthegrassnearhim．‘They'relisteningtothemusic！’thoughtMary．‘Imustn'tfrightenthem！’Shestoodverystill．Theboystoppedplaying．‘That'sright，’hesaid．‘Animalsdon'tlikeitifyoumovesuddenly．I'mDickonandyoumustbeMissMary．I'vebroughtyouthespadeandtheHespokeinaneasy，friendlyway．Marylikedhimatonce．Astheywerelookingattheseedpacketstogether，therobinhoppedontoabranchnearthem．Dickonlistenedcarefullytotherobin'ssong．ry‘ReallyOh，Iampleasedhelikesme．Canyouunderstandeverythingthatbirdssay’‘IthinkIdo，andtheythinkIdo．I'velivedonthemoorwiththemforsolong．SometimesIthinkIamabirdorananimal，notaboyatall！’Hissmilewasthewidestshehadeverseen．Heexplainedhowtoplanttheseeds．Suddenlyhesaid，‘Icanhelpyouplantthem！Where'syourgarden’Marywentred，thenwhite．Shehadneverthougtofay‘Couldyoukeepasecret？It'sagreatsecret．Ifanyonediscoversit，I'll…I'lldie！’‘Ikeepsecretsforallthewildbirdsandanimalsonthemoor．SoIcankeepyourstoo，’hereplied．‘I'vestolenagarden，’shesaidveryfast．‘Nobodygoesintoit，nobodywantsit．Iloveitandnobodytakescareoffaceandstartedcrying．‘Don'tcry，’saidDickongently．‘Whereisit’‘ComewithmeandI'llshowyou，’saidMissMary．Theywenttothesecretgardenandentereditdlookingateverything‘Marthatoldmeaboutthisplace，butIneverthoughtI'dseeit，’hesaid．‘It'swonderful！’‘Whatabouttheroses’askedMaryworriedly．‘AretheystillaliveWhatdoyouthink’‘Lookattheseshoo