THE SECRET GARDEN

Stage 3

'We're alik
old Ben We
Mary. 'We
look at and
disagreeab

Poor Ma
wants her
her. Her p
and she is
India to li
house in Y
big old hou
hundred r
of them
locked. M
bored, and
is nothing

no one to t
Ben
We
gardener.

But then M
the secret g
is locked
the key is
been insi
garden fo
except the
over the
watches t
wonders
is.. .

And then
strange cry
somewhere
sounds
c ry i n g . . .

Frances H
was born i
in

1924, Fro
sixteen she
the USA, b
to Englan
writer all h
many book
Garden is
story.

OXFOR D BOOKWORM S
Series Editor: Jennifer Bassett

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199
3
First
published
1994
Seventh
impressi
on 1999
No
unau
thori
zed
phot
ocop
ying
A
l
l

rights
reserved.
No part of
this
publication
may
be reproduced,
stored in a
retrieval system,
or transmitted, in
any form or by
any means,
electronic,
mechanical,
photocopying,
recording or
otherwise,
without the prior
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permission of
Oxford University
Press,
This book is sold
subject to the
condition that it
shall not, by way
of trade or
otherwise, be
lent, resold, hired
out, or otherwise
circulated
without the
publisher's prior
consent

in any
form of
binding
or cover
other
than that
in which
it is
published
and
without a
similar
condition
including
this
condition
being
imposed
on the
subseque
nt
purchaser
.
T
y
p
e
s
e
t
b
y
W
y

ver
n
Ty
pe
set
tin
g
Lt
d,
Bri
sto
l
Pri
nte
d
in
En
gla
nd
by
Cl
ay
s
Lt
d,
St
Ive
s
plc

1
Little Miss
Mary
o
b
o
d
y
s
e
e
m
e
d
t
o
c
a
r
e
a

bout
Mary.
She
was
born
in
India,
where
her
father was a
British
official. He
was
busy
with
his
work,
and
her mother,
who
was
very
beautiful,
spent all her
time going
to
parties.
So an Indian

wom
an,
Kama
la,
was
paid
to
take
care
of the
little
girl.
Mary
was
not a
pretty
child.
She
had a
thin
angry

face and thin

yellow hair.
She
was
always
giving
orders
to
Kamala, wh
o had to
obey. Mary
never
thought of
other
people, but
only
of
herself.
In
fact, she was
a
very
selfish,
disagreeable
,
badtempered

little
girl.
On
e
very
hot
morn
ing,
when
she
was
about
nine
years
old,
she
woke
up
and
saw
that
inste

ad
of
Kamala
there was a
different
Indian
servant by
her bed.

Mary saw
that there
was a
different

I
n
d
i
a

n servant
by her
bed.

The
Secret
Garden

'What
are
you
doing
here?' she
asked
crossly. 'G
o
away!
And send
Kamala to
me
at
once!'
The
woman
looked
afraid.
'I'm
sorry,
Miss

Mary,
she she - she
can't
come!'
Somethi
ng strange
was
happening
that
day.
Some
of
the house
servants
were
missing
and
everybody
looked
frightened.
But
nobody

told Mary
anything,
and
Kamala
still did not
come. So at
last Mary
went
out
into
the
garden, and
played by
herself
under
a
tree.
She
pretended
she
was
making
her ow n
flower
garden,
and picked

large
red
flowers to
push into
the ground.
All the time
she
was
saying
crossly to
herself,
'I hate
Kamala!
I'll hit
her
when
she
comes
back!'
Just
then
she
saw
her
mother
coming

into
the
garden,
with
a
young
Englishma
n. They did
not notice
the child,
who
listened to
their
conversatio
n.
'It's very
bad, is it?'
her mother
asked the
young man
in
a
worried
voice.

'Very
bad,' he
answere
d
seriously
. 'People
are
dying
like
flies. It's
dangerous
to stay in
this town.
You should
go to the
hills,
where
there's no
disease.'
'Oh , I
know!'
she
cried.
'We

must
leave
soon!'
Suddenl
y
they
heard loud
cries
coming
from
the
servants'
rooms, at
the side of
the house.
'What's
happen
ed?'
cried
Mary's
mother
wildly,
'I think
one of your

servants
has
just
died. You
didn't tell
me
the
disease is
here,
in
your
house!'
'I didn't
know!'
she
screame
d.
'Quick,
come
with
me!'
2

Little
Miss
Mary

'
Y
o
u
d
i
d
n
'
t
t
e
l
l
m
e
t
h
e
d
i
s
e
a
s
e

i
s
h
e
r
e
,
i
n
y
o
u
r
h
o
u
s
e
!
'

And
together
they ran
into the
house.

No
w
Mary
understood
what was
wrong. The
terrible
disease had
already
killed many
people
in
the town,
and in all
the houses
people were

dying.
In
Mary's
house
it
was
Kamala
who
had
just
died.
Later that
day
three
more
servants
died there.
3

The
Secret
Garden

All
through the
night and
the
next
day people
ran in and
out of the
house,
shouting
and crying.
Nobod
y
thought of
Mary. She
hid in her
bedroom,
frightened
by
the

strange and
terrible
sounds that
she heard
around her.
Sometimes
she
cried
and
sometimes
she slept.
When
she
woke
the next
day, the
house
was
silent.
'Perhaps
the disease
has gone,'
she

thought,
'and
everybody
is
well
again.
I
wonder
who
will
take care of
me instead
of Kamala?
Why
doesn't
someone
bring
me
some food?
It's strange
the house is
so quiet.'
But just
then she
heard
men's

voices in
the hall.
'Ho w
sad!'
said
one.
'That
beautiful
woman!
'
'There
was a
child
too,
wasn't
there?'
said the
other.
'Although
none of us
ever saw
her.'
Mary
was

standing in
the middle
of her room
when they
opened the
door a few
minutes
later. The
two
men
jumped
back
in
surprise.
'My
name is
Mary
Lennox,'
she said
crossly.
'I was
asleep
when
everyone
was ill, and

now I'm
hungry.'
'It's the
child, the
one nobody
ever saw!'
said
the
older man
to
the
other.
'They've all
forgotten
her!'
'Why
was
I
forgotten?'
asked
Mary
angrily.
'Why
has
nobody

come
to
take care of
me?'
The
younger
man
looked at
her very
sadly.
'Poor
child!'
he said.
'You see,
there's
nobody left
alive in the
house. So
nobody can
come.'
In
this
strange and
sudden way
Mary learnt

that
both
her mother
and
her
father had
died. The
few
servants
who had
4

Little
Miss
Mary

not
died
had
run
away in the
night. No
one
had
remembere
d little Miss
Mary. She
was
all
alone.
Because
she
had
never
known her
parents
well,
she
did not miss

them at all.
She
only
thought of
herself, as
she
had
always
done.
'Where
will I live?'
she
wondered.
'I hope I'll
stay
with
people
who'll let
me do what
I want.'
At first
she was
taken to
an
English

family
who had
known her
parents.
She hated
their untidy
house and
noisy
children,
and
preferred
playing by
herself
in
the garden.
One day she
was playing
her
favourite
game,
pretending
to make a

garden,
when one
of
the
children,
Basil,
offered to
help.
'Go
away!'
cried
Mary. 'I
don't
want
your
help!'
For
a
moment
Basil
looked
angry, and
then
he
began
to

laugh. He
danced
round and
round
Mary, and
sang
a
funny little
song about
Miss Mary
and
her
stupid
flowers.
This made
Mary very
cross
indeed. No
one
had
ever
laughed at
her
so
unkindly.

'You're
going
home
soon,'
said
Basil.
'And
we're all
very
p
l
e
a
s
e
d
y
o
u
'
r
e
l
e

a
v
i
n
g
!
'
'I'm
pleased
too, '
replied
Mary.
'But
where's
home?'
'You're
stupid if
you
don't
know
that!'
laughed
Basil.

'England,
of course!
You're
going
to
live
with
your uncle,
Mr
Archibald
Craven.'
'I've
never
heard of
him,'
said
Mary
coldly.
'But I
know
about
him
because
I heard

Father
and
Mother
talking,'
said Basil.

'He lives in
a
big
lonely old
5
The
Secret
Garden

house, and
has no
friends,
because
he's so
badtempered.
He's got a
crooked
back, and
he's
horrid!'

'I don't
believe
you!' cried
Mary. But
the
next
day Basil's
parents
explained
that
she
was going
to live with
her uncle in
Yorkshire,
in
the
north
of
England.
Mary

looked
bored and
cross and
said
nothing.

After the
long
sea

journey,
she
was
met
in
London by
Mr
Craven's
housekeep
er,
Mr s
Medlock.
Together
they
travelled
north
by
train. Mrs
Medlock
was a large
woman,
with a very
red
face
and bright
black eyes.

Mary did
not
like
her,
but
that
was
not
surprising,
because she
did
not
usually like
people. Mr
s Medlock
did not like
Mary
either.
'What a
disagree
able
child!'
thought
the
houseke
eper.

'But
perhaps I
should talk
to her.'
6

Little
Miss
Mary

'I
can
tell you a
bit about
your uncle
if you like,'
she
said
aloud. 'He
lives in a
big
old
house,
a
long way
from
anywhere.
There are
nearly
a
hundred
rooms, but

most
of
them
are
shut
and
locked.
There's a
big
park
round the
house, and
all kinds of
gardens.
Well, what
do
you
think
of
that?'
'Nothing
,' replied
Mary. 'It
doesn't
matter to
me.'
Mr
s
Medlock

laughed.
'You're a
hard little
girl! Well,
if
you
don't care,
Mr Craven
doesn't
either. He
never
spends
time
on
anyone.
He's got a
crooked
back, you
see,
and
although
he's
always
been rich,

he
was
never
really
happy until
he
married.'
'Married
?'
repeated
Mary in
surprise.
'Yes, he
married a
sweet,
pretty girl,
and
he
loved her
deeply. So
when she
died'
'Oh !
Did she

die?'
asked
Mary,
intereste
d.
'Yes, she
did. And
now
he
doesn't
care about
anybody.
If he's at
home, he
stays in his
room and
sees
nobody.
He won' t
want
to
see you, so
you must
stay out of

his
way
and
do
what
you're
told.'
Mary
stared out
of the train
window at
the
grey
sky and the
rain. She
was
not
looking
forward to
life at her
uncle's
house.
The
train
journey

lasted
all day,
and it
was
dark
when
they
arrived at
the
station.
Then there
was a long
drive
to
get to the
house. It
was
a
cold,
windy
night, and
it
was

raining
heavily.
After
a
while
Mary
began
to
hear
a
strange,
wild noise.
She looked
out of the
window,
but could
see
nothing
except the
darkness.
7

The
Secret
Garden

'What's
that
noise?' she
asked Mrs
Medlock.
'It's - It's
not the
sea, is it?'
'No ,
that's the
moor. It's
the sound
the wind
makes,
blowing
across the
moor.'

'It'
s
the
sou
nd
the
wi
nd
ma
kes
,
blo
wi
ng
acr
oss
the
mo
or.'

Mary in
Yorkshire

'What
is a
moor?'
'It's
just miles
and miles
of
wild
land, with
no trees
or houses.
Your
uncle's
house is
right on
the edge
of
the
moor.'

Mary
listened to
the
strange,
frightenin
g sound.
'I
don't
like
it,'
she
thought. 'I
don't like
it.'
She
looked
more
disagreea
ble tha n
ever.

Mary
in
Yorks
hire

hey
arrived at
a very
large old
house. It
looked
dark and
unfriendly
from the
outside.
Inside,
Mary
looked
around
the big
shadowy
hall, and
felt very
small and
lost. They
went

straight
upstairs.
Mary was
shown to
a room
where
there was
a warm
fire and
food on
the table.
'This is
your
room,'
said Mrs
Medlock.
'G o to
bed when
you've
had some
supper.
And

remember
, you must
stay
in
your
room! Mr
Craven
doesn't
want you
to wander
all
over
the
house!'
When
Mary
woke up
the next
morning,
she saw a
young
servant
girl

cleaning
the
fireplace.
The room
seemed
dark and
rather
strange,
with
pictures
of
dogs
and
horses
and ladies
on
the
walls. It
was not a
child's

room at
all. From
the
window
she could
not
see
any trees
or houses,
only wild
land,
which
looked
like
a
kind
of
purple
sea.
9

The
Secret
Garden
'Wh o
are
you?'
she
asked
the
servant
coldly.
'Martha,
miss,'
answere
d the
girl with
a smile.
'And
what's
that
outside?

' Mary
continue
d.
'That's
the
moor, '
smiled
Martha .
'D o you
like it?'
'No, '
replied
Mary
immedia
tely. 'I
hate it.'
'That's
because you
don't know
it. You will
like it. I love
it.
It's

lovely
in
spring and
summer
when there
are flowers.
It
always
smells
so
sweet. The
air's
so
fresh, and
the
birds
sing
so
beautifully,
I
never
want
to
leave
the
moor.'
Mary
was feeling
very
badtempered.

'You're
a
strange
servant,' she
said.
'In
India
we
don't have
conversation
s
with
servants.
We
give
orders, and
they obey,
and
that's
that.'
Marth a
did not
seem to
mind
Mary' s
crossness
.

'I know
I talk to
o much!'
she
laughed.
'Are you
going to
be my
servant?
' asked
Mary.
'Well,
not really. I
work
for
Mr
s
Medlock.
I'm going
to
clean
your room
and bring
you
your
food,
but
you won' t

need
a
servant
except for
those
things.'
'But
who's
going to
dress
me?'
Martha
stopped
cleaning,
and
stared at
Mary.
'Tha '
canna'
dress
thysen?'
she
asked,
shocked.

'Wha t
do you
mean? I
don't
understa
nd your
language
!'
'Oh , I
forgot. We
all
speak
the
Yorkshire
dialect
here, but of
course you
don't
understand
the...
I
meant
to
say, can't
you put on

your
own
clothes?'
'Of
course
not! My
servant
always
used to
dress
me.'
'Well! I
think you
should learn
to
dress
yourself.
My mother
always says
people
should be
able to take
care of

10

Mary
in
Yorkshi
re

themselves,
even if
they're rich
and
important.'
Little
Miss Mary
was
furious
with
Martha.
'It's
different in
India
where
I
come

from! You
don't kno
w
anything
about
India, or
about
servants,
or about
anything!
You . . .
you... '
She could
not
explain
what she
meant.
Suddenly
she
felt
very
confused

and
lonely.
She threw
herself
down on
the
bed
and
started
crying
wildly.

M
a
rt
h
a
st
o
p
p
e
d
cl
e
a
ni
n
g,
a
n
d
st
ar
e
d
at

M
a
r
y.
11

The
Secret
Garden

'Now ,
now, don' t
cry
like
that,'
Marth
a
said gently.
'I'm
very
sorry.
You're
right,
I
don't know
anything
about
anything.
Please stop
crying,
miss.'

She
sounded
kind
and
friendly,
and Mary
began
to
feel better
and
soon
stopped
crying.
Marth
a
went
on
talking as
she finished
her
cleaning,
but Mary
looked out
of
the
window in
a
bored

way,
and
pretended
not
to
listen.
'I've got
eleven
brothers
and sisters,
you know,
miss.
There's not
much
money
in
our house.
And they all
eat so much
food!
Mothe
r
says it's the
good fresh
air on the

moo r that
makes
them
so
hungry.
My
brother
Dickon,
he's always
out on the
moor. He's
twelve, and
he's got a
horse
which
he
rides
sometimes.
'
'Where
did he get
it?' asked
Mary. She

had always
wanted an
animal of
her
own,
and so she
began
to
feel a little
interest in
Dickon.
'Oh , it's
a
wild
horse, but
he's a kind
boy,
and
animals like
him,
you
see. No w
you
must
have your
breakfast,
miss. Here

it is on the
table.'
'I don't
wan t it,'
said
Mary.
'I'm not
hungry.'
'What!'
cried
Martha.
'My little
brothers
and sisters
would eat
all this in
five
minutes!'
'Why?'
asked
Mary
coldly.

'Because
they don' t
get enough
to
eat,
that's why,
and they're
always
hungry.
You're very
lucky
to
have
the
food, miss.'
Mary said
nothing,
but
she
drank some
tea and ate
a
little
bread.
'No w
put a
coat on

and run
outside
to play,'
said
12

Mary
in
Yorksh
ire

t
w
a
n
t
i
t
,
'
s
a
i
d
M
a
r
y
.

7
d
o
n
'

'
I
'
m
n
o
t

h
u
n
g
r
y
.
'

Martha . 'It'll
do you good
to be in the
fresh air.'
Mary
looked
out of the
window at
the cold
grey sky.
'Why should
I go out on a
day like
this?' she
asked.
'Well,
there's

nothing
to play
with
indoors,
is there?'
Mary
realized
Martha
was
right.
'But who
will go
with
me?' she
said.
Marth a
stared
at
her.
'Nobody.
You'll have
to learn to

play
by
yourself.
Dickon plays
by himself on
the
moors
for
hours,
with the wild
birds,
and
the
sheep,
and the other
animals.' She
looked away
for
a
moment.
'Perhaps
I
shouldn't tell
you this, but
- but one of
the
walled
gardens
is
locked
up.

Nobody's
been in it for
ten years. It
was
Mrs
Craven's
garden, and
when
she
died
so
suddenly,
Mr Craven
locked
it
and buried
the key - Oh
, I must go,
I can hear
Mrs
Medlock's
bell ringing
for me.'

13

The
Secret
Garden
Mary
went
downstairs
and
wandered
through the
great empty
gardens.
Many of the
fruit
and
vegetable
gardens had
walls round
them,
but
there were
no
locked
doors. She

saw an old
man digging
in one of the
vegetable
gardens, but
he
looked
cross
and
unfriendly,
so
she
walked on.
'How
ugly it all
looks
in
winter!' she
thought.
'But what a
mystery the
locked
garden is!
Why did my
uncle bury

the key? If
he loved his
wife,
why
did he hate
her garden?
Perhaps I'll
never know.
I
don't
suppose I'll
like him if I
ever
meet
him. And he
won't
like
me, so I
won't
be
able to ask
him.'
Just then
she noticed a
robin
singing
to

her from a
tree on the
other side of
a wall. 'I
think that
tree's in the
secret
garden!' she
told herself.
'There's an
extra wall
here,
and
there's no
way in.'
She went
back to
where the
gardener
was
digging, and
spoke to

him. At first
he answered
in a very
badtempered
way, but
suddenly
the
robin flew
down near

noticed
a robin.
to the
robin,
and the
14

them,
man bega
He looke
different
and Mar
how muc
people
they smiled
gardener
Just
then she

Mary
in
Yorksh
ire
prett
y
little
bird
hopp
ed on
the
grou
nd
near
them.
'He's my
friend, he is,'
said the old
man. 'There
aren't
any
other robins

in
the
garden,
so
he's a bit
lonely.' He
spoke
in
strong
Yorkshire
dialect,
so
Mary had to
listen
carefully to
understand
him.
She
looked very
hard at the
robin. 'I'm
lonely too,'
she said. She
had
not

realized this
before.
'What's
your
name?'
she asked
the
gardener.
'Ben
Weatherstaff.
I'm
lonely
myself. The
robin's my
only friend,
you see.'
'I haven't
got any
friends at
all,' said
Mary.
Yorkshire
people

always say
what
they
are thinking,
and old Ben
was
a
Yorkshire
moor man.
'We're alike,
you and me,'
he
told
Mary.
'We're
not
pretty
to
look at, and
we're both
very
disagreeable
.'
Nobody
had ever said
this to Mary

before. 'Am I
really as ugly
and
disagreeable
as Ben?' she
wondered.
Suddenly
the
robin
flew to a tree
near Mary
and started
singing
to
her.
Ben
laughed
loudly.
'Well!' he
said. 'He
wants to
be your
friend!'
'Oh!
Would you

please be my
friend?' she
whispered to
the
robin.
She spoke in
a soft, quiet
voice
and
old
Ben
looked at her
in surprise.
'You said
that really
nicely!' he
said. 'You
sound like
Dickon,
when he talks
to animals on
the moor.'
'Do you
know
Dickon?'

asked Mary.
But just then
the
robin
flew away.
'Oh
look,
he's
flown
into
the
garden with
no
door!
Please, Ben,
how can I get
into it?'
15

The
Secret
Garden
Ben
stopped
smiling and
picked
up
his
spade.
'You can't,
and
that's
that. It's not
your
business.
Nobody can
find
the
door.
Run
away
and
play,
will
you? I must

get on with
my work.'
And
he
walked
away.
He
did not even
say
goodbye.

e
d
s
m
i
l
i
n
g
a
n
d
p
i
c
k
e
d
B
e
n
s
t
o
p
p

u
p
h
i
s
s
p
a

d
e
.

In
the
next
few
days Mary
spent almost
all her time
in
the
gardens. The
fresh
air
from
the
moor made
her hungry,and she was
becoming
stronger and
healthier.
One day she
noticed the
robin again.

He was on
to p of a
wall,
singing
to
her. 'Good
morning!
Isn't
this
fun! Come
this
way!'
he seemed to
say, as he
hopped
along
the
wal l Mary
began
to
laugh as she
danced
along beside
him. 'I know
the
secret
garden's on

the
other
side of this
wall!'
she
thought

Mary
in
Yorks
hire
16

excitedly.
'And the
robin lives
there! But
where's the
door?' That
evening she
asked Marth
a to stay and
talk to her
beside the
fire after
supper.
They could
hear the
wind

blowing
round the old
house, but
the room was
warm and
comfortable.
Mary only
had one idea
in her head.
'Tell me
about the
secret
garden,'
she said.
'Well, all
right
then,
miss, but we
aren't
supposed to
talk about it,
you know. It
was
Mrs

Craven's
favourite
garden, and
she and Mr
Craven used
to take care
of
it
themselves.
They spent
hours there,
reading and
talking. Very
happy, they
were. They
used
the
branch of an
old tree as a
seat. But one
day when she
was
sitting
on
the

branch,
it
broke,
and
she fell. She
was
very
badly
hurt
and the next
day she died.
That's why
he hates the
garden
so
much,
and
won' t let
anyone go in
there.'
'Ho w sad!'
said Mary.
'Poor Mr
Craven!' It
was the
first
time that she
had ever felt

sorry for
anyone.
Just then,
as she was
listening to
the
wind
outside, she
heard
another
noise, in the
house.
'Can you
hear a
child
crying?'
she asked
Martha .
Marth a
looked
confused.
'Er - no, '
she

replied.
'No , I
think . . . it
must be the
wind.'
But at that
moment the
wind
blew
open
their
door and they
heard
the
crying very
clearly.
'I told
you!' cried
Mary.

At
once
Martha shut
the door. 'It
was
the
wind,'
she
repeated.
But she did
not speak in
her
usual
natural way,
and
Mary
did
not
believe her.
17

The
Secret
Garden
The next
day it was
very rainy,
so Mary did
not go out
Instead she
decided to
wander
round the
house,
looking into
some of the
hundred
rooms that
Mrs
Medlock

had told
her about.
She spent
all morning
going in
and out of
dark, silent
rooms,
which were
full of
heavy
furniture
and old
pictures
She saw no
servants at
all, and
was on her
way back
to her room
for lunch,

when she
heard a cry.
'It's a bit like
the cry that
I heard last
night!' she
thought.
Just then the
housekeeper
, Mrs
Medlock,
appeared,
with her
keys in her
hand.

Fin
din
g
the
sec
ret
gar
de
n

'You
didn't hear
anything!
Go back to
your room
now. And if
you don't
stay there,
I'll lock you
in!'
Mary
hated Mrs

Medlock
for this.
Ther e was
someone
crying,
I
know
there
was!'
she
said
to
herself. 'But
I'll discover
who
it is
soon!'
She
was
almost
beginning to
enjoy herself
in Yorkshire.

F
i
n
d
i
n
g
t
h
e

s
e
c
r
e
t

g
a
r

d
e
n

hen Mary
wind and r
sky was a
ed
lo
ck
ap
pe
ar
ed
.

Ju
st
th
en
M
rs
M

'What
are you
doing
here?'
she asked
crossly.
'I didn't
kno w

which way
to go, and I
heard
someone
crying,'
answered
Mary.
18

'Spring'll
be
here
soon,' said
Martha
happily.
'You'll love
the
moor
then, when
it's full of
flowers and
birds.'
'Could I
get to the
moor?'
asked
Mary.
'You've
never done
much
walking,
have you? I
don't think

you could
walk
the
five miles to
our
cottage!'
'But I'd
like to
meet your
family,'
Mary
said.
Marth a
looked
at
the
little
girl for a
moment.
She
remembered
how
disagreeable
Mary
had
been when

she
first
arrived. But
now, Mary
looked
interested
and friendly.
'I'll
ask
Mother,'
said Martha
. 'She can
always
think of a
good plan.
She's
sensible and
hardworkin
g and kind
- I know
you'll like
her.'

'I like
Dickon,
although
I've never
seen him.'
'I wonder
what
Dickon
will think
of you?'
19

The
Secret
Garden
'He won'
t like
me,' said
Mary, 'N
o one
does.'
'But
do
you
like
yourself?
That's what
Mother
would ask.'
'No , not
really.
I've never
thought
of that.'
'Well,
I
must
go

now. It's my
day off, so
I'm
going
home
to
help Mother
with
the
housework.
Goodbye,
miss.
See
you
tomorrow.'
Mary felt
lonelier than
ever when
Martha had
gone, so she
went
outside.
The
sunshine
made
the

gardens
look
different.
And
the
change
in
the weather
had
even
made
Ben
Weatherstaff
easier to talk
to.
'Can you
smell spring
in the air?'
he asked her.
'Things are
growing,
deep down
in
the
ground.
Soon you'll
see little

green shoots coming

watch them.'

'I wil
replied
Mary. 'O
, there's t
robin!' T
little
bi
hopped
to
Ben
spade, 'A
things
growing
the gard
where
lives?'

'What
garden?'
said Ben,
his
ba

tempered
voice.
'You
know, th
secret
garden.
Are
th
flowers
dead
there?' Sh
really
wanted
know th
answer.
'Ask th
robin , '
Ben
'Soon you'll
see little green

crossly. He's
the only one
who's

shoots
coming
up.' been
in there
for the
last ten
years.'
20

Fi
n
di
n
g
th
e
se
cr
et
g
ar
de
n

Ten years
was a long
time,
Mary
thought. She
had been born
ten years ago.
She
walked

away,
thinking. She
had begun to
like
the
gardens, and
the
robin,
and Marth a
and Dickon
and
their
mother.
Before
she
came
to
Yorkshire,
she had not
liked
anybody.
She
was
walking
beside
the
long wall of
the
secret

garden, when
a
most
wonderful
thing
happened.
She suddenly
realized
the
robin
was
following her.
She felt very
pleased
and
excited
by
this, and cried
out, 'You like
me,
don't
you? And I
like you too!'
As he hopped
along beside
her,
she
hopped
and

sang too, to
show him that
she was his
friend.
Just
then
he
stopped at a
place where a
dog had dug a
hole in the
ground.
As
Mary looked
at the hole,
she
noticed
something
almost buried
there. She put
her hand in
and pulled it
out. It was an
old key.

'
P
e
r
h
a
p
s
i
t
'
s
b
e
e
n
b
u
r
i

e
d
f
o
r
t
e
n
y
e
a
r
s
,
'
s
h
e
w

h
i
s
p
e
r
e
d
t
o
h
e
r
s
e
l
f
.
'
P

e
r
h
a
p
s
i
t
'
s
t
h
e
k
e
y
t
o
t

h
e
s
e
c
r
e
t
g
a
r
d
e
n
!
'
S
h
e
l

o
o
k
e
d
a
t
i
t
f
o
r
a
l
o
n
g
t

i
m
e
.
H
o
w
l
o
v
e
l
y
i
t
w
o
u
l

d
b
e
t
o
f
i
n
d
t
h
e
g
a
r
d
e
n
,

a
n
d
s
e
e
w
h
a
t
h
a
d
h
a
p
p
e
n

e
d
t
o
i
t
i
n
t
h
e
l
a
s
t
t
e
n

y
e
a
r
s
!
S
h
e
c
o
u
l
d
p
l
a
y
i

n
i
t
a
l
l
b
y
h
e
r
s
e
l
f
,
a
n
d

n
o
b
o
d
y
w
o
u
l
d
k
n
o
w
s
h
e
w

a
s
t
h
e
r
e
.
S
h
e
p
u
t
t
h
e
key safely in
her pocket.

It was an old
key.
21

The
Secret
Garde
n

The next
morning
Martha
was back
at
Misselthw
aite
Manor , and
told Mary
all about her
day with her
family.
'I
really
enjoyed
myself.
I
helped
Mother with

the
whole
week's
washing and
baking. And I
told
the
children
about
you.
They wanted
to kno w
about
your
servants, and
the ship that
brought you
to England,
and
everything!'
'I can tell
you some
more for
next time,'

offered
Mary.
'They'd like
to hear about
riding on
elephants and
camels
wouldn't
they?'
'
'Oh, that
would be
kind of you,
miss! And
look, Mother
has sent you
a present!'

They'd
l
i
k
e
t
o

h
e
a
r
a
b
o
u
t
r
i
d
i
n
g
o
n
e
l
e
p
h
a
n
t
s

a
n
d
c
a
m
e
l
s
,
w
o
u
l
d
n
'
t
t
h
e
y
?
'

22

F
in
di
n
g
th
e
se
cr
et
g
a
rd
e
n

'A
present!'
repeated
Mary. Ho w
could
a
family
of
fourteen

hungry people
give anyone a
present!
'Mother
bought it from
a man who
came to the
door to sell
things.
She
told
me,
"Martha
,
you've
brought
me
your pay, like
a good girl,
and we need it
all, but I'm
going to buy
something for
that
lonely
child at the

Manor, " and

she
bought
one, and here
it is!'
It was a
skippingrope. Mary
stared at it.
'What is
it?'sh e
asked.
'Don' t they
have
skippingropes
in
India? Well,
this is how
you use it.
Just
watch
me.'
Marth
a
took the rope

and ran into

the middle of
the room. She
counted up to
a hundred as
she skipped.
'That looks
lovely,' said
Mary.
'Your
mother is
very
kin
d.
Do
yo
u
thi
nk
I
cou
ld
eve
r

ski
p
lik
e
tha
t?'
'Just
try,'
said Martha.
'Mother says
it'll
make
you
strong
and healthy.
Skip outside
in the fresh
air.'
Mary put
her coat on
and took the
skippingrope. As she
was opening
the door, she

thought
of
something
and
turned
round.
'Martha, it
was
your
money really.
Thank
you.'
She
never
thanked
people usually
and she did not
know how to
do it. So she
held out her
hand, because
she knew that
adults
did
that.
Martha
shook
her

hand
and
laughed.
'You're
a
strange child,'
she said. 'Like
an
old
woman! No w
run away and
play!'
The
skippingrope was
wonderful.
Mary
counted
and
23

The
Secret
Garde
n

Mary
skipped and

counted
until her
face was
hot and
red.

skipped,
skipped and
counted,
until her face
was hot and
red. She was
having more
fun than she
had ever had
before. She
skipped
through the
gardens until
she
found
Ben
Weatherstaff,

who
was
digging and
talking
to
his
robin.
She wanted
them both to
see her skip.
'Well!'
said
Ben.
'You're
looking fine
and healthy
today! Go on
skipping. It's
good
for
you.'
Mary
skipped all
the way to
the
secret
garden wall.
And
there

was
the
robin!
He
had followed
her! Mary
was
very
pleased.
'You
showed me
where
the
key
was
yesterday,'
she laughed.
'I've got it in
my pocket.
So
you
ought
to
show me the
door today!'
24

f
i
n
d
i
n
g
t
h
e
s
e
c
r
e
t
g
a
r
d
e
n

The robin
hopped on to
an
old
climbing
plant on the
wall,
and
sang his most
beautiful
song.
Suddenly the
wind
made
the
plant
move,
and
Mary
saw
something
under
the
dark
green
leaves.
The
thick, heavy
plant
was

covering
a
door. Mary's
heart
was
beating
fast
and her hands
were shaking
as she pushed
the
leaves
away
and
found the key
hole. She took
the key out of
her
pocket,
and it fitted
the
hole.
Using
both
hands,
she
managed
to
unlock
the
door.
Then
she
turned

round to see if
anyone was
watching. But
there was no
one, so she
pushed
the
door, which
opened,
slowly, for the
first time in
ten years. She
walked
quickly in and
shut the door
behind
her.
At last she
was
inside
the
secret garden!
It was the
loveliest, most

exciting place
she had ever
seen.
There
were old rose
trees
everywhere,
and the walls
were covered
with climbing
roses.
She
looked
carefully at the
grey branches.
Were the roses
still alive? Ben
would know.
She
hoped
they weren't
all dead. But
she was inside
the wonderful

garden, in a
world of her
own.
It
seemed very
strange
and
silent, but she
did not feel
lonely at all.
Then
she
noticed some
small
green
shoots
coming
up
through the
grass.
So
something
was growing
in the garden
after
all!
When
she
found a lot

more shoots
in
different
places,
she
decided they
needed more
air and light,
so she began
to pull out the
thick
grass
around them.
She worked
away, clearing
the
ground,
for two or
three hours,
and had to
take her coat
off
because
she got so
hot.
The
robin hopped

around,
pleased to see
someone
gardening.
25

The
Secret
Garden

It was the
loveliest, most
evening place
Mary had ever
seen
26

Fin
din
g
the
secr
et
gar
den

She
almost
forgot about
lunch, and
when
she
arrived back
in her room,
she was very
hungry and
ate twice as
much
as
usual.

'Martha, ' she

said as she
was
eating,
'I've
been
thinking. This
is
a
big,
lonely house,
and there isn't
much for me
to do. Do you
think, if I buy
a little spade,
I can make
my
own
garden?'
'That's just
what Mother
said,' replied
Martha
.
'You'd enjoy
digging and

watching
plants
growing.
Dickon can
get you a
spade, and
some seeds
to plant, if
you like.'
'
O
h
,
t
h
a
n
k
y

o
u
,
M
a
r
t
h
a
!
I
'
v
e
g
o
t
s
o

m
e

c
k

m
o
n
e
y

g
a
v
e

t
h
a
t
M
r
s
M
e
d
l
o

m
e
.
W
i
l
l
y
o
u
w
r
i

t
e
a
n
d
a
s
k
D
i
c
k
o
n
t
o
b
u
y

t
h
e
m
f
o
r
m
e
?
'
'I will. And
he'll bring
'Dickon
can get you some

them to you
himself.'
seeds to plant.'
'Oh ! Then
I'll see him.'
Mary looked

very
excited.
Then
she
remembered
something.
'I heard that
cry in the
house again,
Martha . It
wasn't the
wind
this
time.
I've
heard
it
three times
now. Who
is it?'
Marth a
looked
uncomforta
ble . 'You
mustn' t g

o wandering
around
the
house,
you
know.
Mr
Craven
wouldn't like
it. No w I
must go and
help
the
others
downstairs.
I'll see you at
tea-time.'
As
the
door closed
behind
Martha
,
Mary
thought
to
herself, Thi s
really is the

strangest
house that

anyone ever
lived in.'

Me
etin
g
Dic
ko
n

ary
spent
nearly a
week
working
in the
secret
garden.
Each day
she

found
new
shoots
coming
out
of the ground.
Soon,
there
would
be
flowers
everywhere thousands of
them. It was
an
exciting
game to her.
When she was
inside
those
beautiful
old
walls, no one
knew
where
she was.

During that
week she
became more
friendly with
Ben, who was
often digging in
one of the
vegetable
gardens.
'What
are
your favourite
flowers, Ben?'
she asked him
one day.
'Roses.
I
used to work for
a young lady
who
loved
roses, you see,
and she had a
lot
in
her
garden.
That
was ten years

ago. But she

died. Very sad,
it was.'
'What
happened to
the roses?'
asked Mary.
'They were
left there, in
the garden.'
'If rose
branches look
dry and grey,
are they still
alive?' asked
Mary. It was
so important
to know!
'In the
spring they'll
show green
shoots, and

then - But why

are you so
interested in
roses?' he
asked.
Mary's face
went red. 'I just
. . . wanted to
pretend I've got
a
garden.
I
haven't
got
anyone to play
with.'
'Well, that's
true,' said Ben.
He seemed to
feel sorry for
her.
Mary
decided
she
liked old Ben,
although he was

sometimes
bad-tempered.
She skipped
along
and
into
the
wood at the
end of the
28

M
e
et
in
g
D
ic
k
o
n

gardens. Suddenly
she
heard
a
strange noise, and
there in front of
her was a boy. He
was sitting under a
tree, playing on a
wooden pipe. He
was about twelve,
with a healthy red
face and bright

blue eyes. There

was a squirrel
and a crow in the
tree, and two
rabbits sitting on
the grass near
him.

Ther
e
was
a
squir
rel
and
a
crow
in
the
tree,
and
two
rabbi
ts
sittin
g on
the
grass
near
him.

29

The
Secret
Garde
n

'They're
listening to the
music!'
thought
Mary.
'I
mustn't
frighten
them!'
She
stood
very
still.
The
boy
stopped
playing.
'That's right,'
he
said.
'Animals don't
like it if you

move
suddenly. I'm
Dickon and
you must be
Miss Mary.
I've brought
you the spade
and
the
seeds.'
He spoke
in an easy,
friendly way.
Mary
liked
him at once.
As they were
looking at the
seed packets
together, the
robin hopped
on
to
a
branch near

them. Dickon
listened
carefully
to
the
robin's
song.
'He's saying
he's your
friend,' he
told Mary.
'Really?
Oh,
I
am
pleased
he
likes me. Can
you
understand
everything
that
birds
say?'
'I think I
do, and they
think I do.
I've lived on

the
moor
with them for
so
long.
Sometimes I
think I am a
bird or an
animal, not a
boy at all!'
His
smile
was
the
widest
she
had
ever seen.
He
explained
how to
plant the
seeds.
Suddenly he
said, 'I
can help you
plant them!

Where's your
garden?'

yours too, '

he replied.

Mar y
went red,
then white.
She had
never thought
of this. Wha t
was she going
to say?

'I've
stolen
a
garden,' she
said
very
fast. 'Nobod
y goes into it,
nobody
wants it. I
love it and
nobody takes
care of it!
They're
letting it die!'
And
she
threw
her
arms over her
face
and
started
crying.

'Could you
keep a secret?
It's a great
secret. If
anyone
discovers it,
I 'll . . .I'll
die!'
'I keep
secrets for all
the wild birds
and animals
on the moor.
So I can keep

30

Meet
ing
Dick
on

'Don' t cry,'
said Dickon
gently.
'Where is it?'
'Come with
me and I'll
show you,'
said Miss
Mary. They
went to the
secret garden
and entered
it together.
Dickon walked
round, looking
at everything.

'Marth a told
me about this
place,
but I
never thought I'd
see it,' he said.
'It's wonderful!'
'What about
the
roses?'
asked
Mary
worriedly. 'Are
they still alive?
What do you
think?'
'Look at these
shoots on the
branches. Most
of them are alive
ail right.' He
took out his
knife and cut
away some of

the dead wood

from the rose
trees.
Mary
showed him the
work she had
done in the
garden,
and
they talked as
they cut and
cleared.
'Dickon,' said
Mary
suddenly, 'I
like you. I
never thought
I'd like as many
as five people!'
'Only five!'
laughed
Dickon.
He did look
funny when

he laughed,
thought Mary.
'Yes,
your
mother, Martha
,
the
robin,
Ben, and you.'
Then she asked
him a question
in
Yorkshire
dialect, because
that was his
language.
'Does tha ' like
me?' was her
question.
'Of course! I
likes
thee
wonderful!'
replied Dickon,
a big smile on
his round face.

Mary
had
never been so
happy.
When she
went back to
the house for
her lunch, she
told
Martha about
Dickon's visit.
'I've
got
news for you
too,
'
said
Martha. 'M r
Craven's come
home,
and
wants to see
you!
He's
going
away
again tomorrow,
for
several
months.'

31

The
Secret
Garden
'Oh! ' said
Mary.
That
was
good
news.
She
would
have
all summer in
the
secret
garden before
he
came
back. Bur she
must
be
careful.
He
mustn't guess
her
secret
now.
Just then
Mr s Medlock

arrived,
in
her
best
black dress,
to take Mar
y down to
Mr Craven's
room.
Mary's
uncle
had
black
hair
with
some
white in it,
and
high,
crooked
shoulders.
His face was
not ugly, but
very
sad.
During their
conversation
he watched

her
in
a
worried
way. Perhaps
he was
thinking of
other things
at the same
time.
He looked
at the thin
child. 'Are
you well?' he
asked. Mary
tried to keep
her voice
calm as she
replied,
'I'm getting
stronger
and
healthier.'

M
a
r
y
'
s
u
n
c
l
e
h

a
d
b
l
a
c
k
h
a
i
r
w
i
t
h
s
o
m
e
w
h
i
t
e
i
n

i
t
,
a
n
d
h
i
g
h
,
c
r
o
o
k
e
d
s
h
o
u
l
d
e
r

s
.

Meeti
ng
Dicko
n

32

'What do
you want to
do, in this
big empty
house?'
' I . . . I just
want to
play outside
- I enjoy
that.'
'Yes,
Martha's
mother, Susan
Sowerby,
spoke to me
the other day.
She's
a

sensible
woman - and
she said you
needed
fresh
air. But where
do you play?'
'Everywhere
! I just skip
and run - and
look for green
shoots. I don't
damage
anything!'
'Don' t look
so frightened!
Of course a
child like you
couldn't
damage
anything. Play
where you like.

Is
there
anything that
you want?'
Mary came
a step nearer
to him, and
her
voice
shook a little
as she spoke.
'Could I could I have a
bit of garden?'
Mr Craven
looked very
surprised.
'To
plant
seeds in . . . to
make
them
come
alive!'
Mary went on
bravely.
'It

was too hot in

India, so I was
always ill and
tired
there.
But here it's
different. I . . .
I
love
the
garden!'
He passed a
hand quickly
over his eyes.
Then he looked
kindly
at
Mary. 'I knew
someone once
who
loved
growing
things,
like
you.
Yes,
child, take as
much of the

garden as you
want.'
He
smiled gently
at her. 'No w
leave me. I'm
very tired.'
Mary ran all
the way
back to her
room.
'Martha! '
she shouted.
'M r Craven's
really a nice
man, but he
looks
very
unhappy, He
said I can have
my
own
garden!'

She
was
planning
to
work in the
garden
with

Dickon every
day, to make
it beautiful for
the summer.

n the middle
of the night Mar
y woke up.
Heavy rain had
started falling
again, and the
wind was
blowing
violently round
the walls of the
old house.

Me
etin
g
Coli
n

Suddenly she
heard crying
again. This time
she decided to
discover who it
was. She left her
room, and in
the darkness
followed the
crying sound,
round corners
and
through
doors, up and
down stairs, to
the other side of
the big house.
At
last
she
found the right
room.
She
pushed the door

open and went

in.
It was a big
room
with
beautiful
old
furniture
and
pictures. In the
large bed was a
boy, who looked
tired and cross,
with a thin,
white,
tearful
face. He stared
at Mary.
'Who
are
you?'
he
whisper
ed. 'Are
you a
dream?'

'
W
h
o
a
r
e
y
o
u
?
'

Me
etin
g
Col
in

t
h
e
b
o
y
w
h
i
s
p
e
r
e
d
.

34

'No , I'm not.

I'm Mary
Lennox. Mr
Craven's my
uncle.'
'He's my
father,' said the
boy. 'I'm Colin
Craven.'
'N o one ever
told me he had
a
son!'
said
Mary,
very
surprised.
'Well, no one
ever told me

you'd come to
live here. I'm
ill, you see. I
don't want people
to see me and talk
about me. If I
live, I may have a
crooked back like
my father, but I'll
probably die.'
'What
a
strange
house
this
is!'
said
Mary. 'So many
secrets!
Does
your father come
and
see
you
often?'
'No t often. He
doesn't
like
seeing
me

because it makes
him
remember
my mother. She
died when I was
born,
so
he
almost hates me,
I think.'
'Why do you
say you're
going to die?'
asked Mary.
'I've
always
been ill. I've
nearly
died
several
times,
and my back's
never
been
strong.
My
doctor feels sure
that I'm going to
die. But he's my
father's cousin,

and very poor, so

he'd like me to
die. Then he'd get
all the money
when my lather
dies. He gives me
medicine and tells
me to rest. We
had
a
grand
doctor
from
London
once,
who told me to
go out in the
fresh air and try
to get well. But I
hate fresh air.
And
another
thing, all the
servants have to
do wha t I want,
because if I'm

angry, I become
ill.'
Mary thought
she liked this
boy, although he
seemed
so
strange.
He
asked her lots of
questions,
and
she told him all
about her life in
India.
'How old are
you?' he asked
suddenly.
'I'm ten, and
so are you,'
replied Mary,
forgetting to
be
35

The
Secret
Garden
careful,
'because
when
you
were born
the garden
door
was
locked and
the key was
buried. And
I know that
was
ten
years ago.'
Colin sat
up in bed
and looked
very
interested.
'What door?
Who locked

it? Where's
the key? I
want to see
it.
Il l
make the
servants
tell
me
where it is.
They'll
take
me
there and
you
can
come too.'
'
O
h
,
p
l
e
a
s

e!
D
o
n'
td
o
n'
t
d
o
th
at
!'
cr
ie
d
M
ar
y.
C

o
l
i
n
s
t
a
r
e
d
a
t
h
e
r
.
'
D
o
n
'

t
yo
u
w
an
t
to
se
e
it
?'
'Yes, but
if you make
them open
the door, it
will never be
a
secret
again. You
see, if only
we
know
about it, if

we - if we
can find the
key, we can
go and play
there every
day.
We
can
help
the garden
come alive
again. And
no
one
will know
about i t except us!'
'I see,'
said Colin
slowly.
'Yes, I'd
like that.
It'll be our
secret. I've
never had

a secret
before.'
'And
perhaps,'
added Mary
cleverly, 'we
can find a
boy to push
you in your
wheelchair,
if you can't
walk,
and
we can go
there
together
without any
other
people.
You'll
feel
better
outside.
I
know I do.'

'I'd like
that,' he
said
dreamily.
'I think I'd
like fresh
air, in a
secret
garden.'
Then
Mary told
him about
the moor,
and
Dickon,
and
Ben
Weatherstaf
f, and the
robin, and
Colin
listened to
it all with
great
interest.
He began
to
smile
and
look

much
happier.

Meeti
ng
Colin

'I like
having you
here,' he
said. 'You
must come
and see me
every day.
But I'm tired
now.'
36

'I'll sing you

a song. My
servant
Kamala used to
do
that in
India,'
said
Mary, and very
soon Colin was
asleep.
The next
afternoon
Mary visited
Colin again,
and he
seemed
very
pleased to see
her. He had

sent his nurse

away and had
told
nobody
about
Mary's
visit. Mary had
not told anybody
either. They read
some of his
books together,
and told each
other
stories.
They
were
enjoying
themselves and
laughing loudly
when suddenly
the door opened.
Dr Craven and
Mrs
Medlock
came in. They

almost fell over

in surprise.
'What's
happening
here?' asked
Dr Craven.
Colin sat up
straight.
To
Mary
he
looked just like
an
Indian
prince. 'This is
my
cousin,
Mary Lennox,'
he said calmly.
'I like her. She
must visit me
often.'
'Oh, I'm
sorry, sir,'
said poor
Mrs

Medlock to
the

To
Mary
he
looke
d just
like
an
India
n
princ
e.
37

The Secret
Garden
doctor. 'I
don't
know
how she
discovere
d him. I
told the

servants
to keep
it a
secret.'
'Don'
t
be
stupid,
Medloc
k,' said

the Indian
prince
coldly.
'Nobody
told her.
She heard
me crying
and found
me
herself.
Bring our
tea
up
now.'
'I'm
afraid
you're
getting
too
hot
and
excited,
my boy,'
said
Dr
Craven.
'That's
not good
for you.

Don't
forget
you're
ill.'
'I
want to
forget!'
said
Colin.
'I'll be
angry
if Mary
doesn't
visit
me! She
makes
me feel
better.'
Dr
Craven
did not
look
happy
when

he left
the
room.
'What a
change
in the
boy, sir!'
said the
housekee
per.
'He's
usually so
disagreea
ble with
all of us.
He really
seems to
like that
strange
little girl.
And
he
does look
better.' Dr
Craven

had to
agree.

6
Colin
is
afraid

ecau
se it
rained
all the
next
week,
Mary
went to
talk to
Colin
every

day
instead of
visiting
the
garden.
But she
woke
early one
morning
to see the
sun
shining
into her
room,
and she
ran out to
the secret
garden at
once. She
did not
even wait

to have
her
breakfas
t. It
was
beautiful
ly sunny
and
warm,
and a
thousan
d more
shoots
were
pushing
their
way out
of the
ground.
Dickon

was
already

Colin
is
afraid
38
there, digging
hard, with the
crow and a
young fox
beside him.
'Have you
seen
the
robin?'
he
asked Mary.
The little bird
was
flying
busily
backwards
and forwards
as fast as he
could,

carrying pieces
of dry grass.
'He's
building
a
nest!'
whispered
Mary.
They
watched
the
robin for a
moment. Then
Mary said,
'I must tell
you
something.
You
probably
know about
Colin Craven,
don't you?
Well, I've met
him, and I'm

going to help
him to get
better.'

'
H
e
'
s
b
u
i
l
d
i
n
g
a
n
e
s
t
!
'
w
h
i
s

p
e
r
e
d
M
a
r
y
.
39

The Secret
Garden
'That's
good
news.'
There was
a big smile
on
Dickon's
honest
face. 'We
all knew he
was ill.'
'He's
afraid
he'll
have a
crooked
back
like his
father. I
think that's
what's

making
him ill.'
'Perha
ps we can
bring him
here and
Jet him
rest under
the trees.
That'll do
him
good.
That's
what
we'll do. '
They
had a Jot
of
gardening
and
planning
to do and
Mary did
no t have

time
to
visit Colin
that
day.
When she
came back
to the house
in
the
evening,
Martha told
her that the
servants
had
had
trouble
with Colin.
'He's
been very
badtempered
all
afternoon
with all of
us, because
you didn't
come,
miss,'

'Well,
I
was
busy.
He'll have
to
learn
not to be
so selfish,'
replied
Mary
coldly.
She forgot
how
selfish she
had been
when she
was ill in
India. 'I'll
go
and
see
him
now. '
When
she went

into his
room, he
was lying
in bed,
looking
tired. He
did not
turn to
look at her.
'What's the
matter with
you?' she
asked
crossly.
'My
back aches
and my
head
hurts.
Why
didn't you
come this
afternoon?
'

'I was
working in
the garden
with
Dickon.'
'I won'
t let that
boy come
to the
garden if
you stay
with him
instead of
talking to
me!'
Mary
suddenly
became
very
angry. 'If
you send
Dickon
away, I'll
never
come into
this room
again!'

Colin
is
afrai
d

'You'll
have
to,
if
I say
yoso.
I'll
make
the
servants
bring
u
in here.'
'Oh, will you,
prince! But no
one can make
me talk to
40

you. I won' t
look at you. I'll
stare at the
floor!'
'You selfish
girl!' cried
Colin.
'You're
more selfish
than I am.
You're the
most selfish
boy I've ever
met!'

'I'm not as
selfish as
your fine
Dickon! He
keeps you
playing outside
when he knows
I'm ill and
alone!'
Mary had
never been so
furious.
'Dickon is
nicer than any
other boy in
the world!
He's like an
angel!'
'An angel!
Don' t make
me
laugh!
He's just a

poor country
boy,
with
holes in his
shoes!'
'He's a
thousand
times better
than you
are!'
Colin had
never argued
with anyone
like himself
in his life,
and in fact it
was good for
him.
But
now he was
beginning to
feel sorry for
himself.

'I'm always
ill,' he said,
and started to
cry. 'I'm sure
my back is a
bit
crooked.
And I'm going
to die!'
'No , you're
not!' said
Mary crossly.
Colin
opened
his
eyes
very
wide. Nobody
had said that to
him before. He
was angry, but
a bit pleased at
the same time.
'What do you

mean?
You
know
I'm
going to die!
Everybody
says
I'm
going to die!'
'I
don't
believe
it!'
said Mary in
her
most
disagreeable
voice,
'You
just say that
to
make
people
feel
sorry for you.
You're
too
horrid
to
die!'

Colin forgot
about his
painful back
and sat up
in bed,
Get out of the
room at once!'
he shouted,
and threw a
book at her.
'Im going,'
Mary
shouted in
reply, 'and I
won' t come
4

The Secret
Garden

'
G
e
t
o
u
t
o
f
t
h
e
r
o
o
m
a
t
o
n
c
e
!
'
C
o
li
n
s
h
o
u
t
e
d
.

back!'
The
door
banged
shut
behind
her.
When
she
reached
her own
room, she
had
decided
never to
tell him
her great
secret. 'He
can stay in
his room
and die if
he wants!'

she
thought.
But soon
she began
to
remember
ho w ill he
had been,
and ho w
frightened
he was,
frightened
that one
day his
back
would
become as
crooked
as his
father's. .
'Perhaps
.perhaps
.
I'll
backgoand

see
him
tomorrow
!'

Colin is
afraid

That
night she
was
woken by
the most
terrible
screams
that
she
had ever
heard.
Servants
were
opening
and
shutting
doors and
running
about.
42

'It's
Colin!'
thought
Mary.
'He'll go
on
screamin
g until he
makes
himself
really ill!
Ho
w
selfish he
is!
Somebod
y

should stop
him!'
Just
then
Martha
ran into
the
room.
'We
don't
know
what to
do!' she
cried.
'He likes
you,
miss!
Come
and see if
you can

make
him
calmer,
please!'
'Well,
I'm very
cross
with
him,'
said
Mary,
and
jumped
out of
bed. 'I'm
going to
stop
him!'
'That's
right,'

said
Martha .
'He
needs
someone
like you,
to argue
with. It'll
give him
something
new to
think
about.'
Mary
ran into
Colin's
room,
right up
to his
bed.
'Stop
screamin
g!'
she
shouted
furiously.
'Stop at

once! I
hate
you!
Everybod
y hates
you!
You'll
die
if
you
go
on
screamin
g
like
this, and
I
hope
you will!'
The
screams
stopped
immedia
tely.
This

was the
first
time that
anyone
had
spoken
so
angrily
to Colin,
and he
was
shocked.
But he
went on
crying
quietly
to
himself.
'My
back's
becomin

g
crooked,
I can feel
it! I
know
I'm going
to die!'
Large
tears ran
down his
face.
'Don' t
be
stupid!'
cried
Mary.
'There'
s
nothing
the
matter
with

your
horrid
back!
Martha ,
come
here and
help me
look at
his
back!'
Marth
a
and
Mrs
Medlock
were
standing
at
the
door,
staring at
Mary,
their
mouths

half open.
They
both
looked
very
frightene
d. Marth
a
came
forward
to help,
and Miss
Mary
looked
carefully
at Colin's
thin
white
back, up
and
down.

Her face
was
serious
and
angry at

the same
time. The
room was
very
quiet.
43

The Secret Garden

'

'The
re's
nothi
ng
wron
gwith
your
back
!'
Mary
said
at
last.

T
he
re
's
n
ot
hi
n
g
w
ro
n
g
w
it
h
y
o
ur
ba

ck!'
she
said at last.
'Nothing at
all! It's as
straight as
mine!'
Only
Colin kne
w ho w
i mport a n t
thos e
crossl y
spoken,
childish
words
were. All
his life he
had been
afraid to ask
about his

back,
and his
terribl
e fear
had
made
him ill.
No w
an
angry
little
girl
told
him
his
back
was
straig
ht,
and
he

b
el
ie
v
e
d
h
er
.
H
e
w
a
s
n
o
long
er
afra
id.

'We mun
get poor
Colin out
here in th'
sunshine an' we
munnot
lose no time
about it!'
Dickon
laughed.
'Well
done! I
didn't
know
you
could
speak
Yorkshire!
You're
right. We
must bring

Colin
to the
garden
as
soon
as we
can,'
So
that
aftern
oon
she
went
to see
Colin
.
'I'm
sorry I
said
I'd
send
Dicko

n
a
w
ay
,'
he
sa
id.
'I
ha
te
d
yo
u
w
he
n
yo
u
sa

id he was
like an
angel!'
'Well, he's
a funny
kind of
angel, but
he
understand
s wild
animals
better than
anyone.'
Suddenly,
Mary knew
that this was
the right
moment to
tell him. She
caught hold
of his hands.
'Colin, this is
important.

Can you
keep a
secret?'

They
were both
calmer
now. He
gave
Mary his
hand. 'I
think
I'm
almost
sure I will
live, if we
can
go
out in the
garden
together
sometime

'
Y
e
s
-

yes!' he
whispered
excitedly.
'What is
it?'
s.
I'm
very tired
now.
Will you
stay with
me until
I go to
sleep?'
The
servan
ts
went
out
very
quietl
y.
'I'll
tell you

all about
the secret
garden,'
whispere
d Mary. 'I
think it's
full
of
roses and
beautiful
flowers.
Birds like
making
their nests
there
because
it's
so
quiet and
safe. And
perhaps
our
robin.. .

'
But
Colin
was
already
asleep.
The
next day
Mary
met
Dickon
as usual
in
the
secret
garden,
and told
him
about
Colin.
Mary
loved
Dickon's
Yorkshir
e dialect

and was
trying to
learn
it
herself.
She spoke
a
little
now.
44

'We've
found the
door into
the secret
garden!'
'Oh
Mary!
Will I
live long
enough
to see it?'
'Of
course you
will! Don't
be stupid!'
said Mary
crossly.
Hut it was
a
very
natural
thing
to
say,
and

they both
laughed.
Colin told
Mrs
Medlock
and the
doctor
that he
wanted
to go out in
his
wheelchair.
At first the
doctor was
worried the
boy would
get
too
tired, but
when
he
heard that
Dickon
would push
the

wheelchair
,
he
agreed.
'Dickon'
s a
sensible
boy,' he
told
Colin.
'But
don't
f
o
r
g
o
t

'

'I've
told
you, I
want to

forget
that I'm
ill,' said
Colin
in
his
prince's
voice.
'Don' t you
understand

?
It's
because
my cousin
makes me
forget that
I
feel
better
when I'm
with her.'

Colin and the garden

Col
in
an
d
the
gar
de
n
f
course,
it was
most
import
ant that
no one
should
see

Colin,
Mary,
or
Dickon
entering the
secret
garden. So
Colin gave
orders
to
the
gardeners
that
they
must
all
keep away
from
that
part of the
garden
in
future.
The next
afternoon
Colin was

carried
downstairs
by a man
servant, and
put in his
wheelchair
outside the
front door.
Dickon
arrived, with
his
crow,
two squirrels
and the fox,
and started
pushing the
wheelchair
gently away
from
the house,
and into the
gardens.
Mary walked
beside the
chair.

Spring
had
really
arrived now
and
it
seemed very
exciting to
Colin, who
had
lived
indoors for
so long. He
smelt
the
warm
air
from
the
moor, and
watched the
little white
clouds in the
blue sky. In
a very short
time
he
heard Mary

say, 'This is
where
I
found the key
. . . and this
is the door
. . . and t h i s . .
, this is the
secret garden!'
Colin
covered his
eyes with his
hands until
he was inside
the four high
walls,
and
the door was
shut again.
Then
he
looked round
at the roses
climbing the
old red walls,

the pink and

white
flowers on
the
fruit
trees,
and
the
birds
and
the
butterflies
everywhere.
The
sun
warmed his
face, and he
suddenly
knew he felt
different.
'Mary!
Dickon!' he
cried. 'I'm
going to get
better! I'm
going to
live for ever

and ever and

ever!'
As Dickon
pushed the
wheelchair
all round the
garden,
46

he told Colin
the names of
all the plants.
The sun shone,
the birds sang,
and in every
corner of the
garden there
was something
interesting to
look at. The
three children
talked
and
laughed, and
by the end of
the afternoon
all three were
speaking
Yorkshire
together.

'I'll come
back here every
afternoon,' said
Colin. 'I want
to watch things
growing.'
'Soon you'll
be strong
enough to
walk and dig.
You'll be

Di
ck
on
pu

she
d
the
whe
elc
hai
r
all
rou
nd
the
gar
den
.

47

The
Secret
Garden
able to
help us
with the
gardening,'
said
Dickon
kindly,
'Do you
really think
I'll be able
t o . . . to
walk a n d . . .
dig?' asked
Colin.

s
e
y
o
u
w
i
l
l
.
Y
o
u
'
v
e

'
O
f

g
o
t

c
o
u
r

l
e
g
s

,
l
i
k
e
u
s
!
'
'But
they're not
very
strong,'
answered
Colin.
'They
shake, and .
.. and I'm
afraid to
stand on
them.'

'When
you
want to
use
them,
you'll
be able
to, '
said
Dickon.
The garden
was quiet
for a
moment.
Suddenl
y
Colin
said,
'Who's
that?'
Mary
turned her
head, and
noticed
Ben

Weatherstaf
f's
angry
face looking
at her over
the garden
wall,
'What
are
you
doing
in
that
garden,
young
miss?'
he
shouted,
He had not
seen Colin
or Dickon.
'The robin
showed
me the
way, Ben,'
she
replied.

'You...
you' He
stopped
shouting
and
his
mouth
dropped
open as he
saw
Dickon
pushing a
boy in a
wheelchair
over
the
grass
towards
him.
'Do
you
kno w
who I
am?'

asked
the boy
in the
chair.
Old Ben
stared.
'You've
got your
mother's
eyes,' he
said
in a
shaking
voice. 'Yes,
I know you.
You're Mr
Craven's
son, the
little boy
with the
crooked
back.'

Colin
forgot that
he
had
ever had
backache.
'My
back's as
straight as
yours is!'
he
shouted.
Ben
stared and
stared. He
only knew
what
he
had heard
from the
servants.
'You
haven't
got
a
crooked
back?' he

asked. 'O r
crooked
legs?'

Col
in
and
the
gar
den

That was
too much.
Colin was
furious, and
it made him
feel strong.
48

'Come
here, Dickon!'
he
shouted,
and threw off
his
blanket.
Dickon was
by his side in
a
second.
Mary felt sick
with
fear.
Could Colin
stand?

Then
Colin's
thin
feet were on
the grass and
he
was
standing,
holding
Dickon's arm.
He
looked
strangely tall,
and he held his
head very high.
'Look at me!'
he shouted at
Ben. 'Just
look at me!'
'He' s as
straight as
any boy in
Yorkshire!'
said Dickon.
Tears were

running
down Ben's
brown old
face. 'They
said you were
going to die!'
he whispered.
'Well, you
can see that's
not true,' said
Colin. 'Now ,
get down from
the wall and
come here. I
want to talk to
you. You've
got to help us
keep
the
garden
a
secret.'

'Yes, sir,'
said old Ben,
as he dried
his eyes.

s
h
o
ut
e
d
at
B
e
n.
'J
u
st
to
o
k
at
m
e!
'

49
'Lo
ok
at
me
!'
Co
lin

The
Secret
Garden

Tha t was
the first of
many
beautiful
afternoons
in the secret
garden.
Colin
was
brought
there
by
Dickon and
Mary nearly
every
day,
and he saw
all
the
changes that
happened

there during
the
spring
and
early
summer.
Ben
Weatherstaff,
no w in the
secret,
joined them
as often as
he could.
One day
Colin spoke
to all of
them.
'Listen,
everybody. I
think there's
something
like magic
that makes
gardens

grow
and
things
happen.
Perhaps if I
believe in it,
the
magic
will
make
me strong.
Let's all sit
down in a
circle
and
ask
the
magic
to
work. '
So they all
sat on the
grass in a
circle,
Dickon with
his crow, his
fox and the
two

squirrels,
Mary,
Colin, and
Ben. Colin
repeated
these words
several
times, 'The
sun's
shining.
That's
the
magic.
Being
strong.
That's
the
magic.
Magic! Help
me! Magic!
Help me!'
At
last
Colin
stopped.

'No w I'm
going
to
walk round
the garden,'
he said, and
took
Dickon's
arm. Slowly
he
walked
from
one
wall
to
another,
followed
closely
by
Mary
and
Ben.
And
when he had
walked
all
the
way
round,
he
said,

'You see! I
can walk
now! The
magic
worked!'
'It's
wonderful!'
cried Mary.
'Your father
will think he
is dreaming
when
he
sees you!'
'I won' t
tell him yet.
I'm going to
keep it a
secret from
everybody.
I'll come to
the garden
and
walk

and run a
little
more
every
day
until I'm as
healthy
as
any
other
boy. Then,
when
my
father comes
home,
I'll
walk up to
him and say,
"Here I am,
Father. You
see? I'm not
going
to
die!"

Col
in
and
the
gar
den

50

No
w
began
a
difficult time
for Colin and
Mary.
Dickon told
his
mother
about it one
evening as he
was digging
the
cottage
garden.

'You see,
mother, they
don't
want
the
doctor
or
the
servants
to
guess
that
Colin
can
walk and is
getting
better.
So
they have to
pretend he's
still ill and
just
as
disagreeable
as he used to
be!'
'If they're
running
about all
day in the

fresh air,
that'll
make them
hungry, I
should think!'
'Yes, that's
the problem.
They're both
getting fatter
and
healthier,
and
they
really enjoy
their
food
now.
But
they have to
send some of
it back to the
kitchen,
uneaten. If
they cat it all,
people will

realize how
healthy they
are!
Sometimes
they're very
hungry!'
'I
know
what we can
do,' said Mrs
Sowerby.
'You can lake
some
fresh
milk
and
some of my
newly baked
bread to the
garden in the
mornings. If
they
have
that, it'll do

them a lot of
good! What
a
g
a
m
e
t
h
o
s
e
c
h
i
l
d
r
e

n
a
r
e
p
l
a
y
i
n
g
!
'
A
n
d
s
h
e

l
a
u
g
h
e
d
a
n
d
t
e
a
r
s
c
a
m
e

t
o

w
o
r
k
i
n
g

h
e
r
e
y
e
s
.

i
n
One
afternoon
when they

w
e
r
e
a
l
l

t
h
e
g
a
r
d
e
n
,

t
h
e

m
a
n

d
o
o
r

c
a
m
e

o
p
e
n
e
d

q
u
i
e
t
l
y

a
n
d
a
w
o

i
n
.
'It' s
Mothe r !
' crie d

D
i
c
k
o
n
,
a
n
d
r
a
n
t
o
w
a
r
d
s
her.
'1
told
her

wher
e
the
'It's
Mot
her!'
51

The Secret Garden

door was,
because I
knew she
would
keep the
secret.'
Colin
held out
his hand
to her.
'I've
wanted to
see you
for
a long
time,'h e
said.
'Dear
boy!'
Susan

Sowerby
whispere
d,
holding
his hand.
'You're so
like your
mother!'
'Do you
think.' asked
Colin
carefully,
'that will
make my
father like
me?'
'I'm sure
it will,'
she
answered
warmly.

'He must
see you
- he must
come home
now.'
'You see
how
healthy
the boy
is,
Susan?'
asked old
Ben.
'L
oo
k
ho
w
str
on
g
an
d
str

aig
ht
his
leg
s
are
no
w!
'
'Yes,' she
laughed.
'Playing and
working
outside, and
eating good
Yorkshire
food,
has
made
him
strong. And
Miss Mary
too, ' she
added,
turning
to

Mary. 'Mrs
Medlock
heard that
your mother
was a pretty
woman.
You'll soon
be as pretty
as she was.'
'
D
o
y
o
u
b
e
l
i
e
v
e

i
n
m
a
g
i
c
?
'
C
o
l
i
n
a
s
k
e
d
h
e
r
.

'I
do,'
she
answered, '
but
everybody
gives it a
different
name.
It
makes the
sun
shine
and
the
seeds grow and it has
made
you
healthy.'
She
sat
down on the
grass
and
stayed for a
while,
talking and
laughing
with
the

children in
the
quiet,
sunny
garden.
When
she
stood up to
leave, Colin
suddenly put
out a hand to
her.
'
I
w
i
s
h
y
o
u
w
e

r
e
m
y
m
o
t
h
e
r
!
'
h
e
w
h
i
s
p
e
r
e

d
.
Mr
s
Sowerby pu
t her arms
round him
and
held
him to her.
'Dear boy!
You're
as
close to your
mother
as
you
could
be, here in
her garden.
And
your
father'll
come back
soon!'

M
r
C
r
a
v
e
n
c
o
m
e
s
h
o
m
e

hile
the
secre
t
gard
en
was
retur
ning
to
life,
a
man
with
high
croo
ked
shou
lders
was
wan

derin
g
roun
d

the
most
beautiful
places
in
Europe. For
ten years he
had
lived
this lonely
life
his
heart full of
sadness and
his head full
of
dark
dreams
.
Everywhere
he went, he
carried his
unhappiness
w i t h him
like a black
cloud.
Other

travellers
thought he
was
half
mad or a
man
who
could
not
forget some
terrible
crime . His
name
was
Archibald
Craven.
But
one
day, as he sat
by
a
mountain
stream,
he
actually
looked at a
flower, and
for the first

time in ten
years
he
realized how
beautiful
something
living could
be.
The
valley seemed
ver y quiet
as
he sat
there, staring
at the Mower.
He
felt
strangely
calm.

But one

d
a
y
,
a
s
h
e
s
a
t
b
y
a
m
o
u

n
t
a
i
n

e
d

s
t
r
e
a
m
,

h
e
a
c
t
u
a
l
l
y
l
o
o
k

a
t

f
l
o
w
e
r
.
53

The Secret
Garden

'What
is
happen
ing to
me?' he
whispe
red. 'I
feel
differe
nt
-I
almost
feel I'm
alive
again!'
At that
moment,
hundreds
of miles
away in

Yorkshire,
Colin was
seeing the
secret
garden for
the
first
time, and
saying,
'I'm going
to live for
ever and
ever and
ever!' But
Mr
Craven
did
not
kno
w
this.
That
night, in
his hotel

room, he
slept
better
than
usual. As
the weeks
passed, he
even
began to
think
a
little
about his
home and
his
son.
One
evening in
late
summer,
as he was
sitting
quietly
beside a

lake,
he
felt
the
strange
calmness
again. He
fell
asleep,
and had a
dream
that
seemed
very real.
He heard
a
voice
calling
him.
It
was sweet
and clear
and
happy, the
voice of

his young
wife.
'Archie
!
Archie!
Archie!
'
'My
dear!'
He
jumped
up.
'Where
are
you?'
'In the
garden!
' called
the
beautif
ul
voice.
And
then the

dream
ended. In
the
morning,
when he
woke, he
remember
ed
the
dream.
'She
says she's
in
the
garden!'
he
thought.
'But
the
door's
locked
and
the
key's
buried.'

Tha t
morning
he
received a
letter from
Susan
Sowerby.
In it she
asked him
to come
home, but
she
did
not give a
reason.
Mr
Craven
thought
of
his
dream,
and
decided to

return to
England
immediate
ly. On the
long
journey
back
to
Yorkshire,
he
was
thinking
about
Colin.
'I
wonder
how he is!
I wanted
to forget
him,
because
he makes
me think

of
his
mother.
He lived,
and
she
died! But
perhaps
I've been
wrong.
Susan
Sowerby
says
I
should go

Mr
Crav
en
come
s
home

h
o
m
e
,
54

s
o
p
e
r
h
a
p
s
s
h

arrived

t
h
i
n
k
s

home, he

about

c
a
n

Colin's

found the
housekee
per very
confused

h
e
l
p
h
i
m
.
'
When
he

health.
'He' s
very
strange
, sir,'
said
Mrs
Medlo
ck. 'H
e
looks
better, it's
true, but
some

days he
eats
nothing
at all, and
other
days he
eats just
like
a
healthy
boy. He
used
to
scream
even
at
the idea
of fresh
air, but
now he
spends
all
his
time
outside

in
his
wheelcha
ir, with
Miss
Mary
and
Dickon
Sowerby.
He's
in
the
garden at
the
moment.'
'In the
garden!'
repeated
Mr
Craven.
Those
were the
words of

the
dream!
He
hurried
out
of
the
house
and
towards
the place
which he
had not
visited for
so long.
He found
the door
with the
climbing
plant
over
it,
and stood

outside,
listening,
for
a
moment.
'Surely
I can
hear
voices
inside
the
garden
?' he
though
t.
'Aren't
there
children
whisperi
ng,
laughing,
running
in there?

Or am I
going
mad?'
And
then the
moment
came,
when the
children
could not
stay
quiet.
There
was wild
laughing
and
shouting,
and the
door was
throw n
open. A

boy ran
out,
a
tall,
healthy,
handsom
e
boy,
straight
into the
man's
arms. Mr
Craven
stared
into the
boy's
laughing
eyes.
'Who
-What
?
Who?'
he
cried.

Colin
had not
planned
to meet
his father
like this.
But
perhaps
this was
the best
way, to
come
running
out with
his
cousin
and his
friend.

'Father
,' he said,
'I'm
Colin.
You can't
believe
it! I can't
believe it
myself. It
was the
garden,
and Mary
and
Dickon

55

The Secret
Garden

A boy
ran out,
a tall,
healthy,
handsom
e boy,
straight
into the
man's
arms.

56

Mr Craven
comes home

a
n
d
t
h
e
m
a
g
i
c
,
t
h
a
t
m
a

de me
well.
We've
kept it a
secret
up
to
now.
Aren't
you
happy,
Father?
I'm
going to
live for
ever
and
ever
and
ever!'
Mr
Craven

p
u
t
h
is
h
a
n
d
s
o
n
t
h
e
b
o
y
's
s
h

oulders
. For a
momen
t
he
could
not
speak.
'Take
me into
the
garden,
my
boy,' he
said at
last,
'and tell
me all
about
it.'
And
in the

s
e
c
r
e
t
g
a
r
d
e
n
,
w
h
e
r
e
t
h
e

roses
were at
their
best,
and the
butterfli
es were
flying
from
flower
to
flower
in the
summer
sunshin
e, they
told
Colin's
father
their
story.

S
o
m
e
ti
m
e
s
h
e
l
a
u
g
h
e
d
a
n
d
s

ometim
es
he
cried,
but
most of
the time
he just
looked,
unbelie
ving,
into the
handso
me face
of the
son that
he had
almost
forgotte
n.
'Now
, ' said

C
o
li
n
a
t
t
h
e
e
n
d
,
'i
t
i
s
n
't
a
s

ecret
any
more.
I'll
never
use the
wheelc
hair
again.
I'm
going to
walk
back
with
you,
Father to the
house.'
And
so, tha t
afterno

o
n
,
M
r
s
M
e
d
l
o
c
k
,
M
a
rt
h
a
,
a

nd the
other
servants
had the
greatest
shock
of their
lives.
Throug
h
the
gardens
towards
the
house
came
Mr
Craven,
looking
happier
than
they

h
a
d
e
v
e
r
s
e
e
n
h
i
m
.
A

nd by
his side,
with his
shoulde
rs
straight
,
his
head
held
high
and
a
smile on
his lips,
walked
young
Colin!

with
language

A
Checki
ng
your
unders
tandin
g
Chapter
1 Who
said
these
words
in the
story?
1 'We
must
leave
soon!'
2 'Why
was I
forgotte
n?'
3 'He's
got a
crooked

back, and
he's
horrid!'
4 'You
must stay
out of his
way!'
Chapter 2
Who in
this
chapter...
1 ... was
cleaning
the
fireplace in
Mary's
bedroom?
2 ... knew
a lot about
wild
animals?
3 ...
buried the
key to the

secret
garden?
4 ...
was a
Yorkshir
e moor
man?
Chapter
s 3-4
Are
these
sentence
s true
(T) or
false
(F)?
1 The
door to
the
secret
garden
was
locked
nine
years
ago.

2 Martha
went to
visit her
family for a
week.
3 Mrs
Sowerby
bought a
skippingrope for
Mary.
4 Ben's
favourite
flowers
were roses.
Chapters
5-6 Find
answers to
these
questions in
the text.
1 How did
Mary find
Colin's
room?

2 Why
was the
robin so
busy in
the
garden?
3 Why
did
Mary
look at
Colin's
back?
Chapters
7-8
Write
answers
to these
questions
.
1 Why
did
Colin get
better?
2 Who
spoke to
Mr

Craven in
his dream?
3 Why did
Mr Craven
decide to
come
home?

58

1 Put
together
these
beginning
s and
endings
of
sentences.
Check
your answers in Chapter
1 Mary felt lonelier tha
2 I like Dickon, ...
3 Are
things
growing
in the
8 ...
where he
lives?
gard
en ..
.
9 ...
whe
n
Mar

tha had
gone.
4 Before
she came to
Yorkshire ...
10 ...
although
I've never
seen
5 As Mary
looked at
the hole,.. .
him.
6 She
hoped ...
1 1 ... they
weren't all
dead,

12..-s h e ha
anybod y .

2 Complete
these
sentences
with
information

from
the.
story.
1 Mr
Craven
buried
the key
to the
secret
garden
because
...
2 Mrs
Medlock
was
angry
with
Mary
when ...
3 When
Mary
asked
her uncle
for a bit
of
garden,
he ...

4 Colin's
legs were
not very
strongs
but.. .
5 While
Colin was
becoming
healthier,
his father
...
6 Colin
told his
father the
story, and
then ...
C
Activities
1 You are
Colin.
Write
his
diary

for
the
day
when
he
first
visite
d the
secre
t
gard
en.

2
Which
person
do you
like, or
dislike,
most in
the
story?
Why?

Write a
few
sentence
s to
describe
this
person.
3 What
do you
think
will
happen
to
Mary,
Colin,
and
Dickon
in ten
years'
time?
Write
another
paragra
ph
to

finis
h
the
story
.
You
coul
d
begi
n
like
this;
Whe
n
Coli
n
and
Mar
y
were
twen
ty,
they
still
lived
at
Miss

elthwait
e
Manor..
.

G
l
o
s
s
a
r
y
a
n
g
e
l
a
m
e

s
s
e
n
g
e
r
f
r
o
m
G
o
d
,
o
r
a
v
e
r
y

g
o
o
d
p
e
r
s
o
n
b
a
d
t
e
m
p
e
r
e
d
o

f
t
e
n
c
r
o
s
s
a
n
d
a
n
g
r
y
b
u
r
y
(
p

a
s
t
t
e
n
s
e
b
u
r
i
e
d
)
t
o
p
u
t
a
p

e
r
s
o
n
o
r
t
h
i
n
g
i
n
t
h
e
g
r
o
u
n

d
c
o
n
f
u
s
e
d
n
o
t
a
b
l
e
t
o
t
h
i
n

k
c
l
e
a
r
l
y
,
o
r
t
o
u
n
d
e
r
s
t
a
n
d

s
o
m
e
t
h
i
n
g
c
o
u
s
i
n
t
h
e
c
h
i
l
d

o
f
y
o
u
r
u
n
c
l
e
o
r
a
u
n
t

ct
a
d
i
f

f
e
r
e
n
t
w
a
y
o
f
s
p
e
a
k
i
n
g
t
h
e

s
a
m
e
l
a
n
g
u
a
g
e
i
n
a
d
i
f
f
e
r
e
n

t
p
a
r
t
o
f
a
c
o
u
n
t
r
y
(
e
.
g
.
Y
o

r
k
s
h
i
r
e
)
d
i
s
a
g
r
e
e
a
b
l
e
n
o
t
p

l
e
a
s
i
n
g
;
b
a
d
t
e
m
p
e
r
e
d
f
u
r
i

o
u
s
v
e
r
y
a
n
g
r
y
handsome
or a man)
h
o
p
(
p
a
s
t
t

good-looking (usually for a boy

e
n
s
e
h
o
p
p
e
d
)
t
o
j
u
m
p
o
n
o
n
e

f
o
o
t
h
o
r
r
i
d
b
a
d
,
t
e
r
r
i
b
l
e
,

n
o
t
a
t
a
l
l
n
i
c
e

c
s
o
m
e
t
h
i
n
g
s

t
r
a
n
g
e
t
h
a
t
c
a
n
m
a
k
e
w
o
n
d
e
r

f
u
l
,
u
n
u
s
u
a
l
t
h
i
n
g
s
h
a
p
p
e
n

shocked
unpleasant)

(past tense
s
k
i
p
p
e
d
)
t
o
j
u
m
p
a
g
a
i
n
a

very surprised (by something

n
d
a
g
a
i
n
o
v
e
r
a
r
o
p
e
t
h
a
t
y
o

u
a
r
e
s
w
i
n
g
i
n
g
stare
time
t
e
a
r
s
d
r
o
p

to look at someone for a long

s
o
f
w
a
t
e
r
t
h
a
t
c
o
m
e
f
r
o
m
y
o

u
r
e
y
e
s
w
h
e
n
y
o
u
c
r
y
u
g
l
y
n
o

t
b
e
a
u
t
i
f
u
l
w
a
n
d
e
r
t
o
w
a
l
k
s

l
o
w
l
y
w
i
t
h
n
o
s
p
e
c
i
a
l
p
l
a
n

w
h
i
s
p
e
r
t
o
s
p
e
a
k
v
e
r
y
s
o
f
t
l

y
a
n
d
q
u
i
e
t
l
y
Y
O
R
K
S
H
I
R
E
D
I
A
L
E

C
T
U
S
E
D
I
N
T
H
I
S
S
T
O
R
Y

T
h
a
'
c
a
n
n

a
'
d
r
e
s
s
t
h
y
s
e
n
?
Y
o
u
c
a
n
'
t

d
r
e
s
s
y
o
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k
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D
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?
I likes thee wonderful. I like you wonderfully,
W
e
m

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n
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'
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o
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a
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t
.
W
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e
i
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,
a
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w
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m
u

s
t
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t
.
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