The Secret Garden

ne. The high walls which shut itin were covered with the leafless ste

in India. All the ground was coveredwith grass of a wintry brown and out o

ses which had so spreadtheir branch

bing roses had run all over them and swungdown long tendrils which made light swaying curtains,and here and there they had

branches and sprays looked like a sortof hazy mantle spreading over everything, walls, and trees,and even brown grass, where they ha

h had not been left all by themselves so long;and indeed it wa

. "How still!"Then she waited a mo

illas all the rest. He did not even flutter his w

or ten years."She moved away from the door, stepping as softly as if shewere afraid of awakeni

ll quite dead,"she said. "Is it all a quite dead garden? I wish it wasn't."If she had been Ben Weatherstaff she could have toldwhether the wood was aliv

couldcome through the door under the ivy any time

ar piece of Misselthwaiteseemed even more brilliant and soft than it was overthe moor. The

er things. Everything was strange andsilent and she seemed to be hundred

e dead, or if perhaps some of them hadlived and might put out leaves and bu

wonderful it would be,and what thousa

d skip round the whole garden, stopping when shewanted to look at things. There seemed to have beengrass paths here and

here had once been a flowerbed in it,and she thought she saw somethin

eatherstaff had said and sh

s and they might becrocuses or snow

sniffed the fresh scentof the da

but walked. She went slowly and kepther eyes on the ground. She looked in the old borderbeds and among the grass, and after she had

ad garden," she cried

ut gardening, but the grassseemed so thick in some of the places where the greenpoints wer

f wood and knelt down and dug and weeded out the weedsand

d,after she had finished with the first ones. "I am

to place, and dug and weeded,and enjoyed herself so immensely tha

off, and then her hat, and without knowing it shewas smilin

. He was very muchpleased to see

ul things to eat are turnedup with the soil. Now here was this new kind of creaturewho wa

ct, she was ratherlate in remembering, and when she put on her coatand hat, and picked

pale green points were to be seenin cleared places, looking twice as cheerfu

oking allround at her new kingdom, and speaking to

rass, pushed openthe slow old door

uch bright eyes and ate sucha d

an' two helps o' ric

be pleased when I

found herself digging up a sort of whiteroot rather like an onion. She had put it back in itsplace a

ike onions?""They're bulbs," answered Martha. "Lots o' sprin

issuses an' jonquilsand daffydowndil

of 'em planted in our bit o' garden.""Does Dickon know all

ake a flower grow o

d.""Do bulbs live a long time? Would they live years a

s whypoor folk can afford to have 'em. If you don't trouble

ve little 'uns. The

where there's snow

ttiest sight in Y

was here now," said Mary. "I wantto see all the things that grow in England

h I had a little

want a spade for?" a

that,too."Mary looked at the fire and pondered a little.

ut the open door he would be fearfully angry and geta new k

f shewere turning matters over in her mind. "The house is

and soldiers marching by--and sometimes bands playing,and my Ayah told me stories. There is no one to talk toh

ereas he does, and I might make a little garden if he

exclaimed, "if th

id. She says, `The

't they give her abit for herself

radishes? She'd di

y things she knows,doesn't she?""Eh!" said Martha. "It's like she says: `A woman asbrings up twel

h would a spade cost--a

little garden setswith a spade an' a rake an' a fork all tied together fortwo shillings. A

. Medlockgave me some money from Mr. Craven.""D

I was to have a shi

rd! that's riches," said Martha. "Tha' can buyanything in th' world tha' wa

ve just thought of somethin',

said Mar

at Thwaite they

our Dickon he knowswhich is th' pre

hwaite many a day ju

how to print le

to write," M

shook h

f tha' could print wecould write a lett

now you were so nice. I know I can print lettersif I try. Let's ask Mrs. Medlock for a pen and ink and somepaper

m, and Mary stoodby the fire and twisted her

come alive."She did not go out again that afternoon because when Marthareturned with her pen and ink and paper she was obligedto clear the table and carry the plates and

ious piece of work

o stay with her. She couldnot spell particularly well but she found that she couldpri

o find you well as it

tiest ones and easyto grow because she has never done it before and livedin India which is different. Give my love to motherand every one of you. Mi

ebe Sowerby.""We'll put the mone

his cart. He's a greatfrie

ke to walkover this way.""Oh!" exclaimed Mary, "then I shall see him! I neverthought I should

ver saw a boy foxe

"Martha gave a little start, a

he broke out, "to t

tthing this mornin'. I asked mother--and she said she'd

e, an' butter, an' a glass o' milk."It seemed as if all the interesting things were happeningin one day. To think of goi

dlock would let me go?" s

ow clean she keeps the cottage.""If I went I should see your mother as w

nended by making her feel quiet and thoughtful. Martha stayedwith her until tea-time, but they sat in comforta

ery-maid had thetoothache again toda

thee ask tha

if youwere coming. And I heard that far-off crying again,just as we heard it the other night. There isn'ta

he'd do.""I wasn't listening," said Mary. "I was just waitingfor you--and I heard it. That's thr

opped her head on the cushionedseat of the armchair near her. Fresh air, and dig