3 Finding the secret garden

　　When Mary woke up two days later，the wind and rain had all disappeared，and the sky was a beautiful blue．‘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．

　　Martha 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 hardworking 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？’

　　‘He won't like me，’said Mary．‘No 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 up—young plants，they are．You watch them．’

　　‘I will'replied Mary．‘Oh，there's the robin！’The little bird hopped on to Ben's spade．‘Are things growing in the garden where he lives？’

　　‘What garden？’said Ben，in his badtempered voice．

　　‘You know，the secret garden．Are the flowers dead there？’ She really wanted to know the answer．

　　‘Ask the robin，’said Ben crossly．‘He's the only one who's been in there for the last ten years．’

　　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 Martha 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．

　　‘Perhaps it's been buried for ten years，’she whispered to herself．‘Perhaps it's the key to the secret garden！’

　　She looked at it for a long time．How lovely it would be to find the garden，and see what had happened to it in the last ten years！She could play in it all by herself，and nobody would know she was there．She put the key safely in her pocket．

　　The next morning Martha was back at Misselthwaite 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 know 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！’

　　‘A present！’repeated Mary．How 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？’she asked．

　　‘Don't they have skippingropes in India？Well，this is how you use it．Just watch me．’

　　Martha 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 kind．Do you think I could ever skip like that？’

　　‘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 skipping-rope．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！Now run away and play！’

　　The skippingrope was wonderful．Mary counted and 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！’

　　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 keyhole．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．

　　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．’

　　‘Oh，thank you，Martha！ I've got some money that Mrs Medlock gave me．Will you write and ask Dickon to buy them for me？’

　　‘I will．And he'll bring them to you himself．’

　　‘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？’

　　Martha looked uncomfortable．‘You mustn't go wandering around the house，you know．Mr Craven wouldn't like it．Now I must go and help the others downstairs．I'll see you at teatime．’

　　As the door closed behind Martha，Mary thought to herself， ‘This really is the strangest house that anyone ever lived in．’

　　3 找到秘密花园

　　两天后，当玛丽早上醒来时，风住了，雨也停了，天空是一片美丽的蓝色。

　　“春天就要来了！”玛莎快活地说道，“那时到处是花儿和小鸟，你会喜欢荒原的。”

　　“我能去荒原吗？”玛丽问。

　　“你没有走过那么远的路吧，对不对？我看你走不了5里路到我们住的小屋去！”

　　“可是我想见一见你的家人。”玛丽说。

　　玛莎对着这个小女孩注视了片刻，她想起玛丽刚来这儿时是多么的不讨人喜欢，可是现在，她看上去兴致勃勃的，也很友好。

　　“我得问问妈妈，”玛莎说，“她总能想出好办法的。她聪明、能干，还很善良，我想你会喜欢她的。”

　　“我喜欢狄肯，虽然我没见过他。”

　　“我不知道狄肯会不会喜欢你。”

　　“他不会喜欢我的，”玛丽说，“没人喜欢我。”

　　“但是你喜欢自己吗？妈妈会这么问的。”

　　“不，不知道，我从来没想过。”

　　“哦，我得走了，今天是我休息的日子，我得回家帮妈妈做家务，再见，小姐，明天见。”

　　玛莎走后，玛丽觉得更孤单了，于是她走到外面。阳光使花园看上去与往日不同，而且天气的变化似乎让本·威瑟斯塔夫也变得喜欢说话了。

　　“你能闻到春天的气息吗？”他问玛丽，“在深深的泥土下面，万物在生长。很快你就会看见绿色的嫩芽长出来——那些幼苗，你会看见它们的。”

　　“我会的，”玛丽答道。“噢！知更鸟！”小鸟在本的铲子上蹦跳着。“它住的园子里生物也在生长么？”

　　“什么园子？”本问道，语气中有些暴躁。

　　“你知道的，那个秘密花园。那儿的花儿死了吗？”她是真的想知道答案。

　　“问知更鸟吧，”本不耐烦地说，“它是唯一在这10年里去过那儿的。”

　　10年是段很长的时间，玛丽想。她是10年前出生的。她走开了，想着心事。她已经开始喜欢上园子、知更鸟、玛莎、狄肯、还有他们的母亲。在她来约克郡之前，她从来也没喜欢过谁。

　　她正在秘密花园长长的围墙外走着，一件惊人的事情发生了。她突然发现知更鸟在跟着她，她感到非常高兴，非常激动，她叫道。“你喜欢我，对么？我也喜欢你！”知更鸟一蹦一跳地在她左右，她也一样跳着唱着，告诉知更鸟她是他的朋友。这时知更鸟在一个地方停下来，那儿的地上有一个狗挖出来的洞。玛丽往洞里看时，发现有个东西埋在里面，她伸手进去拣出来，是一把旧钥匙。

　　“说不定它已经被埋了10年了，”她低声对自己说。“说不定这就是秘密花园的钥匙！”

　　她拿着钥匙看了很久。要是能找到秘密花园，就能看看10年间都发生了些什么变化！她就能一个人在里面玩儿，谁也不知道她在哪儿啦。她把钥匙小心地放进口袋里。

　　第二天早晨，玛莎回到庄园，她给玛丽讲述了她一天的情况和她家人的事。

　　“我真高兴，我帮妈妈把一个星期要洗的东西都洗了，还烤了一个星期要吃的面包。我对孩子们讲起你，他们都想知道你在印度的仆人们，带你来英国的大船，一切的事情！”

　　“下次我会多讲些给你听，”玛丽说，“他们会喜欢听骑大象和骑骆驼的事，对么？”

　　“噢，小姐，你真是太好了！对了，看，妈妈送给你的礼物！”

　　“礼物！”玛丽重复道。一个有着14个挨饿的人的家庭怎么能给人送礼物！

　　“妈妈从上门卖货的人那儿买的。她告诉我说，‘玛莎，你是个好孩子，把工钱都给了我，我们需要用钱，不过我要给庄园里那个孤单的孩子买点东西。’于是她就买了一个，瞧，就在这儿！”

　　那是一根跳绳。玛丽瞪大眼睛望着它。

　　“这是什么？”她问。

　　“在印度没有人跳绳吗？好吧，你得这么用，看着我。”

　　玛莎拿着绳子跑到房间中央，跳了有100下。

　　“真好看。”玛丽说道。“你妈妈真好，你觉得我能跳得那么好吗？”

　　“试试看，”玛莎说。“妈妈说它会让你健康又强壮。要在外面新鲜空气中跳。”

　　玛丽穿上大衣，拿起跳绳，要去开门的时候她好像想起了什么，又转回来。

　　“玛莎，这其实是花你的钱，谢谢你。”她平常从来不去感谢别人，也不知道该怎么做。于是她伸出手，因为她知道大人们都那么做。

　　玛莎握住她的手笑起来，说，“你可真是个怪孩子，像个老太婆！现在就到外面玩去吧！”

　　跳绳真棒，玛丽跳着数着，数着跳着，跳得脸蛋儿又红又热，她从来没有这么快活过。她跳过花园，找到本·威瑟斯塔夫，老人正在挖土，一边跟知更鸟说着话。她想让他们俩都看她跳绳。

　　“哈！你今天看上去不错，很健康，接着跳吧，这对你有好处。”他说。

　　玛丽一路跳着来到秘密花园的墙外，知更鸟也在那儿！它是跟着她来的，玛丽高兴极了。

　　“你昨天告诉了我钥匙在哪儿，”她笑着说道，“我把它放在兜里了，今天你该告诉我门在哪儿啦！”

　　知更鸟跳到墙上的一根老藤上，唱起他最动听的歌。突然，风吹动了藤蔓，玛丽看见了那暗绿色叶子下面的东西。那沉重粗壮的植物遮掩着一扇门。玛丽的心跳加快了，当她推开藤蔓，发现钥匙孔时，手都在颤抖。她从兜里掏出钥匙，插进孔中，双手一起使劲打开了那道锁，然后她转过身看看有没有人看见，但是一个人也没有，于是她推动了那扇门。门缓缓地开了，这是10年来第一次。她很快走进花园，随手关上了门。她终于进了这座秘密花园！

　　这是她所见过的最美丽、最令人心动的地方。眼前全是生长多年的玫瑰，墙也被蔓生的玫瑰盖住了。她细细地端详那灰色的枝条，那些玫瑰还活着吗？本一定知道。她希望它们都没死。可她是在这座奇妙的花园的里面，在一个属于她的世界里。这里陌生寂静，可她一点也不觉得孤单。这时，她一眼注意到一些从草地上冒出来的小小的绿芽，花园总算有东西在生长！当她在其他地方又看到更多的嫩芽时，她想它们一定需要更多的空气和阳光，于是开始拔掉它们周围浓密的杂草。她埋头干着，清理着地面，一直忙活了两三个小时，而且已经脱掉了大衣，因为她实在是太热了。知更鸟在四周跳着，看到有人整理这个花园它很高兴。

　　她几乎忘了去吃午饭，当她回到房间时觉得饿极了，吃掉了平常两顿饭的东西。“玛莎，”她一边吃一边说道，“我一直在想，这么一座孤零零的大房子里，我实在没什么可干。你觉得，如果我买把小铲子，造一座自己的花园怎么样？”

　　“妈妈就是这么说的，”玛莎回答。“你会喜欢挖土，然后看着植物长起来的。要是你愿意，狄肯能给你弄一把铲子，还能给你些花籽。”

　　“哦，太感谢你啦，玛莎！梅洛太太给了我些钱，你能给狄肯写封信，让他给我买吗？”

　　“我会写的，他会自己给你送来。”

　　“哦！那我就能见到他了，”玛丽显得很兴奋。接着她又想起了什么，“我又听见房子里的哭声了，玛莎，这次不是风，我都听到过3次了，那是谁呀？”

　　玛莎看上去有些为难，“你看，你不能在房子里乱走，克莱文先生不喜欢这样。我这会儿得下楼去给别人帮忙了，喝茶的时候见。”