Chapter 4
The secret garden
The next morning Mary was already buttoning up her coat when Martha arrived. ‘You’re an early bird!’ Martha said.
‘Well, I do like birds!’ Mary grinned.
‘It’s nice to see you so cheerful, Miss,’ Martha told her. ‘Have a nice time.’
Mary felt the key deep in her coat pocket. ‘I will, ‘ she said.
A few minutes later she was staring at the ivy-colored wall. If only she could find the door. She had spent all yesterday looking for it but had given up when it became too dark to see anything.
What she needed was the robin to bring her luck.
Sure enough she soon heard his cheery call and there he was, staring down at her with those black, beady eyes.
‘Robin,’ she said, her voice soft, ‘yesterday you showed me the key. Can you show me the door today?’
What happened next was pure magic. A strong gust of wind lifted the ivy, parting it like a curtain. The gust blew only for a second but long enough for Mary to see a doorknob. Beneath the doorknob was a metal square with a hole in it.
She fumbled for the key, her heart beating faster than a galloping horse. Nearby, the robin continued to sing as she put the key in the keyhole and turned. Taking a deep breath, Mary pushed open the door and stepped inside.
She found herself surrounded by four high walls. They made her feel she was in her own private kingdom. Slowly she began to walk, treading softy on the overgrown pathways.
Rose trees had taken over the garden. They had climbed over urns and arbours and other trees, spreading thorny tendrils across to each other, as if holding hands. The branches were all either grey or brown. Mary wasn’t sure if they were dead or alive.
Onwards she explored. Everything was so still. The grass and moss beneath her feet muffled her footsteps. She kept her eyes to the ground. It must have been a beautiful place once but now everything was overgrown.
Picking up a sharp stick, Mary began prodding in the earth. She was amazed to find tiny green shoots beneath the dead vegetation. Could they be spring flowers like those Ben Weatherstaff has shown her? She began to dig away until the shoots were showing!
‘There! You can breathe now!’ she whispered.
For the rest of that week Mary tended the garden. It was such a peaceful place. There was nothing within its walls to make her feel angry or cross or unwanted. There was only a calm feeling that made her feel she was wrapped in a warm blanket. If only she could do more! The sticks she used to clear the ground kept breaking. She wished she had tools like a proper gardener. She also wished she knew more about gardening.
‘Martha?’ she asked the girl one lunchtime. ‘Do you know where I can get a small spade to dig with?’
‘Well, there’s a shop in Thwaite that sells things like that. Why?’
‘I…’ Mary hesitated. She couldn’t tell Martha about the secret garden. ‘I… I’ve found a patch of ground in one of the gardens. I thought it would be nice to dig in it.’
‘Oh, that’s a lovey idea. You could plant some seeds too.’
‘Seeds?’
“Aye, seeds. You sprinkle them in the ground and flowers grow.’
Mary’s eyes lit up. Flowers growing again in the secret garden! Imagine!
‘Our Dickon could get them for you.’
‘Could he? That would be wonderful!’
[释义]包裹
[备注]
美 [ræpt]
英 [ræpt]
adj. 有包装的
v. 包裹；覆盖（wrap的过去分词）
Wrapped
包布系列
包着
裹着
有包装的
wrapped phase
或称卷叠相位值
包裹相位值
Wrapped bushes
卷制轴套
外衬套
卷制轴衬
