Finding（找到） the Secret（秘密的） Garden When Mary woke up two days later, the wind（风） and rain had all disappeared（不见） and the sky（天空） was a beautiful blue. "Spring will be here soon," said Martha happily（快乐地）. "You'll love the moor（沼地） 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（村舍）." "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（感觉得到的） and hard-working（使工作） and kind." "I know you like her."

  "I like Dickon although I've never seen him." "I wonder（想知道） 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 me day off, so I'm going home to help Mother with the housework（ 家务劳动）.

  Good（好的）-bye, Miss. See you tomorrow." Mary felt lonelier（孤独的） than ever when Martha had gone, so she went outside. The sunshine（阳光） made the gardens look different, and the change in the weather had even made Ben Weatherstaff easier to talk to. "Can you smell（闻出） spring in the air?" he asked her. "Things are growing deep（ 深深地） down in the ground（地）. Soon you'll see little green shoots（发芽） coming up.

  Young plants they are. You watch them." "I will," replied（回答） Mary. "Oh, there's the robin（知更鸟）." The little bird hopped（单足跳跃〔跳行〕） on to Ben Spade（铲）. "Are things growing in the garden where he lives?" "What garden?" said Ben in his bad-tempered（使回火） voice（声音）.

  "You know, the secret garden. Are the flowers dead（死的） there?" She really wanted to know the answer. "Ask the robin," said Ben Crossley. "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（承担） 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（约克郡）, she had not liked anybody（任何人）. She was walking beside（在…旁边） the long wall of the secret（秘密的） garden, when a most wonderful thing happened. She suddenly（突然地） realised（了解） the robin（知更鸟） was following her. She felt very pleased（开心的） and excited（使激动） by this, and cried（喊） out, "You like me, don't you? And I like you too!" As he hopped along（沿着） beside（在…旁边） 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（掘） a hole（洞） in the ground（地）. As Mary looked at the hole, she noticed（注意） something almost（几乎） buried（埋葬） there. She put her hand in and pulled（拉） it out. It was an old key. "Perhaps（也许） it's been buried（埋葬） for ten years," she whispered（低声地讲） to herself. "Perhaps it's the key to the secret garden!"

  She looked at it for a long time. How lovely（可爱的） it would be to find（找到） 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（安全地） in her pocket（衣袋）. The next morning, Martha was back at Missal Thwaite Manor, and told Mary all about her day with her family. "I really enjoyed myself. A helpmother with the whole（ 完整的） week's washing（洗涤） and baking.

  And I told the children about you. They wanted to know about your servants（仆人）, the ship（船） that brought you to England, and everything. I can tell you some more for next time," offered（提供） Mary. "They'd like to hear about riding on elephants and camels（骆驼）, wouldn't they? Oh, that would be kind（种类） of you, Miss. And, Luke, 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 brought me your pay（ 工资） 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 skipping（跳过） rope（绳）. Mary stared（ 盯着看） at it.

  "What is it?" she asked. "Don't they have skipping ropes in India（印度）?" "Well, this is how you use it. Just watch me." Martha took the rope and ran into the middle（中部） of the room. She counted（计算） up to a hundred as she skipped（跳过）. "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（新的） air." Mary put her coat on and took the skipping rope. As she was opening（开） the door, she thought of something and turned round（在周围）. "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（拿住） out her hand because she knew that adults did that. Martha shook（动摇） her hand and laughed.

  "You're a strange（陌生的） child," she said, "like an old woman. Now run away and play." The skipping rope 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 onto（到…上） an old climbing plant on the wall and sang his most beautiful song. Suddenly the wind made the plant move（动） and Mary saw something under the dark green leaves（许可）. The thick（厚的）, heavy（重的） plant was covering（盖） a door. Mary's heart（心） was beating（(beat) 打败） fast and her hands were shaking（动摇） as she pushed the leaves（许可） away and found（找到） the keyhole.

  She took the key out of her pocket and it fitted（适合） the hole（洞）. Using both hands she managed（管理） to unlock（开启） the door. Then she turned round to see if anyone was watching. But there was no one. So she pushed（推） the door which opened（开） slowly（缓慢地） for the first time in ten years. She walked quickly in and shut（（使）关[合]上） the door behind her.

  At last（最后） she was inside（在……之内） the secret（秘密的） garden. It was the loveliest, most exciting place she had ever seen. There were old rose（上升） trees everywhere（到处） and the walls were covered（盖） with climbing roses. She looked carefully（小心地） at the grey branches（树枝）. Were the roses（玫瑰） still alive（活着的）? 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（ 似乎） very strange（陌生的） and silent（沉默的） but she did not feel lonely（孤独的） at all. Then she noticed some small green shoots coming up through the grass（草）. 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（清除） the ground（地） 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（园艺）. She almost forgot about lunch and when she arrived back in her room she was very hungry and ate twice as much as usual（通常的）. "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（种子） to plant（栽种）, 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?" "Ah（啊）, well, 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（ 不舒服的）. "You mustn't go wandering（漫游） 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 tea time." As the door closed behind Martha, Mary thought to herself, "This really is the strangest house that anyone ever lived in."