The Secret Garden

Page 1

Mary was born in India, but her father and mother did not love her. Mary’s father only loved his work; he worked for the British government in India. Mary’s mother only wanted to be beautiful and popular. She did not think that mothers were beautiful, so she hid her daughter. Neither Mary’s father nor mother wanted to see her or play with her. Mary’s mother told the servants to hide Mary and keep her quiet. When Mary grew up to be a girl, she was very mean, spoiled, and rude.

Page 2

One day, Mary’s servants became very sick. This made her angry because she wanted her servants to take care of her. Then, more and more people in Mary’s big house became sick. Soon, Mary was in the big house all by herself. Two days later, some soldiers came to the house, and they found Mary. She asked the soldiers, “Where are my servants? Where is my mother?” They were too surprised to say anything. They knew that everybody had died, and only Mary was alive.

Page 3

The soldiers took Mary to live with a priest. The priest took care of other children, too, because many people had become sick and died. In the priest’s house, Mary was mean to the other children, so they did not want to play with her. The other children teased Mary, and they laughed at her when she became angry. Of course, they did not like Mary because she was a mean, spoiled little girl. The other children were always happy when Mary went away.

Page 4

The priest tried to find Mary’s relatives so that they could take care of her. It took a few weeks, but finally the priest found Mary’s uncle. He lived in London, so Mary went to England in a ship. A soldier’s wife went with Mary to take care of her on the long trip. In London, Mary met a servant who took her to her new home. The house belonged to her uncle, Archibald Craven. It was a big house, but many of the rooms were locked. Mr. Craven was always sad because his wife had died, so he locked the rooms. In the house, Mary was taken to two rooms. The servant said, “This is where you will live. You can play outside, but you must come back here every evening. And you must not speak to Mr. Craven!”

Page 5

The next day, Mary met another servant named Martha. Martha was friendly, and she enjoyed talking to Mary. But Mary was rude because she was never kind to servants. Martha helped Mary get dressed, and then they went into another room. There was breakfast on the table, but Mary did not want to eat. This surprised Martha. Martha’s family was poor, and they often did not have enough to eat. Martha never refused any food that was offered to her.

Page 6

Martha came to Mary’s rooms every day. One day, she told Mary about a secret garden. Mr. Craven had locked the gate many years ago, and he had buried the key. Mary wanted to find the secret garden because it was a mysterious place to explore. Because Mary was often outside, she became healthier and happier. Also, she met some kind people, so she became friendlier.

Page 7

One day, Mary visited some of the gardens, and she saw a wall that was covered with vines and leaves. Behind the wall were some trees, but she did not see a gate. “This must be the secret garden,” she thought. She walked slowly around the wall, and she found the gate. It was hidden behind many leaves and tall grass. Mary’s heart pounded with excitement. “Now I must find the key,” she said.

Page 8

A few days later, Mary found a small bird. It was standing on the ground next to a hole that it had dug. Mary looked in the hole, and there she saw an old key. Mary screamed excitedly. She took the key, and she ran to the gate of the secret garden. She put the key in the keyhole, and she turned it. The key opened the lock! But the gate was old, and it had not been opened in many years. Mary pushed as hard as she could, and finally the gate opened wide enough for her to enter. Mary went into the secret garden. It was very quiet in the garden, and all of the flowers were dead.

Page 9

Mary wanted to bring the secret garden back to life. She spent many hours there every day. She planted flowers, pulled out the weeds, and made paths. Mary had become friends with Martha’s brother, Dickon. He helped Mary in the garden. Day by day, they made the secret garden more beautiful.

Page 10

Sometimes, Mary heard scary sounds in the house. They sounded like someone crying from far away. Mary asked the servants about the scary sounds, but the servants said that there were no sounds. Martha said, “Nobody is crying. It’s just the wind, and your imagination.” This made Mary angry because she knew that Martha and the other servants were lying to her.

Page 11

One day, Mary followed the sounds. Soon, she was in the back rooms of the big house. Behind one door, she heard the crying very clearly. She went inside, and she found a boy in a wheelchair. He was angry and mean. He also was weak and sad. His name was Colin. He was Mr. Craven’s son, but Mr. Craven never visited him. Mary asked him why the servants did not talk about him. Colin answered, “My father told them to take care of me, but to never talk about me. My father is ashamed of me because I can’t walk!”

Page 12

Mary visited Colin often. Sometimes, Dickon came to Colin’s room, too. Soon, Colin became more friendly to them, and he looked forward to their visits. One day, Mary and Dickon came to Colin’s room. Both of them were smiling. Mary said, “Today, we’re taking you to the secret garden!” In the garden, Colin looked very happy. After that, the three friends went to the secret garden almost every day. They played in there, and Colin soon became healthier. One day, Colin got out of his wheelchair, and he began to walk by himself! Mary and Dickon were surprised and happy to see this.

Page 13

Mary said, “Colin can walk now! But we have to keep this a secret. Don’t tell any of the servants that Colin can walk. And Colin, when servants come to your rooms, make sure that you are in your wheelchair.” Colin and Dickon asked Mary why Colin’s ability to walk had to be a secret. She said, “Mr. Craven is away from home now. He is on one of his business trips. We can surprise him when he returns home. He will be happy to see Colin walking!”

Page 14

Through the spring and summer, the children played in the secret garden. Mary and Colin became kind and thoughtful children. And Colin became stronger every day. Dickon was very happy to see his friends change. One day at the end of summer, Martha told Mary that Mr. Craven would soon return from his long business trip.

Page 15

A few days later, Mr. Craven came home. He got out of his carriage, and began walking on the path to his house. Suddenly, he stopped because he heard the sound of children playing in the secret garden. He went to the garden, and he opened the gate. The first thing he saw was his son, Colin. And when Colin saw his father, he ran and jumped into his arms. Mr. Craven could not believe his eyes! From that day on, Mr. Craven became a happy and loving father to Colin. Soon, the big house where everyone lived became a happy place, too.

Page 16

The Secret Garden

Page 17

Mary was born in India, but her father and mother did not love her. Mary’s father only loved his work; he worked for the British government in India. Mary’s mother only wanted to be beautiful and popular. She did not think that mothers were beautiful, so she hid her daughter. Neither Mary’s father nor mother wanted to see her or play with her. Mary’s mother told the servants to hide Mary and keep her quiet. When Mary grew up to be a girl, she was very mean, spoiled, and rude.

Page 18

One day, Mary’s servants became very sick. This made her angry because she wanted her servants to take care of her. Then, more and more people in Mary’s big house became sick. Soon, Mary was in the big house all by herself. Two days later, some soldiers came to the house, and they found Mary. She asked the soldiers, “Where are my servants? Where is my mother?” They were too surprised to say anything. They knew that everybody had died, and only Mary was alive.

Page 19

The soldiers took Mary to live with a priest. The priest took care of other children, too, because many people had become sick and died. In the priest’s house, Mary was mean to the other children, so they did not want to play with her. The other children teased Mary, and they laughed at her when she became angry. Of course, they did not like Mary because she was a mean, spoiled little girl. The other children were always happy when Mary went away.

Page 20

The priest tried to find Mary’s relatives so that they could take care of her. It took a few weeks, but finally the priest found Mary’s uncle. He lived in London, so Mary went to England in a ship. A soldier’s wife went with Mary to take care of her on the long trip. In London, Mary met a servant who took her to her new home. The house belonged to her uncle, Archibald Craven. It was a big house, but many of the rooms were locked. Mr. Craven was always sad because his wife had died, so he locked the rooms. In the house, Mary was taken to two rooms. The servant said, “This is where you will live. You can play outside, but you must come back here every evening. And you must not speak to Mr. Craven!”

Page 21

The next day, Mary met another servant named Martha. Martha was friendly, and she enjoyed talking to Mary. But Mary was rude because she was never kind to servants. Martha helped Mary get dressed, and then they went into another room. There was breakfast on the table, but Mary did not want to eat. This surprised Martha. Martha’s family was poor, and they often did not have enough to eat. Martha never refused any food that was offered to her.