Таинственный сад / The Secret Garden. B1

They did not notice the child, who listened to their conversation.

�It’s very bad, is it?’ her mother asked the young man in a worried voice.

�Very bad,’ he answered seriously. �People are dying like flies. It’s dangerous to stay in this town. You should go to the hills, where there’s no disease.’

�Oh, I know!’ she cried. �We must leave soon!’

Suddenly they heard loud cries coming from the servants’ rooms, at the side of the house.

�What’s happened?’ cried Mary’s mother wildly.

�I think one of your servants has just died. You didn’t tell me the disease is here, in your house!’

�I didn’t know!’ she screamed. �Quick, come with me!’

And together they ran into the house.

Now Mary understood what was wrong. The terrible disease had already killed many people in the town, and in all the houses people were dying. In Mary’s house it was Kamala who had just died. Later that day three more servants died there.

Allthrough the night and the next day people ran in and out of the house, shouting and crying.

When she woke the next day, the house was silent.

�Perhaps the disease has gone,’ she thought, �and everybody is well again. I wonder who will take care of me instead of Kamala? Why doesn’t someone bring me some food? It’s strange the house is so quiet,’

But just then she heard men’s voices in the hall.

�How sad!’ said one. �That beautiful woman!’

�There was a child too, wasn’t there?’ said the other. �Although none of us ever saw her.’

Mary was standing in the middle of her room when they opened the door a few minutes later. The two men jumped back in surprise.

�My name is Mary Lennox,’ she said crossly. �I was asleep when everyone was ill, and now I’m hungry.

�It’s the child, the one nobody ever saw!’ said the older man to the other. �They’ve all forgotten her!’

�Why was I forgotten?’ asked Mary angrily. �Why has nobody come to take care of me?’

The younger man looked at her very sadly. �Poor child!’ he said. �You see, there’s nobody left alive in the house. So nobody can come.’

In this strange and sudden way Mary learnt that both her mother and her father had died.