The Secret Garden / Таинственный сад

“The one on the other side of the wall,” answered Mistress Mary. “There are trees there-I saw the tops of them. A bird with a red breast was sitting on one of them and he sang.”

To her surprise the face of the gardener actually changed its expression. And he looked quite different. He turned about to the orchard side of his garden and began to whistle. Almost the next moment a wonderful thing happened. She heard a soft little rushing flight through the air-and it was the bird with the red breast flying to them.

The bird put his tiny head on one side and looked up at him with his soft bright eye which was like a black dewdrop [52 - dewdrop – капля росы]. He seemed quite familiar and not the least afraid. He hopped about and pecked the earth briskly, looking for seeds and insects. It actually gave Mary a queer feeling in her heart, because he was so pretty and cheerful and seemed so like a person. He had a tiny plump body and a delicate beak [53 - beak – клюв], and slender delicate legs.

“Will he always come when you call him?” she asked almost in a whisper.

“Aye, that he will. I've knowed him ever since he was a fledgling [54 - fledgling – оперившийся птенец]. He come out of th' nest in th' other garden an' when first he flew over th' wall he was too weak to fly back for a few days an' we got friendly. When he went over th' wall again th' rest of th' brood was gone an' he was lonely an' he come back to me.

The gardener told about the bird with such a love. He looked at the plump little robin as if he were proud of him. The robin hopped about busily pecking the soil and now and then stopped and looked at Mary a little. It really seemed as if he were finding out all about her. Mistress Mary went a step nearer to the robin and looked at him very hard. She said that she was very lonely. The old gardener pushed his cap back on his bald head and stared at her a minute.

“What is your name?” Mary inquired.

He stood up to answer her.

“Ben Weatherstaff,” he answered, and then he added with a surly chuckle [55 - chuckle – хихикать], “I'm lonely mysel' except when he's with me,” and he jerked his thumb toward the robin. “He's th' only friend I've got.