我的秘密花园

Chapter Six: Wet Weather

 Next morning, Mary told Martha that she had found Colin.

Martha was very upset . She thought that she could lose her job for allowing Mary to find the young boy.

'Don't worry,' said Mary. 'Colin was pleased to see me. He wants to see me every day.'

'You must have bewitched him,' said Martha.

'What's the matter with him?

' Mary asked.

Martha told Mary that Colin had never been allowed to walk. His father thought that his back was weak. Even though a famous doctor had examined him, and said that he would get strong if less fuss was made of him, Colin was still spoiled and allowed to do everything that he wanted.

'Colin thinks he will die,' said Mary.

'Mother says that he has no reason to live if he's closed up in his room all the time,' said Martha.

'It's good for me to be outside,' said Mary. 'Do you think that it would help Colin?'

'Oh, I don't know,' Martha said. 'He had a bad temper tantrum when he was taken into the garden. He was upset because he thought one of the gardeners was looking at him. Be cried until be felt ill.'

'If he ever gets angry with me, I won't go to see him again,' said Mary.

When Mary next went to see Colin, she told him about Dickson.

'He's not like anyone else,' she said. 'All the animals on the moor love him.

When he plays his pipe, they come to listen.'

'The moor must be a wonderful place,' said Colin. 'But I can't go there. I'm going to die.'

'How do you know that?' Mary asked. She felt a little cross with Colin.

He seemed to be pleased with the thought that he could die.

'Because everyone says I will die,' Colin replied. 'I think that my father will be pleased when I'm dead.'

'I don't believe that,' Mary said. 'The famous doctor was right. They should make much less fuss of you, and allow you to go out. If you could see Dickson, you'd want to get well.'

Then Mary told Colin about Dickson's family, who had no money but were all healthy and cheerful.

It rained for a week, so Mary could not visit the garden. Because the weather was so bad, she spent most of her time with Colin. They read books and talked together, and for the first time Mary heard Colin laugh. Colin often spoke about the secret garden, and wondered what was in it. Mary felt that she could not tell him her secret yet, so she still did not tell him that she knew where the mysterious garden was.

'I'll wait until the rain stops before I decide what to do,' thought Mary.

On the day that the rain finished, Mary woke up early to find that the sunlight was streaming through her windows. She went quickly to the secret garden, and she found that Dickson was already there.

'I couldn't stay in bed on a morning like this,' he said.

'Look at the garden.' The rain and sunshine had made the new plants start to come through the earth. There were some purple, orange and gold crocuses. Mary was very pleased to see them and she kissed them. The robin was building a nest .

'We mustn't watch too closely,' Dickson said. 'He'll stay here with us if we don't frighten him.'

A whole week had gone by since Mary had seen Dickson. She told him that she had found Colin.

'If he comes out here in the garden, he'll forget that he's ill,' Dickson said.

'He'll be another child, looking at the flowers and animals, like us.'

When Mary went back to the house at the end of the day, Martha told her that Colin was angry because she had not been to see him.

'I won't allow that boy to come here if you stay with him instead of me,'

Colin said.

'If you send Dickson away, I'll never come into this room again!' Mary replied.

'You're selfish!' Colin raged .

'What about you?' Mary replied furiously. 'You're the most selfish boy I

know.'

'Well, I'm going to die!' Colin said.

'No, you're not!' Mary replied. 'You just say that to make people feel sorry for you. But they don't feel sorry. You're too nasty !'

Mary marched to the door and then said angrily, 'I was going to tell you all about Dickson and his fox and crow, but I won't now!'

She slammed the door behind her.

Later, when Mary remembered how lonely Colin was, she felt sorry for him.

'I'll go and see him tomorrow,' she thought. 'I'll go and sit with him.'

Later that night, Mary was awakened by the sound of screaming and crying. 'It's Colin having one of his tempers,' she thought.

She put her hands over her ears, but she could not block out the terrible noise.

'Someone should stop him!' she cried. 'He deserves to be punished for being so selfish. He's woken everyone in the house.'

She ran into Colin's room and shouted at him, 'Stop! I hate you! Everyone hates you! You'll scream until you die, and I hope that you do.'

Chapter Seven: I Will Live For Ever and Ever Colin looked terrible. His face was swollen from crying, but Mary was too angry to care. 'If you scream again, then I will scream louder,' she told him.

'I can't stop,' Colin sobbed . 'There's something wrong with my back. I

will have a crooked back, and then I will die!'

'Turn over and let me look at your back,' Mary said. She looked at the poor,

thin back for a long time. 'There's nothing wrong with it. Your back is as straight as mine,' she told him.

Colin stopped crying, and Mary sat by his bed, talking to him quietly until he fell asleep.

The next morning, Mary met Dickson in the garden, and she told him about Colin crying in the night.

'We must get him out here, poor boy,' said Dickson kindly.

'Yes, we must,' said Mary, using the same, kind Yorkshire voice.

Dickson laughed. 'Talk in your Yorkshire voice to Colin,' he said. 'It'll make him laugh, and Mother says laughing is good for people when they're ill.'

Mary went to see Colin later that day. She told him about Dickson and his squirrels who were called Nut and Shell. Then Colin said, 'I'm sorry I said that I would send Dickson away. He seems a wonderful boy.'

'I'm glad you said that,' said Mary, 'because he's coming to see you, and he's bringing his animals.'

Colin suddenly looked cheerful. He looked so happy, that Mary thought that she would tell him her great secret.

'That's not all,' she said. 'There's something even better. I've found the door to the garden.'

Colin was very pleased. 'Then we can go in and find out what's inside,' he cried.

Mary waited for a moment, and then she told him the truth .

'I've been inside. That's why I could tell you so much about it. I couldn't tell you my secret until I was sure that I could trust you.'

At breakfast, Colin told his nurse, 'A boy and his animals are coming to see me. Bring them straight up when they arrive.'

Soon afterwards, Mary heard a bleating . 'That's Dickson's lamb,' she said.

'They're coming.'

Dickson came in. He was smiling. He carried a lamb and his little fox followed behind him. The squirrel sat on one shoulder and the crow on the other. The other squirrel was in his pocket.

Colin stared in surprise. Dickson gave the lamb to Colin and handed him a bottle to feed it. The little boy was busy and happy.

After a while, Colin cried, 'I must see it all. I must see the secret garden!'

'Yes, of course you must,' said Mary, 'And you must lose no time about it.'

They put Colin in his wheelchair, and Dickson pushed it along the garden paths. Mary told Colin all about the places they passed on their way to the door that led to the secret garden.

'Here's where I met Ben Weatherstaff,' she said, 'and this is where I saw the robin.' Then she said quietly to him, 'This is the secret garden.'

Mary looked around to make sure that no one was watching, and then Dickson pushed the chair quickly inside.

Colin looked at the trees and flowers. He listened to the sweet sound of the birds singing, and he felt the warm sun on his face.

His pale skin started to become pink as he breathed in the good, fresh air. Then he cried out, 'I will be well. I will live forever and ever!' That day,

the world changed for Colin. 'It's been a wonderful day,' said Dickson.

'It certainly has,' replied Mary.

'Do you think,' said Colin, 'that it was made like this just for me?' 'You sound almost as Yorkshire as Dickson now,' laughed Mary. 'I don't want this day to finish, but I will come back every day,' Colin said.

仲夏夜之梦

Part One: Love and the Law

The Duke of Athens was called Theseus. He was very happy because he had fallen in love with Hippolyta, the Queen of the Amazons. They were going to be married in four days' time, and Theseus was impatient for the wedding day to arrive.

'If only these four days were over!' he said to Hippolyta. 'Then our happiness would begin.'

'They will soon pass,' she told him tenderly . 'Four days are nothing. Be patient, Theseus.'

Theseus wanted the whole of Athens to celebrate his wedding, and he gave very clear instructions to Philostrate, his master of revels.

'Make sure that everyone enjoys himself,' Theseus ordered.

'Organise some wonderful entertainment for the people of the city. My wedding must be a happy and memorable event for Athens. I want the whole of Athens to take part in this great day, and to share my happiness with me.'

As Theseus was giving these orders, four people approached the Duke.

One of them was an old man, Egeus. He greeted Theseus politely:

'I wish you long happiness, sir!'

Theseus smiled at Egeus. 'Thank you, Egeus. How are things with you, my friend?'

Egeus looked serious for a moment, and then he answered the Duke.

'To tell you the truth, things are not going well for me, Theseus,' he began.

'In fact I have come to you to help me resolve a problem. It concerns these young people with me.'

He pointed to the three young people who were standing beside him.

There were two young men and a girl. The girl looked angry and defiant ,

and the young men were glaring at each other angrily.

'The problem is this,' Egeus told Theseus. 'Demetrius was going to marry my daughter here, Hermia. Everything was arranged between our two families. I approved of the marriage, and so did Demetrius's father.'

Demetrius nodded his head in agreement with Egeus.

'That's quite right, sir. Everything was arranged.'

'But then Lysander interfered with everything ,' Egeus complained.

He turned to the other young man who was standing beside him.

'Don't argue now, young fellow, you know you interfered!' he said angrily.

'You brought Hermia presents, you wrote her poetry, you sang songs outside her window. You did everything you could to make her fall in love with you.

And now she refuses to obey me — she says she won't marry Demetrius!'

Egeus frowned at Lysander. The young man looked back at him. He did not seem afraid. Then Hermia's father spoke to Theseus again.

'I have come to you, sir,' he said, 'to ask for justice . Hermia has refused to obey me. If she won't marry Demetrius, she should die. That is the law of Athens, as you know. Hermia belongs to me, and if she won't do what I tell her, she should die.'

Theseus thought hard for a moment. He did not approve of children who disobeyed their parents. Then he turned to Hermia.

'What have you got to say?' he asked. Then he raised a finger in warning.

'Before you reply,' he said sternly , 'you should remember one thing. Your father made you — he has the right to destroy you if he chooses. Demetrius is undoubtedly a good man, and he would make a good husband for you.

You should accept him, that is what your father wishes.'

Hermia blushed . It was difficult to tell if she was embarrassed or very angry. Then she decided to speak. She spoke in a very determined way.

'Lysander is also a good man,' she told the Duke, 'and Lysander is the man I love. I will never marry against my will.'

Theseus was angry at the girl's reply. He asked Hermia to think very carefully about what she would do. He told her that if she refused to obey her father she would be severely punished. She would either have to die, or to spend the rest of her life in a convent .

'Very well, my Lord,' replied Hermia. 'I will die or I will go to a convent for the rest of my life. But one thing is certain — I will never marry Demetrius!'

This reply annoyed Theseus, but he was determined to give Hermia a chance to change her mind.

'Don't decide now,' Theseus told her. I will give you four days to make up your mind. But this I promise you. On the day of my own wedding, you will either die or go to a convent, or you will marry Demetrius.'

Lysander now began to argue with Egeus.

'Why are you so opposed to my love or Hermia?' he wanted to know. 'I am as good a man as Demetrius. I come from a noble family, as he does. I am rich, as he is. I love your daughter. Why don't you allow us to marry?

Besides, Demetrius used to be in love with Helena. He made her fall in love with him. He broke her heart. He should marry Helena, not Hermia.'

Demetrius looked angrily at Lysander. It was true that he had been in love with Helena, and that he had treated her very badly. He knew it, and he was ashamed of his past behaviour. But now he was in love with Hermia, and he was determined to marry her.

'Enough!' Theseus said to Lysander. 'I have given my judgment. Hermia has four days to think about the matter .'

Egeus thanked Theseus for his judgement in the case. He was sure that Hermia would choose to marry Demetrius, rather than face the penalty of disobedience.

'And now, my old friend,' said Theseus to Egeus, 'I want to speak to you and Demetrius privately.'

'With pleasure, sir,' Egeus said.

'Certainly, sir!' Demetrius said.

'Come with me, and we'll discuss this matter together,' Theseus commanded.

Theseus, Egeus and Demetrius went off together, leaving Hermia and Lysander alone. They were very sad at the punishment that faced Hermia,

and they thought that Theseus was unjust. They did not know what to do.

Then Lysander had an idea. He had an aunt who lived some distance away from Athens. They could go there and marry. The law of Athens could not touch them there.

'If you really love me,' he told Hermia, 'you'll run away with me. I'll wait for you tomorrow night, in the wood near Athens. Then we'll go to my aunt's house. What do you think of the plan?'

Hermia promised that she would meet Lysander in the wood.

As the lovers were making their plan to escape from Athens, they were joined by Helena. Helena was very unhappy because she loved Demetrius.

'Why does Demetrius love you?' she asked Hermia with a sigh . 'What have you done to make him fall in love with you, when he loved me before?'

Hermia smiled at her friend.

'I'll tell you what I do,' she said. 'I ignore him - but he still loves me. I am rude to him - but be still loves me. The more I hate him, the more he loves me.'

Then Hermia told Helena what Theseus had said to her. Helena felt very sorry that her friend was in danger of such a severe punishment.

'Lysander and I are going to run away from Athens,' Hermia explained to her friend.

Helena thought about the lovers' plan to escape to the wood. Then she made a plan of her own.

'I'll tell Demetrius what Lysander and Hermia are going to do,' she decided.

'He's sure to follow Hermia into the wood. Perhaps he'll thank me for bringing him the news.'