I. Read the text.

II. Answer the questions:

1. What is the setting of the story?

2. What places are described which the girl has visited?

3. What are the peculiarities of these places?

4. Why does the author call the house a fortress?

5. What do you think can this girl be happy?

6. Does the Mother really love her daughter in your opinion?

7. Does the Mother really love her daughter in your opinion?

III

1. Describe the girl’s bedroom.

2. Give some advices to the Mother.

3. The author describes the Mother’s house. How do you think what for?

4. Suppose there is no sequel, how would you extend the story?

The Secret Garden
By Frances Hodgson Burnett

Nobody seemed to care about Mary. She was born in India, where her father was a British official. He was busy with his work, and her mother, who was very beautiful, spent all her time going to parties. So an Indian woman, Kamala, was paid to take care of the little girl. Mary was not a pretty child. She had a thin angry face and thin yellow hair. She was always giving orders to Kamala, who had to obey. Mary never thought of other people, but only of herself. In fact, she was a very selfish, disagreeable, bad-tempered little girl.

One very hot morning, when she was about nine years old, she woke up and saw that instead of Kamala there was a different Indian servant by her bed.

'What are you doing here? ' she asked crossly. 'Go away! And send Kamala to me at once! '

The woman looked afraid. 'I'm sorry, Miss Mary, she - she - she can't come! '

Something strange was happening that day. Some of the house servants were missing and everybody looked frightened. But nobody told Mary anything, and Kamala still did not come. So at last Mary went out into the garden, and played by herself under a tree. She pretended she was making her own flower garden, and picked large red flowers to push into the ground. All the time she was saying crossly to herself,

'I hate Kamala! I'll hit her when she comes back! '

Just then she saw her mother coming into the garden, with a young Englishman. 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.

Think one of your servants has just died. You didn't tell me the disease is here, in our 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.

All through the night and the next day people ran in and out of the house, shouting and crying.. And nobody thought of Mary.

Glossary:

disagreable – неприємний, непривітний, похмурий

pretend – робити вигляд

obey – підкорятись

bad tempered - злий, роздратований