All through the night and the next day people ran in and out of the house, shouting and crying. Nobody thought of Mary. She hid in her bedroom, frightened by the strange
and terrible sounds that she heard around her. Sometimes she cried and sometimes she slept.
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. The few servants who had
Little Miss Mary
not died had run away in the night. No one had remembered little Miss Mary. She was all alone.
Because she had never known her parents well, she did not miss them at all. She only thought of herself, as she had always done.
'Where will I live?' she wondered. 'I hope I'll stay with people who'll let me do what I want.'
At first she was taken to an English family who had known her parents. She hated their untidy house and noisy children, and preferred playing by herself in the garden. One day she was playing her favourite game, pretending to make a garden, when one of the children, Basil, offered to help.
'Go away!' cried Mary. 'I don't want your help!'
For a moment Basil looked angry, and then he began to laugh. He danced round and round Mary, and sang a funny little song about Miss Mary and her stupid flowers. This made Mary very cross indeed. No one had ever laughed at
her so unkindly.
'You're going home soon,' said Basil. 'And we're all very
pleased you're leaving!'
'I'm pleased too,' replied Mary. 'But where's home?'
'You're stupid if you don't know that!' laughed Basil. 'England, of course! You're going to live with your uncle,
Mr Archibald Craven.'
'I've never heard of him,' said Mary coldly.
'But I know about him because I heard Father and Mother talking,' said Basil. 'He lives in a big lonely old
All through the night and the next day people ran in and out of the house, shouting and crying. Nobody thought of Mary. She hid in her bedroom, frightened by the strange
and terrible sounds that she heard around her. Sometimes she cried and sometimes she slept.
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. The few servants who had
Little Miss Mary
not died had run away in the night. No one had remembered little Miss Mary. She was all alone.
Because she had never known her parents well, she did not miss them at all. She only thought of herself, as she had always done.
'Where will I live?' she wondered. 'I hope I'll stay with people who'll let me do what I want.'
At first she was taken to an English family who had known her parents. She hated their untidy house and noisy children, and preferred playing by herself in the garden. One day she was playing her favourite game, pretending to make a garden, when one of the children, Basil, offered to help.
'Go away!' cried Mary. 'I don't want your help!'
For a moment Basil looked angry, and then he began to laugh. He danced round and round Mary, and sang a funny little song about Miss Mary and her stupid flowers. This made Mary very cross indeed. No one had ever laughed at
her so unkindly.
'You're going home soon,' said Basil. 'And we're all very
pleased you're leaving!'
'I'm pleased too,' replied Mary. 'But where's home?'
'You're stupid if you don't know that!' laughed Basil. 'England, of course! You're going to live with your uncle,
Mr Archibald Craven.'
'I've never heard of him,' said Mary coldly.
'But I know about him because I heard Father and Mother talking,' said Basil. 'He lives in a big lonely old
การแปล กรุณารอสักครู่..
