Secret Garden - The Robin Leading the Way

Frances Hodgson Burnett

She looked at the key for a long time. She flipped it over and over, thinking about it. As I said before, she was never taught to get permission or ask an adult when something was wrong. All she could think about was whether it led to the locked garden, whether she could find out where the door was, whether she might be able to open the door and see what was inside the wall, what happened to the old rose trees. Because it had been closed for many years, she wanted to see it even more. It seems that it must be different from other places, and there must be something strange happening in ten years. In addition to that, if she likes it, she can go in every day and close the door behind her back, and she can invent her own way of playing, playing alone, because no one knows where she is and thinks the door is still locked and the key is still there

　　Buried in the ground. The idea made her happy.

　　Life like that, completely alone, in a mysterious house with hundreds of closed rooms, nothing to talk about to entertain herself, let her dull mind begin to work, her imagination was awakened. There is no doubt that the fresh, powerful, pure air on the shepherd has a lot to do with this. Just as the wind had given her an appetite, and the fight against the wind stirred her blood, the same thing stirred her mind. In India she was always too hot, too listless, too weak, too weak to care about anything, but here she began to care and was willing to try. She already felt less "awkward", though she didn't know why yet.

　　She put the key in her pocket and walked down the aisle. No one seemed to come here except herself, so she could walk slowly and look at the wall, or rather, look at the ivy that grew on it. Ivy is something that confuses people. No matter how carefully she looked, she couldn't see anything but the dense, smooth dark green leaves. She was rather disappointed. She paced the aisle, looking at the treetops inside, and then an awkward energy came up again. It was stupid, she thought to herself, being close but unable to get in. When she got back to the house, she put the key in her pocket and carried it with her. She decided to always take the key with her when she went out, so that once she found the hidden door, she was ready at any time.

Mrs. Modlauq allowed Martha to spend the night in her farmhouse, but she returned to work in the morning, her face flushed at all times, and her spirits were very good.

　　"I get up at four," she said, "ah! The shepherds are good-looking, the birds are up, the rabbits are bouncing around, and the sun is rising. I didn't come all the way. A man took me by the carriage for a while, and I was very happy. ”

　　She was filled with all sorts of happy stories that happened during the day out. Her mother was so happy to see her that they had done all the baking and washing. She even made a dough cake for each child and added some brown sugar.

　　"They came back from playing on the pastor, and I made the cakes steaming. The whole house smelled of incense, clean, steaming baking, and the fire was so strong that they all cried out in joy. We, Deacon, said that our family's farmhouse was good enough to accommodate the king. ”

　　At night they sat around the fire, and Martha and her mother patched their torn clothes and sewed socks, and Martha told them that a little girl had come from India and that the person who had served her was what Martha called "black", until she said she would not wear socks herself.

　　"Ah! "They really enjoy listening to you," said Martha, "and they want to know everything about the Negro, the ship you came on." They didn't hear enough of what I said. ”

　　Mary thought about it for a moment.

　　"I'll have a lot to talk to you before your next break," she said, "so you have more to say." I dare say they want to hear about elephant riding, camel riding, and officers going out hunting tigers. ”

　　"Oh my God!" Martha exclaimed happily, "This is going to make their brains hold nothing." Would you really do that, Miss? It's like we once heard that there was a wildlife show in Yorkshire. ”

　　"India is very different from Yorkshire," Mary said slowly, as she thought about it carefully, "and I never thought of that. Do Deacon and your mom like to hear you talk about me?"

　　"Of course, our Deacon's eyeballs are about to fall out and become so round," Martha replied, "but Mommy doesn't like it as if you're alone." She said, 'Didn't Mr. Cranvin find her a governess, or a nanny?' I said, 'No, but Mrs. Mordlock said that Mr. Cranvin would have remembered it, but she said he might not have remembered it for two or three years.' ’”

　　"I don't want a tutor." Mary said stiffly.

　　"But mom said you should learn to read by yourself at this time, and there should be a woman to take care of you, and she said, 'Well, Martha, think about what it's like to be in such a big place, wandering around alone, without mom.' You have to do your best to make her happy. She said so, and I said I would. ”

　　Mary looked at her for a long time and calmly.

　　"You do make me happy," she said, "and I love listening to you." ”

　　Martha came out of the room at once, and came back with something in her hands and placed it under her apron.

　　"What do you think," she grinned happily, "I've brought you a gift." ”

　　"A gift!" Miss Mary cried out. A farmhouse was crowded with fourteen hungry people, how could they give a gift!

　　"A man rode through Murr," Martha explained, "and he stopped at our door. He had pots and pans, miscellaneous, but his mother didn't have the money to buy anything. When he was about to leave, our elizabeth Ellen shouted, 'Mom, he has a jump rope and the handles are red and blue.' Mom, she suddenly shouted, 'Oh, stop, sir!' How much is that?' He said 'twopence,' and mom she started groping in her pocket, and she said to me, 'Martha, you're a good girl, you've been giving me your salary, and I'm going to break a penny into four petals, but I'll have to take two pennies out of it and buy that kid a jump rope.' She bought one, and here it is. ”

　　She took the jump rope from under her apron and showed it proudly. It was a strong, slender rope with red and blue stripes on the handles at either end, but Mary Lennox had never seen a jump rope. She stared at it with a puzzled expression.

　　"What is this for?" She asked curiously.

　　"What to do!" Martha exclaimed, "You mean there are no jump ropes in India, because they have elephants, tigers, and camels!" No wonder most of them were black. It's for doing this, look. ”

　　She ran to the center of the room, took a handle in one hand, and began to jump and jump and jump, and Mary turned from her chair to stare at her, and the strange faces in the old portrait seemed to be staring at her, wondering that this ordinary little mud-legged man had such a thick skin under their eyes. But Martha didn't notice them at all. The interest and curiosity on Miss Mary's face pleased her, and she kept jumping and counting until she was full of a hundred.

　　"I could have jumped more," she paused, "and I had jumped five hundred when I was twelve, but I wasn't as fat then as I am now, and I practiced a lot." ”

　　Mary got up from her chair and felt herself getting excited.

　　"Looks good," she said, "your mother is a kind person." Do you think I'll be able to jump like you one day?"

　　"You try it and then say," Martha encouraged, handing her the skipping rope, "at first you can't jump a hundred, but as long as you practice it will increase." That's what my mom said. She said, 'For her, there's nothing better than skipping rope.' This is the most reasonable of the children's toys. Let her jump in the fresh air, stretch her hands and feet, let her hands and feet grow stronger. ’”

　　When Miss Mary first started jumping, her hands and feet were clearly not energetic. She wasn't so dexterous, but she liked it and didn't want to stop.

　　"Put on your clothes and run out and jump." Martha said, "Mom said I must tell you to stay outside as much as possible, even if it is a little rainy, as long as you dress warmly." ”

　　Mary put on her coat and put the jump rope on her arm. She opened the door and went out, suddenly remembering something, and slowly turning back.

　　"Martha," she said, "that's your salary. It actually used your two pennies. Thank you. "She said stiffly because she wasn't used to thanking people and wouldn't notice what other people did for her." "Thanks," she said, holding out her hands because she didn't know what to do otherwise.

　　Martha shook her hand awkwardly slightly, as if she wasn't used to it either. Then she laughed.

　　"Ah! Na was a freak, like an old woman. She said, "If it were our elizabeth allen, she would kiss me." ”

　　Mary stiffened even more.

　　"Are you going to let me kiss you?"

Martha laughed again.

　　"No, not me." She replied, "If Na wasn't this kind of temper, I'm afraid Na himself would want to come and kiss me." But you don't want to. Run out and play with Na's jump rope. ”

　　Miss Mary felt a little awkward when she went out. The yorkshire people seemed strange and had always been a mystery to her Martha. At first she hated her very much, but now she can't. Jumping rope is a treasure. She counted, jumped, jumped, counted until her cheeks flushed. She had never been so interesting since she was born. The sun was shining, and a breeze was blowing—not a rough wind, but a pleasant gust, with the fresh smell of freshly turned earth. She jumped around the fountain garden, jumped up the aisle, and jumped back along that one. Finally she jumped into the vegetable garden and saw Ji Yuanben digging the ground while talking to his robin, who was jumping around him. She jumped toward him along the way, and he looked up at her with a curious expression. She wasn't sure if he would notice her. She wanted him to see her jump rope.

　　"Ouch!" He exclaimed, "Oh my God. I'm afraid you're still a young man, and I'm afraid you're running the blood of a child in your veins, not sour leftover milk. You must have jumped your face red, otherwise I wouldn't be called Ji Yuanben. I didn't believe you could do this. ”

　　"I've never skipped it before." Mary said, "I'm just getting started. I could only jump to twenty. ”

　　"You keep practicing," said old Ji, "as far as you've been with people who don't believe in God, your body is good enough to jump rope." Look how it observes you," he flicked his head toward the robin, "and yesterday it tracked you. I'm going to follow today. Now it swears to figure out what skipping rope is. It's never been seen before. Ah!" He shook his head at the bird, "If you don't pay attention, one day your curiosity will kill you." ”

　　Mary surrounded all the gardens and jumped around the orchards for a few minutes to rest. Finally she came to her special aisle and decided to see if she could jump the full distance. The road was long, and she got up slowly, but before she could jump halfway through, she was hot and tight and forced to stop. She didn't care much, because she had already counted to thirty. She stopped and let out a pleasant chuckle, and there, lo and behold, the robin swayed with a long ivy. It had just tracked her down, greeting her with a short cry. Mary jumped toward it, feeling that with each jump there was a heavy object in her pocket, and when she saw the robin, she laughed again.

　　"Yesterday you pointed me the key," she said, "and today you should have pointed me the door, but I don't believe you know!"

　　The robin flew up the wall from its fluffy ivy branches, opened its beak, and made a lovely trilling sound loudly, purely for show-off. There's nothing more admirable in the world than ostentatious robins — they flaunt almost everywhere.

　　Mary Lennox heard a lot of magic from her mother's story, and she always said later that it was magic that happened at that moment.

　　A cute little gust swept down the aisle, stronger than the other gusts. Strong enough to shake the branches, and even stronger to sway a fluffy untrimmed ivy dragged down the wall. Mary was already approaching the robin, and suddenly the gust of wind whisked some fluffy ivy to the side, and Mary jumped forward even more suddenly, grabbing something in her hand. She did this because she saw something underneath—a round handle that had been covered by leaves hanging from it. This is the doorknob.

　　She put her hand under the leaf and pushed the branch aside. The ivy was so thick that it was almost woven into a loose curtain, swinging on the swing, while some were already crawling with wood and iron. Mary's heart began to pound, and her hands trembled with joy and excitement. The robin had been singing, the song tactful, its head tilted to one side, as if as excited as she was. What was this under her hand, square, made of iron, and her fingers felt a hole in it?

　　It was the lock on the door that had been closed for ten years, and she reached into her pocket, pulled out the key, and found that it was right in the keyhole. She inserted the key in and twisted it. It takes two hands to be strong enough, but it does turn.

　　Then she took a deep breath and saw if anyone was coming from the other end of the aisle behind her. No one came, it seemed, and she took another deep breath, because she couldn't help it, and she grabbed the swaying ivy curtain back and pushed the door backwards, and the door opened slowly, slowly.

　　Then she slid over the door, closed it behind her, leaned back against the door, and looked around, breathing faster, out of excitement, wonder, and pleasure.

　　Chapter Nine: The Strangest House Anyone Has Ever Lived in

　　It's the most beautiful and mysterious place anyone can imagine. The high walls that locked it were covered with the empty branches of the climbing roses, and the branches were so thick and entangled. Mary Lennox knew these were roses because she had seen many roses in India. The whole ground was covered with the dead brown grass of the winter weather, and a bush of bushes grew out of the brown, and if they were still alive, they must be rose bushes. There were quite a few roses grafted onto the trunks, and the branches spread widely, like small trees. Other trees in the garden. One of the reasons this place is extremely strange and extremely cute is the climbing roses that climb these trees. Their long hanging vines form a gently swaying curtain, twisted together everywhere, or twisted to a branch that stretches far. Rose branches

　　Climb from this tree to that tree and make yourself a beautiful bridge. Now there were no leaves or roses on the branches, and Mary did not know whether they were dead or alive, but their slender gray-brown branches and small branches looked like a smoke mist-like hood over everything, walls, trees, even brown grass—they fell from the buckles and spread on the ground. It is the smoke-like entanglement between these trees that makes everything seem mysterious. Mary had long thought that this place must be different from other gardens that had not been abandoned for a long time, and that it was indeed different from any place she had seen in her life.

　　"It's so quiet here!" She murmured, "It's so quiet!"

　　Then she stopped, listening to the silence of the moment. The robin had already flown up its treetops, and was now as still as the world around it. It didn't even have wings bulging, and it didn't move, looking at Mary.

　　"No wonder it's so quiet here," she murmured again, "I'm the first person here in ten years to speak." ”

　　She moved away from the door, light-handed, as if she feared it would wake someone up. Fortunately, there was grass under her feet, and her footsteps were silent. She walked under a gray arch between trees, like a fairy tale, and she looked up at the scattered branches that made the arch. "I wonder if they're all dead," she thought, "is the whole one a dead garden?" I wish I wasn't. ”

　　If she were Ji Yuanben, she could tell whether the trees were alive or not by observation, but she could only see small brown-gray branches and branches, and there was no trace of any leaf buds, even if they were small.

　　Yet she was already inside this wonderful garden, and she could come in through the door under the ivy at any time, and she felt that she had discovered a new world of her own.

　　Within the four walls, the sun was shining, and the towering blue sky in this area of The Manor of Miserwest seemed to be brighter and gentler than above the Murr. The robin flew down from the treetops, sometimes jumping around her, sometimes following her from one tree to the other. It was chattering, very busy, as if it was guiding her. Everything was so strange and silent, she seemed to be thousands of miles away from anyone, but somehow she didn't feel lonely at all. The only thing that bothered her was that she wondered if the roses were dead, or maybe some were still alive, and that they might grow leaves and bud when the weather turned warmer. She didn't want it to be a dead garden. If it were a vibrant garden, how wonderful it would be, and how many thousands of roses would grow on all four sides!

The jump rope was hanging from her arm when she came in, and after walking around for a while, she thought she could jump rope around the whole garden and stop when she wanted to see something. There seems to be grass paths here and there, and in one or two corners there are pavilion-like evergreens with stone benches or moss-covered tall stone vases.

　　She came to the second such evergreen gazebo and stopped. There used to be a flower bed in it, and she seemed to see something emerge from the black soil—some pointy gray-green dots. She remembered what Ji Yuanben had said and knelt down to examine them.

　　"Yes, these are little dots that grow, maybe crocus, or snowflakes, or narcissus." She murmured.

　　She bent down close to them, sniffing hard for the fresh smell of wet earth. She loved the smell very much.

　　"Maybe something else is growing up from somewhere else," she thought, "and I'm going to look around the whole garden." ”

　　She didn't jump rope, she walked. She walked slowly, her eyes fixed on the ground. She looked into the old flower beds, in the grass, and as she walked around, trying to make no mistakes, she found many sharp gray-green dots, and she became very excited again.

　　"This garden is not too dead," she cried softly to herself, "even if the roses are dead, there is something else alive." ”

　　She knew nothing about gardening, but she saw that there were places where the grass was too deep and the green dots were crowded out, and she felt that they did not have enough room to grow. She searched everywhere, found a very sharp piece of wood, knelt down and dug the grass and hoeed the grass until she made a clean clearing around the green dots.

　　"Now they look like they can breathe," she thought, after getting the first one, "I'm going to do a lot more." I'm going to do everything I can see. If I don't have time today, I can come tomorrow. ”

　　She walked from here to there, digging the earth and hoeing the grass, unspeakably enjoying herself, and she walked from one flower bed to another, to the grass under the trees. The movement warmed her up so much that she first threw off her coat and then her hat. Unconsciously, she kept smiling at the grass and the gray-green dots over there.

　　Robins are extremely busy. It was great to see horticulture unfold on its own estate. It often elusively explores the season. Where there is gardening, all kinds of delicious things are turned out with the dirt. Now there is a new breed of animal here, less than half the size of Ji Yuanben, but he knows that as soon as he enters his garden, he will start work immediately.

　　Miss Mary worked in her garden until lunchtime. In fact, she remembered it very late. She put on her coat and hat and picked up the jump rope, unable to believe she had been dry for two or three hours. She had been very happy all along, a dozen or so little gray-green dots appearing in the clear place, appearing twice as angry as when the weeds suffocated them.

　　"I'll be back in the afternoon." She thought, looking around her new kingdom, speaking to the trees and the rose bushes as if they could hear her.

　　Then she ran briskly across the grass, slowly pushing open the old door and slipping out of the door under the ivy. Her face was so red, her eyes were so bright, and she had eaten so much, Martha was delighted.

　　"Two pieces of meat, two pieces of rice pudding!" She said, "Ah! I'm going to tell Mom what skipping rope does to you, and she'll be happy. ”

　　When Miss Mary dug with pointed wood, she was amazed to dig out a white root that resembled an onion. She put it back and carefully patted the dirt down. Then she wondered if Martha could tell her what it was.

　　"Martha," she said, "what is that white root that looks like an onion?"

　　"That's the bulb," replied Martha, "and many spring flowers grow out of it." Very small ones are snowflake lilies and crocus, and the large ones are daffodils, longevity flowers, and dry daffodils. The largest are lilies and purple calamus. yes! It's beautiful. Deacon planted a lot in the garden over there in our house. ”

　　"Does Deacon recognize all the flowers?" Mary said a new idea took hold of her heart.

　　"Our deakin can make bricked walkways grow flowers. Mom said he could whisper something out of the ground. ”

　　"Can the bulb live a long time?" If no one were in charge, would they be able to live many, many years?" Mary asked anxiously.

　　"They take care of themselves," Martha said, "and that's why the poor can afford it." If you don't bother them, most of them will spend their whole lives growing underground, sowing new seedlings. There is a place in the public forest area where there are thousands of snowflakes. When spring comes, it's one of the prettiest scenes in Yorkshire. No one knows when it was planted. ”

　　"I wish it was spring now," said Mary, "and I want to see all the things that have grown up in England." ”

　　She finished her meal and went to her favorite seat, on the heather carpet.

　　"I wish — I wish I had a little shovel," she said.

　　"What are you going to shovel for?" Martha laughed and asked, "You're going to dig the ground?" I had to tell my mom about that too. ”

　　Mary looked at the fire and weighed it up. If she intends to keep her secret kingdom, she must be careful. She did not cause destruction, but if Mr. Cranvin had known that the door had been opened, he might have been so angry that he would have changed his keys and locked the garden forever. She really couldn't stand it.

　　"The place is big and deserted," she said slowly, as if she were flipping things over in her head, "the house is deserted, the yard is deserted, the garden is deserted. Many places seem to be locked up. I had never done much in India, but there were more people to watch there — indigenous soldiers marching — sometimes bands played, and my wet nurse told me stories. I can't find anyone to talk to here, except for you and Ji Yuanben. You have to work, Ji Yuanben doesn't talk to me very often. I thought I had a little shovel, I could find a place to dig a pit like he did, and if he would give me some seeds, maybe I could build a little garden. ”

　　Martha's face lit up.

　　"That's right!" She yelled, "Didn't Mom say that?" She asked, 'There is so much open space in that big place, why don't they give her a little land of their own, even if she doesn't plant anything, just plant celery and carrots?' She would always rake and be happy wholeheartedly. That's what she said. ”

　　"Is it?" Mary said, "She knows so many things, doesn't she?"

　　"Ah!" "As she said, 'A woman with twelve children knows nothing but one, two, three,'" Martha said. Children make you understand things, just like arithmetic. ’”

　　"How much does a shovel cost—a small one?" Mary asked.

　　"Well," Martha replied thoughtfully, "there's a shop in Sweet Village, and I've seen a set of small gardening tools, with shovels, rakes, forks, tied together to sell two shillings. Several of them are strong enough to use. ”

　　"I have more than two shillings in my purse," said Mary, "and Mrs. Morrison has given me five shillings, and Mrs. Mordlock has given me some of Mr. Crane's money." ”

"Does he still remember you so much?" Martha exclaimed.

　　"Mrs. Modlauq said I had one shilling a week (1 shilling = 12p = 1/20 pound) pockets. She gives it to me every Saturday. I don't know how to spend it. ”

　　"Oh my God! "It's a treasure," Martha said, "and you can buy anything in the world you want." The rent of our farmhouse is only one-third of a penny, and it is almost necessary to sell the eyes and teeth to earn enough. I just remembered, "She put her hand on her crotch.

　　"What?" Mary said eagerly.

　　"There are wrapped flower seeds in the shop in Sweet Village, one pack for one penny, and our family Deacon knows which one is the best and how to plant it. He walked to Sweet Village many times, just for fun. Do you know how to stroke through the letters of the printed body?" Asked suddenly.

　　"I know how to write a pen." Mary replied.

　　Martha shook her head.

　　"We at Deakin will only recognize printed form. If you can draw the print, we can write him a letter and ask him to buy gardening tools and seeds together. ”

　　"Oh! You are such a nice person!" Mary shouted, "You are, really!" I didn't know you were so kind. I knew I could try to draw the print. Let's ask Mrs. Mordlock for a pen, ink, some paper. ”

　　"I have some myself," said Martha, "and I bought it so I could draw a little letter for my mother on Sunday." I'll go get it. She ran out of the room, and Mary stood by the fire, twisting her tiny hands, contented.

　　"If only I had a shovel," she whispered, "I could soften the dirt and dig out the weeds." If I had planted seeds, I would have allowed the flowers to grow, and the garden would not have died at all — it would have come back to life. ”

　　She hadn't gone out that afternoon, for Martha had the responsibility to clean up the table after she had brought back the pen and paper and ink, and had taken the dishes downstairs, and she went into the kitchen, where Mrs. Modlock was, and told her what to do, so Mary felt that she had waited a long time before she returned. Next, the letter to Deacon is a serious work. Little was taught to Mary because her governess disliked her too much to stay. She didn't spell it particularly well, but she found herself able to draw letters if she tried. Here is the letter dictated to her by Martha:

　　"My dear Deacon,

　　As I write this, I hope you will be all right when you read it. Miss Mary has a lot of money, can you go to Sweet Village and buy her some flower seeds and a set of gardening tools for the flower bed? Choose the most beautiful, the easiest to use, because she has never done it before, she lives in India, where it is different. Convey my love to Mom and the rest of you. Miss Mary wants to tell me more so that the next time I take a break you can hear the elephants, camels, and gentlemen going out hunting lions and tigers.

　　Love your sister, Martha Phoebe Solby. ”

　　"We put the money in the envelope and I asked the butcher guy to take it in a carriage. He was a good friend of Deacon's. Martha said.

　　"How do we get it after Deakin buys it?"

　　"He'll send it to you himself." He'll love to go all the way to this side. ”

　　"Oh!" Mary exclaimed, "Then I'm going to see him!" I never expected to see Deacon. ”

　　"Do you want to see him?" Martha asked suddenly, because Mary seemed so pleased.

　　"Yes, I suppose. I've never seen a boy who foxes and crows like. I would love to see him. ”

　　Martha's body moved slightly, as if she remembered something. "Think about it," she shouted, "think I just forgot; The first thing I told you this morning was this. I asked my mother—she said she was going to ask Mrs. Morlock herself. ”

　　"You mean—" Mary began.

　　"I said it Tuesday. Ask her if she can bring you to our house one day to try Mom's hot oatmeal cake, add butter, and drink a glass of milk. ”

　　It was as if everything interesting happened in one day. Think about walking through Murr under the blue sky in the daytime! Think about going to a farmhouse with twelve children!

　　"Does she think Mrs. Mordrock can get me to go?" She asked rather nervously.

　　Of course, she thought she would. She knew what a neat person Mom was and how clean she had cleaned up our house. ”

　　"If I go, I can see your mother, and Deacon," mary said, thinking about it repeatedly, enjoying the idea. "She's not like her mother in India."

　　The toil in the garden and the excitement of the afternoon finally moved her to the tranquility and contemplation. Martha stayed until tea, but they sat comfortably in silence and rarely spoke. However, just before Martha went downstairs to get the tea tray, Mary asked a question.

　　"Martha," she said, "did the dishwashing servant have another toothache today?"

　　Martha must have moved slightly.

　　"What makes you ask that?" She said.

　　"Because I've been waiting for you for a long time, I'll open the door and go to the other side of the hallway to see if you're coming." I heard cries in the distance again, like I had heard at our house another night. There is no wind today, so you can see that it will not be the sound of the wind. ”

　　"Ah!" Martha said uneasily, "You must not walk around in the corridors and eavesdrop everywhere. Mr. Cranvin would be so angry that he didn't know what he could do. ”

　　"I didn't eavesdrop," said Mary, "I was just waiting for you—and then I heard." Three times. ”

　　"Oh my God! It was Mrs. Modlock who was ringing the bell," said Martha, who had almost run out of the room.

　　"This is the most eccentric house anyone has ever lived in," Mary thought sleepily, her head hanging down to the cushion on the seat of the armchair next to her. The fresh air and skipping rope made her so comfortable that she fell asleep.