先更秘密花园吧

第1章 幼年的玛丽小姐
Nobody seemed to care about Mary. She was born in India, where her father was a British official.
似乎没有人注意玛丽的存在。玛丽出生在印度，父亲是驻印的英国官员。
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.
总是忙着工作，母亲长得非常漂亮，把所有时间都花在参加聚会上。所以，一个名叫卡玛拉的印度女人被雇来照看这个小姑娘。

Mary was not a pretty child. She had a thin angry face and thin yellow hair.
玛丽不是一个漂亮的孩子。消瘦的脸上总是一副生气的样子，头发稀疏枯黄。
She was always giving orders to Kamala, who had to obey. Mary never thought of other people, but only of herself.
她总对卡玛拉发号施令，卡玛拉只好顺从她。她很少想到别人，只顾自己。

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.
她确实是一个非常自私，脾气怪戾，很难相处的女孩。在她9岁那年的一个上午，天气很热，她醒来时发现站在床前的不是卡玛拉，而是另外一个印度女仆。
'What are you doing here? ' she asked crossly. 'Go away! And send Kamala to me at once! '
"你在这儿干什么？"她生气地问。"走开！叫卡玛拉马上到这儿来！"

The woman looked afraid. 'I'm sorry, Miss Mary, she -- she -- she can't come! '
那个女人看来很害怕。"对不起，玛丽小姐，她——她——她来不了了！"
Something strange was happening that day. Some of the house servants were missing and everybody looked frightened.
那天发生了一些很奇怪的事情。房子里的一些仆人不见了，每个人看上去都惊恐异常。

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.
可是没有人告诉玛丽任何事情，卡玛拉也始终没来。最后玛丽只好一个人来到花园，在一棵树下玩耍。
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,
她假装是在给自己造一座花园，摘来大朵的红花插在土里，一边玩还一边堵气地自言自语。

'Very bad, ' he answered seriously. 'People are dying like flies. It's dangerous to stay in this town.
"非常严重，"他严肃地说。"人们像苍蝇一样死去，再在城里呆下去太危险了。
You should go to the hills, where there's no disease. ' 'Oh, I know! ' she cried. 'We must leave soon! '
你得到山里去，那里没有疾病。""哦，我知道！" 她叫道，"我们得马上离开！"

'I didn't know! ' she screamed. 'Quick, come with me! ' And together they ran into the house.
"我根本不知道！" 她尖声叫着。"快，跟我来。" 他们一同冲进屋去。
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.
现在玛丽明白是哪儿不对了。可怕的疫病已经夺去了城里很多人的生命，到处都有人在死去。
In Mary's house it was Kamala who had just died. Later that day three more servants died there.
在玛丽家刚刚死去的正是卡玛拉。那天后来又有3个佣人死了

All through the night and the next day people ran in and out of the house, shouting and crying. Nobody thought of Mary.
整整一夜到第二天，人们跑进跑出，哭着，喊着。谁也没想起玛丽。
She hid in her bedroom, frightened by the strange and terrible sounds that she heard around her. Sometimes she cried and sometimes she slept.
她躲在卧室里，被周围这些可怕的声音吓坏了。不时地哭着，哭累了就睡上一会儿。

When she woke the next day, the house was silent. 'Perhaps the disease has gone, ' she thought, 'and everybody is well again.
第二天，当她醒来时，房子里一片寂静。"说不定疫病已经过去，人们又和从前一样健康了，" 她想着，
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. '
"谁会接替卡玛拉来照看我呢？为什么家里没人给我送点吃的来，房子里这么静，真是太奇怪了。"
But just then she heard men's voices in the hall. 'How sad! ' said one. 'That beautiful woman! '

就在这时，她听到客厅里男人说话的声音。"太惨啦！" 有人说。"这么漂亮的女人！"
'There was a child too, wasn't there? ' said the other. 'Although none of us ever saw her. '
"还应该有个孩子的，是不是？" 另外一个人说。"尽管我们都没有看见她。"
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.
几分钟后，他们推开门，玛丽站在房间的中间，两个男人吓得跳了回去。
'My name is Mary Lennox, ' she said crossly. 'I was asleep when everyone was ill, and now I'm hungry.

"我叫玛丽·莲诺丝，" 她生气地说。"他们生病时我睡着了，现在我很饿。"
'It's the child, the one nobody ever saw! ' said the older man to the other. 'They've all forgotten her! '
"就是这个孩子，谁都没看见她！"年长一点的男人对另一个说。"他们都把她忘了！"
'Why was I forgotten? ' asked Mary angrily. 'Why has nobody come to take care of me? '
"为什么把我忘了？" 玛丽气呼呼地问。"为什么没人来照看我？"
The younger man looked at her very sadly. 'Poor child! ' he said.
年轻一点的男人忧伤地看着她，"可怜的孩子！" 他说。

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.
由于她跟父母并不亲近，也并不想念他们。像以前一样，她只想到了她自己。
'Where will I live? ' she wondered. 'I hope I'll stay with people who'll let me do what I want. '
"我该住哪儿呢？"她思量着。"我想跟那些让我想干什么就干什么的人在一起。"

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.
一开始她被带到一户英国人家，他们认识她的父母。可她讨厌他们凌乱的房间和吵吵闹闹的孩子们，而宁愿一个人在花园里玩。
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! '