The secret garden — Chapter Four The Robin and the gardener

　　"He"s a vain one," said the man, smiling. "He likes to hear us talk about him. And he"s curious! He"s always coming to see what I"m planting. That bird knows a lot of things -- things Mr. Craven doesn"t bother to discover. He"s the real head gardener, he is!"

　　Mary watched the robin hop around. It seemed that his bright black eyes looked at her curiously. Mary wondered what he was thinking. The strange feeling in her heart became stronger.

　　"Where did the rest of the robins go?" she asked.

　　"I don"t know. But this one stayed. He knew he"d be lonely without a friend."

　　Mary stepped a little closer to the robin. She looked at the bird closely. She realized something. "I"m lonely," she said.

　　Mary had not known until now that loneliness was what had made her feel angry and cross her whole life. She didn"t discover this important fact until she met the old man and the robin.

　　The old man looked carefully at Mary. "Are you the little girl from India?" he asked. Mary nodded her head.

　　"Then it"s no surprise you"re lonely. This is a lonely place," he said.

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