The Secret Garden Page #7

I beg of thee

Dickon

I hate you . . . . . I hate everybody !!

Dickon

Heaven help me from coming through the hall and getting lost in this ghost trap

Twas easier coming up the vine

Dickon what is it? .. what's happened ?

Can thy find a way to Colin's room ?

. . yes . .

Take hold of me hand Mary .

If I get lost in this wuthering houses, I'll show you what a tantrum is . . .

Mary

I thought it was going to be my father . .

Thar hasn't seen him yet ? . . . all this time ?

Then I'm not too late

W.. what are you doing here this time of night ?

What's happened ?

When thar sees the father, say nought about the garden

Of course I wouldn't

I would. . . just the same

. . when I tell you Ben's story . .

Ben Weatherstaff came to me . .

Ben ?

Tonight . . . and me in bed

. . and the wind howling . . and it's Ben off the moors . .

. Dickon .

. Ben . . a mans so afraid I've never seen .

. . afraid to tell . .

. . yet failing to come to thee or Mary, thou they might not listen

. . so he came to me

What did he say ?

Then there was the old table and broken chair . . . and the axe in the old Oak tree

Thy mother . . . .

Mary and me, we knew . .

Never told thee . .

Dickon

Ben was there . . he told me all

It was an accident Mary, we were wrong to suspect

Suspect what ?

Tis of no importance

Your father loved your mother like none can tell . .

. . or so Ben says.

Twas her garden . . . . and every afternoon they took their tea under the oak

. . and none was there . . . but old Ben tending the roses

. . and then . . .

. . one day . . the limb fell.

The men carried your mother back to the house

. . and there she died after thee was born

Why do you have to tell me about . .

I must Colin

. . the garden . .

Ben stayed in the garden all that night . . he can't say why, he just did

With the sun not up yet, your father came back

His eyes were bloody ghosts from the Weepy ..

. . and his mind gone from him .. and an axe in his hand . . the axe

He tried to chop down the tree

He tried to kill the tree that killed thee mother

Chopping . chopping . . . . and the tree's stronger than thee father's crippled back

He couldn't chop it down Colin

. . and he fell to the ground

. . with the axe still in the tree

. . and the tree not dented

. and he wept like a man crazy .

. . and he cursed at Ben when Ben wouldn't finish the chopping

. and then . . twas sun up.

. and thee father got up from the ground

. .and he was a man, different . . and changed

. . and his eyes were like ice .

. yet . . burning

He swore how he'd lock the garden and bury the key

. .and if ever a human being laid eyes on it again

He'd see the garden destroyed . . . forever more

He'd tear out the vines, the roses , the lilacs . .

he'd see the trees cut down and nothing left

He'd mix salt with the earth and blight the dirt

That was what he swore

Our garden . . .

Just ten years ago . . a man can change . .

I can't believe hed still do it

You don't know it!

What kind of a man is it that would kill a growing thing ?

A bush of roses, a lily bulb waiting to bloom . .

I can't believe it

I'm not .

He could he could

I said these things to Ben

. and Ben said, 'But he loved her'.

. . and I said, 'What of that ? '

Is loving somebody a reason to kill ?

. and Ben said 'How old are thee ? '

Mary

My father must have loved my mother very much

Mother . . .

I suppose . . . .

I . . I mean, I suppose we are not old enough

There must be an awful lot we don't know . .

. . . I don't want to know . . .

I don't want to grow up !

Mary ..

You told me a story once

. . about a secret garden . .

No one but children could see . .

. . and grownups never came . .

The children were very happy . .

It's a long time . .

. . til we're grownups . . .

We're going to be happy

Nothing's ever going to happen to our garden

No one's ever going to know . . .

My father . . .

. . hide . .

. . You're awake ? . .

Where were you when I arrived this afternoon ? I asked for you . . . no one knew .

I was out of doors . .

I came back as soon as I heard you were here

Mrs. Medlock tells me you've spent much of the summer out of doors, I'm surprised

The house gets stuffy

But what do you do ? You can't run and play. .

I watch the others

Mary Lennox and the neighbour boy

Where do you go ?

Nowhere father . . just out of doors

I'm . . . . taking you to Italy for the winter

To Italy ?

Just you and I . .

I've been a wretched father . I shall try to do better

We'll not come back to England for a long long time . .

I don't want . . . . . . . I mean . . .

Who's to look after the house ?

. . and . .

So I'm selling the house

I've brought a gentleman up from London with me . . .

If he likes the house, he'll buy it, I shall know in the morning

Sell the house ?

The gardens, everything ?

Of course, why not ?

You look at me so strangely, what's the matter Colin ?

I don't want you to sell it !

This is absurd, you've always hated it. Why do you want to keep it now ?

You can't sell it !

Oh stop this nonsense . . I'm trying to help you

I won't leave it I won't !!

Colin, Colin I . .

I'd die I'd die, you can't sell it you can't you can't you can't !!!

Stop it !!!

Oh Colin, my son . . .

We'll go away, we'll rid ourselves of this place and never come back !

I've shared my curse with you . . and I can no . more . cure your poor body than you can cure my mind

But I swear to you, I swear before God, we will be happy together

While there's still time . .

I owe you everything a father . . can owe a son

We'll be very happy Papa

Thank you

We'll leave for Italy in a few days

But I couldn't help wondering while I was poking about . .

. . what stories these old country houses could tell

Century after century . . . . generation after generation . . .

. . what tragedies . . what comedies they've seen . .

Would you say you've poked about sufficiently ?

Forgive me . . I'm a man with a great deal of money and no background whatsoever

. . so that makes me a romantic.

Yes, I think I've poked about sufficiently

Shall we go in ?

Thank you

I'll give you my cheque . . our lawyers in town will arrange the balance and the transfer

Oh thank you

It's understood however that the cheque will be binding ?

It's understood . . .

If you had children . you wouldn't want to part with those gardens

I have a son, he's crippled. . he can't walk

Oh . . . . I'm sorry to hear that

I'll take the cheque . . .

What about the garden that's locked up ?

You may with it, whatever you like

I hardly dared to ask . . but I hoped you might have an outside ghost or something ?

You're a man of old family, you lock up your garden just to protect your valuable plants

I'm a business man and . . I want a . . secret garden and ghosts

If you actually expect valuable plants. . . you'll be disappointed

The garden has been locked for ten years. .

No one has been in it, in that time

It's inhabited in all probability by weeds

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