# ■ 8 Mr Craven comes home

While the secret garden was returning to life，a man with high，crooked shoulders was wandering round the most beautiful places in Europe．For ten years he had lived this lonely life，his heart full of sadness and his head full of dark dreams．Everywhere he．went，he carried his unhappiness with him like a black cloud．Other travellers thought he was half mad or a man who could not forget some terrible crime．His name was Archibald Craven．

But one day，as he sat by a mountain stream，he actually looked at a flower，and for the first time in ten years he realized how beautiful something living could be．The valley seemed very quiet as he sat there，staring at the flower．He felt strangely calm．

‘What is happening to me？’he whispered．‘I feel different —I almost feel I'm alive again！’

At that moment，hundreds of miles away in Yorkshire，Colin was seeing the secret garden for the first time，and saying，‘I'm going to live for ever and ever and ever！’But Mr Craven did not know this．

That night，in his hotel room，he slept better than usual．As the weeks passed，he even began to think a little about his home and his son．One evening in late summer，as he was sitting quietly beside a lake，he felt the strange calmness again．He fell asleep，and had a dream that seemed very real．He heard a voice calling him．It was sweet and clear and happy，the voice of his young wife．

‘Archie！Archie！Archie！’

‘My dear！’He jumped up．‘Where are you？’

‘In the garden！’called the beautiful voice．

And then the dream ended．In the morning，when he woke，he remembered the dream．

‘She says she's in the garden！’he thought．‘But the door's locked and the key's buried．’

That morning he received a letter from Susan Sowerby．In it she asked him to come home，but she did not give a reason．Mr Craven thought of his dream，and decided to return to England immediately．On the long journey back to Yorkshire，he was thinking about Colin．

‘I wonder how he is！I wanted to forget him，because he makes me think of his mother．He lived，and she died！But perhaps I've been wrong．Susan Sowerby says I should go home，so perhaps she thinks I can help him．’

When he arrived home，he found the housekeeper very confused about Colin's health．

‘He's very strange，sir，’said Mrs Medlock．‘ He looks better，it's true，but some days he eats nothing at all，and other days he eats just like a healthy boy．He used to scream even at the idea of fresh air，but now he spends all his time outside in his wheelchair，with Miss Mary and Dickon Sowerby．He's in the garden at the moment．’

‘In the garden！’repeated Mr Craven．Those were the words of the dream！He hurried out of the house and towards the place which he had not visited for so long．He found the door with the climbing plant over it，and stood outside，listening，for a moment．

‘Surely I can hear voices inside the garden？’he thought．‘Aren't there children whispering，laughing，running in there？Or am I going mad？’

And then the moment came，when the children could not stay quiet．There was wild laughing and shouting，and the door was thrown open．A boy ran out，a tall，healthy，handsome boy，straight into the man's arms．Mr Craven stared into the boy's laughing eyes．

‘Who—What？Who？’he cried．

Colin had not planned to meet his father like this．But perhaps this was the best way，to come running out with his cousin and his friend．

‘Father，’he said，‘I'm Colin．You can't believe it！I can't believe it myself．It was the garden，and Mary and Dickon and the magic，that made me well．We've kept it a secret up to now．Aren't you happy，Father？I'm going to live for ever and ever and ever！’

Mr Craven put his hands on the boy's shoulders．For a moment he could not speak．‘Take me into the garden，my boy，’he said at last，‘and tell me all about it．’

And in the secret garden，where the roses were at their best，and the butterflies were flying from flower to flower in the summer sunshine，they told Colin's father their story．Sometimes he laughed and sometimes he cried，but most of the time he just looked，unbelieving，into the handsome face of the son that he had almost forgotten．

‘Now，’said Colin at the end，‘it isn't a secret any more．I'll never use the wheelchair again．I'm going to walk back with you，Fatherto the house．’

And so，that afternoon，Mrs Medlock，Martha，and the other servants had the greatest shock of their lives．Through the gardens towards the house came Mr Craven，looking happier than they had ever seen him．And by his side，with his shoulders straight，his head held high and a smile on his lips，walked young Colin！

■ 8 克萊文先生回家了

當祕密花園恢復著生機的時候，一個高大、駝背的男人正在歐洲最美的地方遊蕩。10年來他就是過著這種孤獨的生活，他的心中充滿了悲涼，腦海也為黑暗的惡夢所佔據。他每到一處，情緒總是憂鬱的，像被一團黑色的雲籠罩著。別的遊客覺得他是半個瘋子，或是個無法忘掉某種恐怖罪行的人。他的名字就是阿奇伯德·克萊文。

但是有一天，當他坐在山谷中的一條小溪旁時，他注視著一朵花，10年來他第一次意識到生命可以是這麼美麗。山谷非常幽靜，他坐在那兒，凝視著那朵花，心中異常的平靜。

“我怎麼了？”他低聲說，“我感覺不一樣了——我幾乎覺得自己又活了！”

也就在那一刻，在幾百英里外的約克郡，柯林第一次見到了祕密花園，正在說著，“我會永遠永遠活下去！”但克萊文先生並不知道這些。

那天夜裡，在旅店的房間裡，他睡得比平時香。幾周過去了，他甚至開始有點想家，有點想他的兒子。一個夏末的晚上，他靜靜地坐在湖邊，再次感到那種奇異的平靜。他睡著了，做了一個非常真切的夢。他聽見一個聲音在叫他，聲音甜美、清晰而歡快，那是他年輕的妻子的聲音。

“阿奇！阿奇！阿奇！”

“親愛的！”他跳起來，“你在哪兒？”

“在花園裡！”那美麗的聲音說。

然後夢就醒了。他早晨醒來時，還記得那個夢。

“她說她在花園裡！”他思索著，“可是門是鎖著的，鑰匙也埋起來了。”

那天上午他收到了蘇珊·索爾比的信。信上她請他回去，卻沒說明為什麼。克萊文先生想起他的夢，決定立刻動身回英國。在回約克郡的漫長路途中，他想起了柯林。

“不知道他怎麼樣了！我想忘記他，因為他總是讓我想起他的媽媽。他活著，可她卻死了！也許是我錯了。蘇珊·索爾比說我應該回家，也許她是想讓我幫助柯林。”

他回到家裡，發現管家對柯林的身體狀況大為不解。

“他很怪，先生，”梅洛太太說，“他看上去好些了。真的，可有時他什麼都不吃，有時又吃得像健康的孩子一樣。以前只要提到新鮮空氣他就要尖叫，可現在他每天都坐著輪椅去外面，跟瑪麗小姐和狄肯·索爾比一起。這會兒他在花園裡呢。”

“在花園裡！”克萊文先生重複著。那正是夢中聽到的話！他衝出房子，奔向他很久都沒再去過的地方。他找到被藤蔓遮蔽的門，站在外面，聽了一會兒。

“我真的聽到裡面有聲音嗎？”他想，“難道那不是孩子們在裡面低語、嬉笑、奔跑嗎？還是我快要發瘋了？”

當孩子們難以保持安靜時，這一刻終於到來了。開心的笑聲和歡叫聲中，門被撞開了，一個高高的、健康漂亮的男孩跑了出來，正好撞進他的懷裡。克萊文先生直愣愣地看著孩子歡笑的眼睛。

“誰呀——什麼？這是誰呀？”他叫起來。

柯林沒想到會這樣見到他的父親。但是同他的表妹和朋友一起跑出來，也許這才是最好的方式。

“爸爸。”他說，“我是柯林。您不會相信的！連我自己都不能相信。是花園、瑪麗、狄肯和魔法使我康復的。我們一直保守著這個祕密。爸爸，你不高興嗎？我要永遠永遠地活下去！”

克萊文先生把手放在孩子肩上，好一會兒說不出話來。最後他說：“帶我到花園裡去，告訴我這一切是怎麼回事。”

在祕密花園中，玫瑰花盛開著，蝴蝶在夏日的陽光下、在花叢中飛舞，他們向柯林的父親講述著他們的故事。他時而開懷大笑，時而落淚，更多的時間只是注視著他兒子那英俊的臉龐，不相信這就是他幾乎遺忘的那個孩子。

“現在，”柯林最後說道，“這不再是祕密了。我再也用不著輪椅了。爸爸，我要和你一起走——走回家去。”

於是那天下午，梅洛太太、瑪莎，還有其他的用人都感受到有生以來從未有過的驚奇，克萊文先生從花園走向房子，臉上露出他們從未見到過的幸福神態。而走在他身邊，昂首挺胸、面帶微笑的正是年輕的柯林！