Sleep Story: The Secret Garden Chapter 18

Enjoy this sleep story to help you drift off into a peaceful slumber. Tonight we read chapter 18 of the timeless classic, The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. This chapter focuses on Mary helping Colin to get ready to take an adventure. This audio is perfect for children or adults who want to relax or find adventure into a great night's sleep.

Transcript

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett Chapter 18 The Monnet Wastes No Time Of course,

Mary did not waken early the next morning.

She slept late because she was tired.

And when Martha brought her breakfast,

She told her that though,

Colin was quiet,

He was ill,

And he was feverish,

As he always was after he had worn himself out with a fit of crying.

Mary ate her breakfast slowly as she listened.

She says he wishes that they would please go and see him as soon as they can,

Martha said.

It's queer what a fancy he's took to thee.

The did give it to him last night for sure,

Didn't the?

Wouldn't else would have dared to do it.

Ay,

Poor lad,

He's been spoiled till salt won't save him.

Mother says as the two worst things as can happen to a child is never to have his own way or always to have it.

She doesn't know which is the worst,

Though was in a fine temper the self,

Too.

But he says to me when I went into his room,

Please ask Miss Mary if she'll please come and talk to me.

Think of him saying please.

Will you go,

Miss?

I'll run and see Dickon first,

Said Mary.

No,

I'll go and see Colin first and tell him.

I know what I'll tell him,

With a sudden inspiration.

She had her hat on when she appeared in Colin's room,

And for a second he looked disappointed.

He was in bed.

His face was pitifully white,

And there were dark circles round his eyes.

I'm glad you came,

He said.

My head aches,

And I ache all over because I'm so tired.

Are you going somewhere?

Mary went and leaned against his bed.

I won't be long,

She said.

I'm going to Dickon,

But I'll come back.

Colin,

It's something about the garden.

His whole face brightened,

And a little color came into it.

Oh,

Is it?

He cried out.

I dreamed about it all night.

I heard you say something about gray changing into green,

And I dreamed I was standing in a place all filled with trembling little green leaves,

And there were birds on nests everywhere.

They looked so soft and still.

I'll lie and think about it until you come back.

In five minutes,

Mary was with Dickon in their garden.

The fox and the crow were with him again,

And this time he brought two tame squirrels.

I came over on the pony this morning,

He said.

Hey,

He is a good little chap.

I brought these two in my pockets.

This here one,

He's called Nut,

And this here other one's called Shell.

When he said Nut,

One squirrel leaped onto his right shoulder,

And when he said Shell,

The other one leaped onto his left shoulder.

When they sat down on the grass,

With captain curled at their feet,

Soot solemnly listening on a tree,

And Nut and Shell nosing about close to them,

It seemed to Mary that it would be scarcely bearable to leave such delightfulness.

But when she began to tell her story,

Somehow the look in Dickon's funny face gradually changed her mind.

She could see he felt sorrier for Colin than she did.

He looked up at the sky,

And all about him.

Just listen to them birds,

The world seems full of them.

All whistling and piping,

He said.

Look at them darting about,

And harking at them,

Calling to each other.

Come springtime,

Seems like as if the world's calling.

The leaves is uncurling so you can see him,

And my word,

The nice smells there is about.

Sniffing with his happy turned up nose.

And the poor lad lying shut up and seeing so little that he gets to thinking of things as sets him screaming.

Ay my,

We mum get him out here.

We mum get him watching and listening and sniffing up the air and get him just soaked through with sunshine.

And we mummint lose no time about it.

When he was very much interested he often spoke quite broad Yorkshire,

Though at other times he tried to modify his dialect so that Mary could better understand.

But she loved his broad Yorkshire and had in fact been trying to learn to speak it herself.

So she spoke a little now.

Ay,

That we mumm,

She said,

Which meant,

Yes indeed we must.

I'll tell thee what us'll do first,

She proceeded,

And Dickon grinned because when the little wench tried to twist her tongue into speaking Yorkshire it amused him very much.

Dickon always took a greatly fancy to thee.

He wants to see thee and he wants to see suit and captain.

When I go back to the house to talk to him I'll ask him if the canna come and see him tomorrow morning and bring the creatures with thee.

And then in a bit when there's more leaves out and half an abut or two we'll get him to come out of the,

Shall push him in his chair and will bring him here and show him everything.

When she stopped she was quite proud of herself.

She had never made a long speech in Yorkshire before and she had remembered very well.

The mumm talk a little bit of Yorkshire like that to Mr.

Cullen,

Dickon chuckled,

That'll make him laugh and there's not as good for ill folk as laughing is.

Mother says she believes as half an hour's good laugh every morning would sure cure a chap as was making ready for typhus fever.

I'm going to talk Yorkshire to him this very day said Mary,

Chuckling herself.

The garden had reached the time when every day and every night it seemed as if magicians were passing through it,

Drawing loveliness out of the earth and the bows with wands.

It was hard to go away and leave it all,

Particularly as nut had actually crept under her dress and shell had scrambled down the trunk of the apple tree they sat under and stayed there looking at her with inquiring eyes.

But she went back to the house and when she sat down close to Cullen's bed he began to sniff as Dickon did,

Though not in such an experienced way.

You smell like flowers and fresh things he cried out quite joyously.

What is it you smell of?

It's cool and warm and sweet all at the same time.

It's the wind from the moor said Mary.

It comes a-sittin' on the grass,

Under a tree with Dickon and with Captain and Soot and Nut and Shell.

It's the springtime and out of doors and sunshine has smelled so greatly.

She said it as broadly as she could,

And you do not know how broadly Yorkshire sounds until you've heard someone speak it.

Cullen began to laugh.

What are you doing?

He said.

I've never heard you talk like that before.

How funny it sounds.

I'm giving thee a bit of Yorkshire,

Answered Mary triumphantly.

I cannot talk as greatly as Dickon and Martha,

But thus sees I can shape a bit.

Doesn't thou understand a bit of Yorkshire when they hears it?

And thou,

A Yorkshire lad thyself,

Bred and born.

Ay,

I wonder thou art not ashamed,

Oh thy face.

And then she began to laugh too,

And they both laughed,

And though they could not stop themselves,

And they laughed until the room echoed,

And Miss Medlock,

Opening the door to come in,

Drew back the corridor and stood listening,

Amazed.

Well,

Upon my word,

She said,

Speaking rather broad Yorkshire herself,

Because there was no one to hear her,

And she was so astonished.

Whoever heard the like,

Whoever on earth would have thought it.

There was so much to talk about.

It seemed as if Cullen could never hear enough of Dickon and Captain and Soot and Nut and Shell and the pony whose name was Jump.

Mary had run round into the wood with Dickon to see Jump.

He was a tiny little shaggy moor pony with thick locks hanging over his eyes and with a pretty face and a nuzzling velvet nose.

He was rather thin with living on moor grass,

But he was as tough and wiry as if the muscle in his little legs had been made of steel springs.

He had lifted his head and winneed softly the moment he saw Dickon,

And he had trotted up to him and put his head across his shoulder,

And then Dickon had talked into his ear,

And Jump had talked back in odd little winnies and puffs and snorts.

Dickon had made him give Mary his small front hoof and kiss her on the cheek with his velvet muzzle.

Does he really understand everything Dickon says,

Cullen asked?

It seems as if he does,

Answered Mary.

Dickon says anything will understand if you're friends with it for sure,

But you have to be friends for sure.

Cullen lay quiet a little while,

And his strange gray eyes seemed to be staring at the wall,

But Mary saw he was thinking.

I wish I was friends with things,

He said at last,

But I'm not.

I never had anything to be friends with,

And I can't bear people.

Can't you bear me?

Asked Mary.

Yes,

I can,

He answered.

It's funny,

But I even like you.

Ben Weatherstaff said I was like him,

Said Mary.

He said he'd warrant we'd both got the same nasty tempers.

I think you're a little like him,

Too.

We are all three alike,

You and I,

And Ben Weatherstaff.

He said we were neither of us much to look at,

And we were as sour as we looked.

But I don't feel as sour as I used to before I knew the Robin and Dickon.

Did you feel as if you hated people?

Yes,

Answered Mary without any affectation.

I should have detested you if I had seen you before I saw the Robin and Dickon.

Colin put out his thin hand and touched her.

Mary,

He said.

I wish I hadn't said what I did about sending Dickon away.

I hated you when you said he was like an angel,

And I laughed at you,

But perhaps he is.

Well it was rather funny to say it,

She admitted frankly,

Because his nose turns up and he has a big mouth and his clothes have patches all over them and he talks broad Yorkshire.

But if an angel did come to Yorkshire and live on the moor,

And if there was a Yorkshire angel,

I believe he'd understand the green things and know how to make them grow and he would talk to the wild creatures as Dickon does,

And they know he was friends for sure.

I shouldn't mind Dickon looking at me,

Said Colin.

I want to see him.

I'm glad you said that,

Answered Mary,

Because,

Because,

Quite suddenly it came into her mind that this was the minute to tell him.

He knew something was coming.

Because what?

He cried eagerly.

Mary was so anxious that she got up from her stool and came to him and caught hold of both his hands.

Can I trust you?

I trusted Dickon because birds trusted him.

Can I trust you for sure?

For sure,

She implored.

Her face was so solemn that he almost whispered his answer.

Yes,

Yes.

Well,

Dickon will come to see you tomorrow morning and he'll bring his creatures with him.

Oh,

Oh,

Colin cried out in delight.

But that's not all,

Mary went on,

Almost pale with solemn excitement.

The rest is better.

There is a door into the garden.

I found it.

It is under the ivy on the wall.

If he had been a strong,

Healthy boy,

Colin would probably have shouted,

Hooray,

Hooray,

Hooray.

But he was weak and rather hysterical.

His eyes grew bigger and bigger and he gasped for breath.

Oh,

Mary,

He cried out with half a sob.

Shall I see it?

Shall I get into it?

Shall I live to get into it?

And he clutched her hands and dragged her toward him.

Of course you'll see it,

Snapped Mary indignantly.

Of course you'll live to get into it.

Don't be silly.

And she was so unhysterical and natural and childish that she brought him to his senses and he began to laugh at himself and a few minutes afterwards she was sitting on her stool again,

Telling him not what she imagined the secret garden to be like,

But what it really was.

And Colin's aches and tiredness were forgotten and he was listening and raptured.

It is just what you thought it would be,

He said at last.

It sounds as if you've really seen it.

You know I said that when you told me first.

He hesitated.

About two minutes and then boldly spoke the truth.

I had seen it and I had been in,

She said.

I found the key and got in weeks ago,

But I dare not tell you.

I dare not because I was so afraid I couldn't trust you for sure.

And that is the end of our story this evening.

Until next time,

Sweet dreams.

Reviews

I am adoring this story and the way it is read. Thank you so much. I can’t wait for each chapter.

Thank you dear Hilary, sending good wishes for your happiness and wellbeing.

Wonderful 🙏🏼❤️

Let me tell you… that I waited anxiously, checking the site each day, for chapter 18. It was worth the wait… love this story! Your voice is a special gift that relaxes and soothes. I am in a stressful job and take on so much anxiety during these challenging times. You are so much better than therapy!