🌿 The Secret Garden – Chapter 3: The Cry in the House

Mary was beginning to feel a little different.

Martha came every morning to help her dress and talk about life on the moor. Mary still didn’t smile much, but she started asking more questions.

“Why does no one see Mr. Craven?” she asked one day.

“He’s a sad man,” Martha said. “Ever since his wife died, he hates being at home. He travels a lot. People say he has a crooked back and walks with pain.”

“Why doesn’t he want the garden anymore?” Mary asked.

Martha looked around and lowered her voice. “That garden was her favorite place. He locked it after she died. No one’s allowed in.”

That night, Mary lay in bed listening to the wind. The house was so big and quiet. Every sound seemed louder at night.

Suddenly, she heard something.

It was soft at first… like a child crying.

She sat up and listened. The sound came again. A long, sad cry. Then silence.

Mary had never heard it before.

She got out of bed and opened her door. The hallway was dark, and the wind blew through the windows. She took a step outside but stopped when she heard footsteps.

Mrs. Medlock appeared with a candle in her hand. She looked surprised and angry.

“What are you doing out of bed?” she asked.

“I heard someone crying,” Mary said.

“Nonsense,” Mrs. Medlock said. “This is an old house. It makes strange sounds. Go back to bed!”

Mary wanted to ask more, but Mrs. Medlock’s face was stern.

She returned to her room, but the sound stayed in her mind.

The next day, she told Martha about it.

“I heard someone crying last night,” Mary said. “It sounded like a child.”

Martha’s face changed. She looked nervous.

“It was the wind,” she said quickly. “Nothing else.”

Mary stared at her. She didn’t believe it.

“There’s a secret in this house,” she said to herself. “And I will find it.”

Later that day, Mary went into the garden again. She walked along the paths, behind bushes and trees, looking for a door in the wall. She touched the bricks and pulled at vines, hoping to find a clue.

The garden was still locked. But now, there were two mysteries.

One behind a wall.

The other behind a door in the house.

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📖 Glossary

Word/Phrase	Meaning
Crooked	Not straight; bent or twisted
Stern	Serious and strict
Hallway	A long passage inside a building
Clue	A small piece of information that helps solve a mystery
Vines	Long climbing plants
Lowered her voice	Spoke more quietly
Nervous	Worried or unsure

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❓ Comprehension Questions

1. What does Mary ask Martha about Mr. Craven?

2. Why was the secret garden locked?

3. What sound does Mary hear at night?

4. How does Mrs. Medlock respond when Mary tells her?

5. What does Martha say when Mary mentions the crying?

6. What does Mary decide to do?

7. What are the two mysteries Mary wants to solve?

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✅ Answers

1. She asks why no one sees him.

2. Because it reminded Mr. Craven of his wife, who died.

3. She hears a child crying.

4. She tells Mary it’s nonsense and to go back to bed.

5. She nervously says it was just the wind.

6. She decides to find out the secrets of the house.

7. The locked garden, and the crying behind the walls.