wore such lovely clothes and seemed always to be laughing or smiling Now her eyes were large and scared Is it so very bad she asked Oh is it Awfully the young man said and Mary heard his voice tremble You ought to have gone to the hills two weeks ago Mary’s mother wrung her hands I only stayed to go to a silly dinner party she cried What a fool I was While Mary puzzled over what her mother meant wailing rang out from the servants quarters Mary’s mother clutched the young offi cer’s arm Mary stood up shivering as the wailing grew wilder and wilder What is it her mother cried Someone has died the young offi cer said You didn’t say the sickness had broken out here I didn’t know Mrs Lennox gasped She turned and ran into the house with the young offi cer at her heels 6
Eventually someone explained to Mary that a terrible sickness was killing people Ayah was the fi rst of the household to die but the wailing sounded throughout the house over and over In the confusion and the sickness Mary hid herself in her nursery She was soon completely forgotten No one came to her or brought her food or news Once she crept out into the dining room and found the table set with food but no one there She ate some fruit and biscuits and wandered back to her room to sleep away the hours until someone would remember her again When she awakened the house was silent No one wailed No one rushed past her door Maybe everyone has gotten well she thought Maybe someone would remember her and bring her food and a cool drink But no one came Mary soon heard something rustling When she looked down she saw a small harmless snake crawling across the matting on her fl oor How queer and quiet it is she told him 8
He slipped out under her door as she watched Suddenly Mary heard men’s footsteps Low voices sounded outside her door and she crept closer to hear What desolation one man said That pretty pretty woman I heard there was a child too though no one ever saw her Mary glared at the door and it opened The offi cer who looked in was so startled at the sight of her that he jumped back Mercy a child In a place like this Mary frowned at the offi cer and said I am Mary Lennox I fell asleep while everyone was sick Why does no one come It’s the child no one saw a second offi cer said as men crowded around the door She was actually forgotten Poor little kid a kind-looking man said There is nobody left to come And so Mary learned that her father and mother were dead Any servants left alive had fl ed and she was alone in the world 9
