The Secret Garden: Chapters 11–16

by Frances Hodgson Burnett
When her parents die from an infectious outbreak in colonial India, ten-year-old Mary Lennox is sent to live with her uncle in England, where she discovers a garden that seems to make magical things happen. Read the full text here.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–4, Chapters 5–10, Chapters 11–16, Chapters 17–21, Chapters 22–27
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. lichen
    a plant occurring in crusty patches on tree trunks or rocks
    He stepped over to the nearest tree—an old, old one with gray lichen all over its bark, but upholding a curtain of tangled sprays and branches.
  2. reverent
    feeling or showing profound respect or veneration
    Mary touched it herself in an eager, reverent way.
  3. thrive
    grow vigorously
    "They've run wild," he said, "but th' strongest ones has fair thrived on it. The delicatest ones has died out, but th' others has growed an' growed, an' spread an' spread, till they's a wonder. See here!" and he pulled down a thick gray, dry-looking branch.
  4. exultant
    joyful and proud especially because of triumph or success
    "There!" he said exultantly. "I told thee so. There's green in that wood yet. Look at it."
  5. industrious
    characterized by hard work and perseverance
    They were working industriously round one of the biggest standard roses when he caught sight of something which made him utter an exclamation of surprise.
  6. spiteful
    showing malicious ill will and a desire to hurt
    She frowned a little and gave her trowel a rather spiteful dig into the earth.
  7. stifle
    smother or suppress
    Dickon laughed so that he was obliged to stifle the sound by putting his arm over his mouth.
  8. hearty
    showing warm and sincere friendliness
    "Eh!" he answered heartily, "that I does. I likes thee wonderful, an' so does th' robin, I do believe!"
  9. mournful
    filled with or evoking sadness
    "I shall have to go," she said mournfully. "And you will have to go too, won't you?"
  10. coarse
    rough to the touch
    He picked up his coat from the grass and brought out of a pocket a lumpy little bundle tied up in a quiet clean, coarse, blue and white handkerchief.
  11. distend
    swell from or as if from internal pressure
    His poppy-colored cheeks were distended with his first big bite of bread and bacon, but he managed to smile encouragingly.
  12. crabbed
    annoyed and irritable
    He's not half as bad as he looks, for all he's so crabbed.
  13. brooch
    a decorative pin
    She had on her best black dress and cap, and her collar was fastened with a large brooch with a picture of a man's face on it.
  14. wretched
    very unhappy; full of misery
    I cannot give you time or attention. I am too ill, and wretched and distracted; but I wish you to be happy and comfortable.
  15. quaver
    give off unsteady sounds
    "Might I," quavered Mary, "might I have a bit of earth?"
  16. falter
    speak haltingly
    "To plant seeds in—to make things grow—to see them come alive," Mary faltered.
  17. solemnly
    in a serious and dignified manner
    "Martha," said Mary solemnly, "he is really a nice man, only his face is so miserable and his forehead is all drawn together."
  18. clamber
    climb awkwardly, as if by scrambling
    He lay quite still and listened while she went on talking about the roses which might have clambered from tree to tree and hung down—about the many birds which might have built their nests there because it was so safe.
  19. agitated
    troubled emotionally and usually deeply
    "I don't know what to do!" cried agitated Martha.
  20. asylum
    a hospital for mentally incompetent or unbalanced people
    Mr. Craven went off his head like when he was born. Th' doctors thought he'd have to be put in a 'sylum.
  21. typhoid
    infection marked by intestinal inflammation and ulceration
    He's had coughs an' colds that's nearly killed him two or three times. Once he had rheumatic fever an' once he had typhoid.
  22. consequence
    the state of having important effects or influence
    Colin answered as if neither the doctor's alarm nor Mrs. Medlock's terror were of the slightest consequence. He was as little disturbed or frightened as if an elderly cat and dog had walked into the room.
  23. reproachful
    expressing disapproval, blame, or disappointment
    Dr. Craven turned reproachfully to Mrs. Medlock.
    Dr. Craven turns away from Colin, whom he dares not criticize (which makes his name fitting, since "craven" means "an abject coward"), to stare disapprovingly at Mrs. Medlock, whom he believes should've kept a better eye on Mary and prevented her from finding his secret patient.
  24. invalid
    someone who is incapacitated by a chronic illness or injury
    When he was amused and interested she thought he scarcely looked like an invalid at all, except that his face was so colorless and he was always on the sofa.
  25. unfurl
    unroll, unfold, or spread out
    There were things sprouting and pushing out from the roots of clumps of plants and there were actually here and there glimpses of royal purple and yellow unfurling among the stems of crocuses.
  26. plumage
    the covering of feathers on a bird
    It was the caw—caw of a crow and it came from the top of the wall, and when she looked up, there sat a big glossy-plumaged blue-black bird, looking down at her very wisely indeed.
  27. tousle
    disarrange or rumple; dishevel
    He got up himself, laughing and glowing, and tousled; his eyes like a bit of the sky.
  28. rapture
    a state of elated bliss
    They put their eager young noses close to the earth and sniffed its warmed springtime breathing; they dug and pulled and laughed low with rapture until Mistress Mary's hair was as tumbled as Dickon's and her cheeks were almost as poppy red as his.
  29. notion
    a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
    He'd be out with us for good if he got th' notion us was interferin' now.
  30. doleful
    filled with or evoking sadness
    So it was not very pleasant when she opened the door of her room, to see Martha standing waiting for her with a doleful face.
  31. condescend
    do something that one considers to be below one's dignity
    Colin frowned and condescended to look at her.
  32. glare
    look at with a fixed or angry gaze
    They were a nice agreeable pair as they glared at each other.
    The example sentence has both an ironic and pun-filled tone: Mary and Colin are fiercely arguing, not nicely agreeing, but they are agreeable in their identical angry glares.
  33. contradict
    deny the truth of
    "And I am going to die besides."
    "You're not!" contradicted Mary unsympathetically.
  34. ail
    cause physical suffering to and make sick or indisposed
    "Hysterics and temper are half what ails him."
  35. unrelenting
    not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty
    She felt so sour and unrelenting that for a few minutes she almost forgot about Dickon and the green veil creeping over the world and the soft wind blowing down from the moor.
Created on Wed Sep 18 15:27:32 EDT 2013 (updated Mon Jul 17 17:51:45 EDT 2023)

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