IX. The Strangest House Anyone Ever Lived In

           Itwasthesweetest,mostmysterious-lookingplaceanyonecouldimagine.Thehighwallswhichshutitinwerecoveredwiththeleaflessstemsofclimbingroseswhichweresothickthattheyweremattedtogether.MaryLennoxknewtheywererosesbecauseshehadseenagreatmanyrosesinIndia.Allthegroundwascoveredwithgrassofawintrybrownandoutofitgrewclumpsofbusheswhichweresurelyrosebushesiftheywerealive.Therewerenumbersofstandardroseswhichhadsospreadtheirbranchesthattheywerelikelittletrees.Therewereothertreesinthegarden,andoneofthethingswhichmadetheplacelookstrangestandloveliestwasthatclimbingroseshadrunalloverthemandswungdownlongtendrilswhichmadelightswayingcurtains,andhereandtheretheyhadcaughtateachotheroratafar-reachingbranchandhadcreptfromonetreetoanotherandmadelovelybridgesofthemselves.TherewereneitherleavesnorrosesonthemnowandMarydidnotknowwhethertheyweredeadoralive,buttheirthingrayorbrownbranchesandsprayslookedlikeasortofhazymantlespreadingovereverything,walls,andtrees,andevenbrowngrass,wheretheyhadfallenfromtheirfasteningsandrunalongtheground.Itwasthishazytanglefromtreetotreewhichmadeitalllooksomysterious.Maryhadthoughtitmustbedifferentfromothergardenswhichhadnotbeenleftallbythemselvessolong;andindeeditwasdifferentfromanyotherplaceshehadeverseeninherlife.

           “Howstillitis!”shewhispered.“Howstill!”

           Thenshewaitedamomentandlistenedatthestillness.