Cl1ap ter 1 'Where is Everybody?

'

f'v1arv, Len n ox had a t hi n litde t 1ce and al\,vav,s looked cross.

N obody liked l1er and she \Vas often ill. lVl ary,s parer1ts vvere
En ·hsh , b u t thev, lived i n I n di J . iVlr Len n ox \Vo rked there. Mrs
Ler1110.x \Vas verv, beau c i fiJl an d h<1d n1a11v' fi:ien ds. Bu t she did n ot
like children . So \vhe n sh e ha d a ba by, iVlary, sl1e vVJS not
interes ted in he r. Nl r .L en11ox ha d Jlot of vvork and vvas not at
hon1e very ot1:c11. IV1rs L er1nox gave the b:1by to an I n dian serva11t.
' You take th e ch.ild ,' sl1e said to th e scr va11t. ' I don 't \Va nt· to
see it or h eJ r i t .' ,-

Tl1e thi11, ugly baby gre\V into a thin, u gly little girl.When the
little girl vvan ted son1ething, th e sc-rvan (S gave 1t to .her. They
11ever said ' n o ' beca use they dich1't \.Vu1t her to cry. Whe n sl1e
cr i ed, Iv'lrs Lenn ox \.VJS an gry.
So, at d1e age of six, lv1ary \Vas no t a nice child . N obody loved
i'v1ary <l nd I'v1arv loved nobod v.
I I

On e h ot n1or ning, \Vh en Mary vvas ni11e years old, a n e\v

servar1t \VO kc.: h er. ' Where 's 111y servant ? ' Ma ry sh ou ted.
,..f he vvon1a11looked afraid. ' Sl1e ca11't co111e,' she said.
Sl1e left th.e roorn, an d nobody cJ.r11e i11to 1\1a ry's roon1 all
n1or ni11g. I t vvas very strange.
tv1ary did i1ot ki1ovv it , bu t people in tl1e l1ouse vvere very ill.
That day, l1er servant died, a11d three n1ore serva nts died the 11ext
day. IvL1ry stayed in her roon1 aJ1d everybody forgot about her.
Son1ctin1es sh e cr ied, a nd. son1etin1es she slept. She \ve nt in to tl1e
cli n ing-roon1
'·
an d ate so111e food. T'hen she fou n d son1e \Vin e a11d
·
dra11k it. r t lllJde 11er sleepy.
She v.;e11t to }1er roon1 agai n arid slept for a long ti111e. \V'11e.n
sh e \voke, t11e 11ouse \vas ve ry quie t. ' \Vl1y doesn 't ai1ybody con1e
and see n1e ? ' tl1ougl1t Mary.