Mary finds the key to the secret garden

Mary Lennox, a lonely and contrary child newly arrived at Misselthwaite Manor, had become fascinated by the garden her uncle Archibald Craven had locked after his wife's death. While walking along the ivy-covered wall that she believed enclosed the mysterious place, she encountered Ben Weatherstaff's robin, who had begun to follow her. The robin hopped onto a small pile of freshly turned earth—the work of a dog digging for a mole—and Mary, looking at the spot, noticed something almost buried in the soil. It was a ring of rusty iron or brass, and when she picked it up, she found it was an old key that looked as if it had been buried for a long time. Standing up and holding the key, Mary felt a frightened excitement, whispering to herself, "Perhaps it has been buried for ten years. Perhaps it is the key to the garden!" This discovery, guided by the robin's seemingly purposeful actions, marked the first tangible step toward unlocking the hidden world that would transform her life and the lives of those around her.

The Discovery of the Key

The key was not found through deliberate search but through a chain of small, almost magical coincidences. Mary had been walking up and down her special walk outside the long, ivy-covered wall, hoping to find a way into the garden whose tree-tops she could see. The robin, who had befriended her, followed her and hopped about in a bare flower-bed. There, he stopped on a small pile of freshly turned earth—a hole a dog had scratched while trying to dig up a mole. Mary looked at the hole without understanding its significance, but as she watched, she saw something almost buried in the newly-turned soil: a ring of rusty iron or brass. When the robin flew up into a nearby tree, she put out her hand and picked up the ring, discovering it was an old key that looked as if it had been buried a long time.

Mary's Immediate Reaction

Mistress Mary stood up and looked at the key with an almost frightened face as it hung from her finger. The thought that it might be the key to the garden that had been locked for ten years filled her with a mixture of awe and excitement. She whispered to herself, "Perhaps it has been buried for ten years. Perhaps it is the key to the garden!" The discovery felt momentous, as if the robin had deliberately shown her the way. She put the key in her pocket and decided she would always carry it with her when she went out, so that if she ever found the hidden door, she would be ready. This event marked a turning point in Mary's life at Misselthwaite Manor, awakening her imagination and giving her a purpose that would lead to the garden's restoration and the healing of both Colin and herself.

Significance and Consequences

The discovery of the key was the direct result of Mary's growing connection to the natural world and her friendship with the robin. It was the first concrete evidence that the garden could be reached, and it set in motion the events that would lead to Mary finding the door hidden under the ivy. The key itself, rusty and buried for a decade, symbolized the long-neglected garden and the possibility of renewal. Mary's decision to keep the key and search for the door demonstrated her growing independence and determination, qualities that would prove essential in the transformation of the secret garden and the lives of those who entered it.