THE GARDENER
BY: Rudyard Kipling
Helen Turrell is a 35 year old unwed mother who is ashamed of the dogma of the society. She is ashamed of the society because she is not married but pregnant. She lives in Hampshire, England and went to the south of France to deliver her baby. She returned home with her baby after she got fully recovered from her pregnancy.
As she was an unwed mother, she lied to the society about her child. She told the villagers that it was her brother George Turrell's child. She said her brother had an illegitimate relationship with the daughter of a retired non commissioned officer when he was the inspector of police in India. She also said that her brother had died falling from a horse, a few days before the child had been born. She also lied that she had paid the child's mother to let her keep the child. She also added that she had managed for the passes of the baby and a nurse from Bombay to the south of France. Helen lied that the baby suffered dysentery because of the nurse's carelessness and she had to dismiss her. These all were the lies that Helen let the villagers know.
The baby was baptized Michael Turrell. Helen said everyone that Michael was her nephew and she was his aunt. Michael was a Turrell overall and everyone had to accept that. Michael grew up fearless, philosophical and fairly good looking person. At the age of 6, he asked Helen why he couldn't call her his mom. Helen explained that he must call her 'auntie' and if he wanted, he could call her 'mummy' at the bedtime only. It was to be a secret between them.
Michael kept the secret most loyally but Helen explained it to her friends. To Helen, all her details were public property. She believed that scandals spread more by hushing them up. When Michael
came to know about that, he became angry. He quarreled with Helen and said that she had hurt his feelings. He said, '' .....when I'm dead I'll hurt you worse.'' Helen couldn't endure it and she wept. Michael wept too.
Michael was sent to a private school where he was told that he was born outside marriage. He didn't want to argue with Helen about that. During the first world war, Michael enrolled in the army when he was to go to Oxford with a scholarship. Helen didn't like that and he assured her by saying that it was in the blood of Turrell family. Fortunately Michael didn't have to do much fighting because he was not sent to the war front. He was again sent to France, where the luck favored him. He wrote Helen that there was no danger and therefore no need to worry. A month later, however, he was killed by an exploding shell (bomb) that completely buried his body.
A few months later, Helen received an official information that the body of Lieutenant Michael Turrell had been found, identified and reburied in a cemetery in Belgium. The row and grave number was written in the letter. After that she decided to visit his grave. On the way to cemetery, she met a woman named Mrs. Scarsworth, who used to visit the graves for her friends who couldn't visit the grave themselves. She used to take the photograph of the graves. Late at night, Mrs. Scarsworth came to Helen's hotel room and said that she had been telling lies. She said that her genuine reason behind making revisits was to visit the grave of a special person. (This implies that at the time of first world war, many women were unmarried but pregnant. They used to make similar excuses like Helen and used to come to visit their graves. Many women had illicit relationships before the first world war in England. But that time, England was ruled by traditional beliefs and many women had to make the excuse of Nephew and Auntie relationship to save themselves from the disgrace of the society)
The next morning, Helen went to the cemetery to find Michael's grave. However, it was impossible for Helen to find the exact location of Michael's grave because the cemetery was very large and there were thousands of black crosses that looked the same. Just then, a man came to Helen, asked her whose grave she was looking for. Helen replied, '' Lieutenant Michael Turrell- my nephew.'' The man lifted his eyes, looked her with infinite compassion and said. '' Come with me and I'll show you where your son lies.'' When Helen left the cemetery, she turned and gave him a last look. The man was bending over the young plants. She supposed him to be the gardener.
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