Frances Hodgson Burnett suffered a physical collapse that autumn. She returned to America, and in the winter of 1902 entered a sanatorium. There she told Townsend she would no longer live with him, and the marriage ended. She returned to Maytham two years later in June 1904. Maytham Hall had a series of walled gardens and in the rose garden she wrote several books; it was there she had the idea for "The Secret Garden", mainly written in Buile Hill Park while visiting Manchester. In 1905 "A Little Princess" was published, after she had reworked the play into a novel. Once again Burnett
Frances Hodgson Burnett 1852 the family moved about a mile further along York Street to a more spacious home in a newly built terrace, opposite St Luke's Church, with greater access to outdoor space. Barely a year later, with his wife pregnant for a fifth time, Hodgson died suddenly of a stroke, leaving the family without an income. Frances was cared for by her grandmother while her mother took over running the family business. From her grandmother, who bought her books, Frances learned to love reading, in particular her first book, "The Flower Book", which had coloured illustrations and poems. Because of their