~An Avonlea School Interlude~
Anne stared straight ahead at the blackboard. She would not look at the laughing, mocking boys in the desks up ahead of her. She would not look at the sarcastic Mr Phillips, who curled his moustache whenever he happened to look at her in an effort to suppress his innate sarcastic smile. She would definitely not look at the curly-headed young man with the amused grin, who sat at the desk beside her. Her hair was green and she knew it. Hadn't she dyed it so herself? There was no need for the rest of Avonlea school to remind her of the fact.
From the moment she had walked into the school-house with green hair, the day had been bad enough- but that she should have to sit next to That Boy in her hour of shame was intolerable, and his reaction to her disgrace made her feel even worse. If Anne had actually looked at Gilbert's face, she would have seen that in it was expressed only sympathy- not derision. (Perhaps there was a hint of amusement in his smile- but just a hint.)
Gilbert, to all outside eyes, appeared to be absorbed in the paragraphs that he was working on his slate. But he could not keep his eyes off Anne for long. She intrigued him as no one else did- she was so different from the other girls in class, not only in the way she looked, but in her entire outlook on life. He had wanted to become better acquainted with her since the first day they had met.
Gilbert laid down his slate and turned to Anne, determination writ large on his face.
"Say, Anne, if we're going to be sitting next to each other, I'd think we could at least be on speaking terms," Gilbert whispered.
Anne stared straight ahead and said nothing. Her expression was as chilly as the February day. Gilbert sighed. What was the use? She hated him- would always hate him!
Still he persisted. "I've told you I was sorry about insulting you about yout hair. You can't imagine how sorry."
There was no answer from Anne, but her expression was not so severe as it had been before. This was an encouraging sign. Gilbert, after making sure that Mr Phillips was sufficiently absorbed in Prissy Andrews not to notice the behaviour of his students, carefully lifted the lid of his desk and produced a small candy heart from within it. It was very much like the one he had slipped Anne on the fateful day she had been made to take the desk next to him. She had ground thatone mercilessly to powder beneath her heel. Gilbert took a chance and flicked the heart over to Anne's side of the desk.
This time she didn't grind it to powder. She looked at the heart for a moment, as if pondering its significance. On it was a little gold motto that read, 'My Valentine'.
Anne's face whitened with rage. The presumption of her hated enemy to offer her such a token! She was not now, and would never be, 'his Valentine'. She turned to face Gilbert, fully intending to fling the hateful candy back in his face.
But it was Gilbert who spoke first. "I do like red hair on girls, I really do."
Shadowy grey eyes locked for an instant with clear hazel ones. For a fleeting second, there was a bond of understanding between Anne and Gilbert. Anne saw beyond the surface youth and merriment of those eyes- and recognized, in the depths of Gilbert's soul, a kindred spirit. It was a brief but disconcerting sensation. She suddenly felt very shy.
Anne spoke quietly- partly so Mr Phillips would not hear, and partly because she was so unsure of herself. "If you could only imagine what it was like, to be a strange girl in a strange school, and to have everyone laugh at you your first day. I've never been so humiliated in all my life."
"I know what it's like to have them laugh at me- why, I'm fifteen and in the same class as the babies! You don't think the others let me forget that when I got home from the West, do you?"
"It's not the same. You insulted me."
"I only did it to get your attention. You're not at all like any other girl I know, Anne Shirley. You're always quoting bits of Keats and Tennyson- you're interested in the same things I am."
"The fact that we share a common interest in literature hardly wipes out your past wrongs, Gilbert."
It was the first time he had heard her say his name aloud, and he thrilled momentarily at the sound of it. "It doesn't, but you and I are the same inside...I want to be able to talk about things- books and poems and history- Charlie Sloane and the other fellows never talk about things like that. The only reason they never laugh at me for it doing it, is cause they know I could lick 'em in a scrap."
There was no hint of boastfulness in Gilbert's tone. He was simply telling the truth as all Avonlea school knew it. Had he been a weak or unathletic boy, Gilbert would have been forever branded a 'sissy' for talking the way he did when he was in a literary mood. But he could hold his own in any sport.
Gilbert continued. "We could be friends...can't you find it in your heart to forgive me- on Valentine's Day of all days?
Anne's heart fluttered queerly when Gilbert mentioned the word 'Valentine', and she had a sudden consciousness that to be picked out by a boy as handsome and popular as Gilbert Blythe was quite an honour. She knew the older boys and girls around town that were 'sweethearting' gave presents to each other on this day, and the older folks disapproved. But somehow she had never yet pictured herself participating in such doings. And Gilbert's voice was so pleading...she found herself relenting.
At that moment Mr Phillips decided to ring the bell for recess. It was a good ten minutes until it was supposed to be rung, but Mr Phillips was never one for enforcing regulations. Besides, he was hungry.
Anne picked up her schoolbooks, and retrieved from her desk the piece of crumb cake Marilla had sent along for a bite. As she passed the school-door she overheard the excited chatterings of her female schoolmates.
"Mine says 'Be My Love'," Julia Bell giggled. She was holding up a pink candy heart between her forefinger and thumb. "That Gil is incorrigible. What would my mother say if she knew?"
"She wouldn't mind," said spiteful Gertie Pye. "Your mother's awful fond of Blythes- she's always making eyes at Gilbert's father, or so my Aunt Mirabel says."
Julia's eyes blazed with rage. "You take that back, Gertie Pye!"
Ruby Gillis popped a candy heart into her mouth. "I do think it's scandalous of Gilbert to make us all think we were all the only girl he was giving a Valentine to."
Diana, who hadn't meant to accept a present from her bosom friend's mortal enemy, looked apologetically at Anne. She didn't say anything though, because she, too, had one of the sweets in her mouth.
All the girls had a pink candy heart from Gilbert Blythe!
The resolve to forgive Gilbert was shattered in an instant. Anne would never again believe a word that heel said to her. She would never look at him again. She would never speak to him!!
Anne stared straight ahead at the blackboard. She would not look at the laughing, mocking boys in the desks up ahead of her. She would not look at the sarcastic Mr Phillips, who curled his moustache whenever he happened to look at her in an effort to suppress his innate sarcastic smile. She would definitely not look at the curly-headed young man with the amused grin, who sat at the desk beside her. Her hair was green and she knew it. Hadn't she dyed it so herself? There was no need for the rest of Avonlea school to remind her of the fact.
From the moment she had walked into the school-house with green hair, the day had been bad enough- but that she should have to sit next to That Boy in her hour of shame was intolerable, and his reaction to her disgrace made her feel even worse. If Anne had actually looked at Gilbert's face, she would have seen that in it was expressed only sympathy- not derision. (Perhaps there was a hint of amusement in his smile- but just a hint.)
Gilbert, to all outside eyes, appeared to be absorbed in the paragraphs that he was working on his slate. But he could not keep his eyes off Anne for long. She intrigued him as no one else did- she was so different from the other girls in class, not only in the way she looked, but in her entire outlook on life. He had wanted to become better acquainted with her since the first day they had met.
Gilbert laid down his slate and turned to Anne, determination writ large on his face.
"Say, Anne, if we're going to be sitting next to each other, I'd think we could at least be on speaking terms," Gilbert whispered.
Anne stared straight ahead and said nothing. Her expression was as chilly as the February day. Gilbert sighed. What was the use? She hated him- would always hate him!
Still he persisted. "I've told you I was sorry about insulting you about yout hair. You can't imagine how sorry."
There was no answer from Anne, but her expression was not so severe as it had been before. This was an encouraging sign. Gilbert, after making sure that Mr Phillips was sufficiently absorbed in Prissy Andrews not to notice the behaviour of his students, carefully lifted the lid of his desk and produced a small candy heart from within it. It was very much like the one he had slipped Anne on the fateful day she had been made to take the desk next to him. She had ground thatone mercilessly to powder beneath her heel. Gilbert took a chance and flicked the heart over to Anne's side of the desk.
This time she didn't grind it to powder. She looked at the heart for a moment, as if pondering its significance. On it was a little gold motto that read, 'My Valentine'.
Anne's face whitened with rage. The presumption of her hated enemy to offer her such a token! She was not now, and would never be, 'his Valentine'. She turned to face Gilbert, fully intending to fling the hateful candy back in his face.
But it was Gilbert who spoke first. "I do like red hair on girls, I really do."
Shadowy grey eyes locked for an instant with clear hazel ones. For a fleeting second, there was a bond of understanding between Anne and Gilbert. Anne saw beyond the surface youth and merriment of those eyes- and recognized, in the depths of Gilbert's soul, a kindred spirit. It was a brief but disconcerting sensation. She suddenly felt very shy.
Anne spoke quietly- partly so Mr Phillips would not hear, and partly because she was so unsure of herself. "If you could only imagine what it was like, to be a strange girl in a strange school, and to have everyone laugh at you your first day. I've never been so humiliated in all my life."
"I know what it's like to have them laugh at me- why, I'm fifteen and in the same class as the babies! You don't think the others let me forget that when I got home from the West, do you?"
"It's not the same. You insulted me."
"I only did it to get your attention. You're not at all like any other girl I know, Anne Shirley. You're always quoting bits of Keats and Tennyson- you're interested in the same things I am."
"The fact that we share a common interest in literature hardly wipes out your past wrongs, Gilbert."
It was the first time he had heard her say his name aloud, and he thrilled momentarily at the sound of it. "It doesn't, but you and I are the same inside...I want to be able to talk about things- books and poems and history- Charlie Sloane and the other fellows never talk about things like that. The only reason they never laugh at me for it doing it, is cause they know I could lick 'em in a scrap."
There was no hint of boastfulness in Gilbert's tone. He was simply telling the truth as all Avonlea school knew it. Had he been a weak or unathletic boy, Gilbert would have been forever branded a 'sissy' for talking the way he did when he was in a literary mood. But he could hold his own in any sport.
Gilbert continued. "We could be friends...can't you find it in your heart to forgive me- on Valentine's Day of all days?
Anne's heart fluttered queerly when Gilbert mentioned the word 'Valentine', and she had a sudden consciousness that to be picked out by a boy as handsome and popular as Gilbert Blythe was quite an honour. She knew the older boys and girls around town that were 'sweethearting' gave presents to each other on this day, and the older folks disapproved. But somehow she had never yet pictured herself participating in such doings. And Gilbert's voice was so pleading...she found herself relenting.
At that moment Mr Phillips decided to ring the bell for recess. It was a good ten minutes until it was supposed to be rung, but Mr Phillips was never one for enforcing regulations. Besides, he was hungry.
Anne picked up her schoolbooks, and retrieved from her desk the piece of crumb cake Marilla had sent along for a bite. As she passed the school-door she overheard the excited chatterings of her female schoolmates.
"Mine says 'Be My Love'," Julia Bell giggled. She was holding up a pink candy heart between her forefinger and thumb. "That Gil is incorrigible. What would my mother say if she knew?"
"She wouldn't mind," said spiteful Gertie Pye. "Your mother's awful fond of Blythes- she's always making eyes at Gilbert's father, or so my Aunt Mirabel says."
Julia's eyes blazed with rage. "You take that back, Gertie Pye!"
Ruby Gillis popped a candy heart into her mouth. "I do think it's scandalous of Gilbert to make us all think we were all the only girl he was giving a Valentine to."
Diana, who hadn't meant to accept a present from her bosom friend's mortal enemy, looked apologetically at Anne. She didn't say anything though, because she, too, had one of the sweets in her mouth.
All the girls had a pink candy heart from Gilbert Blythe!
The resolve to forgive Gilbert was shattered in an instant. Anne would never again believe a word that heel said to her. She would never look at him again. She would never speak to him!!