They pulled out from the Barry's driveway and back onto the road leading them homebound.
"Now Gilbert." Anne started but he could not hear her voice over the whistling wind outside.
"Anne? I'm sorry but...I can't.." He started but grew concerned when Anne tried to lean forward to catch his words.
"I'm trying to say..." She began again.
"Please, Anne. Let me stop up here. Than maybe I can hear you." Gilbert spoke out while Anne sighed in frustration.
She sat back and thought for the moment. Than she just pulled up on her skirts, so that she could throw her leg over the seat bench, in front of her. Once over it she sat down sharply so that she could bring the other leg over without losing her balance.
Gilbert looked all around them to see if any other travelers were out on this blistery evening. He tried to keep the Horses steady while trying his best not to laugh out loud at Anne's sudden choice of seats.
'Anne? Sometimes, you just...well..I mean?" He tried to come up with the right thing to say back at her but not really sure what he could get away with.
"What is wrong, Gilbert? I couldn't hear a word that you were saying."
"It's too windy out right now. I just can't believe you did that. Are you going to get into trouble for doing this?" He asked her but unable to steer and judge her expressions as well.
"What? I was being careful?" Anne commented as she was straightening out her skirt and many underskirts to keep out the cold.
"Yes, I guess that's true. Are you going to be good? I mean sitting up here. Next to me?" He asked her humorously.
"What other choice do I have? Of course I could walk the rest of the way home but why do that?"
"I wouldn't. I mean if I didn't have to." He found himself trying to figure out this girl next to him. One moment, she is all stiff and bothersome, than the next, she is fun and daring? This was going to be a lot harder than he thought, trying, to win the favor of such a girl. Maybe Diana Barry was right? He was just hoping for too much from Anne? Though all of things that kept happening between them made it so hard to ignore her most of the time he felt. He was just going to have to try harder.
"Gilbert?"
"What?"
"What did you want to ask me before? That you didn't want Diana to hear?" Anne asked to get his attention.
"Anne?" He tried to answer her back at first but then a better idea came to him.
"Did you hear me, Gilbert?" She tried again but the wind was swift and tossing things about everywhere.
"I'm sorry, Anne, what did you say?" Now he was just pretending that he couldn't hear her.
"Oh, Gilbert! Let's just wait until we get to Green Gables." She spoke out with tired frustration.
Seeing the forest grove up ahead of them Gilbert started to slow his horses down and then bringing them to a stop in a brushy clearing. These grounds were christened,"The Haunted Woods", by Anne and Diana but Gilbert gave it no other recognition except as it being a good place to stop for right now. He decided this would be their best chance to talk alone. They were sure to be spied on if he tried to hold even a quiet discussion in anyone else's home he was convinced.
"Why are we stopping, Gilbert? Is something wrong with the buggy?" She asked him as she tightened the scarf around her neck to keep out some of the frigid air.
He didn't answer her immediately. Choosing instead to just get out of the buggy when he approached a safe place to tie up his horses. Hopping down with a thump, Gilbert pulled on the horses reigns, tying it swiftly around the first sturdy tree in front of them. Finishing this he barely caught Anne before she jumped down from her seat to protest his bad behavior.
"Just wait a moment, Anne. It's really slushy right here. I don't want you to slip and fall coming down from there." He instructed but this just made Anne more resentful. She didn't like anyone to treat her as too fragile. Marilla Cuthbert would just see that as being peevish or weak willed. So Anne did her best to appear as independent as she possibly could. Even if it was merely one of the few methods she could employ to keep her authority over her younger students.
"I'm not a child. How do you think I get in and out of buggies when you are not around?" She protested but still he stood in her way of exiting decently from the buggy.
"I didn't wonder about that, Anne. I was just taught that it was good manners to help ladies out. Since the drop down, with all of those skirts, can be kind of tricky." He tried to reach Anne's side of the buggy before she could make her way out but she grew impatient, trying to get out on her own.
So instead of taking his hand she tried to slip down by turning her back towards Gilbert and using the sideboard of the buggy to lean herself against. This way she could lower herself down, hopefully without slipping, when her feet touched the ground.
Unfortunately, for this to really work, she had to be able to judge the distance she had to lower herself from to the ground. In her haste and her efforts to avoid Gilbert, she failed miserably. He barely caught her when her boot started to slip awkwardly under the buggies high wheel below her. Knowing she was losing her balance, she tried to rest her other foot onto a wheel spoke to stop her from slipping. This only startled the nearby horse, causing it to lurch forward, taking Anne, her foot and now entangling some of her skirts as well.
"Anne! Don't move any more before you rip your dress!" Gilbert ordered her as he grabbed her from behind, saving her from the crushing turn of the wheel in front of them.
"Uh! My foot is getting caught up in the wheel!" She blurted out angrily.
"I can see that. Hurry, lift it up while I pull you away before the spoke turns any further."
"But my skirts! Oh bother! Just pull hard. No use bothering about my hems right now!" She uttered and Gilbert pulled her back so hard, he ended up bowed down on one knee in the wet snow.
"Oww!. I must have pulled you too hard! You are lighter than I expected you to be." He told her feeling a little uneasy now with her seated on his knee awkwardly.
"So it seems! Please now, let me get up Gilbert. I can't believe how clumsy I get at times." She mostly mutter this to herself while Gilbert was rising to his feet. He did kind of enjoy how easy it was to get Anne up close to him. Too bad she always complained about his being forward when it is she who can't seem to stay away from him and trouble? It was how things were between them though so now he sighed a little, than started to brush the icy snow off of his trousers absently. Not wanting to take his gaze off of Anne who was obviously fretting over her latest catastrophe. He found it sort of funny, the way she let things bother her so much, so he decided to have some fun with the situation to humor her out of dark thoughts.
"I can't believe how stubborn you are!" He cried out as he exaggeratedly brushed snow from his bent knees furiously as a joke. "Why did you even try such a stunt, Anne?"
"Just look to yourself, Mr. Blythe! I've never had any trouble getting down from a buggy that way before. Of course, I am bigger and with it being Winter, I have this abominably large amount of skirts and a heavy coat to have to wear just to go out in the cold. Besides, if you wouldn't have blocked my way down, I would have just jumped and all would be well!"
"So you say? I would have had a good laugh at least, when one of those petticoats of yours either got stepped on while you were getting down or you slipped and injured your good ankle from the fall." He explained with mock laughter..
"You would laugh, wouldn't you? I'm hardly that clumsy." She answered back haughtily.
"Yes, I noticed that. Especially when you got your foot caught in the spoke. So graceful! Did I mention how lovely you looked with your skirts flying up when you crashed into my lap?" Now he was smiling and this only made her more upset.
"How you love to exaggerate!"
"I guess you were too busy falling to even notice. Luckily no one else is about or we really would give them something to gossip about. You see, it is you, who gs us into trouble the most? I'm just here trying to save you from seriously hurting yourself."
"Is that so? We wouldn't even be in this mess if you had just taken me directly to Green Gables in the first place. Wasn't it your mischief that caused that whole incident in the cellar as well?" She faced him with her hands on her hips, hair tendrils trailing down her neck and some soaked through petticoats as well.
"You do look quite a sight, Anne Shirley. Besides, I had nothing at to do with that opossum you were chasing around the root cellar. I was only guilty of pushing the pot down the stairs." He stated still grinning at her even though he knew this was only going to make her madder at him for saying so.
"Well, I did just tumble down from a buggy and why would you do such a thing? It wasn't very mature of you to do." She challenged his own weakness to stab back at him with for laughing at her distress.
"Though I really didn't think of it at that moment, it probably was a very wise thing to do. With so little light, it kept you distracted enough for me to figure out what really was the matter with you down there. Had I just ventured down into the cellar hastily, you were sure to swat me with that broom." He said thoughtfully upon reflection. "Or one of those carrots!"
"You would have deserved it, if I did!"
"I'm not sure of that? Besides, you got me back later when I had to use my back to keep you from hurting yourself by hitting that concrete floor down there when you fell that time." He said wondering if she really appreciated all the pain she put him through?
"That was because you moved the lantern, remember?" She looked up at him smartly as she was now trying to wring some of the water out of sopping wet skirts.
"I had to, Anne. You left it on the floor. If I didn't you would have caught on fire and we would have had quite a barbeque down there."
"At least we had the vegetables all covered. Really, that was such a mess. I thought you promised not to bring any of that up around anyone else by the way." She now walked around Gilbert to pick up his hat from the ground. It was forced off of his head when he fell to ground with her.
"I did. I guess I was thinking you tell Diana everything, don't you? I wasn't thinking." He took his hat when she offered it back to him. He looked it over, dumped out some gathered up snow inside of it and then just stuffed it into his outer coat pocket for the time being.
"Almost everything. She is really dear to me and I know she would never give away a secret on purpose but people get your temper up and sometimes things just slip out. I just felt this was too scandalous to have to burden her with right now." She looked down showing how troubled she must be over everything that is going on with them right now.
"Anne, you know I wouldn't normally just climb into one of the windows if I wasn't really worried about your families safety, right? Your Farm is on the outskirts of Town and strangers have been known to sneak into houses they believe might be a good place to hide or ransack. It isn't something I just do for fun. Well, I might have when I was younger. If we knew the house was abandoned or not in use for a long time. We did sneak into Miss Lavender's house once, on a dare though. We didn't bother anything, promise! It is a rather interesting house though. At least we think so." Gilbert confessed as if someone from above would strike him dead if he didn't tell her the whole truth about things. He didn't want to be caught in a lie if he could help it with Anne. He just felt she would think poorly of him if he was found out later from someone else.
"Did she ever find out that you did that?" Anne confronted him astonished.
"Not that I know of? Like I said, we didn't take anything or break any of her things. No harm done." He answered her nervously back.
"That's good. I mean, it isn't good to sneak into people's homes but good that you didn't cause more mischief." She stated as she was still thumbing through her skirts looking for any sort of damage from the buggies spoke wheel.
"It looks like I got away from all of this with just wet skirts. I think I missed ripping any of my petticoats. Though I know at least part of them were getting caught when the wheel turned unexpectedly."
"Uhm..well..I think you missed something wrong with the back of your skirt." He said sheepishly, not sure it was wise to bring it up right now. In case she might blame him for that too.
"Where? I don't see anything torn?" She craned her neck around, pulling on the back of her skirts to lift them closer for inspection.
Gilbert than reluctantly walked over and reached down to pull up her outer skirt to show her where the hem was coming unraveled on one of her petticoats. He noticed her pantaloons as he did this and turned away, forcing himself to look elsewhere, while trying to hide his silly grin as he presented her with the damaged garment.
Anne grabbed down to snatch it away from him and he successfully was able to boost himself up to his full height without much commotion. He was blushing, he couldn't help it but she did ask him to show her what was wrong with her dress? So he didn't feel he had any other choice but to lift her skirts? It was funny but he then had to question why this was such a big to do? His Mother hangs out her clothes just like every other lady does in Avonlea? He just knew Anne would be bothered more so because Miss Cuthbert was such an old prude wasn't she? Just too silly, his Father would scoff and tell him to find something useful to bide his time with he thought to himself.
"Just look at this? If you were a girl, I 'd make you sew it right yourself! Sewing is just more work for me!" She mentioned as she examined the damage more closely.
"It doesn't look too bad, Anne. I probably can mend it for you but Mother might question what I was doing with another girls petticoat? It would make the conversation at home more interesting?" He chuckled just imagining how bothered his Mother would be and how much his Father would laugh over it all. He though couldn't tease him much for doing it, after all, he has lectured him endlessly about fixing things that he himself had broken. No matter what the circumstances were that caused it.
"Never mind. You were right. I was being overly stubborn on this occasion. I admit it. You just cannot fathom the amount of criticism I have had to endure lately from what seems to be everyone in Town lately. It is just making me weary, that's all." She told him now starting to pace as she spoke.
"Maybe I can understand some of it."
"How can you? Your just a student. You are hardly under review constantly." She snapped back at him and he could feel her sting. Yet, he understood her frustration as well.
"Yes, I am just one of your many students. Though old enough, it seems, to be seen as some kind of threat to you. It depends on who is doing the talking though."
"Who is talking to you? About us?" She looked at him in astonishment.
"People talk about everyone, Anne. It's a small Town. Just, not everyone thinks I am such a bad person. Most people around here actually have nice things to say about me." He spoke up proudly.
"Why wouldn't they? You grew up here and you are not an orphan. It is my fault that you boys are being too attentive to me. Which is rather amusing. I mean, I do have red hair, freckles? There seems to be no end of flaws that I harbor yet still I am to be the distraction around here."
"And Reverend Allan was once telling me how the ladies would talk, before he finally found a wife of his own? She is quite lovely isn't she? Though some complain because of her accent or her age? Why some even complain about her clothes? Than, there are Josie and Ruby's hats? Anne, people just say things and they don't mean anything by it. Fathers says that is why men drink." Gilbert told her hoping to distract her from worrying about him too much.
"Really? I mean, I didn't notice so many people felt that way about Mrs. Allan? How can they say anything mean about her? She is very lovely and so kind? I just don't want to lose my position over all of this."
"Neither do I. I know, I need to be more careful. I can't see why anything I do is that important to anyone anyways. Please don't be vexed at me Anne." He pleaded, hoping she will give in if he begs her honestly enough.
"I just...I just need to get home. It is getting late. I mean you no ill will, Gilbert. I'm just tired and sometimes, it is tiring to feel like you have to be so brave and grown-up. When you get older, you will understand me better."
"I'm not much younger than you are, Anne. I stopped here because we really need to talk. I'm sorry about your dress. If we can just go to my old fort, we can talk quietly and no one will hear us. I think we need to talk more. If you don't mind?"
"Can't we do this later at my house?" She asked looking around and seeing the weather had not improved while they were talking here.
"Do you really think that we can? After what you just told me? Everyone is spying on us and it just isn't right. I promise, it isn't very far and it won't take that long. Don't you have something to tell me too? Do you want Mrs. Lynde to hear you or Miss Cuthbert either?"
"No, not really. I need to solve this problem now though. Fine, let's just hurry before it gets too dark out. Anything to get out of this wind!" She stated as she gathered her clothes tighter to her so that she could walk further into the woods in front of them.
"Right you are. Now follow me. I know my way around here really good."
"Follow you to where? I'm so tired and I really just want to go home."
" I told you. To an old fort we set up in the forest. It is perfect, you will see when we get there. I want to go home too but we both need to talk. I was trying to talk on the way back home but it's too noisy in the buggy."
"Yes, you are right but why out here? How will we be able to hear each other talking?" She asked while looking around into the dark shadows ahead of their path.
"I know a good place in the grove that is sheltered from the wind. We kind of fixed it up so that we could hide in it from bad weather."
"Really? How do you know it is even still in one piece? That was some time ago wasn't it?" She was still trying her best to change his mind about all of this.
" I still come out here, Anne. Sometimes, we just don't want to be bothered by the girls or other relatives, so I know it should do the trick." He told her as he walked further ahead of her.
"Wonderful." She answered wearily.
Looking overhead and scouring her surroundings, Anne started to think about the tales Diana would weave for her about this place. Maybe it is really haunted? What if they succumb to some type of cold related illness? How many times has she now been warned not to wander out into the woods late at night without a reliable lantern or dogs? Too many times for her to count.
"Gilbert, this really isn't such a good idea. I know you mean well but, we haven't a lantern or dogs. With all of this debris scattered about, one of us can get hurt." Anne explained but this still wasn't slowing Gilbert down any.
"Maybe we should wait to do this another time?" She suggested trying again to delay him.
"Are you afraid, Anne? There's a lighthouse out beyond the bluff. It circles around here, well, once we clear this side of the hill. It will be enough light if you really are afraid of the dark. Besides, there is still enough starlight to see with. I mean, I know this path well. If you can keep up with me, we won't get lost. If you don't wander off this trail, you won't fall into any ditches either. Dogs are good for a hunt. In a storm though, it can throw them off and they can lose their sense of direction. I rather be without one right now. I don't want to have to go home to fetch mine now in any case, Anne. I'd say, we have enough broken off tree branches lying around here to fight off a Bear if we had to. Don't you?" He asked her turning back to see how she would react to that comment.
"What bears, Gilbert? There aren't any bears left on the Island, is there? Even foxes are hard to find I have been told by the locals around here."
"Very good. Yes, we don't have too many foxes left on this Island. They chase and hunt our chickens after all. Though, some ornery soul could sneak a bear onto a ferry and sneak one over here, if they had mischief on their mind."
"Who would ever? Now you are being foolish, Gilbert Blythe."
"You say now that you know the hearts of all men? That is quite a feat Anne-girl. Talent like that can make you very famous. Especially around just Country folks here like us." He teased her but was trying not to grin when he said this.
"No, of course I don't. Sometimes, I think I read people's feelings. I know I am only guessing but oftentimes, I am right about someone. That isn't the same though as actually reading minds of course. Still, I do not believe anyone in their right mind would go to the trouble of smuggling a live bear onto the Island, of all places." She paused then, just to review her logic and than said, "No, I feel very confident in my reasoning about this!" Anne proclaims with confidence.
"I agree with you, that no one in their "right" mind would ever do such a thing. Of course, some bears can swim, my Father told me? He use to hunt them so he should know? How many though, of those we encounter here, even in Avonlea, are somewhat questionable of character? I mean, maybe not all together in their head? The way that they think? The things that they do? Sloanes might do it? Just to make themselves look good? " He peered over at her with a suspicious look on his brow.
"Honestly, Gilbert. That's not very funny. They aren't that bad. You can say that just about anyone, under the right circumstances. Mrs. Lynde and well, even Marilla have said as much about me? I feel they were gravely mistaken but they did say things about me some times." She confessed uneasily.
"Really? That's interesting. How did you get to be a Teacher if people think you are crazy, Anne?" Gilbert thought this was too good to let go of without having some fun with the idea of it.
"That is because I'm not crazy. They just imagined me to be that way because they didn't understand the way that I was raised."
"You were raised differently then we were? How so?"
"I just mean, without my natural Parents. I did have to learn more about growing up in books. Since I lived with Families that were not my own, I wasn't really given the proper instructions that most good children were tutored in. I'm afraid I spoke my mind more than I ought to. I mean out loud to strangers who didn't have a lot of patience with children. I didn't mean to sound so obnoxious? I was being honest but for my age, I should have known better. That is I would have, had I had a proper education and a good home to live in."
"You didn't grow-up living in a home, Anne? That does sound unusual?" Gilbert pondered but knew he was being silly with his remark.
"Of course I lived in a home, I just mean that I wasn't treated as a part of the family or their family. More like a servant girl I'm sorry to have to admit. So there was no need to teach me true etiquette since I was never suppose to be good company anyways. Just my chores and my place to be when others were about." She said with a sigh.
"I'm sorry to hear that Anne. I mean, some people have Maids, Butlers, we have hired hands every so often. Though in Avonlea, we treat them kindly or at least with enough respect like we would everyone else. I bet Mrs. Lynde thought you came from some exotic Island or something? Even still, you would expect them to teach basic manners to you? Was it really that bad, Anne?"
"It wasn't a very happy time in my life. Though I wasn't as bad as Mrs. Lynde or Miss Cuthbert made me out to be. Because I read books I knew a lot about how to behave and I watched how others behaved too. Mrs. Lynde approached me as being the absolute worst of children. So some of her observations were more exaggerated than truthful. You can dream up how you think people talk or act. Did you know that Gilbert?" She asked him going off the subject some.
"You mean like in a story that you are writing? I can do that. We pretend we are characters from a book sometimes? Or our Fathers and other Relatives that sometimes annoy us? Is that what you mean?"
"Well, sort of. You know how people talk about someone they have never met before? They gather up what little is known about someone, from friends, relatives or neighbors, hoping to be able to recognize who this new person is right?"
"Right. So that is what you mean? About how Mrs. Lynde and Miss Cuthbert saw you at first?"
"Yes. Though they weren't expecting a girl at all. So I really was a complete mystery to them. Mrs. Lynde doesn't like surprises. I think they scare her some? So she looked for whatever news she could find out about orphans. Of course, newspaper only like to report tragedies it seems. So it isn't really the best source to look for all of your news about orphans. They made us all look so badly, it was all Mrs. Lynde had to report on and she definitely was expecting the worse from me." Anne said drawing in a breathe, than slowly exhaling to emphasize how frightful this can be.
"From the stories I have heard about you, I'd say she didn't feel too far from the truth. Though it is hard to believe you were so wild and ill-mannered? You had some education and you said you knew how to run a home properly from all of your chores, right?"
"Yes. I mean about my education and chores. No, I wasn't too wild. I did have a habit of looking for something new or interesting to think about when I was bored. I couldn't cook too much? I did have a lot to learn but I am a fast learner. I took baths and could braid my hair. It wasn't like I lived under the stairs or anything brutal like that. I just needed more of a formal education and more work with numbers. I didn't write much since things like paper and ink were scarce for children in those homes. At least it was for me."
"I'm sorry about all of that. I was kind of thinking that you might feel more comfortable outside? Having to do so many chores and running around like that? Are you really afraid of the dark?"
"Nothing really beyond just general safety and our well-being with all of these leaves blowing around out here. It's hard to hear if one of us gets hurt or lost. That's all."
"It's like I said then. If you stay on the trail and follow me, you won't get hurt. We don't have to climb any trees or rocks to get where we are going. I look forward to a bit of adventure once in awhile, don't you?" He offered up in a jolly tone.
"Ah, adventure. My life is starting to become one adventure after the next. I suppose I am starting to like living with a few of them on my own. Before now, most of my adventuring has been only in my imagination. Though living in other people's houses, is sort of an adventure? Though so far, I mean, before Green Gables, they weren't very exciting ones or ones I would like to repeat if given the choice to." She now sounded too gloomy for Gilbert's taste.
"I can understand why you feel that way. Tonight though, this adventure will be a fun one! It's not like we are moving in. We are only travelers on our way to a quaint Inn, where the weary can stop and chat for a while without too many interruptions."
"I haven't heard of many taverns that meet that description, Gilbert." Anne brought up wisely.
"Well, there will be no serving of the ale here, milady. So we should be able to keep our wits about us! Now though, lets get moving or we will never get out of this wretched wind storm." He smiled to himself. This will hopefully be enough to lure Anne on without anymore of her complaining. Why was it that girls always looked for reasons for things to go wrong? She'll never have any fun if she keeps this up he thought. Hopefully, he can cure her of this real soon!
"I just want to sit down somewhere dry and quiet. That will be enough for now." She answered but she didn't think that what she needed to talk to Gilbert about was going to allow him to keep his cheerful mood for very long. She only hoped she can make him understand why they needed to act like a Teacher and her Student. Nothing more. He has to understand this or she may have to resign her post. That would devastate Marilla, Anne thought to herself. It would further complicate her own future as well. Not to mention a blemish on her resume. Too much was at stake here for this to go on the way that it has for much longer.
Gilbert continued pushing on ahead, stepping easily over fallen tree branches, cluttered leaves, along with slippery surfaces of exposed rocks. Anne however wasn't doing as well. She, having to make her way down this path, wearing several layers of skirts, was more like teetering and toddling along, testing each step, hoping there was solid ground for her to stand on. Huge trees had toppled over, ones that Gilbert could step over with little trouble but she would have to maneuver over them, detaching whatever garment of hers would eventually get caught on branch stubble sticking up from these dead trees. Not to mention having to pick out decaying leaves or pine needles from shoes or stockings. It was quite a mess to have to endure. Yet, she didn't want to complain. She did it without much protest though. She didn't want to show any sort of fear or it would make her look weak and venerable. So she mumbled under her breathe over the nuisances caused by her often catching skirt hems and the effort it took to try to not tangle her hair against half fallen, dirty, sap stained branches.
"Gilbert, I can't keep walking through all of this. I thought you said this place was close by us?"
"Anne, we need to do this. We are close now"
"But it's getting too dark out and it's hard to walk around here." She first answered but then said, "Not that I can't do this. It is just harder for me to follow you. That's all." Correcting herself hoping he wouldn't label her a sissy.
Looking forward, she didn't notice a snow covered root sticking out from the ground. It caught her boot heel and she barely stopped her fall by grabbing desperately to the trunk of the nearby tree.
"Ouch!" She hollered out loud. "These cursed tree roots. They are just everywhere, around here, Gilbert!" She was reaching her point now of endurance it seemed.
"Wait, Anne. I'm sorry. I ..well..you don't seem to like too much help and most people don't like to be treated like a baby."
"I'm not a baby."
"No, I didn't mean that you were. Just, ... here .., let me take your hand."
"I rather just go back to the buggy. I can't believe I let you lead me out here on a night like this." Anne cried out scornfully.
"It's not as windy back here though. If you would just let me help you, I promise, we are very close to the place I was talking about."
"Promise?" She asked him childishly causing him to have to fight grinning cunningly at her.
"Promise. Now take my hand, I'm wearing gloves. You won't catch anything contagious." Now he had to smile because he could tell she was fighting her angry feelings about him.
"Fine. We need to get past all of this drama before it gets too out of hand." She shared, knowing these words would make him more sober.
"Drama, Anne? What do you mean, "drama". He stared over at her curiously.
"Are we there yet?" She just told him with a Cheshire cat smile.
"Almost. Let's go." Gil pulled on her hand and than braced his other one against her lower waistline as she tried to balance her way through the messy debris.
They only did have a couple of minutes to get to their location. First she had to cover her eyes quickly because as promised, the bright ray of the lighthouse's beaming across the landscape blinded her for a moment, causing her to pause. Gilbert tugged on her waist so she continued forward. As they walked around the huge rock, that shaded the light from their view earlier, she noticed ahead an unusual opening in the hill's face. It was mostly a rock formation with a deep groove cut into it from storms past. An over head Spruce Tree offered it some added shelter from the snow drifts as well as the biting, chilly winds, diverting their way through this cut up grove.
"There it is Anne. See? Isn't it a great spot? I bet you have passed it by and never even noticed it haven't you?" He presented it as if it was some great treasure to her with a bow.
"Your castle?" She asked him humorously.
"Our home away from home." He told her as he began to wipe around the rocky surface for anything dirty or impeding web like hangings that he knew would bother her if he didn't.
"It doesn't stand out much. That's true. I don't explore much out here because Diana doesn't like it very much."
"Why? It's cool on hot sunny days."
"Probably but she thinks it is haunted in these woods and I happen to think she might be right."
"Could be? Moody has never said anything about it. His family is one of the oldest ones out here on the Island and his Grandfather, the old Minister, tells lots of stories like that? I never got spooked out here though? Better for us than." He shrugged it off.
"Not if one of us gets hurt out here." Anne stopped to take in everything around them. It did have a nice outdoor type of scenery she noted. Lot's of trees and the sounds of little forest creatures scampering around is probably nice. When it isn't such a bad night out, that is. She was now imagining that any creature with any sense whatsoever, was cuddled safely into it's hollow or nest by now. Far from the stormy weather outside. She turned back to examine Gilbert's treasured hide out for further examination. It is sort of a stone fort. No wood or nails were built up to make the type of shelter most boys were typically known to make for such purposes as shelters she thought?
"Were all those rocks carved up like that? To make a sort of bench or did you do that yourself? It seems an odd sort of thing to just find." She said as she walked about trying to observe everything around it. " Especially in this location."
"We moved some of the larger stones over here ourselves. Flatter stones are found smoothed over by the river's flow. Nothing but stone would stand up against the really bad storms out here. This spot though isn't too bad in most storms." He explained as he started to clear away the dirt covered surfaces of the larger stones they had moved over in order to sit on.
"It's kind of wet out here." She stated seeing how dirt covered the seat was right now. It didn't look like they came to this spot very much?
"I know but stone walls block out the cold." He noted to her.
"And still dirty."
He noticed that she didn't look like she wanted to sit down even after the leaves were moved aside.
"I was trying to clear it off for us. Here, I just need to use some of this near by snow. I can wash off this dirt and here, that's better isn't it?" He asked her hopefully thinking only a girl would be so picky about things like that.
"You just used your coat sleeve to wipe off that rock."
"Sure! How else was I going to dry it off? Since you seemed so bothered by a little dirt. It's kind of cold out to use my shirt." He looked back at her grudgingly
"I suppose so. I have a heavy coat on. You didn't have to soil your coat sleeve to do that."
"I used the snow to wash it off with. Well, the sleeve will come clean, right? Just mostly water. Why did you want to talk to me? I mean earlier you said something was wrong?" He wondered concerned by her silence in front of Diana too? It has to be something really wrong.
"There is." Anne only sat for a moment and than rose from her stony seat to start pacing the snowy grounds. He noticed she had a habit of doing this when she was bothered about what she had to say. Gilbert just watched her wondering why did he go to all of this trouble if she won't sit down? Is she that nervous around him he wondered?
"Are you still mad at me? About school and all?"
"I'm not really mad at you, Gilbert. I just feel you don't understand why we have rules that we both need to follow." Anne checked back to gauge his reaction to her words.
"I know the, "rules" Anne. It's just, there are so many." He turned away, trying to hold back the frustration this topic brought up in him.
"That's true. I suppose, with all of our different cultures, backgrounds, well,..we aren't all raised the same way are we?"
"No, probably not. In my family, it's not so wrong to just touch someone's hand. Just like giving your Mother a hug, right?"
"I understand. It's not that it bothers me so much. It is just, other people don't understand."
"Why not?"
"Because, they just have their own set of rules, that's all. We both have to be more careful. Especially in front of older adults, Gilbert. Do you understand what I mean?"
"I understand, "busybodies", if that's what you mean?" He replied rebelliously.
"Oh, Gilbert. I don't know why everyone is making such a fuss? There is nothing to "fuss" about. Though in the position that I am in, I have to at least pretend I am more grown-up around them. Does that make some sense to you?"
"Yes, you have to be sharp and authoritative." He commented shortly.
"That bothers you?"
"You're my Teacher. I have to respect your rules. Still, you are my friend too? Aren't you?"
"I am."
"Then what is so wrong that I care about you?"
"You said it already, Gilbert. I am your Teacher. That doesn't make us really equals now does it?"
"Equal? Why does that matter?"
"It matters because I have to keep my position of authority. In order to do that and to assure the trust of my Student's Parents, I need to keep strict boundaries."
"So you don't even get to make your own choices any longer? How is that fair?"
"I made my choice when I chose to be the Teacher here in Avonlea. I need to set up better barriers in our classroom. I hope you can understand why it is important that you follow those rules. My Seniors have a very important test ahead of them and it is my job to make sure they learn what they need to so that they can pass that test."
"I'm doing my homework, Anne? I was getting worried that you might change your mind about tutoring. I was afraid that was what you were having trouble talking to me about. I know, I can't ask my Parents to pay for your help. They are still getting over the time my Father and I had to go away. I will though pay you in kind of course." He spoke to her quickly, trying to say everything he thought that he ought to, to make this work out for him.
"Gilbert, money isn't the problem. I want to help you catch up. I was behind too and Miss Stacey was so kind in helping me catch up with the class. I'll help you as much as I can. I promised, didn't I?" Anne looked over at him sensing how humiliated he must feel over this disadvantage being held against him. She knew teasing was too unkind when it was something that couldn't be avoided.
"Thank you for understanding, Anne. I'll do whatever you ask me to do to help out. What days can I come over to start my tutoring? Now that it is starting to really snow, I'm sure you can use my help, keeping the paths clear and helping your Man with the cattle."
"That we do. Is Saturday a good day for you?"
"Oh, no, Anne. Saturday is really busy. I help my Father, than I do some work for my Uncle. Malcomb won't be coming home this Winter break and I can earn some extra money helping out. It's my duty as it is. He helped my Parents a lot when my Father and I were away before. There is also Hockey Practice. I have to at least go there some of the time. They need the help." He told her rubbing the back of his neck absent- mindedly.
"So it seems. I would rather it not be on a Friday. Than can you come over on Thursday?"
"I suppose. I should come over on Tuesday as well. Wednesday might be better though? What day do you put out laundry?"
"Wednesday, so all of the ironing is done by Friday. What's wrong with Tuesday?"
"I just think you are outside more when you do your laundry. You will need more help outside on those days since you have more to do outside that day."
"Perhaps. Elbow deep in dirty laundry isn't usually the best time to work with a pen and paper." She resolved.
"I am suppose to be the one doing the writing. Just write down what I need to do beforehand. I will only need to bother you when I get stuck. So I won't be interfering any, I promise."
"We will see how that works out."
Suddenly a harsh whiplash of swirling snowflakes, leaves and sticks, struck Anne unexpectedly, causing her to fall forward, seeking the shelter of the boy's make shift fort.
"Here, Anne." He instinctively jumped up to grab onto her arm to steady her so that she wouldn't fall down on her face.
She had slipped down to her knees from the winds forceful sweep. Gilbert lifted his arm up as she rose, so that she could steady herself, in case she hurt herself from falling. Anne was a little bruised but she was able to regain her footing well enough to stand. She than took her hand quickly off of his arm, as if it was almost on fire, once she noticed she was still holding onto him.
"Don't be so afraid. I won't bite you, you know. There is no one out here to tell on us. Even the birds are hiding in their nests" He reported, thinking she is getting too jumpy over all of this and ruining their fun. He knew it wasn't her fault but it still bugged him that everyone else was interfering too much when they should worry about their own mixed up lives. Once she let him loose, he instinctively removed his heavy coat to pull over her shivering shoulders. He than grabs her up close, for now he really did fear her getting frostbite because her clothes looked sort of wet.
"Gilbert, please! Let go of me and put your coat back on. Don't be so silly." She tried to wiggle out of Gilbert's coat but he held it firmly in place.
"Sure, Anne. Don't be so whiny. I don't want you get frostbite. If you would sit down here, maybe you can avoid falling down long enough for us to finish talking out here?" Letting go of her, he put his coat down to cover the seat since he could feel earlier that it was cold. She might not like that. It would be worse now that she was wet too. Then he moved to take back his seat on the rocky surface behind them.
"What did you say?" She asked him, more shocked by his accusation, than just annoyed at him.
"Nothing."
"Good. Now I don't need your coat to sit on. Please, go ahead and put it back on. It's really cold out here tonight." She instructed him but he resisted but than gave in when she wouldn't stop staring at him obnoxiously.
"I was just trying to help, Anne. Besides, I'm not really cold. I have my suit coat, this vest, shirt, undershirt. You are wetter than I am, so don't worry about it. Just tell me why are you so worried about everything?" Gilbert was now staring intently at her, causing her to want to look away from his gaze but resisting the urge to do so.
"Superintendent Bell, for instance."
"What does he have to do with this?"
"He oversees all of my work, Gilbert. This is what I was trying to help you understand. Why must you always challenge me?" She asked him finally taking the seat next him. Mostly out of exhaustion from the days hard work. She felt utterly defeated though in having to do this.
"Did he fire you, Anne?" Gilbert turned abruptly to see her face more clearly with this question.
"No, of course not."
"That's good." He looked really relieved when she said this.
"If he did, I don't think I could even talk to you about it. Well, in a nice way." She answered him, than turned to sit more sideways on this bench, pulling up her legs to huddle more away from the cold air outside of this make shift fort of his. She also didn't want him to scrutinize everything she had to tell him. At least it was easier to say if he wasn't staring at her when she said it to him. He's so dramatic she thought to herself.
" I didn't do anything really wrong. I wish folks would just leave us alone."
"It doesn't work that way. Just follow the rules. Like you have been told to do."
"Which ones? I keep getting them confused it seems." He genuinely looked unsure of himself this time.
"The ones I tell you that you have to follow."
He than leaned his head back until it touched the surface wall behind his head. He was stressed over all this gossiping. These, "rules" wouldn't even matter if it wasn't for them. It seemed like these problems were never going to go away.
"Gilbert? Are you through now? I'm starting to fall asleep." Anne mumbled quietly. Her eyes were blinking and she absently turned to her side, feeling uncomfortable on the cold stone seat. She placed her hand on Gilbert's chest and he froze in shock. She must really be gone to do this. In public? What was it she was saying about touching her hand? He didn't dare say a thing though about it because he was afraid she didn't realize what she was doing?
It wasn't that he minded her doing this. With her bulky coat wrapped around her it wasn't anything he could really brag about he acknowledged reluctantly. He still decided whatever was causing her to do such an intimate thing, still meant something to him. Maybe she was starting to trust him, just a little bit? Maybe that wasn't too wise of her to do considering how much he really felt for her. Despite his doubts though he brought his right arm down slowly, so that he could hold her closer and keep warm. He started to lean down his head against hers but quickly changed his mind when he felt a sharp sting from an offending hair comb. Girls have all kinds of lines of defense he thought strangely. He just settled back once again, against the wall and decided he was content enough to keep her right here the way that she was now.
"Anne? Anne, you can't fall asleep here." He mentioned nervously down to her. What would he do if they both feel asleep here? The scandal would be just awful!
"Um..hum? What Gilbert? We really must be going soon. I'm so tired." She spoke but he didn't want to lose her just yet. Maybe now was the time to ask her about skating at the Carnival?
"Would you ever consider Ice Skating with me? I..mean just for practice. To see if maybe we can work as a team?" There! He finally got it all out. He didn't really think she would bother to do it but maybe, for practice? It was worth the reprimand and here, no one else would know he even asked her about it.
"What? No, of course not. What would people say?"
"Who cares, Anne?"
"I have a bad ankle."
"I know. I have been practicing so that I can help you skate with that."
"How?"
"Easy. I just have to make up routines that won't hurt it, that's all."
"That's all?"
"I'm strong enough to lift you and I'm fast too. I have to pick you up all of the time these days it seems, doesn't it?"
"Why does that matter? I'm the one with the bad ankle. Just more proof of why it is not a wise choice to do."
"I can pick you up off of your ankle. If it starts to hurt. Besides, you just use your better leg more. I have hurt my leg enough times. Getting hit with hockey sticks is part of the game. Not to mention those ornery bulls in the fields."
"The cattle I can understand. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't. You boys fight too much between each other."
"It's not my fault. So you really can't?"
"No. I told you this before Gilbert. I have too much to do that day. I'm in charge of overseeing all of you. If something does go wrong, and it always does, at least for me that is, I have to fix it."
"I helped you at the Concert, didn't I?" He reminded her.
"Let's not bring that up again, please."
"I did though. I wasn't even bad. You still don't trust me Anne?"
"Please don't make this harder on me, Gilbert." She spoke back in response.
"I'm not trying to Anne." He confessed wearily though he couldn't help but acknowledge that Anne's head was resting on his shoulder again.
"So, do you have to skate in this event? It isn't required that you do?" She moved her head around, pulling her hat closer to cover her ears better because of the chill. Now she felt she had to look up to see his reaction to her question this time. "I'm not that talented a skater, Gilbert." She offered as a quick excuse.
"It's just for practice. Have you ever skated with a partner before?" He wondered. Maybe she was more social at Queens than he thought?
"No, not really. I'm so busy. I wouldn't be very reliable for practice. With the twins and all. Have you asked Diana yet? She might skate with you?"
"No. It wouldn't work. We are too close in height."
"It's just for practice you said?"
"I know but Diana and I are friends. I just don't think it is a good idea." He didn't want to tell her that his school chums would talk too much and he didn't want to hurt her feelings any.
"I see. What about Julia or maybe Josie? I'm sure Josie would love to practice with you?" Anne answered him, trying not to giggle over the image of these two trying to practice in her head at the moment. She was just teasing him humorously but not trying to be cruel. Gilbert though didn't quite take it that way.
"Anne? Didn't I just have trouble with her over the Play? Besides, she and Moody are a match. I think? Besides since when did you think so well of Miss Pye? You seemed pretty upset over my bringing her out to the Sands?" He struck back at her defensively.
"Since when? It doesn't matter right now. I've been told Moody and Josie are just chums but they did act like it might be more? Really, Gilbert, they are children. You just said practice."
"I know. I was just thinking since we live so close to each other, you might not mind. It's fine though, if you are busy." He gave in. This might be too soon anyways he reasoned to ask.
"I'm sorry. I just don't have the time to do anything more." Anne tried to sound like she really was sorry to disappoint him.
"I like to go out early in the morning to practice skating when I have to get up early. If you get up early, you can just come out too. If you ever want to."
"Thank you for offering Gilbert. I'm sure Charlie wants as many people who can skate to help support his event. So don't worry about hurting my feelings, if you have to ask someone else, it won't." Anne offered him so that he understood he isn't obligated to her in any other way. He might have thought no one would ask her to skate and was trying to be polite?
"Thank you, Anne. There really wasn't anyone else I felt I could skate with. It isn't important, really." He sounded defeated but he didn't think it would really work.
He grew quiet for the moment and Anne started to doze off. As she did, a funny thought came to mind and she started to laugh.
"What's so funny, Anne? You're falling asleep again." Gilbert looked down at her startled by her laughter.
"Oh, I was just imagining if we really did try to skate together. With my bad ankle, we would have to dress-up as clowns!"
"That's different, Anne. Why do we have to be clowns? I told you I can help you skate with a bad ankle. I don't get it?"
"It's very simple. You see, I told you I can get clumsy at times. If I mis-stepped, surely everyone will laugh at us and think we were doing it on purpose! So at least, dressed as clowns, people will laugh at my terrible skating but I can say that I was doing it on purpose!" She laughed again as she imagined them dressed up as clowns. She had bent forward at first, when she started to cover her laughter but than sat up abruptly, hitting her head against Gilbert's arm behind her. He didn't miss that she still had those annoying combs holding up the back of her hair. Adding her making fun of their skating together, his mood was becoming a little grim.
"Ow, Anne, watch those combs in your hair! That's the second time I got stabbed by them." He told her and she leaned her hand on his leg to look back at where his arm was. He looked down at her hand and she promptly removed it from his leg. Than she grabbed onto his extended arm and placed it neatly to his side.
"If you kept your hands to yourself, you wouldn't get hurt. There now, you should be safe from my hair ornaments for now." She looked up at him satisfied with his look of disapproval at her comments.
"I was just trying to keep you warm. You didn't complain so I didn't think I was doing anything improper. You are so good at telling me not to do this or that." He reminded her smartly.
"How could I be so daft? Please forgive me for my ignoring my sacred duty." She snapped back at him.
"I wasn't trying to start a fight, Anne. Dressing up as clowns isn't that bad of an idea? It could be fun? I guess?" He wasn't too sure he wanted everyone laughing at him in public like that? He just wanted to skate with her. If she agreed to do it, than it could end all this fighting he has had to put up with from Charlie. He wasn't sure either if Moody really didn't like her as well? What a mess this all has been! Still, she was right? Being clowns would protect him from Anne's sometimes unpredictable behavior? It was better than having her skate with Charlie!
"Don't worry. You know I can't skate as a couple with a student of mine? It was just a silly dream. I told you I was getting tired."
"I'd do it. If you agreed to be my partner?" He decided though it didn't seem romantic at all to him.
"I already told you, Gilbert. I'm not going to skate in that event and why. I was just playing around with you." She laughed but noticed that he just looked up to the roof in quiet frustration. What could she do? He knew the rules as well as she did.
"Here, why don't you let me move my arm around. The rock isn't comfortable." He lifted his arm up to try and settle her head against his chest too, hoping she would just lean more against it. It looked like her head might be hurting her right than. She's so stubborn though.
"I'm fine this way. You really don't need to do that. We should be going. It is nice out here. I admit it. More and more I am finding I prefer to be outdoors rather than indoors it seems?"
"It depends on where I am. Here? It is nice. Homes can get awfully crowded sometimes. Especially when it gets cold out."
"That's true. Some days are like that."
"So, if you won't or can't skate with me at the Carnival, could you maybe at least help me practice some?"
"Why do you need to "practice" if you don't have a partner?"
"I suppose not."
Anne started to move around again because she was still uncomfortable so Gilbert just reached around, slipping his arm behind her head once again offering her head more support. She lifted her head up in protest but than gave in, in defeat. He was just going to object and than make her feel guilty if she moved away from him. Again.
"There. That is better, isn't it? I know I am a guy but I'm your friend so don't complain. I'm not going to do anything wrong. I need your help so that I can catch up. So why would I ruin that?" He spoke up quickly, hoping he had convinced her that this meant nothing to him when he knew better himself.
"I'm not trying to be so trite. I need this job. I told Marilla I would earn my way to Redmond and I don't mind the work at all."
"And I am not trying to get you into trouble, Anne. I just want to help out some. It helps Miss Cuthbert too! My Father would do more but I don't want to make his health any worse than it already is. You understand, right?"
"I'm trying to Gilbert. I just want to go to College. I don't want to be a burden on Marilla anymore than I have to be. She has done so much for me already. I need to be able to look out for myself. Miss Stacey does and she has achieved so much for herself. I know if I work hard, I can do well too. Can we go home now? I said all that I have to tonight. Hopefully we can be friends without my having to lose my job." Anne rested back against Gilbert's arm now, remembering how nice it was when Matthew held her as a child. She still felt uncomfortable some, doing this. She couldn't reason why it was? Still, she wasn't quite ready to give up this friendship she had with Gilbert just yet. Most children had fathers or brothers to lean on. She didn't have a brother and he didn't have any sisters, so adopting each other wasn't such a bad thing she tried to reason in her now aching head.
"You could tell me what needs to be done around the Farm? I mean besides rustling the cattle. I better not get in his way too much or he'll tell my Father about it." Gilbert made up, not wanting to let go of Anne now that he had her leaning against him finally.
He noticed his heart started to beat a lot faster, as it did before. Hopefully, Anne couldn't tell the difference. That always happened whenever she got close to him now? He wasn't nervous?
"We could use more wood chopped for the Winter? Check out the barn hinges for rusting? The attic still creaks? I can't figure out why? The Wintertime is a good time to go over the field equipment as well? I'm not sure how much you know about those sort of things?" She answered him but he could tell, she was really fighting to stay awake.
"I know quite a bit but I can ask Fred if I'm not sure about something."
"Fred? You two are very close?" Anne wondered, remembering he was rather nice to her in the past.
"Yes, we are. He is working his own Farm now. He'll work at something wrong until he gets it solved. It's a pain sometimes. I hardly see him but if my Father can't figure something out, he'll bug Fred and Fred always fixes it?"
"That helps. Did he go to Queens?"
"No. For some oddball reason, he always wanted to be a Farmer. I suppose, so did I once. Than my Father got sick and we had to move away. I didn't like it at first but I got use it. I have relatives in Alberta, so we visited them a few times in the Summer, before Harvest."
"So you know you don't want to be a Farmer? What will you do?" Her curiosity was now intrigued.
"I don't know yet? My Father doesn't care if I go to Queens. He thinks a good education is important. He isn't keen on Redmond. That's all."
"Why is that?"
"I say he still thinks I should be a Farmer. When I mentioned going to Redmond some day, my Mother told me not to speak to my Father about it again."
"Than maybe that is wise for right now. Since you aren't sure what you want to do, it is probably the wisest choice."
"But I am going to Redmond, Anne."
"You know that for sure? How so?"
"I just do. I learn fast. You say so too! Charlie is going to Redmond. I know that is true. Moody, he is afraid of everything. He says he won't but he says the same about Queens. His Mother says he is and if she says so, I know he can't get out of it."
"Why is she making him go? I don't understand?"
"His Grandfather is a Minister. Oh, he's retired now but his Mother says, Moody is going to be one as well."
"I see. What does his Father say about this?"
"He says, Moody is going to be a Carpenter, just like he is."
"Does this cause some problems at home between the two of them?" Anne was amused at this but also felt it was important to know this so she could help Moody become a better student.
"They never get along. Never did as much as I can remember? Though they don't fight much. You know, throw the dishes around like some of those Pye's might do. No, they just say what they want to say and than pretend they don't hear what the other one has to say. At least that is how I see it?"
"So what does Moody really want to do with his life? Does he know?"
"Nope. How could he? His older brother gets the Farm, so Moody has to do something different. Unless he wants everyone to boss him around all of the time."
"He is still very young. Mrs. Lynde thinks my going to Redmond is still very foolish. Though some days, she is in agreement with me? That's kind of amusing. As long as it makes Avonlea look good, I'm forgiven for wanting to be more responsible. Even though I am just a girl."
"Not too many girls around here go to College? None that I know of?"
"In the Cities, many girls go on to College. Miss Stacey told me so."
"I guess she would know?"
"Gilbert? Oh my! How long do you think we have been out here?" She got up as if violently awakened from a deep sleep.
"Not too long? I think?"
"Long enough! Come on now, get up! I know we left a little early tonight but others will say when we left and we will have to answer for this time we spent out here."
"I already figured that out now, Anne. The wind got to be too much for my horses to run in. So we had to stop and wait awhile for the weather to pass by. I just used the time to go over the buggy to make sure everything was tightened up. There were a lot of rocks on the road. Thanks to all of this wind. That can cause accidents or throw the horses off of the road if stepped on wrongly"
"They would still wonder why wait? It could have gotten even worse out?"
"I can say a branch fell, if you think that is a better story?"
"No. It's common enough but we would have a harder time explaining how we were able to move it out of our way? Sometimes, stormy weather makes a horse harder to manage on the road. They won't like it but it is a reasonable explanation. We would just be omitting some of the details, rather than just lying instead."
"That is easier to remember."
"Yes, that's right. We had to have this conversation. I know, you were right. If I tried to bring this up at home, someone would misunderstand what really happened at the Bell's house tonight. I have enough speculation going on at home right now."
"So do I.. than don't stay mad at me. I really am not trying to make you upset. I like talking to you. It gets so boring at home. If I tell Dad I'm bored, he tells me to go shovel out the Barn. Mother tells me to read a book but I have read everything worth reading over and over again."
"So it is time for you to start your tutoring? I know how you feel. Well, now, I'm never bored. I do miss my friends from Queens though. We do write to each other but it isn't the same thing as being together."
"No, I guess not."
"Come along now, Gilbert. We both have a lot of work ahead of us. I completely forgot that Marilla might be back by now. I miss her so much and I want to have some hot water ready if she makes it back home tonight. It's been such frightful weather out here lately." Anne stated as they wove in and around the path leading back to where they had left the buggy and horses before.
"I've been in worse weather. Father said it should just huff and puff some tonight. He didn't feel it was a very serious storm or he wouldn't have let me out with the horses. I mean, I'm a good driver. I know my way around here but in a really heavy snowstorm, no one can get around here. Some folks have driven themselves right over a cliff. They broke an axle over a fallen tree limb or their horses got spooked and went out of control. You have to really know your horses in really bad weather if you don't want to get hurt."
"That's true. I don't think I'd take any of ours out if the weather was too harsh. That's why I didn't drive to the School Board Meeting for approval over the Carnival."
"Good choice. You got to meet up with Fred too. He's a nice sort."
"He is."
Gilbert looked around outside and noticed that the wind was dying down finally. The thought of having to leave Anne tugged hard on his heart but he could already imagine the lecture his Mother was saving up for him when he finally got home. "Here, Anne. I need to get up now. If we don't leave now, Miss Cuthbert may never let me bring you home again."
"Let's get on back then to Green Gables." Anne stopped the conversation at that. She could see that Gilbert really worshiped this Fred Wright? She hardly knew him but Diana had told her that her Father grew up with theirs. Diana couldn't say that she knew him very well? She said he didn't talk very much? So Anne wasn't sure what kind of influence he had over Gilbert yet?
It didn't matter that much. As they made their way back to drop her off she started to wonder just what it would be like having two younger children under foot? Marilla had such a time with her. Mrs. Lynde's stories about her own children sometimes frightened Anne. Though Marilla became more confident and Matthew was looking out for her she wanted to believe. So maybe everything will work out for the good? She hoped so since she discovered more each day, how much she missed being in school herself. Such interesting people and no limit to how much you can learn if you were willing to do the work.
She looked out towards where the deep waters laid beyond the distant bluffs. She could only see the edges of the cliffs, not the Ocean itself that was below them. The storm had rushed past them but still it was too dark now to see any further out away from the shore. It didn't matter right than. She could remember it all, as if it was right there in front of her. It was the restlessness though that was tugging on her skirt's hem. Always drawing her away from her home. She couldn't explain her longings? There was just more things in life she felt that she needed to understand before she was going to be quite able to make any serious plans with the rest of her life. Others didn't seem to have this dilemma she observed but Miss Stacey had assured her, when she was ready, the path ahead of her would be an easy journey to follow.
