It wasn't a very long drive back to Anne's Farmhouse but they were quiet on their way back. The storm was in a lull, for the time being but the road was covered with loosened branches, broken rocks, with all types of fallen foliage scattered in clumps along the road. Still the wind was cold outside. These two travelers were happy to see smoke rising from the chimneystack as Gilbert brought his buggy around the turn towards the back entrance of Green Gables.

"Hey there! Are you Anne?" A sandy haired boy shouted out as the screened door went swinging back and forth behind him in the wind.

"Whoa boys! Move away before you get trampled on!" Gilbert yelled out when the boy ran too close to his halting horses. Gilbert was forced to have to rise to his feet, pulling hard left on the reigns, trying not run into the boy or panic the horses with his presence.

His lead horse still buckled up, causing the buggy to lurch forward and than back sharply. Than it just stopped.

"Oohh!" Anne shouted out, after being tossed forward and than thrown back harshly against her buggy seat. "You said you would get me home in one piece, Gilbert."

"We're home. At least, you're home that is. I still might not make it back in one piece! And no! I'm not Anne! Don't you know better than to run up to a moving buggy?" Gilbert called out sternly while he reached over to help Anne get her footing once more.

"I know better! My laces came loose while I was running out and I had to go forward or I would have fell on my face! That's what!" He answered back with a snotty reply.

"Well, luckily, we weren't moving that fast but that sure woke me up! Gilbert, thank you. I can stand up. Now, I'm Anne and this is Gilbert. Are you, David? David Keith, right?" Anne asked as she pushed the falling hair out of her befuddled face.

"You got that right! Doesn't this guy know how to steer a couple of horses?" He asked her angrily.

"I can, "steer" just fine. Miss Cuthbert though would probably yell at me if I brought you back inside in a heap." Gilbert told him just as angry, hopping down to plant his feet firmly on the ground. Just as quickly as he landed, he turned to catch Anne as she too followed his lead.

"Gilbert! What!?! She shouted out at him in surprise.

"What? I almost missed you! Couldn't you wait one moment while I checked on my lead horse? The way he's snorting about, he might have brought the buggy backwards and that would have really hurt!" He proclaimed as he stared at her intensely, looking seriously, into those now gray eyes he had come to admire. Though he honestly preferred them when they were green and a lot more friendly.

"Go tend to your horses! I can see they are upset. I can take care of myself. Now put me down." She ordered him but he wasn't sure he wanted to just yet.

The boy came right up to Gilbert just than and he kicked him in the shin. Gilbert almost used Anne as a hockey stick, just swinging her around some so she wouldn't get hit by this crazy boys temper.

"You put her down, you worm! Right now, I said!" He spit out but this time Gilbert was ready and he stepped aside and laughed when Davy's foot struck the wheel spoke instead of his long legs.

"Please put me down now? This isn't a game." Anne asked him and he set her down this time once he felt it was safe enough for her to avoid getting hit.

"You didn't say, "please"."

"I didn't ask or wait for your assistance either." She said trying to sort out her skirts so that she could walk around.

"You know the rules, Anne. If I have to follow good manners, so do you." He reminded her with a silly grin.

"We are late getting back. I just wanted to get inside and I knew you had to calm down the horses."

"Still, we need to set a good example. Already I can tell this one will keep everyone here busy with lessons for months to come." Gilbert looked back at Davy to make his point.

"Don't talk about me that way! So, you are Anne right? You live here?" He asked her again. He heard Aunt Marilla talk to them about this,"Anne" who was to live with them. She wasn't there to greet them when they came home? He had a million questions for her, since Miss Cuthbert didn't seem at all interested in all the things he wanted to know about. After the fifth one, she finally told him to ask Anne. She knew more about these things than she did and liked to talk almost as much he did. So ever since than he had been jumping at any hopeful sound of her returning home. His eyes grew suspicious when she arrived with this boy besides her. Who was he and why didn't Marilla talk him with them? Seemed awfully peculiar to him and he wanted to know why?

"I am Anne Shirley and I do live here. Yes." She answered him back while she tried to bundle up her long hair behind her back. "Now, as you can see, I'm a mess and my hair has come completely undone. So if you don't mind, I would like to go inside and try to pull myself back together the best that I can." Anne announced causing Gilbert to look back at her to reply.

"I think it looks fine when it is all down around your face. Too bad you can't wear it that way more often." He offered, admiring how lovely its' red highlights looked, reflecting the light from the evening sky.

"Who cares what you think, Gilllbbert. You aren't Married to this guy, are you? Marilla would have told us so, if you were, right? He sure doesn't have any manners. Not at all!" Davy turned to him to stick out his tongue, causing Gilbert to lunge forward as if he was going to grab him, to pounce on him for saying that.

"Don't you dare! I'd get you back if try to hit me. Or my Aunt would whip you with a switch I bet! She looks tough enough to me!" Davy threaten Gilbert again.

"No, I'm not Married." Anne answered him back amazed at his boldness."Marilla would not lie to you about anything and no, he isn't my boyfriend either, so don't start spreading rumors." She told him seriously.

"I didn't say that he was. You need better friends, that's what I think." He told her squinting his eyes back at Gilbert defensively.

"I don't think it was worth my having to toss you about, Anne. I should have just ran him over. It would have done everyone else some good." Gilbert stated causing Anne to just glare over at him as a warning while she yanked up Davy's hand to drag him with her into the house.

"You better not kick her boy or I'll tie you up to a tree, do you hear me?" Gilbert hollered back at him while he finished unhitching one of his horses to lead them to a nearby water trough.

"I'm not going to kick a girl. Unless she kicks me first. I'm Davy Keith and my sister, Dora, is still inside the house. Probably hiding from that old Mrs. Lynde. That's her name right? So if Gilbert is just your friend, how come he is carrying you all around like that? Boys don't touch girls like that unless you got hurt. Are you hurt, Anne? Is it really painful?" Davy finally stopped talking and gave Anne a chance to answer him back.

"I don't think that he's going to kick me, Gilbert."

"He better not. I was just being a Gentleman, Mr. Keith. Something you may still need a few lesson on?" Gilbert stated glaring back at this ornery child. Gilbert's seriousness though made Anne laugh at the silliness of the situation. He however felt it important to make a point, so he grabbed onto Anne's elbow to let her know that this was an important lesson he needed to learn by example. So she covered her mouth and tried to calm herself down for Gilbert's sake.

"I'm sorry, Gilbert. He is something, isn't he? If Marilla caught you talking to guests like that David, you would be stuck in your room for a week. I'd learn to control my temper better if I was you, Mr. Keith." Anne scolded him while Davy fought to keep his eyes on what Gilbert was doing outside behind him.

"Anne, is that you? Davy, did you run out of that back door after I told you not to?" Marilla met them at the door and took Davy's hand abruptly from Anne's own.

"That boy there is going to be a handful, Anne. If he doesn't learn how to listen, we'll just have to tie him to a rope like a dog, that's what!" Mrs. Lynde added causing both Anne and Marilla's eyes to meet in shocked surprise.

"I think she means it Davy." Anne spoke to him in a quiet tone this time and he looked over at Rachel with a fearful look in his eyes.

"She will not. Though you will find yourself cleaning out stalls and the chicken coop all day if you can't follow my orders. I run things right around here and you would do well to listen to me and do as I say." Marilla instructed him before letting go of his small hand from her own.

"Yes, ma'me. I was only going out to see what was taking Anne so long to get here? You didn't tell me some boy was bringing her home tonight. For all I knew, he was some pesky peddler or tramp coming to steal us blind!" Davy claimed while the group of ladies listened unimpressed.

"He could also have been Reverend Allan for that matter. You would be ashamed to greet him in such a shameful manner, David. From now on, you wait until people get into the door and introduce themselves. We greet our own guests here not you." Rachel told him and he just looked away in disgust. She'll feel differently if he was a real pirate come to steal her china or eat up all of her food! He was sure of it!

"Just move along to the Parlor, David. I need to get things done in the Kitchen here and you are getting in my way." Marilla pushed him toward the doorway, while Anne moved toward the window to see how Gilbert was doing outside.

Once she was sure he looked like he could find what he needed outside, Anne turned back into the Kitchen to help put together a few things for him to eat before leaving for his home.

"I must admit, I was rather surprised to see that it was Gilbert Blythe that was steering that buggy, Anne. You were gone all day, so Rachel tells me." Marilla stated as she filled a pot for tea.

"Yes, unfortunately. I am so tired, Marilla. It's nice to see you back home. I was hoping to be here when you came back but unfortunately you made it home first." Anne explained while she reached into the drawer for some silverware to serve their guest with.

"I was surprised not to see you here. How are the Payne's doing? Rachel told me you had to visit them unexpectedly? I hope you didn't stay too long. Mrs. Payne, so I have heard, is in a very bad way, Anne."

"I'm afraid so. Mr. Payne didn't show up to pick up, Alice after-school, today. Marilla, she was so frightened that something went terribly wrong at home and the weather was looking so gloomy. I just couldn't risk her getting hurt on her way home. When I arrived, Mr. Payne hadn't returned and his hired girl, well! She hasn't much of an idea of how things should be run, so I had to step in some. Just so that Alice and her family could have a decent meal and she could learn how to wash her clothes." Anne said frustrated just trying to remember her very long, tiring day.

"You do too much, Anne. Why did you go to the Bell's house, after all of that work? Rachel told me it was just some rehearsal for the Children's Play? That could have been postponed for better circumstances." She reasoned as she set out the proper plates and Anne followed her with the silverware.

"I would have, Marilla. You are right. It was a lot to do in one day. Unfortunately, a few of my students thought they could step in and change some of the roles in our Play. Without my permission. So I had to straighten that out. Than, I had an encounter with Superintendent Bell while I was there. That was very unexpected, I assure you." Anne stopped there, taking another look out the nearby window, hoping Gilbert would keep busy while she talked first to Marilla. She didn't want him to overreact either to anything Mr. Bell might have said or volunteer too much information to Marilla either.

"I'm not at all surprised, Anne. Rachel told me that the boys in your class were misbehaving and the girls too were causing a ruckus. You cannot let your students get the upper hand now Anne. I have told you this many times before." She looked at her seriously. Anne continued to place folded napkins under the silverware, hoping some words of wisdom would come to her to calm Marilla's fears, as well as her own.

"Yes, you did and you have taught me about good discipline. I'm trying my best. The children are doing much better on their test scores. With so many different ages to teach and most of them do know me in town, it's been a challenge. We knew this assignment though would be, right?" Anne asked for some recognition.

"We did indeed. Mr. Bell, he wasn't too cross with you now, was he?"

"Oh, no! Not at all. He was professional, of course, in his dialog. He just needed some reassurance, Marilla, that's all it was. I told him my plans on helping the Seniors advance onto their final exam."

"That's good. He shouldn't doubt your methods, Anne. Though you do have some strange ways of going about things at times. It's best to stick to the basics and do what is expected of you for your job."

"You are right. Though for the Seniors to pass the Queens Exam, many of them were behind in their studies, it will take some doing. No fault of Miss Stacey's, I assure you. Some of my students missed a lot of school or didn't study what they were instructed to do. I can report though that their attitudes have changed drastically and I feel they now are coming to understand the rewards of getting a higher education." She mentioned to her proudly of this vital achievement.

"It's about time. Do you think Gilbert is very hungry? You should bring out that basket of muffins I left on the shelf in the cupboard, Anne." Anne went into the pantry, looked around some before finding a covered basket that must be what Marilla was asking for?

Just as she placed the basket of muffins on the table to uncover, Gilbert made his way up to the back door to come inside.

"Come inside now, Gilbert. Get out of this cold air for a while." Marilla suggested as he stepped through the door and carefully removed his hat and coat to hang up by the door.

"Oh, Marilla? I agreed to tutor Gilbert this Winter. I know, we are all very busy but he is too far behind right now for his age to catch up with the class on his own." Anne stated to her cautiously.

"Here, Gilbert, you can use this towel to dry your hands with." Anne held out the towel in her hand and they both looked at each other apprehensively, waiting on Marilla's reply.

Gilbert leaned forward to whisper softly. "She doesn't know yet, Anne?" He looked back at her questioningly.

"No. So much has been going on lately. Please, just take a seat. I'll serve you something hot. Please?" She pleaded but could sense that he wished he didn't have to hear all of this right now after a long drive in stormy weather. Anne had hoped that seeing Gilbert in person would make it harder for her to object to her reasoning.

"This can't be avoided right now, Anne? You have too much to attend to already. It isn't a very good time. Especially if the Superintendent is watching you carefully also." She stared at Anne with a stern expression on her face. One Anne knew well and feared often.

"He is, Anne? Not because of me, is it?" Gilbert looked at her with honest concern in his eyes.

"Don't be silly, Gilbert. I told you Marilla, that Mr. Bell agreed with me. I was the best qualified to help Gilbert catch up with his studies. No one else here in Avonlea understands the curriculum used at Queens as well as I can. Gilbert had already made a lot of progress on his own. If he wasn't serious about doing this work, I wouldn't invest the time needed to help him catch up."

"I would hope not Anne. Gilbert, you better take your studies seriously. Already there has been some talk of even your misbehaving in the classroom. Anne has worked hard to gain this position of great responsibility. I will not see her suffer a poor report because you boys don't know how to behave like proper gentlemen. I think I will invite the Reverend and his Wife over for our Tea Party, Anne. It might be a good time for him to remind these boys how to behave like young gentlemen, when attending your classes." She said to Anne but looked mostly at Gilbert. A little impressed to see him stare down at his plate. Hopefully in guilty reflection over the way he has behaved in the past. Though Gilbert himself was praying that she didn't interfere with his tutoring or make it difficult for him to see Anne. A lecture from Reverend Allan? Wasn't his Mother's chiding enough?

"He really has been helpful, Marilla. I am already dealing with the problems he brought up with me, so you have no need to worry so much." Anne reassured her calmly but with a firm resolve in her words.

"I hope so, Anne. Anne, where are my other muffins? I was standing right here and I know they didn't just disappear in front of me." She looked over at her for some sort of explanation.

"There was only one left in the basket? Were you expecting there to be more?" Anne asked her confused now but growing concerned.

"Of course there were. Why I counted them myself, Anne. There were three left, when I put them away. I'm sure of it."

"Miss Cuthbert, really, I'm not very hungry. I can split this one with Anne, if she is hungry? They are very big and Anne shared one with Moody and I before. Half is really enough. With this bowl of fruit and some tea." He pointed out as he quickly took up his table knife to cut the muffin into two.

"No, don't bother, Gilbert. Really I'll be fine with this chilled fruit. I ate dinner at the Payne's and we had food at the Bell's as well. Diana brought her lovely cherry tarts, didn't she Gilbert?"

"She did indeed. I must have eaten two, no, probably three at least! They are one of my favorites." He added to boost Anne's resolve.

"Still, that was some time ago, Anne. He shouldn't go hungry from here because someone decided to steal muffins I had saved particularly for my other guests. I will go and have a talk with those children right now!" Marilla announced soundly, wiping her hands deliberately on the apron she was wearing.

"Don't be too harsh, Marilla. They must have been very hungry to do such a thing. They probably aren't used to asking for everything either. Since their Mother was ill and maybe unable to attend to them all of the time?" Anne pleaded their case since they were new to this household.

"They will still have to abide by my rules. I know they weren't that ignored at home but I will discuss it with them at length if need be. You two go on ahead and have some of Rachel's pound cake. It's back in the cooler. It should go nice with those plums. I won't send any of guests home underfed."

"Really, I'm fine, Miss.."

"Those are my sentiments, Mr. Blythe. No need to object to them. Just eat your food and Anne will take care of that cake for you too." Miss Cuthbert announced while Gilbert turned to Anne wondering how he was going to eat all of this after everything he already ate at the Rehearsal earlier?

"I almost wish we had that boy around to eat all of this. Here, please take some of this Anne. I really can't eat it all by myself. I wouldn't mind trying some of that cake though? Folks at Church do say nice things about it and it is always gone before I can ever get a piece of it." He spoke to her quietly and she rose to go find it for him to eat.

Anne found the pound cake and Gilbert was still trying to finish what he was served up when Miss Cuthbert returned to the Kitchen.

"I see you found the pound cake. Have you enough tea left?" She asked him as she leaned over to judge how much was in his cup.

"A little more please? I'm almost finished up here. The cake is really good? Mother should ask for the recipe." Gilbert spoke up while Marilla turned to retrieve her hot tea pot.

"She'll have to deal with Rachel about that one. She did mention to me Anne about some to do between the two of you in my basement? Some commotion about a raccoon? I can't believe Anne that you were so clumsy about the side door. I must have warned you over a dozen times now about it." She brought up. Gilbert thought he might be able to leave mostly unnoticed. He felt he would eventually have to hear something of it, being caught by none other than the gossipy Mrs. Lynde. He should have just dropped Anne off but he was thinking about the horses. That and the thought of leaving Anne was getting harder and harder for him to so lately he realized as he tried to think of how best to help her get out of this trouble.

"That muffin was really good, Miss Cuthbert. Anne gave one to Moody and I about a month ago? I came in hoping you might have some more." Gilbert spoke up hoping to change the topic.

"Thank you, Gilbert. It is one of my Mother's favorite recipes." She replied but still looking over at Anne for her answer.

"It was an opossum, Marilla. The Kitchen door was askew when I came home from work. Rachel must have had to leave in a hurry with all of her things? I'm sure I checked it twice when I came in? Maybe I didn't lock it, expecting either one of you to come home later? Gilbert, you said you came in from the window, did you not?" Anne brought up seeing him finally stop eating to speak up.

"Yes, it was! I was really concerned since I didn't see the buggy outside. I just heard some commotion and well, I didn't want anyone to get hurt?"

"Why didn't you go out to get some help, Gilbert? Surely if there was a real threat, you would need an Adult?" She wanted to know.

"I didn't have my horse with me. Besides, anything could happen while I was searching the fields for someone to help me?" He told her feeling somewhat alarmed that she didn't trust him to help.

"He's right, Marilla. What if it had been Rachel or someone dangerous had tried to rob us? Gilbert did know a good way to get rid of the animal, without getting bitten. I thought I could just sweep it out of the cellar but being an opossum, I don't how it could manage the stairs. It was dark and I just couldn't get a good enough look at it to know what it was, really?"

"I know, Rachel does go on about those rabid wild animals. It is still hard to believe Anne that you can manage to get yourself into these awful messes like you do. It isn't right for you to have boys over when I am not around. You both do understand this, am I right?"

"I..well..you see, I needed help with my homework. I went to the Barry's first but no one was around so I just thought Anne could help me with it? I didn't expect that Mrs. Lynde would be gone or know when you were coming home. Exactly." He stumbled some with his confession but Miss Cuthbert made every kid nervous when she was around.

"It would have been best that you waited until your next class, Mr. Blythe. Anne is very busy and has her own chores to do when she is home."

"Of course, Marilla. That was what I was trying to do when all of this happened. I am however, the Teacher here in the Avonlea School. It's my duty to help my students whenever I can. I wouldn't think that Gilbert, being one of oldest neighbors, would be a bother? Answering some simple questions is reasonable enough? We don't get many visitors here either? Surely, you don't think he was really up to any sort of mischief, do you?"

"I would hope not. His Parents would get a stern talking to if he did. I do understand that you did intend on helping Anne, believing that she might be in some danger. Thank you for your trouble. Hopefully, I will hear nothing so unusual from you two again."

"He really was only trying to help us, Marilla. I can't imagine, climbing through our Kitchen window as being very easy for a boy his size to have to do? I hardly think someone, with Gilbert's reputation would honestly just go about climbing into the windows of his neighbors unless he felt the circumstances extreme, right, Gilbert" Anne turned to him for approval.

"Right! I mean, yes. It wasn't right after school. I had no idea who was panicking, only that someone was in the House and sounded like they might be in trouble? Mrs. Lynde did show up after all and I did have the creature stuffed into the potato bag as proof of my deed. There is no mischief for her to report on, I'd say." He proudly made his case feeling like a proper hero ought to.

"I see. As long as we have an understanding about how things are run around my house. It seems I will have my hands full with those two children. I don't need any more worries or problems. Even from my neighbors."

"No, of course not. It was a very silly thing. I don't know why I got so carried away with it all. I should have thought of trapping the animal myself? I just never imagined an opossum getting into a cellar."

"Nor would I."

"It was kind of funny though. Anne really was mad at it. I never saw her so upset over a forest creature before?" He spoke up causing the other two to look at him with disapproval.

"I didn't want to get bitten by it. Whatever it was? Raccoons can jump up on things so I was trying to be careful." She defended herself suddenly.

"That will be enough from you two. Now finish up in here. It was good of you to see Anne home. I much prefer that there would be an adult with you, Anne. Many things can go wrong with a buggy. Had Mr. Blythe been more experienced, I think you wouldn't have had any delays in getting back home here." She pointed out to Anne, causing her to doubt that Marilla trusted her story completely or was confident with Anne's judgment.

."It is very poor weather out tonight, Marilla. Gilbert was just being cautious and I agreed with him. Granted, the storm might have lingered more. We needed to be sure. Trying to walk in such weather, after working so much all day? I needed the rest. The horses needed to calm down. I needed too, to be assured that Gilbert could finish the ride back home without any injury."

"You should have just walked, Anne. It wasn't too far away." She cited while Gilbert found himself trying hard not to comment.

"I thought about it. I did. Though to leave two horses out on a night such as this one turned out to be? Unless there was serious damage to the buggy, I felt it to be unwise."

"Miss Cuthbert, I wish you could feel more confident with me around? I plan on helping out here on the Farm. I'll look over things and fix what I can for you. I can't let Anne help me without my helping all of you in return. I can only do so much right now. I have work at home and school. I help out my Uncle as well, on the weekends. Just please understand, I mean Anne no harm at all! I only want to help out here some and catch up with my class' studies."

"I understand, Gilbert. It is right of you to not take advantage of Anne's charity. She finds it difficult to turn people down when they ask her for help. I expect others to not however take advantage of her good nature as well. You may help some. As long as you make sure I know what you are doing and how you plan on working on something. I have enough to do around here without Matthew being here and all." She stared at him with those words before bowing her head to pick up her tea cup once again.

"I will do that. Than you will see that I know a lot about Farms and equipment. My family and I know how hard it must be, losing your brother. My father would like to help more but, well, things get so busy at home. I think you understand our predicament." Gilbert knew very little about his Father's and Marilla's relationship in the past. He just knew, they sort of kept their distance from each other for some reason? Whenever Gilbert asked for a better reason, his Father would just tell him it was a long time ago and they just get along better this way? What way? Gilbert really didn't know but he knew when not to bother his Father further so he just would go back to his work and ask him no more questions.

"I'm fine just as I am, Gilbert. Mr. Barry has rented out our planting field so we only have our cattle here to look after. "I need to get those two upstairs and into a bed so that I can finally get some sleep. Hurry along now Gilbert. It's getting late."

"Please, Gilbert, the less you talk, the easier this will go for all of us." Anne explained quietly while Gilbert just smiled back at her.

"I see how you tell her things. She won't let me help if you keep calling me some, "boy"."

"If she sees you any other way, you might not be very welcomed here."

"Why is that? I have good manners. I don't eat like a pig. It might help but I don't keep asking for things to eat or get into her things like some people are known to do."

"I don't get into Marilla's things either. Just don't make this any harder. On us both. Are you finished up now? It is time you go home before your Parents send someone out looking for you."

"Yes, I'm finished. Thank you for all of this. Don't be so afraid, Anne. I do plan on helping out here. As much as I can. I just have to catch up in school. So I don't have any time for mischief. I rather be doing something useful, than sitting around watching for a storm to break or re-reading a book I have read too many times."

"I understand. Don't worry, I can clean-up here. I'll go get your coat and then I will see you in class. Hopefully, I will have your first lesson and the books you will need in time for our first session. Please don't be late. I will have a tedious schedule to follow and I can't help you if you aren't serious about this."

"I know better than to goof off around you! I'll be here, don't you worry."

Anne left him to go pick up his things and he just looked around, as if inspecting the room for any needed work to be done while he had to wait on her.

She returned with his things and he left her with a merry melody ringing in his ears and in his heart.