Chapter 20

Ingleside, Prince Edward Island

Gilbert said to Anne, "I heard from Owen. He and his family are now safely in Toronto."

Anne said, "I'm glad to hear that. Leslie acted rather funny to me right before her family left. She said her farewell on that day when Owen was off taking care of business in Lowbridge. I didn't hear from her after that. It almost felt as if she was avoiding me."

Gilbert said, "I wouldn't put too much stock in that. Owen is trying to make a lot of things right in his life right now. I'm sure that it's a heavy burden for both of them. What's in the letter from Diana?"

"Oh, nothing, Gilbert."

"Anne-girl, that's a pretty heavy nothing."

"Why, whatever do you mean, Gilbert?"

"The way that you said "nothing," Anne-girl. You said it in a way that definitely didn't mean "nothing." What's up, Anne-girl? What are you hiding from me?"

"Oh, Gilbert. Oh, okay, there it goes. Before the cave collapsed, Diana contacted me. It seems that she and Fred ran into some trouble with their farm. Some financial trouble."

Anne bit her lip.

"Gilbert, they might lose the farm."

"Well, that's a shame," said Gilbert, dreading to hear what Anne would say next.

"Gilbert, remember when Diana's Aunt Josephine died and left me some money? It was money that I used to pay my Redmond tuition. Well, Aunt Josephine Barry didn't leave any money to Diana or Minnie May. She was their actual aunt. I didn't have any relation to Aunt Josephine. And yet Aunt Josephine left me money. Gilbert, Diana's family never forgot that."

"Go on," Gilbert said tensely.

"Diana asked me if I could give to her the money that her Aunt Josephine left me to me. You know, so that Diana and Fred don't lose their farm."

"Anne-girl, you spent that money at Redmond."

"Yes, exactly, Gilbert. I explained this to Diana."

"What exactly does Diana want you to do?"

"Diana wanted me to ask you to come up money to make up for the money that I inherited from Aunt Josephine. So that I could "pay back" the Barry family."

Tears gathered in Anne's eyes.

"Those were her very words, Gilbert. "Pay back the Barry family." As if I was some grifter who had taken advantage of the Barrys and now I needed to make it right with them."

Anne cried freely now.

"That's all I am to them, Gilbert. Some grifter. Some penniless orphan who store Diana and Minnie May's birthright."

Gilbert counted backwards from ten, trying to cool his anger. He had known Diana Wright nee Barry ever since they were both toddlers in Avonlea. As a young boy, he teased her during class at Avonlea School. Diana was his Anne's best friend. And there was the problem. How could Anne's bosom friend hurt her like this?

Gilbert counted backwards from ten again. His logical mind took her.

Gilbert walked her to Anne. He stood her up. He wrapped her in his arms.

"Darling, you have every right to be hurt. I'm sure that it hurt Diana too. Knowing Diana, she feels terrible about this. If she even bothered to ask, then she and Fred must be in a terrible bind."

Anne cried on Gilbert's shoulder.

"Oh, Gilbert, they're going to lose the farm, aren't they?"

Gilbert said, "Well, we don't know this. We don't know the whole story."

Anne said, "I don't have any money to give her. I spent it at Redmond."

Gilbert said, "Well, Anne. I've been putting money aside ever since Jem was born. I intended to use it to send Jem and his siblings to Redmond. I don't want Jem nearly killing himself to win the Cooper Prize like I did. But perhaps I can use this to "pay back" the Barry family, in Diana's own words."

"Oh, no, Gilbert. I can't take your money!"

"Anne-girl. I'm your husband. You're my wife."

"But Gilbert. No. Just no. As you said that money is for the children's education. You and I did so many painful things to make it through Redmond. We always wanted better for the children."

Gilbert said, "Well, Anne-girl. Maybe the children will luck out and inherit money from somebody else's rich aunt. Then they can pay for tuition without our help. Then they can have this same conversation with their own spouses in 30 years."

"Gilbert!"

"How about this, Anne-girl. Maybe Jem can go out west and work for a railroad for a summer."

"Oh, Gilbert, how can you joke at a time like this!"

"Or how about this, Anne-girl. Maybe there will be a war in 20 years or so. Walter will go off and be a soldier. He'll trade Redmond for the battlefield. Rilla will decide that she doesn't like school. We will marry her off when she's still a teenager. That will be two college educations that we don't have to worry about."

"Gilbert, be serious! Walter a soldier? Really? Gilbert, Walter is afraid of his own shadow! And that stuff that you said about Rilla. You and I couldn't produce a child that doesn't like school. "

"I made you laugh, Anne-girl?"

"Oh, Gilbert. You made me laugh. I just don't know what to do. If I take your money to pay Diana, I will let you down. If I don't take your money, Diana could lose her farm. Gilbert, I wish that I had a way to make some money on my own."