Chapter Five
*A/N-This is the "Gilbert Enters" chapter, some have been not so patiently waiting for. Ok.
The summer passed by in great dollops, as Sara was wont to hear from Anne in the later months of August. They went swimming several times after that first time and Sara was glad to see that her siblings got along well with Anne. Anne had actually gotten quite chummy with the twins. Katie and Elizabeth often accompanied the two girls on their "rambles through the woods."
Now it was nearing the start of school again and Sara was a little anxious for it to get there. First of all, both her and Anne were quite sick of the warm weather and wanted the lovely colors of autumn to transform the world. Also, Sara knew Gilbert Blythe was finally coming back after an absence because his father was ill. Sara talked constantly about him to Anne.
"All the girls think he's handsome and I do too, but he teases the girls somethin' awful. I guess I just want to know whether he's changed for the better yet."
Anne didn't care much to hear about the Blythe boy, replying, "Charlie Sloane is bad enough, why add more immaturity?"
Sara had shrugged at her and dropped the subject.
On the first day of school, Sara and Anne made their way through the Birch Path laden with new books and slates and pencils.
"Thank goodness it's cooler today," Anne breathed in the fresh morning air and sighed happily. Her cheeks were fuller than when she had first came here, Sara thought, and she wasn't so awful thin. Sara noted that Anne looked much healthier and full of life.
The day certainly was cooler, and,
"The little birds sang as if it were
the one day of summer in all the year"
The birches were glistening from the rain they had had last night and the grass had never grown so green. Everything seemed so new and fresh this morning it was no wonder Anne was feeling more wonderful than usual today.
They reached the schoolyard, it looked quite the same with no noticeable grass growing on that little patch of dirt and the school looked the same as well with carvings of "take-notices" on the wall. Everyone was already there, Sara and Anne had gotten there right at the bell. They went to their normal seat by the window to find that it was already taken by a tall boy with pale skin and dark hair. Laughter shone in his dark eyes and as Sara and Anne passed by, Sara saw the boy give a wink to Anne. Anne opened her mouth, but said nothing and walked on. They only found a seat in the back across from this stranger. Sara leaned over to Anne's ear and whispered, "That's Gilbert Blythe. Now you look and see if he's not handsome."
Anne looked and answered back, "I think your Gilbert is very bold to wink at a strange girl."
"I wish he'd wink at me," Sara sighed and began copying down her sums.
A little while later, while Sara was rereading over her subtraction, she heard little pinging noises next to her. Anne was steadily working, but Gilbert wasn't. He was flinging little pieces of paper at Anne's head trying to get her attention. Sara looked back at Anne, who was conveniently ignoring him. Gilbert got tired of his first plan, and took up a second. Sara watched, puzzled, as Gilbert reached over and yanked one Anne's now rather long red braids, whispering, eagerly, "Carrots. Carrots!"
Sara turned her eyes on Anne to see what she would do. Anne was turning around, she was standing up, she was walking over to Gilbert's desk, and (uh oh) she yelled, "How dare you!" and cracked her slate down on his head and it spilt in half (slate, not head). Gilbert's mouth dropped and the class burst with laughter and exclamations. Mr. Philips ran over and grabbed Anne's shoulder and steered her to the front of the class. Sara watched horrified as Anne stood firmly with her nose held in the air defiantly and unmoving. Mr. Philips was going on and shouting at her, but Sara looked around at the class. This school clearly loved chaos, especially with a teacher like Mr. Philips. Gilbert tried to butt in saying it wasn't her fault and that he was teasing her. Mr. Philips didn't believe him and made Anne write, "Ann (he forgot to put an 'e') Shirley has a very bad temper and she must learn to control it," hundred times before leaving school. Sara was quite overwhelmed with what had just happened and she looked over at Gilbert. He was still trying to tell Mr. Philips that it was his fault. It took a long time to get everyone back into order and quiet again.
Sara waited outside, leaning on a pine tree, watching Josie Pye weasel her way around Gilbert in her silly flirtatious manner. Gil was clearly waiting for Anne to come out. When Anne finally did, she walked without looking at Gilbert and straight to Sara. Sara was gripped hard by the arm, and dragged by her bosom friend away from the schoolyard. Gilbert ran up behind them.
"Hey-um-Anne, look, I'm sorry if I offended you, I really didn't mean it."
"Come on, Sara," Anne walked faster.
"Wait, Anne, don't be mad for keeps now."
"Thank you, Mr. Blythe," Anne walked still with more firmness. When Gilbert had stopped catching up with them and fell back into the background, Sara turned to Anne,
"Anne, you have more nerve than a fox in a hen house. But really, Anne, you couldn't even forgive him? He's teased me a million times before and I've never heard him apologize."
"He hurt my feelings excruciatingly, Sara. I know I'm skinny, homely, and freckled, I don't mind those, I can imagine them away. But I know my hair is red all the time and I've been twitted to about my hair so many times now, I just blow up whenever someone dares to tease me. And I would dearly love to be pretty without this wretched red hair."
"You know, you really are very vain, Anne."
"How can I be vain when I know I'm homely? I do love pretty things and it hurts me to see things that aren't, so when I look in the mirror I feel so sorrowful because I don't see anything pretty in it."
Sara gave up and they walked home silently, listening to the murmur of the wind in the trees.
*A/N-This is the "Gilbert Enters" chapter, some have been not so patiently waiting for. Ok.
The summer passed by in great dollops, as Sara was wont to hear from Anne in the later months of August. They went swimming several times after that first time and Sara was glad to see that her siblings got along well with Anne. Anne had actually gotten quite chummy with the twins. Katie and Elizabeth often accompanied the two girls on their "rambles through the woods."
Now it was nearing the start of school again and Sara was a little anxious for it to get there. First of all, both her and Anne were quite sick of the warm weather and wanted the lovely colors of autumn to transform the world. Also, Sara knew Gilbert Blythe was finally coming back after an absence because his father was ill. Sara talked constantly about him to Anne.
"All the girls think he's handsome and I do too, but he teases the girls somethin' awful. I guess I just want to know whether he's changed for the better yet."
Anne didn't care much to hear about the Blythe boy, replying, "Charlie Sloane is bad enough, why add more immaturity?"
Sara had shrugged at her and dropped the subject.
On the first day of school, Sara and Anne made their way through the Birch Path laden with new books and slates and pencils.
"Thank goodness it's cooler today," Anne breathed in the fresh morning air and sighed happily. Her cheeks were fuller than when she had first came here, Sara thought, and she wasn't so awful thin. Sara noted that Anne looked much healthier and full of life.
The day certainly was cooler, and,
"The little birds sang as if it were
the one day of summer in all the year"
The birches were glistening from the rain they had had last night and the grass had never grown so green. Everything seemed so new and fresh this morning it was no wonder Anne was feeling more wonderful than usual today.
They reached the schoolyard, it looked quite the same with no noticeable grass growing on that little patch of dirt and the school looked the same as well with carvings of "take-notices" on the wall. Everyone was already there, Sara and Anne had gotten there right at the bell. They went to their normal seat by the window to find that it was already taken by a tall boy with pale skin and dark hair. Laughter shone in his dark eyes and as Sara and Anne passed by, Sara saw the boy give a wink to Anne. Anne opened her mouth, but said nothing and walked on. They only found a seat in the back across from this stranger. Sara leaned over to Anne's ear and whispered, "That's Gilbert Blythe. Now you look and see if he's not handsome."
Anne looked and answered back, "I think your Gilbert is very bold to wink at a strange girl."
"I wish he'd wink at me," Sara sighed and began copying down her sums.
A little while later, while Sara was rereading over her subtraction, she heard little pinging noises next to her. Anne was steadily working, but Gilbert wasn't. He was flinging little pieces of paper at Anne's head trying to get her attention. Sara looked back at Anne, who was conveniently ignoring him. Gilbert got tired of his first plan, and took up a second. Sara watched, puzzled, as Gilbert reached over and yanked one Anne's now rather long red braids, whispering, eagerly, "Carrots. Carrots!"
Sara turned her eyes on Anne to see what she would do. Anne was turning around, she was standing up, she was walking over to Gilbert's desk, and (uh oh) she yelled, "How dare you!" and cracked her slate down on his head and it spilt in half (slate, not head). Gilbert's mouth dropped and the class burst with laughter and exclamations. Mr. Philips ran over and grabbed Anne's shoulder and steered her to the front of the class. Sara watched horrified as Anne stood firmly with her nose held in the air defiantly and unmoving. Mr. Philips was going on and shouting at her, but Sara looked around at the class. This school clearly loved chaos, especially with a teacher like Mr. Philips. Gilbert tried to butt in saying it wasn't her fault and that he was teasing her. Mr. Philips didn't believe him and made Anne write, "Ann (he forgot to put an 'e') Shirley has a very bad temper and she must learn to control it," hundred times before leaving school. Sara was quite overwhelmed with what had just happened and she looked over at Gilbert. He was still trying to tell Mr. Philips that it was his fault. It took a long time to get everyone back into order and quiet again.
Sara waited outside, leaning on a pine tree, watching Josie Pye weasel her way around Gilbert in her silly flirtatious manner. Gil was clearly waiting for Anne to come out. When Anne finally did, she walked without looking at Gilbert and straight to Sara. Sara was gripped hard by the arm, and dragged by her bosom friend away from the schoolyard. Gilbert ran up behind them.
"Hey-um-Anne, look, I'm sorry if I offended you, I really didn't mean it."
"Come on, Sara," Anne walked faster.
"Wait, Anne, don't be mad for keeps now."
"Thank you, Mr. Blythe," Anne walked still with more firmness. When Gilbert had stopped catching up with them and fell back into the background, Sara turned to Anne,
"Anne, you have more nerve than a fox in a hen house. But really, Anne, you couldn't even forgive him? He's teased me a million times before and I've never heard him apologize."
"He hurt my feelings excruciatingly, Sara. I know I'm skinny, homely, and freckled, I don't mind those, I can imagine them away. But I know my hair is red all the time and I've been twitted to about my hair so many times now, I just blow up whenever someone dares to tease me. And I would dearly love to be pretty without this wretched red hair."
"You know, you really are very vain, Anne."
"How can I be vain when I know I'm homely? I do love pretty things and it hurts me to see things that aren't, so when I look in the mirror I feel so sorrowful because I don't see anything pretty in it."
Sara gave up and they walked home silently, listening to the murmur of the wind in the trees.
