The moonlight shone into the little room in the east gable. And Anne's fair
skin, gleamed like snow.
Gilbert was very angry with Roy, how could he do this to his beloved Anne? Roy doesn't know what a wonderful wife he had.
Gently he strokes a lock of hair away from her face.
Anne opened her eyes and looked confusedly at him.
"Everything is all right, Anne. You should sleep some more."
"I don't know what to say, Gil."
"You need some rest. Close your eyes."
Weakly she complied.
Marilla had tidied the guest's room for Gilbert. The children slept in their beds and Marilla sat lost in thought in the kitchen, and drinking some tea. She looked up, as Gilbert came in.
"Do you want some tea, too?"
"No, thank you. How are the children?"
"They're sound asleep. I didn't know what an unhappy life my girl had. I don't understand this." ******
In dead of night, Gilbert was wakened by a sob. First, he thought he had only imagined it. But, then he heard it again and it came from Anne's room, which was next to the guest room. He stood up and went to her door. Slowly he opened it.
He saw her weeping, her body shaking from the sobs.
"Anne?" he kneeled on her bed and touched her shoulder carefully.
With a face wet from tears, she sat up. She leaned on his shoulder and cried. They didn't speak as Gilbert held her in his arms. ******
Anne recovered slowly in the following days. But she didn't speak a word about the incident. And no one asked her about it. Gilbert thought it was better to wait until she began to speak herself.
Everyday, Gilbert came to Green Gables, to look after Anne.
******
One evening they sat together on the porch. The children were still sleeping and Marilla had gone to bed, too.
It was already September but it was still a mild summer night. They chatted carelessly. Crickets began to chirp as it grew darker.
"It's almost like old times again, talking for hours and forgetting the time." Anne laughed. "Can I ask you something?" She looked earnestly up.
"Of course!"
"Gil.why haven't you married Christine?"
She had said it. She had asked the question that had been on her mind for so long. A silence descended and hung between them for a moment.
"Christine and I simply didn't belong together.but that wasn't the only reason" He stopped.
Anne gulped; her heart beat wildly in her chest, did he mean what she thought.did he still love her?
"Anne, why did you marry Roy?" Gilbert interrupted the silence suddenly.
"Because, I was silly. I thought that I loved him.I can't tell you how many times I've regretted that decision.
Today, I realized my true feelings. How could I have been so naïve?" Tears filled her eyes. Suddenly she felt his warm hand in hers.
"What are your feelings, Anne?" He asked hoarsely.
"I have bungled everything, Gil!" Anne said as tears rolled over her cheeks.
Gilbert saw her wet cheeks glittering in the moonlight. He pulled her into his arms and Anne clung sobbing to him.
"I'm so sorry, Gil. Why didn't I understand earlier that." she stopped.
"What Anne?"
"No! I shouldn't say it. It doesn't change anything. I am married to Roy and I don't want to ruin your life, too. Soon you'll marry a nice girl and I won't ruin that. I want you to be happy, Gil. You deserve someone who'll appreciate your love and not a stubborn, silly goose who won't know what you mean to her until it's too late," Anne tried to pull herself away from his arms. But, Gilbert held her hand.
"Anne, you know there will never be anyone for me besides you. I still love you. That was the reason, why I didn't marry Christine. It would not be fair to her, because I never could love her the way, I love you. Please say it Anne. I can't marry another girl." He replied and looked into her eyes.
Anne gulped, again. She wanted to finally open her heart. Too long she had hid her feelings from herself.
"Gil, I.yes, I love you. And I have always loved you. I was only too silly to notice the difference between comradeship and love. Thousands of times I have wished, I had given you a different answer. But, now everything is too late, Gil."
"Anne," he pulled her gently into his arms. "You know you can't go back to Roy. You can divorce him. He hits you, that's a really good reason to leave him."
"How can I divorce him? I can live separately from him, but this doesn't mean that I could marry again. People will treat me like a leper. We can't marry. Everything is too late." She sobbed and Gilbert wiped her tears away.
"It is never too late, Anne. We will find a way. In any case, you can't go back to Roy. Promise me?"
Anne nodded: "But."
"No but! Everything will be all right, I promise. Where is the optimistic Anne I know?"
"Buried under a lot of grief. My life is a cemetery full of buried hopes." She smiled timidly.
"I'm always on your side, Anne. I've loved you since the day you broke your slate over my head. And I can't stop it. Although, honestly I have tried it."
"O, Gil I'm so sorry for everything."
"Schsch!" He laid a finger on her lips. "Enough apologizing!"
He looked in her eyes and for a moment they forgot all their problems. In this moment there was only their love for each other. Then he kissed her and Anne kissed him back. She had never known before what a kiss could do to her. Her heart nearly burst with love for him. And Anne was sure that it was her fate to love Gil.
Gilbert was very angry with Roy, how could he do this to his beloved Anne? Roy doesn't know what a wonderful wife he had.
Gently he strokes a lock of hair away from her face.
Anne opened her eyes and looked confusedly at him.
"Everything is all right, Anne. You should sleep some more."
"I don't know what to say, Gil."
"You need some rest. Close your eyes."
Weakly she complied.
Marilla had tidied the guest's room for Gilbert. The children slept in their beds and Marilla sat lost in thought in the kitchen, and drinking some tea. She looked up, as Gilbert came in.
"Do you want some tea, too?"
"No, thank you. How are the children?"
"They're sound asleep. I didn't know what an unhappy life my girl had. I don't understand this." ******
In dead of night, Gilbert was wakened by a sob. First, he thought he had only imagined it. But, then he heard it again and it came from Anne's room, which was next to the guest room. He stood up and went to her door. Slowly he opened it.
He saw her weeping, her body shaking from the sobs.
"Anne?" he kneeled on her bed and touched her shoulder carefully.
With a face wet from tears, she sat up. She leaned on his shoulder and cried. They didn't speak as Gilbert held her in his arms. ******
Anne recovered slowly in the following days. But she didn't speak a word about the incident. And no one asked her about it. Gilbert thought it was better to wait until she began to speak herself.
Everyday, Gilbert came to Green Gables, to look after Anne.
******
One evening they sat together on the porch. The children were still sleeping and Marilla had gone to bed, too.
It was already September but it was still a mild summer night. They chatted carelessly. Crickets began to chirp as it grew darker.
"It's almost like old times again, talking for hours and forgetting the time." Anne laughed. "Can I ask you something?" She looked earnestly up.
"Of course!"
"Gil.why haven't you married Christine?"
She had said it. She had asked the question that had been on her mind for so long. A silence descended and hung between them for a moment.
"Christine and I simply didn't belong together.but that wasn't the only reason" He stopped.
Anne gulped; her heart beat wildly in her chest, did he mean what she thought.did he still love her?
"Anne, why did you marry Roy?" Gilbert interrupted the silence suddenly.
"Because, I was silly. I thought that I loved him.I can't tell you how many times I've regretted that decision.
Today, I realized my true feelings. How could I have been so naïve?" Tears filled her eyes. Suddenly she felt his warm hand in hers.
"What are your feelings, Anne?" He asked hoarsely.
"I have bungled everything, Gil!" Anne said as tears rolled over her cheeks.
Gilbert saw her wet cheeks glittering in the moonlight. He pulled her into his arms and Anne clung sobbing to him.
"I'm so sorry, Gil. Why didn't I understand earlier that." she stopped.
"What Anne?"
"No! I shouldn't say it. It doesn't change anything. I am married to Roy and I don't want to ruin your life, too. Soon you'll marry a nice girl and I won't ruin that. I want you to be happy, Gil. You deserve someone who'll appreciate your love and not a stubborn, silly goose who won't know what you mean to her until it's too late," Anne tried to pull herself away from his arms. But, Gilbert held her hand.
"Anne, you know there will never be anyone for me besides you. I still love you. That was the reason, why I didn't marry Christine. It would not be fair to her, because I never could love her the way, I love you. Please say it Anne. I can't marry another girl." He replied and looked into her eyes.
Anne gulped, again. She wanted to finally open her heart. Too long she had hid her feelings from herself.
"Gil, I.yes, I love you. And I have always loved you. I was only too silly to notice the difference between comradeship and love. Thousands of times I have wished, I had given you a different answer. But, now everything is too late, Gil."
"Anne," he pulled her gently into his arms. "You know you can't go back to Roy. You can divorce him. He hits you, that's a really good reason to leave him."
"How can I divorce him? I can live separately from him, but this doesn't mean that I could marry again. People will treat me like a leper. We can't marry. Everything is too late." She sobbed and Gilbert wiped her tears away.
"It is never too late, Anne. We will find a way. In any case, you can't go back to Roy. Promise me?"
Anne nodded: "But."
"No but! Everything will be all right, I promise. Where is the optimistic Anne I know?"
"Buried under a lot of grief. My life is a cemetery full of buried hopes." She smiled timidly.
"I'm always on your side, Anne. I've loved you since the day you broke your slate over my head. And I can't stop it. Although, honestly I have tried it."
"O, Gil I'm so sorry for everything."
"Schsch!" He laid a finger on her lips. "Enough apologizing!"
He looked in her eyes and for a moment they forgot all their problems. In this moment there was only their love for each other. Then he kissed her and Anne kissed him back. She had never known before what a kiss could do to her. Her heart nearly burst with love for him. And Anne was sure that it was her fate to love Gil.
