Chapter 4

When Marilla heard Diana Barry was back home she decided it was time for her to take Anne to meet her, so Anne could have some feminine companionship rather than just that of Tommy and Henry. While the boys were out she walked Anne over to the Barry's. Knowing Marilla's plans for the day, before heading out towards the fields, Henry had grasped Anne's hands and wished her good luck. He knew she had always wished for what she called a bossom friend, and by that he took to mean a female friend, and he hoped this Diana Barry could fulfill that wish for Anne, knowing it was a role neither him or Tommy ever could.

When Anne came home she had stars in her eyes and Henry couldn't help but be relieved she had appeared to have finally filled that vacancy in her life. He loved Anne like a sister, but he disliked having to attempt to satisfy her girly side. He did his best to listen to and respond to her more girly ramblings, but no matter how hard he tried he just didn't get it. Handing that burden off to someone more qualified was a relief. He didn't give much thought to whether he would like a best friend of the male persuasion to relieve Anne of that burden on his end. He was simply glad she had made a female friend finally.

Not long after her friendship with Diana was established, a church picnic was announced. For Henry and Tommy this was a chance to meet the youth of Avonlea close in age to themselves. Tommy had been reluctant to go far from Anne and Green Gables and therefore Henry had restricted his own forays in meeting his peers, to only that of Sunday school where the youth were under the eyes of sunday school teachers and other watchful adults without much chance for any interaction. Both boys had unwelcome recollections of how other children tended to treat them and weren't in the hurry Anne was to make a close friend, being satisfied with each other and Anne and then Diana. It could not be avoided or put off any longer though.

Anne, in typical fashion, quickly managed to excite them for the upcoming picnic and Diana's reassuring words about the others they would meet, relieved quite a bit of their anxiety. Therefore it was with dismay that the two boys heard the news that Anne was once again confined to her bedroom, standing accussed of the crime of stealing Marilla's amethyst brooch. To go to the picnic without Anne would be wrong. Henry knew Anne, she never would have done such a thing. He could feel his temper start to rise that Marilla would accuse her of such and had to take several deep breaths.

"We only ever stole food," Tommy plantively informed Marilla. "And Anne said that was okay cause we had to eat."

Henry knew the only way to clear Anne's name would be to prove her innocence and offered to assit in the search for the brooch, helping Marilla move the bureau. But no brooch was to be found.

Upon hearing the so called confession from Anne, Henry's eyes widened. He could recognize a product of Anne's imagination, but evidently Marilla didn't. He knew what Anne was about, Marilla had told her she couldn't attend the picnic unless she confessed. Anne had taken Marilla quite literally and invented a confession. He had a sneaking suspicion that Anne's confession would result in further punishment. Both him and Tommy attempted to appeal to Marilla on Anne's behalf, but the only thing they achieved was to be told one more word on the subject and they wouldn't attend the picnic either.

Henry, in a bold move, throwing caution to the wind proclaimed, "I took it! Not Anne. I, ah, I thought it would make a fine pirate treasure, so I took it and burried it."

"Burried it where?" Marilla asked angrily.

"I ummm, I dropped it in the pond. See, Anne didn't do it."

"When did you take it?" Marilla asked with a glimmer of suspicion that the boy was attempting to cover for Anne.

"Ummmm, well it was before dinner and I brought it straight out with me after," Henry said with feigned confidence that fell short of the mark.

"The only part of your story I'm willing to believe is that my brooch is at the bottom of Barry's Pond!" Marilla exclaimed angrily. "Your trying to cover for her, don't you deny it. It wasn't you that took that brooch. Lying is a sin and you are a terrible liar. Up to your room Henry."

Seeing Marilla could be made to waver on believing which orphan committed the crime, Tommy threw his two cents in and said, "It was me! I took it!"

"And dropped it in Barry's Pond?" Marilla asked scathingly.

"No!" Tommy declared wildly and then proudly he said, "I ate it!" with all the confidence of a boy that believes he has hit upon an entirely believable idea and successfully freed Anne from her prison with it.

"Well I never!" Marilla exclaimed. "Liars,the lot of you! All of you will miss the picnic and spend the day in your rooms."

"You made us lie!" Tommy declared furiously before racing up the stairs.

Marilla watched him go with a shocked expression. Angry at the situation she now found herself in, Marilla set to cleaning with a vengeance. She hated to admit that she admired the two boys loyalty to Anne, but what she hated even more was her disappointment with Anne. She had become quite fond of each of her orphans, and to think one was a thief and an unrepentant liar was to much. The knowledge that the other two had only lied out of loyalty to their fellow orphan did little to make up for Anne's own sins in Marilla's mind. Upon spying her shawl she picked it up, subconsciously hoping the smooth, soft fabric under her fingertips would sooth her troubled soul.

She gasped when she saw it, there clinging to the shaw was the very brooch in question. All of a sudden Tommy's angry words echoed in her ears, You made us lie! Marilla wiped at a pesky tear that appeared. The boy had the right of it. She had demanded a confession. She couldn't believe she had fallen for Anne's ridiculous story. She should have known better. She had recognized Henry and Tommy's confessions as false right off the bat and thinking back she realized Anne was as terrible of a liar as Henry as she remembered the outlandish tale. Neither child could lie to I'm save their soul! The only one to do it with any amount of aplomb had been Tommy, other than his declaration he had eaten the brooch, Marilla thought and unbidden a dry laugh emerged from her. Moving quickly, she left the room grapsing the shaw with the brooch on it to her. She didn't stop to think which orphan's room she should go to first. Her greatest offense had been against Anne and it was to Anne she went.

"Well Anne," Marilla said briskly to hide the bout of emotion she had been struck by in her room. "My brooch, the one you claimed you dropped into Mr. Barry's pond is right here on my shaw. What have you to say for yourself? "

"Oh Marilla, you said I could go to the picnic if I confessed so I worked real hard to think up a good confession," Anne cried desperately. "I know it was wrong to lie and I was gonna tell you the truth after the picnic. I so wanted to go!"

"And go you shall," Marilla said gruffly. " You and both boys. I'll have a discussion with all of you about lying tomorrow. Your compatriots never lost faith in you and concocted their own confessions as well. I can admit I was in the wrong, Anne. I have never known you to tell a lie and had no cause to question your word. I hope you'll forgive me. I intend to forgive all of you for lying, I drove you to it and I can see that. I'm just as much at fault as each of you."

"Oh Marilla," Anne said flying to her and hugging her. "Thank you! Thank you! And of course we forgive you! We would forgive you anything! You and Matthew have been so good, taking all of us in, including me since I'm not a boy."

"Well now, three boys would be a mite to much. I reckon it works out well that you are a girl. Now dry your eyes and get ready to go. I'll be going to see Henry, now."

Marilla knocked on Henry's door and hearing a muffled yes, she opened the door. Henry sat dejectedly on his bed, he looked up at Marilla's entrance, and her heart twisted just a bit to see the dull look in his eyes.

"Anne, didn't do it," Henry said stubbornly, a spark appearing in his eyes.

"No she didn't," Marilla agreed briskly. "And neither did you." She proceeded to explain what happened and apologized to Henry.

Next she knew she would need to face Tommy. When she knocked on his door it was flung open by the boy himself, who flung himself at Marilla, embracing her and declared, I knew you would see it, Marilla! I knew you couldn't possibly keep believing Anne did it. I'm awful sorry I ate your brooch."

"You did not eat my brooch," Marilla exclaimed with exasperation. "My brooch is right here," she told him holding up the shaw and gingerly removing herself from his embrace.

"So is Anne free?" Tommy asked eagerly. "Can we go to the picnic and try the icecream? Even Anne can't quite imagine for us what it will taste like and Diana says it can't be explained."

"Yes. You can all go to the picnic, but later we will have a discussion on lying," Marilla said firmly.

"I'm sorry I lied, Marilla, but I'd do it all over again for Anne. Or for Henry.

He was always willing to take a punishment from the matron for either of us. He said I was to young to be beat and Anne was to delicate."

"Your both good boys. Good loyal boys, but I can't have you lying, even for each other. We need to be honest with each other. I promise to do my best never to jump to erroneous conclusions again. I should have listened to all of you and not stubbornly clung to my own foolish belief. I told the other two and I'll tell you, it was wrong of me. We are gonna have to learn how to get along and that means we have got to trust each other. You've been here about a month and if we want to make this work, honestly is going to be a cornerstone. No more lying," Marilla said firmly. While Anne and Henry had done a pretty poor job of lying, their postures and voice inflections giving them away when Marilla though about it,Tommy's lie had fallen naturally from his lips as easily as anything. Marilla figured with Tommy she had better nip any inclination to lie in the bud since the only hint he was lying was his outlandish statement that he ate the brooch, something that if he was older, he would have been smart enough not to say.

The three enjoyed the picnic thoroughy. When Henry had been hesitant to join the three legged race, not having a partner available since Tommy was partnered with a boy around his age and Anne was partnered to Diana, the only girls in the race, one of the local boys had offered to partner him. It was easy to see why Moody Spurgeon MacPherson didn't have a partner for the race, but Henry didn't care when they lost. He hadn't expected to win. Moody was amazed they managed to not come in dead last, a first for him, and had told Henry he was right swell and if Gilbert Blythe had been present to partner Henry, the two could have won the race for sure. As it was Diana and Anne won and Henry grinned proudly as Mr. Barry pinned a ribbon to each girl. From there Moody went on to introduce him around to the other local boys. By the end of the picnic none of the orphans were anxious about their reception by the locals their age.