Light filtered through, in dim beams, full of shadows, scent of old hay was almost overpowering, as it should, as the barn was a old one, and well taken care of despite its run down feel. Mary's stomach hurt, she was hungry. And slowly, the tears that had been held inside for a very long time began to flow from her eyes. And Mary Vance literally howled. And little by little, Mary's tears thinned out into few sniffs.
Suddenly a bright, somehow understanding girl's voice asked "What's the matter?" Little embarrassed, Mary looked up from her snarled fingers and saw a small group of children standing a short distance from her. The girl who had spoken was about the same age as Mary Vance, she had red cheeks, mischievous golden brown long-lashed eyes, and golden brown curls that were carelessly tousled. Beside her was a dark-haired and dark-eyed boy who was looking at Mary intently, in sensorious way, as Mary noticed that boy's shirt was patched. Mary, startled, looked into large, almond-shaped, dark blue eyes, it was a dark-haired girl. Her braids were almost painfully neat, and her blue dress was well worn, and there was another boy moving behind the blond girl, he had wavy golden brown hair, and the same dark blue eyes as the dark haired girl, but unlike her, he seemed to be watching the haystacks, as if waiting for something. And suddenly, a little field mouse ran into the shadows, and the boy quite calmly took a piece of cheese from his pocket, and placed it on the floor. Then the boy snapped on his suspenders, a healthy tan glowing on his cheeks, and sat down on the dusty floor to watch what the mouse would do, but contrary to Mary's guess, no mousetrap appeared.
Mary swallowed, and said vigorously, but in a faint voice, "I am Mary Vance, and I have lived for the last six years at Over Harbor with Mrs Wylie, and I ran away from her, for when she became a widow, she intended to deliver me to her cousin, I could not stand it an inch, so I decided to go. I had planned to go to Charlottetown, but I lost my way, and I'm so hungry. I haven't eaten anything since Tuesday."
Then goldenbrown haired girl, said briskly, with sweet dimples in her cheeks, "I'm Faith Meredith, and these are my siblings, Jerry, Una and Carl, who is observing that mouse. I suggest you come with us, we live close by, at the Manse. We have food in our larder, only cold ditto, but it's enough, because Great Aunt Martha boiled a shoulder of lamb two days ago. Do you have any other clothes?"
Mary Vance glanced at her worn, slightly holey skirt and said, blushing a little, "I would have, but I took these because they were so bad. I tore a hole in my skirt climbing over the fence at Wylie´s place. What will your parents say if you bring me with you? I have noticed that decent people don't ever want to have anything to do with a Home child, in general."
The dark haired girl, Una, said in a low voice, "Mary, what happened to your arms?"
Mary shrugged her shoulders, and glanced at her narrow, veiny, sinewy arms, which were adorned with great bruises, and said shortly, and pointedly, "Mrs. Wylie only, she claimed I spilled the butter-dish, of course I wouldn't, for it was I who buttered it, but for the past few weeks she had been even grumpier than usual, and I couldn't always avoid it."
Silence fell, only the mice crunched in the straw.
And Mary Vance saw how the Meredith siblings glanced at each other. So feeling stung, Mary flared " I'm so, used to that, if ever I get to a place where I'm not disciplined I'll surely believe I'm in Paradise, or I will be darned, even though there's hardly a Heaven or a God ." Mary's declaration was followed by a somewhat shocked silence, and finally
Faith sighed and said, "Well, come with us, and soon Father will explain the truth to you. He's Reverend, and knows everything, and he's usually so deep in thought that he almost forgets to come and eat, unless Great Aunt Martha will remind him." Jerry remarked, "It's almost time for dinner, best to go."
That evening, in the attic, Una crept up to Mary Vance, who said, " it's nice here, and it's wonderful not to be hungry anymore. I noticed that the milk on the dinner table was a little blue, where's the cream? Because I don't believe you have no cream, although you are a very peculiar Reverend´s family that I have ever heard of." Una said " Great Aunt Martha gives all the cream to her cat."
Una noticed how Mary's very pale blue eyes suddenly sharpened. She just said "Oh, don't worry. You just go to school, I'll stay here and take care of some things, I won't steal anything, don't worry."
Couple of days passed, and slowly, almost imperceptibly, a change took place in the Manse, outwardly at least. Furniture regained its beautiful dark mahongny color, window-curtains were changed, and little ornaments polished, and the grand staircase smelled like lemons, and vinegar just like at Ingelside. Confused, Una and Faith noticed that their dresses had been neatly patched, and a new apron had been sewn for Una's one-eyed doll.
Then it was time to go to church, as it was Sunday, despite Mary's voluble and frevent objections. Finally, in a burst of inspiration, Faith offered her own second-best dress, and a large straw hat that Una decorated with ferns and flowers. And Mary Vance was looking quite clean, if a bit odd, in her borrowed finery, and hard-bitten mien on her wizened little sunburned features. In the church, the Meredith siblings sat where they wanted, as usual, and carefully Mary followed them. The village people of the Glen were dressed in their best, and carefully Mary watched the unknown adults to see if she happened to see anyone form Over Harbour.
The hymns rang out, and with a start Mary Vance perceived that the sleepy, dreamy Reverend Meredith, who had passed her by countless times without noticing, seemed for once to be awake, and in this reality, for his dark, beautiful eyes, like Jerry's, looked smilingly at his congregation, and he said "Sunday, it's another week, dear and busy week, for many of you, because soon it's haymaking time, but let's always remember to sanctify the day of rest. And today's sermon is related to neighborly relations and maintaining them." The congregation nodded and there was a few titters and knowing looks.
Afterward, in the misty peace of Rainbow Valley, sitting on a mossy and fallen tree trunk Mary Vance remarked to Una, "Your father, Revered woke up, unbelievable, but true." Nan and Di's ringing laughter echoed through the quiet hollow. Mary Vance grimaced a little and said "I guess maybe I shouldn't have said, that all red haired women are witches, but there was a red haired cook at Hopetown Orphanage and it was magic how she got it done so many meals, for all of us, when the budget must have been tight. The matron was always grumbling about the lack of money. I have only seen Mrs Blythe from afar, but she seems regal, but nothing is more deceiving, than that, but she has kind eyes, but so does many other people too. "
Una frowned, and Mary gave her a regretful glance, and she said calmly, "Never mind me. I'm only antsy, for it's most strange that Mrs Wylie hasn't come after I, for she'd usually chase a fox out of its hole if she chanced upon one, and I by no means be a fox." And at that moment, before Una could put her arm comfortingly around Mary's slender but firm shoulders.
Blythe's sisters came running across the dewy grass, two large soft cookies in hand—Susan's special. And, seeing Una looking at the delicacies, Mary Vance said gruffly, to Di, "Well, give me a little taste. I'm pretty sure I can make the same ones at the Manse, if I can only lure Martha out of the kitchen for an hour." Nan lifted her chin, and said in her proud way, "I don't think so, you're just imagining Mary Vance. Nobody bakes better than our Susan, except maybe Cornelia Elliott, she lives in the green house at the Four Winds with Marshall Elliott, and she always has a jars full of doughnuts, for us ."
Una glanced searchingly at Mary Vance, for the blond girl had suddenly frozen, and she was fiddling with her frayed strand of hair with her fingers, with a faraway look in her eyes, and finally Mary said "Nan, is Marshall a dark man with a kind face, and usually a plaid shirt?"
Nan nodded, and without a word she broke the biscuit in two, and gave the pieces to Una and Mary. Then the tinkling of the clock broke the twilight, and Di said "Come, Nan, it's Susan, the evening dew is falling, we must go. Enjoy your biscuits Una, and Mary. Good night!"
Mary thoughtfully bit into her cookie, and Una let out a light, delighted sigh.
Few days later, John Meredith was startled as he walked past the kitchen, as an unknown blond, worn-out girl, wearing a Cecilia-like checkered apron, was putting a tray of hot biscuits to cool. The smell of syrupy and clove biscuits wafted through the rooms of the Manse, and it mingled with the strong refined tea, and for once there was a little cream in the small dish as well, when the inhabitants of the Manse settled down to have evening tea, for once.
One afternoon Cornelia Elliot was sitting on the Ingelside verandah with a cup of tea in front of her, and she said thoughtfully, "Anne-dearie, I have heard a strange story that Meredith's siblings have taken in some very strange child. I have seen her a few times, busily dusting the carpets on the steps of the Manse . Very hard work, for one so young, she can't be much older than Faith, I suppose. And I hear she swears like a heathen, but I don't think she's got any lice."
Anne Blythe, quietly looked at Cornelia, and she said in a slightly steely tone that was nevertheless very gentle, " Nan and Di told me about a girl, her name is Mary Vance, and the twins only know that she is a guest at the Manse, she is apparently a former Home child. However, I want to point out to you, dear old friend, that I myself was once an abandoned and lonely orphan, and life was cold and unforgiving, and the suspicion and hostility of fellow human beings were as cruel as physical violence, and my life really only began when, by chance, I got to Green Gables. Dear Marilla had quite a job raising me." Anne Blythe looked out into the sparkling, beautiful afternoon, and remembered the long-ago time when she had woken up from crying, exhausted, in the guest room at Green Gables, and opened the window and looked out at the Snow Queen.
Cornelia Elliott, tasted her tea in the silence, and she said in a thoughtful tone. "You're right, as always, but at least your parents were quality people, teachers after all. I have no idea where that creature is from, and how twisted her morals are, or even if she knows her Scripture." Susan used her sharp scissors to cut the lace that would go into Rilla's new dress and pointedly remarked, "Close combs and castor oil do wonders. I've always thought so."
Cornelia Elliot only threw quelling glance toward Susan, who had said her piece, and returned to her realm, there were light clatter of pans.
On the hill at the Manse, silence reigned, John Meredith was deep in his theological thoughts. In the attic Mary Vance looked at the brilliant beacon light, it was nearer than Wylie's, and carefully Mary took from the pocket of her apron a bunch of pine needles, that she had taken from Rainbow Valley, and spread them on her pillow, their the resinous scent was calming, and so was Una's light breathing.
Mary Vance turned on her side and looked at the sleeping Una, as moonlight reflected from the open window on her face, and silently Mary Vance knelt, and thanked God, in whom she did not believe, that she had happened to stop at Taylor's barn. Exhausted, Mary Vance closed her eyes, and her last thought was that she should soon dry the fish that had been brought as wages, and in a few days she could perhaps sneak off to Rainbow Valley at dawn to collect new herbs, and extracts, for all her herbs had been left in Wylie's attic. Mary Vance smiled, for she had already noticed that the yellowish rue was growing in abundance, as well as mint, and parsley was readily available, and clover, too.
Morning was radiantly glowing, dewdrops were still visible on the grass behind the window. There was a scent of delicious bacon and they rushed to the kitchen. Mary was standing on a stool skilfully frying bacon, and on the kitchen table was a large pile of some herbs, sorted into bunches and tied with string.
Una curiously took a step forward, and touched a small yellowish flower, and said "Mary, what are these, can you eat them?" Mary turned her head, and said nonchalantly, "Una, no, they make a kind of tea that is only drunk on special occasions, but you have to know how to ask for it in time." Great Aunt Martha stepped into the kitchen and said sharply, "Out, you wicked street rat. They don't need to know anything like that, not in this house."
Mary Vance lifted her chin, and in her best Nan Blythe impersonation said, "Yes, Madam." And then she jumped down from the chair with her hems in a frenzy, and put the bacon on the table, where Jerry and Carl were already impatiently waiting. Faith was choking on her laughter and she noticed that Una was watching with amusement as Mary Vance sassed back at their Great Aunt, who was coldly glancing at the ribboned rows of herbs, but she didn't seem like she wanted to touch them, as Faith had assumed that herbs would burn in the oven, but it didn't.
Whistling, Mary gathered them together and soon they were hanging on a low beam in the attic and filled the space with their fragrance...
Over Harbour's settlement was abuzz, for it had appeared that Mrs Wylie was dead as a stone, and no trace of the girl was to be seen. Residents, neighbors slowly shook their heads as rumors of, hard-work, violence and abuse that had been reality at Wylies began to circulate from house to house.