p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"Chapter 2/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanGilbert stood solemnly as his father's body was lowered into the ground, as the preacher said the final words, as friends and neighbors began to disperse, some with a word of consolation, but he didn't really hear anything, didn't really see anything./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanAnne watched Gilbert at the funeral. He didn't look like he was going to break, as Ruby had suggested, but nor did he appear as strong as Diana had said. When the service was over and everyone was departing, Anne took a step toward him. But what would she say? What could she say?/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanTurning to follow Marilla and Matthew, she had just decided that not saying anything would be best, when she changed her mind. Turning again, she walked hesitantly toward Gilbert, stopping next to him. His eyes never left his father's grave, but she hadn't expected them to. Reaching out, she touched his sleeve with her gloved hand. He turned toward her then, but said nothing, waiting. Nothing she said would make a difference. Nothing she said could take away the pain. Why had she walked over? She was a silly little girl, thinking far too highly of herself./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanBut Gilbert's gaze never wavered. His eyes gazed into hers and he waited, patiently, hopefully. She could not say the same things as everyone else. She knew instinctively that it would disappoint him, would possibly cause him more pain. She took a deep breath, and suddenly it was like she'd found the words in his eyes. She knew the words he wanted to hear./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Do what you need to do, Gilbert. Your father will be proud of you no matter what." She didn't know how she could say that with such confidence after having only met the older Blythe a few times, but even when Gilbert's jaw twitched she knew he wasn't angry. "And we'll always be here. Avonlea. Your friends. If you ever need us. Just do what you need to do."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanGilbert nodded and turned back to his father's grave, but Anne could see his lip trembling, and didn't feel dismissed, or like she'd angered him. She knew that he was upset by the circumstance rather than her words, and she slipped away quietly, heading home with Marilla and Matthew, praying that she'd truly said the right thing./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanGilbert stood solemnly as his father's body was lowered into the ground, as the preacher said the final words, as friends and neighbors began to disperse, some with a word of consolation, but he didn't really hear anything, didn't really see anything./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanAnne watched Gilbert at the funeral. He didn't look like he was going to break, as Ruby had suggested, but nor did he appear as strong as Diana had said. When the service was over and everyone was departing, Anne took a step toward him. But what would she say? What could she say?/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanTurning to follow Marilla and Matthew, she had just decided that not saying anything would be best, when she changed her mind. Turning again, she walked hesitantly toward Gilbert, stopping next to him. His eyes never left his father's grave, but she hadn't expected them to. Reaching out, she touched his sleeve with her gloved hand. He turned toward her then, but said nothing, waiting. Nothing she said would make a difference. Nothing she said could take away the pain. Why had she walked over? She was a silly little girl, thinking far too highly of herself./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanBut Gilbert's gaze never wavered. His eyes gazed into hers and he waited, patiently, hopefully. She could not say the same things as everyone else. She knew instinctively that it would disappoint him, would possibly cause him more pain. She took a deep breath, and suddenly it was like she'd found the words in his eyes. She knew the words he wanted to hear./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Do what you need to do, Gilbert. Your father will be proud of you no matter what." She didn't know how she could say that with such confidence after having only met the older Blythe a few times, but even when Gilbert's jaw twitched she knew he wasn't angry. "And we'll always be here. Avonlea. Your friends. If you ever need us. Just do what you need to do."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanGilbert nodded and turned back to his father's grave, but Anne could see his lip trembling, and didn't feel dismissed, or like she'd angered him. She knew that he was upset by the circumstance rather than her words, and she slipped away quietly, heading home with Marilla and Matthew, praying that she'd truly said the right thing./span/p