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38 - Anne of Green Gables (version 4) by Lucy Maud Montgomery · Anne of Green Gables (version 4)

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  Speaker 1: Chapter thirty eight of Anne of Green Gables. This is
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  Speaker 1: a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
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  Speaker 1: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
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  Speaker 1: Recorded by Annie Coleman Rothenberg www dot Annie Cooleman dot com.
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  Speaker 1: Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery, Chapter thirty eight,
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  Speaker 1: The bene in the Road. Marilla went to town the next
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  Speaker 1: day and returned in the evening. Anne had gone over
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  Speaker 1: to Orchard Slope with Diana and came back to find
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  Speaker 1: Marilla in the kitchen, sitting by the table with her
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  Speaker 1: head leaning on her hand. Something in her dejected attitude
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  Speaker 1: struck a chill to Anne's heart. She had never seen
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  Speaker 1: Marilla sit limply inert like that. Are you very tired, Marilla? Yes, no,
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  Speaker 1: I don't know, said Marilla, wearily, looking up. I suppose
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  Speaker 1: I am tired, but I haven't thought about it. It's
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  Speaker 1: not that. Did you see the oculist? What did he say?
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  Speaker 1: Asked Anne anxiously. Yes, I saw him. He examined my eyes.
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  Speaker 1: He says that if I give up all reading and
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  Speaker 1: sewing entirely, and any kind of work that strains the eyes,
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  Speaker 1: and if I'm careful not to cry, and if I
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  Speaker 1: wear the glasses he's given me, he thinks my eyes
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  Speaker 1: may not get any worse and my headaches will be cured.
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  Speaker 1: But if I don't, he says, I'll certainly be stone
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  Speaker 1: blind in six months. Blind, Anne, just think of it
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  Speaker 1: for a minute. Anne, after her first quick exclamation of dismay,
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  Speaker 1: was silent. It seemed to her that she could not speak.
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  Speaker 1: Then she said, bravely, but with a catch in her voice, Marilla,
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  Speaker 1: don't think of it. You know he has given you hope.
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  Speaker 1: If you are careful, you won't lose your sight altogether.
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  Speaker 1: And if his glasses cure your headaches, it will be
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  Speaker 1: a great thing. I don't call it much hope, said
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  Speaker 1: Marilla bitterly. What am I to live for? If I
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  Speaker 1: can't read or sew or do anything like that, I
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  Speaker 1: might as well be blind or dead. And as for crying,
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  Speaker 1: I can't help that when I get lonesome. But there
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  Speaker 1: it's no good talking about it. If you'll get me
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  Speaker 1: a cup of tea, I'll be thankful. I'm about done out.
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  Speaker 1: Don't say anything about this to anyone for a spell yet. Anyway,
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  Speaker 1: I can't bear that folks should come here to question
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  Speaker 1: and sympathize and talk about it. When Marilla had eaten
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  Speaker 1: her lunch, Anne persuaded her to go to bed. Then
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  Speaker 1: Anne went herself to the east gable and sat down
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  Speaker 1: by her window in the darkness, alone with her tears
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  Speaker 1: and her heaviness of heart. How sadly things had changed
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  Speaker 1: since she had sat there the night after coming home.
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  Speaker 1: Then she had been full of hope and joy, and
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  Speaker 1: the future had looked rosy with promise. Anne felt as
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  Speaker 1: if she had lived years since then. But before she
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  Speaker 1: went to bed there was a smile on her lips
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  Speaker 1: and peace in her heart. She had looked her duty
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  Speaker 1: courageously in the face and found it a friend, as
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  Speaker 1: duty ever is when we meet it. Frankly. One afternoon
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  Speaker 1: a few days later, Marilla came slowly in from the
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  Speaker 1: yard where she had been talking to a caller, a
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  Speaker 1: man whom Anne knew by sight as John Sadler from Carmody.
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  Speaker 1: Anne wondered what he could have been saying to bring
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  Speaker 1: that look to Marilla's face. What did mister Sadler want Marilla.
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  Speaker 1: Marilla sat down by the window and looked at Anne.
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  Speaker 1: There were tears in her eyes in defiance of the
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  Speaker 1: Oculus prohibition, and her voice broke as she said, he
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  Speaker 1: heard that I was going to sell green Gables, and
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  Speaker 1: he wants to buy it. Buy it by green Gables.
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  Speaker 1: Anne wondered if she had heard aright. Oh, Marilla, you
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  Speaker 1: don't mean to sell green Gables, Anne. I don't know
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  Speaker 1: what else is to be done. I've thought it all over.
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  Speaker 1: If my eyes were strong, I could stay here and
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  Speaker 1: make out to look after things and manage with a
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  Speaker 1: good hired man. But as it is, I can't. I
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  Speaker 1: may lose my sight altogether, and anyway I'll not be
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  Speaker 1: fit to run things. Oh. I never thought i'd live
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  Speaker 1: to see the day when I'd have to sell my home.
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  Speaker 1: But things would only go behind, worse and worse all
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  Speaker 1: the time, till nobody would want to buy it. Every
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  Speaker 1: cent of our money went in that bank, and there's
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  Speaker 1: some notes Matthew gave last fall to pay missus. Lynde
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  Speaker 1: advises me to sell the farm in board somewhere with her.
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  Speaker 1: I suppose it won't bring much. It's small and the
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  Speaker 1: buildings are old, but it'll be enough for me to
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  Speaker 1: live on. I reckon. I'm thankful you're provided for with
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  Speaker 1: that scholarship. Anne, I'm sorry you won't have a home
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  Speaker 1: to come to in your vacations, that's all. But I
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  Speaker 1: suppose you'll manage somehow. Marilla broke down and wept bitterly.
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  Speaker 1: You mustn't sell Green Gables, said Anne resolutely. Oh, Anne,
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  Speaker 1: I wish I didn't have to, but you can see
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  Speaker 1: for yourself. I can't stay here alone. I'd go crazy
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  Speaker 1: with trouble and loneliness, and my sight will go I
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  Speaker 1: know it would. You won't have to stay here alone, Marilla.
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  Speaker 1: I'll be with you. I'm not going to Redmond. Not
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  Speaker 1: going to Redmond. Marilla lifted her worn face from her
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  Speaker 1: hands and looked at Anne. Why what do you mean?
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  Speaker 1: Just what I say. I'm not going to take the scholarship.
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  Speaker 1: I decided so the night after you came home from town.
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  Speaker 1: You surely don't think I could leave you alone in
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  Speaker 1: your trouble, Marilla, After all you've done for me. I've
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  Speaker 1: been thinking and planning. Let me tell you my plans.
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  Speaker 1: Mister Barry wants to rent the farm for next year,
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  Speaker 1: so you won't have any bother over that. And I'm
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  Speaker 1: going to teach. I've applied for the school here, but
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  Speaker 1: I don't expect to get it, for I understand the
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  Speaker 1: trustees have promised it to Gilbert Blythe But I can
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  Speaker 1: have the Carmody School. Mister Blair told me so last
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  Speaker 1: night at the store. Of course, that won't be quite
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  Speaker 1: as nice or convenient as if I had the Avonlea School.
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  Speaker 1: But I can board home and drive myself over to
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  Speaker 1: Carmodian back in the warm weather at least, and even
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  Speaker 1: in winter I can come home Fridays. We'll keep a
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  Speaker 1: horse for that. Oh. I have it all planned out, Marilla,
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  Speaker 1: and I'll read to you and keep you cheered up.
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  Speaker 1: You shan't be dull or lonesome, and we'll be real
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  Speaker 1: cozy and happy here together, you and I, Marilla had
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  Speaker 1: listened like a woman in a dream. Oh, Anne, I
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  Speaker 1: could get on real well if you were here, I know.
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  Speaker 1: But I can't let you sacrifice yourself for me. It
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  Speaker 1: would be terrible nonsense. Anne laughed merrily. There is no sacrifice.
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  Speaker 1: Nothing could be worse than giving up green Gables. Nothing
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  Speaker 1: could hurt me more. We must keep the dear old place.
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  Speaker 1: My mind is quite made up, Marilla. I'm not going
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  Speaker 1: to Redmond, and I am going to stay here and teach.
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  Speaker 1: Don't you worry about me a bit? But you're ambition,
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  Speaker 1: and I'm just as ambitious as ever, only I've changed
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  Speaker 1: the object of my ambitions. I'm going to be a
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  Speaker 1: good teacher, and I'm going to save your eyesight. Besides,
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  Speaker 1: I mean to study at home here and take a
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  Speaker 1: little college course all by myself. Oh, I've dozens of plans, Marilla.
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  Speaker 1: I've been thinking them out for a week. I shall
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  Speaker 1: give life here my best, and I believe it will
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  Speaker 1: give its best to me in return. When I left Queens,
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  Speaker 1: my future seemed to stretch out before me like a
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  Speaker 1: straight road. I thought I could see along it for
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  Speaker 1: many a milestone. Now there is a bend in it.
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  Speaker 1: I don't know what lies around the bend, but I'm
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  Speaker 1: going to believe that the best does, and has a
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  Speaker 1: fascination of its own that bend, Marilla. I wonder how
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  Speaker 1: the road beyond it goes. What there is of green
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  Speaker 1: glory and soft checkered light and shadows, What new landscapes,
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  Speaker 1: what new beauties, What curves and hills and valleys farther on?
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  Speaker 1: I don't feel as if I ought to let you
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  Speaker 1: give it up, said Marilla, referring to the scholarship. But
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  Speaker 1: you can't prevent me. I'm sixteen and a half obstinate
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  Speaker 1: as a mule, as Missus Lynde once told me, laughed Anne.
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  Speaker 1: Oh Marilla, don't you go pitying me. I don't like
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  Speaker 1: to be pitied, and there is no need for it.
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  Speaker 1: I'm heart glad over the very thought of staying at
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  Speaker 1: dear Green Gables. Nobody could love it as you and
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  Speaker 1: I do, so we must keep it. You blessed girl,
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  Speaker 1: said Marilla, yielding. I feel as if you'd given me
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  Speaker 1: new life. I guess I ought to stick out and
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  Speaker 1: make you go to college, but I know I can't,
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  Speaker 1: so I ain't going to try. I'll make it up
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  Speaker 1: to you, though, Anne. When it became noised abroad in
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  Speaker 1: Avonlea that Anne Shirley had given up the idea of
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  Speaker 1: going to college and intended to stay home and teach,
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  Speaker 1: there was a good deal of discussion over it. Most
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  Speaker 1: of the good folks, not knowing about Marilla's eyes, thought
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  Speaker 1: she was foolish. Missus Allan did not. She told Anne
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  Speaker 1: so in approving wars that brought tears of pleasure to
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  Speaker 1: the girl's eyes. Neither did good missus Lynde. She came
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  Speaker 1: up one evening and found Anne and Marilla sitting at
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  Speaker 1: the front door in the warm, scented summer dusk. They
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  Speaker 1: liked to sit there when the twilight came down, and
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  Speaker 1: the white moths flew about in the garden and the
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  Speaker 1: odor of mint filled the dewy air. Missus Rachel deposited
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  Speaker 1: her substantial person upon the stone bench by the door,
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  Speaker 1: behind which grew a row of tall, pink and yellow hollyhocks.
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  Speaker 1: With a long breath of mingled weariness and relief, I declare,
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  Speaker 1: I'm glad to sit down. I've been on my feet
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  Speaker 1: all day, and two hundred pounds is a good bit
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  Speaker 1: for two feet to carry round. It's a great blessing
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  Speaker 1: not to be fat. Marilla, I hope you appreciate it well. Anne,
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  Speaker 1: I hear you've given up your notion of going to college.
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  Speaker 1: I was real glad to hear it. You've got as
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  Speaker 1: much education now as a woman can be comfortable with.
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  Speaker 1: I don't believe in girls going to college with the
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  Speaker 1: men and cramming their heads full of Latin and Greek
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  Speaker 1: and all that nonsense. But I'm going to study Latin
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  Speaker 1: in Greek, just the same, Missus Lynde, said Anne, laughing.
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  Speaker 1: I'm going to take my art's course right here at
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  Speaker 1: Green Gables and study everything that I would at college.
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  Speaker 1: Missus Lynde lifted her hands in holy horror. Anne, Shirley,
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  Speaker 1: you'll kill yourself. Not a bit of it. I shall
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  Speaker 1: thrive on it. Oh, I'm not going to overdo things,
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  Speaker 1: as Josiah Allen's wife says. I shall be medium. But
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  Speaker 1: all have lots of spare time in the long winter evenings,
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  Speaker 1: and I've no vocation for fancy work. I'm going to
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  Speaker 1: teach over at Carmody. You know, I don't know it.
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  Speaker 1: I guess you're going to teach right here in Avonlea.
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  Speaker 1: The trustees have decided to give you the school, Missus Lynde,
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  Speaker 1: cried Anne, springing to her feet in her surprise. Why.
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  Speaker 1: I thought they had promised it to Gilbert blythe So
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  Speaker 1: they did. But as soon as Gilbert heard that you
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  Speaker 1: had applied for it, he went to them they had
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  Speaker 1: a business meeting at the school last night, you know,
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  Speaker 1: and told them that he withdrew his application and suggested
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  Speaker 1: that they accept yours. He said he was going to
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  Speaker 1: teach at White Sands. Of course he gave up the
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  Speaker 1: school just to oblige you, because he knew how much
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  Speaker 1: he wanted to stay with Marilla. And I must say
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  Speaker 1: I think it was real kind and thoughtful in him.
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  Speaker 1: That's what real self sacrificing too, for he'll have his
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  Speaker 1: board to pay at White Sands, and everybody knows he's
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  Speaker 1: got to earn his own way through college. So the
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  Speaker 1: trustees decided to take you. I was tickled to death
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  Speaker 1: when Thomas came home and told me. I don't feel
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  Speaker 1: that I ought to take it, murmured Anne. I mean,
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  Speaker 1: I don't think I ought to let Gilbert make such
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  Speaker 1: a sacrifice for for me. I guess you can't prevent him. Now.
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  Speaker 1: He's signed papers with the White Sands Trustees, so it
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  Speaker 1: wouldn't do him any good. Now if you were to refuse.
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  Speaker 1: Of course, she'll take the school. You'll get along all right.
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  Speaker 1: Now that there are no pies going. Josie was the
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  Speaker 1: last of them, and a good thing she was. That's what.
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  Speaker 1: There's been some pie or another going to Avonlea School
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  Speaker 1: for the last twenty years. And I guess their mission
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  Speaker 1: in life was to keep school teachers reminded that Earth
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  Speaker 1: isn't their home. Bless my heart, What does all that
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  Speaker 1: winking and blinking at the berry gable me? Diana is
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  Speaker 1: signaling for me to go over? Laughed Anne, you know
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  Speaker 1: we keep up the old custom. Excuse me while I
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  Speaker 1: run over and see what she wants. Anne ran down
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  Speaker 1: the clover slope like a deer and disappeared in the
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  Speaker 1: furry shadows of the haunted wood. Missus Lynde looked after
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  Speaker 1: her indulgently. There's a good deal of the child about her,
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  Speaker 1: yet in some ways there's a good deal more of
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  Speaker 1: a woman about her, and others, retorted Marilla with a
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  Speaker 1: momentary return of her old crispness. But crispness was no
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  Speaker 1: longer Marilla's distinguishing characteristic. As Missus Lynde told her Thomas
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  Speaker 1: that night, Marilla Cuthbert has got mellow. That's what. Anne
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  Speaker 1: went to the little Avonlea graveyard the next evening to
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  Speaker 1: put fresh flowers on Matthew's grave and water the Scotch
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  Speaker 1: rose bush. She lingered there until dusk, liking the peace
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  Speaker 1: and calm of the little place with its poplars, whose
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  Speaker 1: rustle was like low friendly speech and it's whispering grasses
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  Speaker 1: growing at will among the graves. When she finally left
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  Speaker 1: it and walked down the long hill that sloped the
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  Speaker 1: Lake of Shining Waters, it was past sunset, and all
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  Speaker 1: Avonlea lay before her in a dreamlike after light, a
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  Speaker 1: haunt of ancient peace. There was a freshness in the air,
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  Speaker 1: as of a wind that had blown over honey sweet
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  Speaker 1: fields of clover. Home lights twinkled out here and there
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  Speaker 1: among the homestead trees. Beyond lay the sea, misty and purple,
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  Speaker 1: with its haunting, unceasing murmur. The west was a glory
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  Speaker 1: of soft, mingled hues, and the pond reflected them all
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  Speaker 1: in still softer shadings. The beauty of it all thrilled
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  Speaker 1: Anne's heart, and she gratefully opened the gates of her
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  Speaker 1: soul to it. Dear old world, she murmured, you are
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  Speaker 1: very lovely, and I am glad to be alive in you.
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  Speaker 1: Half Way down the hill, a tall lad came whistling
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  Speaker 1: out of a gate before the blame the homestead. It
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  Speaker 1: was Gilbert, and the whistle died on his lips as
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  Speaker 1: he recognized Anne. He lifted his cap courteously, but he
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  Speaker 1: would have passed on in silence. If Anne had not
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  Speaker 1: stopped and held out her hand Gilbert, she said, with
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  Speaker 1: scarlet cheeks, I want to thank you for giving up
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  Speaker 1: the school for me. It was very good of you,
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  Speaker 1: and I want you to know that I appreciate it.
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  Speaker 1: Gilbert took the offered hand eagerly. It wasn't particularly good
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  Speaker 1: of me at all, Anne, I was pleased to be
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  Speaker 1: able to do you some small service. Are we going
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  Speaker 1: to be friends after this? Have you really forgiven me
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  Speaker 1: my old fault? Anne laughed and tried unsuccessfully to withdraw
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  Speaker 1: her hand. I forgave you that day by the pond landing,
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  Speaker 1: although I didn't know it. What a stubborn little goose
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  Speaker 1: I was I've been. I may as well make a
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  Speaker 1: complete confession. I've been sorry ever since. We are going
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  Speaker 1: to be the best of friends, said Gilbert jubilantly. We
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  Speaker 1: were born to be good friends. Anne. You've thwarted destiny
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  Speaker 1: long enough. I know we can help each other in
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  Speaker 1: many ways. You are going to keep up your studies,
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  Speaker 1: aren't you? So? Am I come, I'm going to walk
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  Speaker 1: you home. Marilla looked curiously at Anne when the latter
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  Speaker 1: entered the kitchen. Who was that came up the lane
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  Speaker 1: with you, Anne, Gilbert Blythe answered Anne, vexed to find
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  Speaker 1: herself blushing. I met him on Barry's Hill. I didn't
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  Speaker 1: think you and Gilbert Blythe were such good friends that
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  Speaker 1: you'd stand for half an hour at the gate talking
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  Speaker 1: to him, said Marilla, with a dry smile. We haven't
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  Speaker 1: been We've been good enemies, but we have decided that
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  Speaker 1: it will be much more sensible to be good friends
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  Speaker 1: in future. Were we really there half an hour? It
• 15:45
  Speaker 1: seemed just a few minutes. But you see we have
• 15:47
  Speaker 1: five years lost conversations to catch up with. Marilla. Anne
• 15:52
  Speaker 1: sat long at her window that night, companioned by a
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  Speaker 1: glad content. The wind purred softly in the cherry boughs,
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  Speaker 1: and the mint breaths came up to her. The stars
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  Speaker 1: twinkled over the pointed firs in the hollow, and Diana's
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  Speaker 1: light gleamed through the old gap. Anne's horizons had closed
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  Speaker 1: in since the night she had sat there after coming
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  Speaker 1: home from Queen's. But if the pat set before her
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  Speaker 1: feet was to be narrow, she knew that flowers of
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  Speaker 1: quiet happiness would bloom along it, the joys of sincere
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  Speaker 1: work and worthy aspiration and congenial friendship were to be hers.
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  Speaker 1: Nothing could rob her of her birthright of fancy or
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  Speaker 1: her ideal world of dreams. And there was always the
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  Speaker 1: bend in the road. God's in his heaven, All's right
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  Speaker 1: with the world, whispered Anne softly. End of Chapter thirty
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  Speaker 1: eight and end of Anne of Green Gables, recorded by
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  Speaker 1: Annie Coleman Rothenberg in Saint Louis, Missouri, in August two
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  Speaker 1: thousand eight.