01x12 - Perhaps We Always Love Best the People Who Need Us

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A month has gone by since I started

teaching at the Avonlea school.

Just as I was getting used to standing

in front of my pupils day after day,

a shocking change came

along to stir up my life.

There's Marilla getting home

from her relation's funeral.

And she's got the twins with her.

Poor things.

Yes. They lost their father so soon,

and now their mother, too.

Why, there's the boy grabbing at the

pony's tail and Marilla jerking him back.

She'll have her hands full.

The girl's sitting up on the

seat as prim as you please.

Anne'll be tickled to death.

She's awful fond of children.

It doesn't seem a day since

Matthew brought home Anne.

Everybody laughed at the idea

of Marilla bringing up a child.

And now she has adopted twins.

You're never safe from being

surprised till you're dead.

Chapter 12

Perhaps We Always Love Best

the People Who Need Us

Welcome to Green Gables.

You must be Dora.

And that makes you

I'm Mr. Davy Keith.

And full of life, I see.

Davy, mind your table manners.

I'm so hungry I ain't

got time to eat p'litely.

That cake's awful nice and plummy.

Can I have another piece?

Here.

You ought to say thank you for that.

If you'll give me another piece

I'll say thank you for it.

No, you have had plenty of cake.

Good heavens!

Davy!

Thank you, Miss Cuthbert.

Davy, gentlemen don't do things like that.

I know they don't,

but I ain't a gemplum.

But don't you want to be?

Course I do.

But you can't be a

gemplum till you grow up.

Oh, indeed you can.

You can begin to be a gentleman

when you are a little boy.

And gentlemen never snatch things from

ladies or pull anybody's hair.

Anne.

Or forget to say thank you.

They don't have much fun, that's a fact.

I guess I'll wait till

I'm grown up to be one.

They'd better go to bed.

Dora will sleep with me. You're not

afraid to sleep alone, are you, Davy?

No; but I ain't going to

bed for ever so long yet.

Oh, yes, you are.

Why? What've I got to go to bed now for?

Because I said so!

But why?

I don't wanna!

Marilla washed it yesterday.

I don't see the good of

being so awful clean.

You're going to church today.

Wouldn't you feel ashamed of yourself,

meeting new people with a dirty face?

I'd feel fine.

It's lots more comfable being dirty.

Paul Irving washes his face

every day of his own accord.

Paul? Who's he?

One of my pupils.

He's not grown up, but he is a gentleman.

Do you like him, then?

Yes, I do.

We ought to get going!

Paul!

Miss Anne!

Good morning, Miss Cuthbert.

Good morning, Paul.

These are the latest additions

to our family, Davy and Dora.

Pleased to meet you.

It's a pleasure to meet you, Dora.

And you, Da vy?

In the Lord's name, we cherish

justice and righteousness.

Yet human righteousness

must have its limits.

When we become overzealous in enforcing

our own idea of what is right on others,

we reveal the differences

in our understandings

and risk creating conflict.

We may even drive others

away, into isolation.

Remember that even righteous

speech has the power to harm.

Mommer! Take it off! Get it out!

Worm! Worm! Worm!

It's going further down!

Stay in your room for the rest of the day!

I s'pose that Paul Irving

wouldn't have dropped a caterpillar down

a girl's neck in church, would he?

Indeed he wouldn't.

Well, I'm kind of sorry I did it, then.

But

it was such a jolly big caterpillar.

It seemed a pity to waste him.

And say, wasn't it fun

to hear that girl yell?

Today, I'd like to settle on a definite

plan for improving the Avonlea hall.

We should have enough money subscribed

to paint it and shingle the roof, too.

We had better decide on colors, then.

The roof will be dark red, of course.

Of course.

Now, what about the walls?

Why not a pretty green?

Good idea. I was thinking

just the same thing.

Were you really?

Yes. I know green would look splendid.

So we'll have it painted green?

So it seems.

And I guess we'll ask

Mr. Roger Pie to do the job.

The Pyes did subscribe the most, altogether.

Would you care for more tea?

Yes please.

In that case, we'll meet again in a week.

Wait, where is Dora?

She just went out back with Davy.

What?

Dora!

What has happened to you?

You're covered in mud.

Davy made me walk the pigpen fence.

Don't tell me you walked it?

I tried, but

You fell in?

How could you do such a

thing to your sister?

I'm truly disappointed in you.

Davy?!

I never feel sorry for doing things

till after I've did them.

Dora wouldn't help me make pies,

'cause she was afraid of messing her clo'es

and that made me hopping mad.

I s'pose Paul Irving

wouldn't have made his sister walk a

pigpen fence if he knew she'd fall in?

No, he would never dream of such a thing.

Davy?

Anne, don't you like me a little bit,

even if I ain't a good boy like Paul?

Indeed I do.

You mean it?!

Yes.

But I'd like you better still

if you weren't so naughty.

I did something else today.

I'm sorry now, but I'm

awful scared to tell you.

Davy, what is it you've done?

Davy, tell me what you've done!

I put a toad in Marilla's bed.

You can go and take it out if you like.

But say, wouldn't it be

fun to leave it there?

I thought that'd make more fun.

Oh, well.

This last fortnight has been so peaceful,

and even Davy has been almost well-behaved.

How quiet the woods are today

not a murmur except that soft

wind purring in the treetops!

You beautiful trees!

I love every one of you as a friend.

Anne Shirley, you're only

pretending to be grown up.

I believe when you're alone you're

as much a little girl as you ever were.

You see, I was little for fourteen years

and I've only been grown-uppish

for scarcely three.

These walks home from school are almost

the only time I have for dreaming.

That sounds splendid.

Where are you going, Diana?

Down to the Dicksons.

I promised to help Alberta

cut out her new dress.

Can't you walk down in the evening,

Anne, and come home with me?

I might

since Fred Wright is away in town

Is his company really so enjoyable?

I don't see why I should know.

Wait!

Don't leave me!

Really!

I'm home, Marilla.

Anne, Dora is lost!

I only just got home from Rachel's

and no Dora to be seen.

Davy, do you know where she is?

No, I don't.

I haven't seen her since

dinner time, cross my heart.

I see.

I've hunted the whole house through.

She would never wander far away alone.

Let's search again.

Dora!

Dora!

It's a most mysterious thing.

Where can she be?

Maybe she's tumbled into the well.

Did you see her?

No, but you've looked everywhere

'cept round the well.

If Dora fell in here

Run across for Mr. Harrison.

Mr. Harrison is away.

I'll go for Mr. Barry.

She can't be down there.

Look here, young man, are you sure

you've no idea where your sister is?

I've told you a dozen

times that I haven't.

Maybe a tr*mp come and stole her.

Nonsense.

Anne, do you suppose she could have

strayed over to Mr. Harrison's?

She has always been talking about his parrot

ever since that time you took her over.

I'll go over and see.

Dora! Dora!

Redheaded snippet!

Redheaded snippet!

Dora!

Do—

Dora

Oh, Dora!

Dora, what a fright you have given us!

How came you to be here?

Davy and I came over to see Ginger,

but Mr. Harrison weren't here.

And then Davy brought me here

and run out and shut the door.

I cried and cried, I was frightened,

and I thought you'd never come.

Cross my heart.

Dora!

Mr. Barry, Dora is here!

Thank heavens.

Where is Davy?

I found him hiding in the stable.

How could you behave so, Davy?!

I I just did it for fun.

I thought it would be fun to

give you folks a big scare.

But you told a falsehood about it, Davy.

What's a falsehood? Do you mean a whopper?

I mean a story that was not true.

Course I did. Everybody tells whoppers.

If I hadn't, you wouldn't

have been scared.

I had to tell it.

Anne?

What are you crying for?

You're supposed to get scared!

That's why I—

Oh, Davy, how could you?

Don't you know how wrong it was?

Anne

I'm sorry, Anne!

I didn't know it was

wrong to tell whoppers!

How did you expect me to know it was wrong?

All Mr. Sprott's children

told them regular every day.

I s'pose Paul Irving never tells whoppers

and here I've been trying awful

hard to be as good as him,

but it ain't easy.

Now I s'pose you'll never love me again.

I'm awful sorry I've made you cry, Anne.

Listen, Davy,

there is plenty of fun to be had in

this world without telling falsehoods.

I'll teach you.

He didn't know it was wrong

to tell falsehoods, Marilla.

I think we must forgive him if he will

promise never to say what isn't true again.

I never will, now that I know it's bad.

If you ever catch me telling a whopper

again you can you can skin me alive.

You mustn't say such things.

Fine, then. What'll you do to me this time?

I want to know.

That's a good question.

I can't think of any way except to

send him to bed without his supper.

Can't you suggest something else

with that imagination of yours, Anne?

That will do.

I like to imagine only pleasant things.

There are so many unpleasant

things in the world already

that there is no use in imagining any more.

Anne, is it wrong for everybody

to tell falsehoods?

Yes, indeed.

Is it wrong for a grown-up person?

Yes.

Then, Marilla is bad, for she tells them.

Davy Keith, Marilla never

told a story in her life.

She did so.

She told me that something

dreadful would happen to me

if I didn't say my prayers every night.

And I haven't said them for over a week,

just to see what would happen

and nothing has.

Why not, if she doesn't tell falsehoods?

Why, Davy Keith, something dreadful

has happened to you this very day.

I s'pose you mean being sent

to bed without any supper,

but that isn't dreadful.

I always eat twice as much for breakfast.

I don't mean your being sent to bed.

I mean the fact that you

told a falsehood today.

For a boy to tell what isn't true is almost

the worst thing that could happen to him.

So you see Marilla told you the truth.

Oh.

But I thought the something

bad would be exciting.

I suppose I shouldn't have told him that,

although I heard a minister

say it to a child once.

And that convinced them, I suppose.

But Davy isn't so easily satisfied.

True enough.

I do not know what we are

going to do with that child.

And Dora is such a good girl.

A good child brings her own challenges.

And remember how bad I was when I came here.

You were always getting

into terrible scrapes.

I don't see that I said anything so funny.

Davy's mind has to have

something to occupy it,

just as mine did.

You may be right.

You and Matthew helped me

to get as far as I have.

I'd like to do the same for those children.

Perhaps we always love best

the people who need us.

And they need us badly.

You know, Matthew once told me just that.

Did he really?

And who was it who needed Matthew?

Tell me. I want to know!

Next Time

When I Think Something Nice Is Going to Happen,

I Seem to Fly Right Up On the Wings of Anticipation