01x07 - I've Been Making Mistakes, but Each Mistake Has Helped to Cure Me of My Shortcomings

[bunniefuu]

Anne and I have been

playing here all summer.

What a lovely place.

Oh, look!

A landing place, and a boat, too.

That's my dad's flat-bottomed dory.

Would you like to tow out in it?

Or maybe go fishing?

Either sounds nice.

I know. Why don't we dramatize Elaine?

From the legends of King Arthur?

Yes. The Lady Elaine loved Sir Lancelot,

but her passion failed to move him.

Because Lancelot loved Guinevere,

the wife of his liege lord, Arthur.

Elaine dies of grief.

So her family floats her body down the river

in a barge, like she wrote in her will.

And her beloved Lancelot

finds it downstream.

Anne, what a wonderful idea!

If we let the flat drift

from here to the headland,

we can play Elaine's

tragic love perfectly.

Then who will be Elaine?

I could never have the courage

to float down there.

I don't mind floating down when there's

two or three of us in the flat.

But to lie down and pretend

I was dead—I just couldn't.

But then who will be Elaine?

I think you should, Anne.

Yes, you, Anne.

But it's so ridiculous to

have a redheaded Elaine.

Your hair is ever so much darker than

it used to be before you cut it.

Yes, and I think it is real pretty.

Do you really think so?

Chapter 7

I've Been Making Mistakes,

but Each Mistake Has Helped

to Cure Me of My Shortcomings

Jane, you will be Elaine's father.

All right.

Diana and Ruby will be the brothers.

Yes.

What will serve for a white lily?

How about this?

An iris? That will do nicely.

Why, you'd think she was really dead.

It makes me feel frightened, girls.

Do you suppose it's really

right to act like this?

It's perfectly all right.

Now, I won't say any more.

It's silly for Elaine to be

talking when she's dead.

Sister, farewell forever.

Farewell, sweet sister.

Oh daughter of mine, farewell.

Now, let us all go and wait for

Elaine at the lower headland.

As Lancelot and the King

and his wife, Guinevere.

Nothing could be more romantic.

I wonder how a person must feel,

dying on such a peaceful day.

This is no time for being dead!

How should a person feel when the

barge she's boarded is sinking?!

C-Can anybody hear me?!

Anybody?!

Be calm, Anne.

You mustn't lose your self-possession

at a time like this.

Dear God, if you haven't forsaken me,

please take the flat close to a pile

and I'll do the rest.

Look, there's Elaine!

She's coming straight toward us!

Boats from that landing place

always drift to this headland.

Oh, no! Anne's sunk!

We must get help!

Here I am!

I'm right here!

M-My arms

won't last much longer.

Oh, Mrs. Hammond, why didn't

you teach me to swim?!

Anne Shirley!

How on earth did you get there?

Be careful. Easy does it.

Let go.

What has happened, Anne?

We were playing Elaine.

I had to drift down to Camelot.

The flat began to leak and

Will you be kind enough to

I'm very much obliged to you.

Anne, look here.

Can't we be good friends?

I'm awfully sorry I made

fun of your hair that time.

Honest I am.

Let's be friends.

Let's be friends.

Carrots.

Carrots.

No, I shall never be friends with you,

and I don't want to be!

All right!

I'll never ask you to be

friends again, Anne Shirley.

Why did I answer him like that?

Wait. Do I regret it?

Oh, Anne!

What a relief!

You mean Gilbert rescued you?

How splendid of him!

Why, it's so romantic!

Of course you'll speak to him after this.

Of course I won't.

And I don't want ever to hear

the word romantic again.

What?

I'm awfully sorry you were

so frightened, girls.

We've gone and lost your

father's flat, Diana.

Everything I do gets me or my

dearest friends into a scrape.

You impossible child!

I went and apologized to Mr. Barry,

though he forgave you because he felt bad

for neglecting the hole in that dory.

And then there were the Blythes.

Will you ever have any sense, Anne?

You came within an inch of

losing your fool life.

Oh, yes, I think I will, Marilla.

I think my prospects of becoming

sensible are brighter now than ever.

I don't see how.

Ever since I came to Green Gables,

I've been making mistakes,

but each mistake has helped

to cure me of my shortcomings.

And what did nearly drowning

in the pond cure you of?

Today's mistake is going to

cure me of being too romantic.

Romance is not appreciated now.

I feel quite sure that you will soon see a

great improvement in me in this respect.

I'm sure I hope so.

Anne.

Well now, don't give up

all your romance, Anne.

Not too much, of course.

A little of it is a good thing.

I'm home!

So you are.

And late, too.

Diana and I were only over

in the Haunted Wood.

Miss Stacy was here this afternoon.

Oh!

She caught me reading Ben-Hur in

school yesterday afternoon.

She never mentioned such a thing to me.

Miss Stacy wants to organize a

class among her advanced students

who mean to study for the entrance

examination into Queen's.

And she came to ask Matthew and me if

we would like to have you join it.

Truly?

But won't it be

I guess you needn't worry

about the expense.

You can join the Queen's

class if you like, Anne.

Oh, Marilla!

Of course I'd love to!

I'm extremely grateful

to you and Matthew.

And I'll study as hard as I can and

do my very best to be a credit to you.

I dare say you will.

Well then, let's stop here for today.

Queen's class, stay behind.

Everybody else, please take

care getting home.

Yes, Miss Stacy.

Well, I'll be going now.

All right.

Till tomorrow.

I'll see you tomorrow

Study hard.

We've never been separated in anything.

Goodbye.

Now Diana will have to walk home alone

through Lover's Lane and Violet Vale.

We should all have a purpose in life

and pursue it faithfully.

But we must first make sure

that it is a worthy purpose.

You'll just have to live with it.

Diana's parents don't intend

to send her to Queen's.

It is a lesson that we can't have things

perfect in this imperfect world.

Now, what do you think of

the Queen's class?

I think the Queen's class is going

to be extremely interesting.

The competition makes

studying feel worthwhile.

I'm glad to hear it.

We discussed our life's

ambitions on the walk home.

Did you? That's an awfully

long time to be thinking of.

Miss Stacy told us it is

important to have one.

We all thought it over.

Ruby says

My ambition is marriage.

I'll teach for two years after I get through,

and then I intend to be married.

And Jane says

I'll devote my whole life to teaching.

And I'll never, never marry.

Why not?

Because you are paid a salary for teaching,

but a husband won't pay you anything.

Just look at my father.

He's meaner than second skimmings.

Josie says

I won't have to earn my own living.

I'm just going to college

for education's sake.

Your family does have plenty of money.

Yes, unlike orphans who are

living on charity.

It must be hard, having to hustle to

make your own way in the world.

Take no notice of that rude girl!

I don't intend to.

Moody Spurgeon is going to be a minister.

Charlie Sloane says he's

going to go into politics.

He'll have a hard time of it.

The Sloanes are all honest people.

That's true enough.

Tell me,

what is Gilbert Blythe going to be?

All right!

I'll never ask you to be

friends again, Anne Shirley.

I don't happen to know what Gilbert Blythe's

ambition in life is—if he has any.

In that case, Anne, what about yours?

M-Mine?

Well, I suppose

My purpose in life is to

What an awful dilemma.

I need to find a purpose worth devoting

my life to right this minute.

I wonder if Diana was

all right on her own.

I'll be fine.

Carrie and Julia say they'll

walk home with me today.

So concentrate on your studies, Anne.

Th-Thank you.

Your purpose in life?

Yes.

So, what would you think of living

together when we grow up?

We'll both earn our livings and be together

even when we're nice old maids!

That does sound like fun.

Doesn't it just?

But wait. A purpose in life should

have a worthier object.

Say, marrying some wild,

dashing, wicked young man

and reforming him with my love.

Doesn't that sound more noble?

Why, Anne. What brings you here?

Miss Stacy

Yes?

How should I go about finding

my purpose in life?

Everybody else knows just

what they want to be,

but I haven't made up my mind yet.

I don't think you need to rush.

You've been doing good work,

so you should take your time looking.

But what if I never find it?

I can see what I said has

been bothering you.

Think of it this way, then.

Passing the entrance into Queen's

is your purpose for the time being,

and you'll think of what comes

next once you've done that.

A good ambition needn't be a grand one.

Try to make the most of

each day as it comes.

"Make the most of each day."

All right! I'll try my best.

Don't work yourself to any extreme, now.

Thank you very much.

If you'll excuse me.

Take care.

Miss Stacy! I l-l-love you!

My!

The days slipped by,

spring came again,

and I turned fourteen.

Two of you earned full marks

on yesterday's test.

Anne and Gilbert.

Day by day, I made the most

of what lay before me,

and each day shone like a golden

bead on the necklace of the year.

When summer came,

and studies stalled a wee bit,

rumors ran at large through the school.

Hey, have you heard?

Oh, I heard all right.

She got offered a position

in her home district.

Did she really?

Good morning.

Good morning.

Have you heard?

Heard what?

Miss Stacy is going to leave the

Avonlea School this summer.

It's only a rumor. We can't be sure yet.

Yes, but still

Why not ask Miss Stacy herself?

I can't. I don't dare.

Neither do I.

The term ends today.

But you've done good work this past year,

and you deserve a good, jolly vacation.

Have the best time you can

in the out-of-door world

and lay in a good stock of health

and vitality and ambition.

It will be the tug of w*r, you know—

the last year before the Entrance.

Is something the matter?

I have a question.

Yes? What is it?

Are you going to be back

next year, Miss Stacy?

I've heard you've been offered a position

in another school and mean to accept.

Please don't leave, Miss Stacy!

I want to learn so much more from you!

So do I!

Don't go away!

Stay on, Miss Stacy!

Please! Don't go!

All of you

Yes, I was offered another school.

But I have decided

to come back to Avonlea.

I thought of taking a school

in my home district,

but to tell the truth,

I've grown so interested in my pupils here

that I found I couldn't leave them.

So I'll stay and see you through.

Hurrah! Hurrah!

Hurrah! Hurrah!

All of you

Thank you.

Listen, Jane. I've found

my purpose in life.

I've had a vague idea of it all this time,

but today it turned to certainty.

You too, Anne?

Yes.

We all have.

Marilla, I'm going to be a teacher!

I'll get a First-Class license and

be a teacher like Miss Stacy!

That is my purpose!

I told you, you needn't think so grand.

But I had a feeling you'd say that.

I shall take more interest

than ever in my studies now.

I dare say you'll get along well enough.

You needn't rush to any extreme of

k*lling yourself over your books.

There is no hurry.

Yes, I know.

But I must tell Matthew about—

Matthew?

Matthew!

What's the matter with you?

Matthew!

Next Time

I Don't Want to

Be Anyone but Myself