Anne of Green Gables Page #10

mother in religion and her father in politics.

Ruby Gillis knows all about courting

because she has three older sisters.

Did you ever go courting, Matthew?

Well, I don't knows I have.

Never, ever, ever?

Why ever not?

Well, I couldn't do it

without talking to a girl.

Well, I'm sure there were

many broken hearts as a result.

Oh, go on.

Ruby Gillis says when she grows up,

she wants to have a line of beaus on

a string and make them crazy for her.

I'd rather have one

in his rightful mind.

There are some things in this world

that even I cannot hope to understand.

Well, I don't know if I can

comprehend all of them, either.

Diana?

My little sister's awful sick with

the croup, and Mary Joe's babysitting.

She doesn't know what to do. And we can't get word to

mother and father because they're at the rally still.

Don't worry, Diana. Matthew will get the doctor.

We're such kindred spirits, I can read his thoughts.

Dr. Blair is at the rally, too. Oh, Anne,

I'm awful scared. The baby can't breathe.

Get my coat, Diana.

Stop crying, Diana. I know exactly what to

do for the croup. Ipecac is an expectorant.

Mrs. Hammond's three sets of twins all had croup

regularly, Diana, and it was me that treated them.

She's pretty bad, but I've seen worse.

Put some wood in the stove,

Mary Joe, and boil some water.

I don't mean to hurt your feelings, but you might have

thought of that before if you'd had any imagination.

Diana, get a fresh change of clothes,

and I'll keep administering the ipecac.

I've given her the last of the ipecac. Mary Joe, look

after the water. We'll change the mustard plaster.

I gave her every last drop of ipecac,...

but it wasn't until she coughed up the

phlegm that she really began to improve.

You must imagine my relief, doctor.

Some things cannot be expressed in words.

Would have been too late by the time I got

here. You saved this little baby's life.

I can't go to school.

Just can't keep my eyes open.

But I hate to stay at home.

Gil will get ahead and...

'Morning.

Afternoon's more like it, Anne.

You've slept the day away.

Though no one's ever been

more entitled to it, I hear.

Did you meet the prime minister?

What does he look like?

Well, he certainly didn't become prime minister

on account of his looks, but he's a fine speaker.

He shook my hand.

How exciting. I can just imagine the

thrill of the rally with all those people.

Mrs. Barry was over here

before, begging to see you.

But I wasn't about to wake you.

You're invited to dinner.

I should imagine humble

pie is on the menu.

Marilla, may I go right now?

I am aching to see Diana.

I'm so ashamed, Anne.

You saved my baby's life.

I harbor no hard feelings

toward you, Mrs. Barry.

But I hope you believe me once and for all

that I never meant to intoxicate Diana.

Of course I believe you, child.

I'm so sorry I ever doubted you.

Mother says you can come with us

to the Christmas ball at Carmody.

And we'd be honored if you'd

stay the night with Diana as well.

It's a very special occasion, and

you would be our guest of honor.

You can calm down

because you're not going.

For a woman so adamantly against current

wine, I'm surprised she's allowing Diana to go.

The ball is for adults, not children.

But Marilla, it's Christmas.

The minister's gonna to be there.

He's giving an address, and

that's almost the same as a sermon.

You heard what I said, and

you know what I meant by it.

There'll be plenty of

balls when you're older.

But I was invited to spend the night.

I'm to be the guest of honor.

Ah, well, it's just an honor you'll

have to forego, aye? Now off to bed.

This is a wound I shall bear forever.

Good night.

You'd have been proud of her presence of

mind, the way she saved that Barry baby.

Why don't you let her go?

Remember, Matthew, who we

agreed would be raising her.

Mrs. Barry just wants to ease her conscience,

and I'm not going to allow it.

And no amount of huffing and puffing

from you, is going to change my mind.

You'd let her go to the moon,

if she had the notion.

Well, I don't approve of balls.

Just fill her head with nonsense.

Fact is, Marilla, you

never went to a ball.

Fact is, this whole idea's

got you scared to death.

That little girl ought to have

all the kindness we can give her.

We've got no call to raise

her as cheerless as we was.

And it ain't interfering to have an opinion.

Besides, it's Christmas.

You ought to let her go.

Alright, you can go.

This is all Matthew's doing, though;

I wash my hands of it.

If you get overheated and

catch pneumonia, blame Matthew.

Marilla, I dreamt last night that I

arrived at the ball in puffed sleeves

and everyone was

overcome by my regal entrance...

Regal, my eye. You're dripping dirty,

greasy water all over my clean floor!

And if I have to listen to anymore of this,

I'll just change my mind, that's what I'll do.

Well, Mr. Cuthbert, what

can I do for you today?

Well, now, uh...

I'd like, uh...

Have you got any, uh...

Do you have any garden rakes?

Well now, we don't carry garden

rakes in the store in December,...

but I'll check upstairs. We

may have one or two in storage.

The very last one.

Oh, that's... that's nice.

Will there be anything

else, Mr. Cuthbert?

Well, since you suggested, uh...

I might want to look at some hayseed.

Oh, we don't carry hayseed

till spring, Mr. Cuthbert.

Oh, certainly. Of course.

That'll be 75 cents for

the rake, Mr. Cuthbert.

Uh, while I'm here, uh...

I might want to look at, uh...

If it wouldn't be too

much trouble, uh...

Yes...

Sugar.

Sugar?

Some sugar.

Oh, white or brown?

Well, uh... What would you say?

Well, we have some nice brown

sugar in stock, Mr. Cuthbert.

How much would you like?

Well... Would twenty pounds be enough?

Yes, I'm sure twenty

pounds would be enough.

That'll be $1.

I need a dress.

With puffed sleeves.

Puffed sleeves?

For Anne.

For land's sakes, Mr. Cuthbert, why

didn't you say so in the first place?

Now, you just come

with me to the window.

Oh! It's so beautiful!

Brown sugar, indeed. I knew

Matthew was up to some foolishness.

Marilla, look at the puffs.

They're ridiculous. You'll have to

turn sideways to get through the doors.

This can't be real.

I hope you're satisfied, young lady.

I don't want you strutting around here vain as a

peacock, so now you go upstairs and take that off.

I have to thank Matthew.

Twenty pounds of brown sugar.

I should have waited till Christmas, but I

thought you might want to wear it to the ball.

Don't you like it?

Like it? It's more exquisite than

any dress I could ever have imagined.

Puffed sleeves.

The puffiest in the world.

You are a man of

impeccable taste, Matthew.

I don't want to get your dress dirty.

Diana...

Enjoy yourselves tonight, alright?

Hello, John, Martha,

Elizabeth. How are you?

I'm positively certain this

will spoil everyday life forever.

In three years, I'm going to

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