A Similar String | Anne Shirley & Gilbert Blythe

Four | cutting the strings

Taking Ms. Barry's advice completely to heart, Anne set about to severing the strings which had become "knotted". The only decision left to be made was how to do so. Cutting them would certainly be quicker, but untying them would be kinder and easier on Gilbert, and Anne had no wish to hurt him more than was already necessary.

The opportunity to untie arrived sooner than expected.

Like any other morning, Anne walked to school with Diana. They were walking down Birch Path when it suddenly began to rain quite steadily. The two girls sprinted through the woods, clutching their hats to their heads with one hand, and school things swinging in the other.

They would have been utterly drenched by the time they reached the schoolhouse, if a voice hadn't called. "Anne! Diana! Over here!"

Without a moments hesitation, the girls ducked beneath the large sheltering hemlock tree, from under which the voice had come.

Anne laughed with Diana as she wiped raindrops off her freckled skin. But the laughter faded as her eyes wandered to whom had called to them.

Gilbert Blythe was resting casually against the trunk of the pine tree. He had clearly been caught in the ran as well. Damp curls were plastered to his forehead and little drops of rain were caught on the loose threads of wool on his sweater.

Anne could feel a strange tugging in her chest and she had a creeping suspicion that it was that of her "similar string" just beneath her rib cage. That tugging must be stopped.

Gilbert grinned cheerfully at the two girls. "I see you were caught in the rain as well."

Gilbert straightened from his casual
position and came to stand near the girls so they were standing in a small circle beneath a large hemlock branch.

Instinctively, Anne shuffled a few inches away from Gilbert. He might've noticed for the corner of his mouth twitched.

"Good morning, Gilbert," said Diana pleasantly. "How are you this morning, aside from the rain?"

"Very well," said Gilbert genially. "I actually quite enjoy the rain, at times."

Anne looked up sharply at the boy. She expected to see him smiling at her mockingly, for she had often expressed a love for the rain, but Gilbert wasn't even looking at her and appeared to be quite genuine.

Anne was annoyed by this. It would've been so much easier to sever ties with the boy if he mocked her.

"How about yourselves?" asked Gilbert.

The question was clearly directed toward both girls, but Anne, who had been studying the boy, looked away and remained silent as Diana replied that she was "doing quite well."

"I suppose we should wait until the rain stops before continuing to school. We don't want our schoolbooks to get wet," said Gilbert, rather unnecessarily.

"Yes," agreed Diana, also unnecessarily.

Silence.

Gilbert looked at Anne.

"Has Elaine gone for any more journeys in the barge?" asked Gilbert with a smile. Anne glanced at him, but didn't reply. Gilbert frowned, and addressed Diana. "I guess Anne isn't going to speak to me today?"

Diana looked worriedly at Anne. She knew Anne had said she couldn't let Gilbert have any romantic feelings toward her, but did that mean she was just going to complete ignore him? Anne had tried that before, and as Diana recalled, it hasn't turned out well.

"Of course I am going to talk you, Mr. Blythe," said Anne stiffly. A trickle of rain made its way through the branches above and dropped onto her shoulder. "It's only polite. But when you ask a question with such a obvious answer, I feel it is not necessary to reply. Obviously Elaine hasn't gone anywhere in her barge because it's at the bottom of The Lake of Shining Water!"