In the Woods When First We Met

53. Start

Gilbert Blythe had one objective this afternoon: Convince Anne to tell.

He began a list in his head of all the reasons she should tell.

There were a lot of reasons, but he knew that however many reasons there were, none of them mattered if she couldn't get past this hurdle of being able to say it.

He hoped that if she could manage to say the words out loud to him, the words would lose their power over her, and she'd find herself able to say them to the Cuthberts.

After school had let out, Gilbert asked, "You want to go back in the woods and talk for a while? No one will expect us home till school would have let out."

"Okay," Anne said.

"I can't help but wonder why Mr. Phillips let us out early," Gilbert commented as they walked.

"Probably to be with Prissy," Anne said quietly.

Gilbert looked at her.

"He asked her to stay late," Anne said, pulling her shawl more tightly around herself.

Noticing this, Gilbert offered, "We could go to my house, if it's too cold?"

"No, it's fine."

They walked on.

"I feel uneasy about leaving them, then," Gilbert said. "It doesn't seem right."

Anne shrugged. "Everyone knows. Because I told them."

"What did people say?"

"Well, Marilla got in trouble with the club she was joining. Now they don't want her. I don't know much about it, because she won't tell me. But all the ladies in the club think I'm a harlot."

Gilbert shook his head. But then he had a thought, "Wait- isn't Mrs. Andrews in that club?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, then she knows...about Prissy and Mr. Phillips...and she's just okay with it?"

"I don't know," Anne said. "I don't think she believes it. She said it was slander. Their family talked about it all night..."

"How do you know?" Gilbert asked. "What their family talked about all night?"

Anne let her breath out. In a small voice, she said:

"Billy told me."

She didn't say anything else.

They reached her hideaway and went in.