Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
___ "Whatever are you thinking, Anne, I hope you're taking this seriously," Marilla said as she and the girls approached the Lynde resident.
"Oh, I am," Anne replied, "I'm imagining out what I must say to Mrs. Lynde."
"I'm just going to wing it," Marigold shrugged as they approached the house where Rachel was sitting. Anne fell to her knees.
"Oh, Mrs. Lynde, I am so extremely sorry! I could never express my sorrow, no, not even if I used up a whole dictionary. I behaved terribly to you, and I've disgraced my dear friends the Cuthberts, who may let me stay at Green Gables even though I'm not a boy! I am a dreadfully wicked and ungrateful girl, and I deserve to be punished and cast out by respectable society forever! It was awful of me to fly into a temper because you told me the truth. And it was the truth. Every word you said was true. My hair is red and I am freckled and skinny and ugly! Now, what I said to you was true, too, but I shouldn't have said it! Oh, Mrs. Lynde, please, please say you can forgive me! If you refuse, oh, it'll be a lifelong sorrow on a poor little orphan girl. Please say you forgive me, Mrs. Lynde!"
"There, there. Get up, child. Of course I forgive you. I guess I was a little hard on you, but I'm just an outspoken person. You mustn't mind me, that's what I say," Rachel responded.
"Thank you for your kind consideration. I look forward to never minding what you say again."
"Indeed. Although it can't be denied your hair is terrible red. But there may be hope for it. There was a girl in our class who had hair every bit as red as yours. Do you recall, Marilla? But when she grew up, it darkened to a real handsome auburn. I wouldn't be a mite surprised if yours did, too."
"Oh, Mrs. Lynde, you've given me hope! I shall always remember that you are a benefactor..."
"Anne," Marigold interrupted, "wrap it up." Marilla pushed her shoulder and gave her a glare. "Oh, right. Sorry."
"Oh, that sounded believable and well thought out," Rachel mumbled, "However I expect this from you, Marigold. Thank you for at least saying something."
"We should run along, Rachel," Marilla told her friend, "Thank you for your graciousness."
"Of course. She has a queer way of expressing herself. Forcible-like."
"I apologized pretty well, didn't I?" Anne said as the three reach Green Gables, "I thought since I had to do it, I might as well do it thoroughly."
"You did it thoroughly, all right," Marilla confirmed, "I hope you'll try to control your temper better in the future."
"I will. I absolutely will. Although apologizing is my new favourite thing." They reached the gate to the farm, "I'm going to prove myself worthy of staying, Miss Cuthbert. I've been making a list in my head of all the ways I might be useful to you both. And in addition to the indoor chores, I'm sure I can help with the outdoor chores, too. I'm much stronger than I look. It isn't too..."
Anne trailed off as she sees a boy helping Matthew in the barn, "You hired a boy? But I haven't even finished my trial yet."
"There's work needs to be done either way," Marilla told her as she walked up to the house. Marigold and Anne headed inside the barn and up to the barn.
"How long will you be here?" Anne forcely asked.
"Allô. You must be Anne and Marigold. Je m'appelle Jerry. Jerry Baynard. Nice to meet you."
"Bonjour, Jerry... and that's the extent of my French, but nice to meet you. I'm Marigold," The blond introduced herself as she shook hands with him.
"Baynard. Foolhardy," Anne said.
"Pardon?"
"Your surname means reckless or foolhardy. Charlemagne even named his impossible horse Baynard."
"I don't know him... Charlemagne."
"Of course you don't. He died hundreds of years ago."
"Anne, ease up," Marigold told her sister.
"So you living here now?"
"Yes. Probably. I... I don't know!"
"Pretty here. You're lucky."
"I don't remember you from the orphanage..."
"No, no, I live in town. Big family. We have a small shop, but with so many... some of us must work."
"Well, if you come from such a large family, it may trouble your conscience to know that you are displacing my own position in my very first potential family."
"Anne, he just said he's here to help provide for his family, not to dwindle your chances of having a real family," Marigold explained to no avail.
"I am hired through harvest, so..."
"I don't think the Cuthberts will need you if I stay. In fact, if you hand me your pitchfork, I'll be happy to finish your task."
"What's your problem?"
"You. You're my problem."
"All I'm doing is my job. What are you supposed to be doing?"
"Leaving before this escalate to an even bigger catastrophe," Marigold said as she dragged Anne by the arm out of the barn. Outside the barn, the two girls walked over to Matthew.
"My apology was an unmitigated success," Anne told him, "Mrs. Lynde was very pleased."
"It's not Rachel Lynde that you need to worry about."
