I think she ll be just the thing for you.
Mrs. Blewett darted her eyes over Anne from head to foot.
How old are you and what s your name? she demanded.
Anne Shirley, faltered the shrinking child, not daring to make any
stipulations regarding the spelling thereof, and I m eleven years old.
Humph! You don t look as if there was much to you. But you re wiry. I
don t know but the wiry ones are the best after all. Well, if I take you
you ll have to be a good girl, you know--good and smart and respectful.
I ll expect you to earn your keep, and no mistake about that. Yes, I
suppose I might as well take her off your hands, Miss Cuthbert. The
baby s awful fractious, and I m clean worn out attending to him. If you
like I can take her right home now.
Marilla looked at Anne and softened at sight of the child s pale face
with its look of mute misery--the misery of a helpless little creature
who finds itself once more caught in the trap from which it had escaped.
Marilla felt an uncomfortable conviction that, if she denied the appeal
of that look, it would haunt her to her dying day. Moreover, she did
not fancy Mrs. Blewett. To hand a sensitive, highstrung child over to
such a woman! No, she could not take the responsibility of doing that!
Well, I don t know, she said slowly. I didn t say that Matthew and
I had absolutely decided that we wouldn t keep her. In fact, I may say
that Matthew is disposed to keep her. I just came over to find out how
the mistake had occurred. I think I d better take her home again and
talk it over with Matthew. I feel that I oughtn t to decide on anything
without consulting him. If we make up our mind not to keep her we ll
bring or send her over to you tomorrow night. If we don t you may know
that she is going to stay with us. Will that suit you, Mrs. Blewett?
I suppose it ll have to, said Mrs. Blewett ungraciously.
During Marilla s speech a sunrise had been dawning on Anne s face. First
the look of despair faded out; then came a faint flush of hope;
her eyes grew deep and bright as morning stars. The child was quite
transfigured; and, a moment later, when Mrs. Spencer and Mrs. Blewett
42