Scène
10
Lieu : A
field
|
Anne
:
|
[laughing] Sorry, Diana.
|
Gilbert
:
|
[laughing] Sorry. |
Anne
:
|
[laughing] But Gil, he
fell in the brook. |
Fred Wright
:
|
Well, thank you for the
lovely walk, Diana. |
Diana
:
|
Please thank you mother
for the crochets. Myra Gillis had 37 doilies when she got married
and I'm determined to have at least as many as she had. |
Anne :
|
I suppose it would be
impossible to keep house with only 36 doilies. But I assure you, Mr.
Wright, Diana will be the sweetest little homemaker in the world,
so long as you can afford to let her keep up with the Gillis'. |
Fred Wright
:
|
Well, I hope so. Good
day, ladies, Gilbert. |
Gilbert
:
|
Well, I better go get
my bicycle. I'll talk to you ladies later. Bye. |
Diana :
|
Anne Shirley, that was....
I've never been so humiliated in all my life. That was the meanest....
How could you make fun of me in public? |
Anne :
|
Diana, I wasn't making
fun. I was just teasing. I'm sorry. |
Diana :
|
You always have to be
the center of attention whenever Gilbert Blythe is in anyone's company.
|
Anne :
|
That's not true. Please,
forgive me Diana. I didn't mean to pick a quarrel. Why couldn't you
have told me about you and Fred yourself? I feel like I lost my best
friend. |
Diana :
|
You were so busy writing
your book and marking exam papers. It just happened. Then he asked.
I'm really happy. But it does seem ridiculous to think of me being
engaged to Fred, doesn't it? I don't care what he looks like; he's
got a good heart. He's so thoughtful. We'll probably make a pudgy
old couple some day. But it doesn't matter. |
Anne :
|
I am glad for you, Diana.
|
Diana :
|
Don't you ever mean to
get married? |
Anne :
|
Perhaps. If I meet the
right one. |
Diana :
|
What about Gilbert? |
Anne :
|
Gilbert's just a chum.
I don't care for him that way. You know what my ideal is, Diana. |
Diana :
|
Tall, irresistibly handsome,
proud, and melancholy. But people's ideals change sometimes. |
Anne :
|
Mine wouldn't. And I wouldn't
care for any man who didn't fulfill them. |
Diana :
|
What if you never meet
him? |
Anne :
|
Then I shall die an old
maid. |
Diana :
|
I suppose you're right
to be discriminating. Half the men across the country will be courting
you when your story's published. You're going to be famous and I'll
be so proud. What is it? |
Anne :
|
Women's Home Journal sent
it back. |
Diana :
|
What? The editor must
be crazy! What reason did he give? |
Anne :
|
No reason at all. Just
a printed slip saying it wasn't acceptable. |
Diana :
|
That's ridiculous. He
mustn't have read it. I'm going to cancel my subscription immediately.
|
Anne :
|
Averil's Atonement. It
sounded so inspiring and romantic. If you can tell me truthfully,
Diana, if you can recall any major faults in my story? |
Diana :
|
Well, the part where Averil
makes the cake. It doesn't.... It doesn't seem to match the rest of
the story. |
Anne :
|
But, that's one of the
most romantic parts in the whole story! It's a well known fact that
great ladies of old believed that the culinary arts also fed the soul.
|
Diana :
|
Well, I'll have to read
it again to remember what my first opinion was. If you let me keep
it, maybe I can suggest some changes. |
Anne :
|
You don't know how discouraging
it is to get a rejection, Diana. And right when I'm in the midst of
writing a new epic: Rosaline's Revenge. It certainly takes the bloom
off the rose. |
Diana :
|
Don't be discouraged,
Anne. |
Rachel :
|
Anne Shirley! I'm not
going to put up with this a day longer. I warned Marilla not to let
it happen again. Well, it has. Patience has ceased to be a virtue.
I want this rumpus stopped right now. |
Anne :
|
Would you just calm down
and tell me what the trouble is. |
Rachel :
|
Calm down?
First it was our potatoes. Then my June lilies, which Thomas planted
on our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. Now this darn jersey cow's
devoured almost all my prize-winning cabbages. And if Tillie Boulter
walks away with the red ribbon at the Charlottetown exhibition, you
can let Marilla know I am holding her financially responsible. |
Anne :
|
I'm sorry, Mrs. Lynde,
because Dolly is my cow, not Marilla's. Matthew bought her for me
two years ago as a calf from Mr. Bell. |
Rachel :
|
Sorry? Well, sorry is
not going to help the habit this cow has made trampling through my
cabbages. And if you think... |
Anne :
|
I am sorry, but the fence
that separates your potato field from our pasture is an eyesore. And
if you'd kept it in better repair, Dolly wouldn't have broken in.
|
Rachel :
|
A jail fence wouldn't
keep that devil out. And what's more, my Thomas has been far too ill
the past six months to repair any fences. And I know one thing, you
red-headed snippet! You'd be better employed fixing that fence yourself
rather than mooning around, wasting your time, writing for some rubbishy
magazine. |
Anne :
|
I would rather spend my
time profitably than squander it in idle gossip, meddling in other
people's affairs. I won't cherish any hard feelings against you because
of your narrow-minded opinions. But, thank goodness I have an imagination
which allows me to understand how it must be to find a cow amongst
prize-winning cabbages. Dolly shall never break into your field again.
I give you my word of honor on that point. |
Rachel :
|
Well, you just make sure
that she doesn't! |
Marilla
:
|
Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. |
Rachel :
|
Well, Marilla, I hope
that canal horse destroys your tomato patch next. And don't expect
any sympathy from your girl. I've always warned you she had a temper
to match her hair. |
Marilla
:
|
Oh, good Lord. |