1 Mrs. Rachel Lynde Is Surprised

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CHAPTER 1 Mrs. Rachel Lynde Is Surprised One day in early June, as Mrs. Rachel Lynde looked out her window, she saw Matthew Cuthbert ride by. He was wearing a white collar and his best suit of clothes—a sure sign he was leaving Avonlea. And his horse and buggy looked newly cleaned. Where could he be going? Mrs. Lynde knew that Matthew was a

quiet man who rarely went far from home. Although she thought long and hard, she did not know what to make of what she had just seen. "I'll just step over to Green Gables and ask his sister Marilla where he's gone and why after tea," she told herself. Mrs. Lynde walked along the path beside the brook. This brook ran through most of Avonlea. It started near the Cuthbert place, twisted and turned, bubbled through pools and over rocks. By the time it reached the hollow near Mrs. Lynde's house, it was calm and quiet. People said that even a brook would never risk making too much noise near Mrs. Lynde's place. Green Gables was built far back from the main road, by Marilla and Matthew's father —a man as quiet and shy as his son. It sat far back from the main road, surrounded by orchards. "No wonder Marilla and Matthew are so set in their ways, with only trees and

each other to talk to,"Mrs. Lynde said. "But their home certainly is lovely." The house at Green Gables looked well cared for. There wasn't a stray stick or stone to be found in the yard. Privately, she wondered whether Marilla Cuthbert swept that yard as often as she swept her house. One could have eaten a meal off that ground. She knocked on the kitchen door and entered. The kitchen was large with big windows looking out on the yard and orchards. Sunlight poured in. Marilla was sitting at the table knitting. Mrs. Lynde noticed that the table was set for three people—and that Marilla did not use her good dishes. The dinner guest must not be too important. Mrs. Lynde was now more curious than ever. Nothing unexpected ever happened at Green Gables. "Good afternoon, Rachel," Marilla said.

"How is your family?" Marilla was a tall, thin woman. Her dark hair, always twisted into a hard little knot at the back of her head, showed some gray streaks. "We are fine. I was concerned about you, though, when I saw Matthew go by with the horse and buggy. Is everything all right?" Marilla had expected her. She knew that Matthew would drive right past Mrs. Lynde's window, making her curious. Despite their differences—or perhaps because of them— they were friends. She tried not to smile at Rachel Lynde's attempts to discover more information. "I am quite well today, thank you, although I had quite the headache yesterday. Matthew went to Bright River. We're getting a little boy from the orphanage in Nova Scotia. Matthew went to the train station to get him."

If Marilla had said that Matthew had gone to Bright River to fetch a kangaroo from Australia, Mrs. Lynde couldn't have been more surprised. "Is that true, Marilla? What on earth put such a notion in your head?" Marilla spoke as if getting an orphan boy was a common, everyday event. "Matthew is getting up in years—he's sixty—his heart troubles him a great deal, and we thought a boy would be a big help. Mrs. Spencer was going to the orphanage to get herself a little girl, so we sent word asking her to bring back a boy for us. We plan to bring him up right, give him a good home, and send him to school. We got the telegram today—they'll arrive on the five-thirty train at Bright River." "Well, Marilla," Rachel Lynde began. She prided herself on always speaking her mind, and this was no exception. "I think you are doing a foolish thing—a risky thing—bringing a stranger into your home. You know nothing