Thread by @lainasparetime

Okay, let's do a #LainaReadsAnne thread! Today we've got Chapter Twenty-Five to tackle. It's a longer one - get a snack!

#LainaReadsAnne It is June now, about two weeks after the big storm. Anne is sad there are only two narcissus left, as she wanted to bring some to Matthew's grave.

*sniffles*

#LainaReadsAnne Marilla admits she misses them herself, but doesn't want to be all "wah wah my flowers" when so many peoples' crops and fruit trees were destroyed so badly. Fair, tbh.

#LainaReadsAnne Luckily, people have replanted and Mr Harrison told Anne if they have a good summer, things may be late, but they should still have a good harvest.

#LainaReadsAnne Suddenly a wagon comes up the lane and stops in front of Green Gables. A small woman around fifty and very well dressed jumps down

She asks Anne if this is where Mr Harrison lives and if it's true he's "going to be married to some woman living in this settlement"

#LainaReadsAnne Anne denies it guiltily and hastily explains the note in the paper was only a joke and Mr Harrison "has no intention of marrying ANYBODY".

#LainaReadsAnne Great, the woman says, since she's his wife!

YEAH!

Raise your hand if yousaw THAT coming, because I sure didn't! This is amazing, though. What a plot twist.

#LainaReadsAnne Anne tells this news to Marilla, who is as shocked as Anne.

Mrs Rachel is less shocked, as she always expected SOMETHING to come up about him. Have I mentioned I love her??

#LainaReadsAnne Also, Anne and Marilla are too polite to go over and ask the Harrisons (LOL) wtf, but Mrs Rachel isn't. She says she'll basically just pretend she doesn't know the wife exits.

#LainaReadsAnne Mr Harrison has some medicine for Thomas he was bringing from Carmody, so that's as good an excuse as any.

Marilla and Anne, I'll note, don't argue this at all. They're basically weaponizing her to get gossip LOL

But she doesn't come back!!

#LainaReadsAnne Davy, coming home at nine from the Boulter place, ran into her on the way, and explains to them Mrs Rachel said it was too late to call and sends her apologies.

#LainaReadsAnne Also for once I'm on his side as he complains about being hungry. Apparently Mrs Boulter served tea at four and there weren't "any preserves or cake... and even the bread was skurce".

#LainaReadsAnne Anne tells him never to complain about what he's given while visiting, so he happily agrees to only think it, which, honestly?? Fair.

Even Marilla agrees with him (out of earshot, of course) that Mrs Boulter isn't exactly generous.

#LainaReadsAnne Which, like, MAYBE they're like super poor and barely scraping by or something but. The book makes it out that she's just kind of stingy and not a very good host.

#LainaReadsAnne By Monday, though, Mr Harrison's wife is the talk of Avonlea. Davy comes home from school with a good load of information from the other kids.

#LainaReadsAnne Now, what's actually true is anyone's guess. He talked to four kids and got four different stories, LOL. So he decides to go over and "see what she's like" for himself.

Marilla, again, does not protest this, which amuses me.

#LainaReadsAnne Sadly, his fate is one of disappointment, as Mrs Harrison wasn't there.

Apparently she's "gone to Carmody with Mrs. Rachel Lynde to get new paper for the parlor" but Mr Harrison asked him to send Anne over to talk.

#LainaReadsAnne When she get there the kitchen floor is scrubbed, as is all the furniture, and the stove polished, walls whitewashed, and windows sparkling

Even Mr Harrison himself is cleaner - clothes mended, hair trimmed and clean-shaven. He APPEARS not super happy about this

#LainaReadsAnne He speaks "in a tone but two degrees removed from that which Avonlea people used at funerals" as he describes how his "easy times" are over.

#LainaReadsAnne "It's neatness and tidiness for me for the rest of my natural life, I suppose."

You poor baby. How hard it must be to have someone cook and clean for you and take care of you. How will you go on.

#LainaReadsAnne Anne doesn't buy it, though, as "Mr. Harrison did his best to speak dolefully, but an irresponsible twinkle in his eye betrayed him."

He admits he is glad, if only so peope stop gossiping that he's courting everytime he wants to play checkers with someone.

#LainaReadsAnne She asks why he left his wife - Emily is her name, we find out - and he says she started it, which... did she? Did she really? *Thor gif*

So, here's the story.

#LainaReadsAnne Mr Harrison is from New Brunswick and his sister "kept house" for him until she died three years ago. Under his advice, he decided to get married.

Emily had money of her own and he was surprised she agreed at all.

#LainaReadsAnne After a two week honeymoon, they get home and she immediately stars cleaning at 10 at night

He claims the house wasn't that bad and Emily was just like that, but this is the same dude who only washes dishes when it rains, so. I'm skeptical.

#LainaReadsAnne Apparently she wouldn't leave him alone about things like taking his boots off in the house and only smoking outside

She was also a teacher before and poked him about his grammar and "eating with my knife" which I agree aren't exactly big deals.

#LainaReadsAnne But he was annoyed about it all and was rude to her, leading them to fight more. Right up until he got the parrot when his brother died.

Remember, the bird cursed up a storm constantly and Emily HATED it.

#LainaReadsAnne But then she had two ministers and their wives to tea, and Mr Harrison promised to put the bird away.

But he "forgot" and just as they all sat down for tea, the bird starting cussing out a turkey in the yard.

#LainaReadsAnne He sees the humour in it now, but it humiliated both of them at the time, especially Emily.

He had to do farm stuff and basically decided to put the bird down, which I think is super excessive when you could just give it away.

#LainaReadsAnne But by the time he gets home, Emily was gone.

She had "gone back to her own house" and left a note saying basically he could have he or the bird, but not both.

God, this story would be an amazing @AITA_reddit post. Someone submit this and see what happens XD

#LainaReadsAnne He was like, "I pick the bird" because stubborn and sent all her stuff back to her, riling up the town they're from into a bunch of gossip. People were on her side and it made him extra cranky. Which is saying a lot.

#LainaReadsAnne He'd been to PEI as a kid "but Emily had always said she wouldn't live in a place where folks were scared to walk out after dark for fear they'd fall off the edge".

Which, tbh, is kind of a rude thing to say.

...but also an amazing insult that I love.

#LainaReadsAnne And he hadn't heard anything from her until last Saturday when she just showed up in his house.

That could absolutely be a horror movie, LOL

#LainaReadsAnne Anyways, she cleaned and cooked so he's happy and the bird's dead and PEI is bigger than she thought, so she's happy.

Apparently Emily has become fast friends with Mrs Rachel, too, which helps her.

#LainaReadsAnne Mr Harrison says, "Emily had learned some lessons about getting along with a man", which, EW. How about no?

Emily's also pretty charmed by Anne, especially impressed that she's been so nice to Mr Harrison, bringing him cakes and stuff.

#LainaReadsAnne When she walks Anne home after tea, she says basically they were both to blame for the split. She especially regrets the grammar nitpicking, which I like.

#LainaReadsAnne She says, "It doesn’t matter if a man does use bad grammar so long as he is a good provider and doesn’t go poking round the pantry to see how much sugar you’ve used in a week."

#LainaReadsAnne That's really interesting to me. Like obviously it's outdated, but I believe at this time married women basically didn't work unless they were like really poor and like a housekeeper or something.

#LainaReadsAnne So if you're getting married, a stingy dude who doesn't bring home the bacon, or keeps the bacon locked up, ain't a great choice for a stable life.

It doesn't seem like a love match on either Harrison's side and I honestly think that's cool to see.

#LainaReadsAnne It's not framed as a bad thing or weird at ALL. As an aro, I think it's cool to see a non-romantic marriage presented as a thing two people can be very happy with.

Their issue isn't the lack of romantic feelings, it's that they didn't communicate well.

#LainaReadsAnne Mrs H is all "I wish I could thank this "Observer" person" who wrote the note and Anne carefully say nothing.

Later, she's "rather bewildered" by the fact that the silly notes "made the reputation of a prophet" and repaired a marriage.

#LainaReadsAnne Mrs Rachel is visiting Green Gables when Anne gets back. She's on her way home, though, not wanting to leave Thomas alone too long. He's having a good day, but there aren't so many of those anymore.

#LainaReadsAnne She also mentions Gilbert resigned from White Sands and that he'll be going to college in the fall.

Then, "Mrs Rachel looked sharply at Anne" and I love that moment.

#LainaReadsAnne And that is our chapter!!! It was a long one, but very interesting. Like comment and subscribe and all that. (My hands are exhausted!!)