Read:Youth Is the Season of Hope

Goodbye, Belle.

Thought you might like this.

Hm.

Your perspective is wonderful.

It's wonderful.

Oh!

Oh, Matthew, I've had just the best afternoon!

Can you imagine that of all the trees on Prince Edward Island,

I managed to find the oldest and kindest one?

I could.

How many species of birds would you say there are?

- Because I'm sure I heard at least... - Gracious me, what's happened to you?

- I was on a big ad... - Adventure. Yes, I see.

I'll thank you to spare me the details.

You're not coming inside with those filthy boots on,

that's for sure and certain. Take them off.

Then you can go right upstairs and change

out of those wet clothes before supper.

And be quick about it before you catch your death.

Pff. Adventure.

A little piece of heaven on earth.

- I churned some fresh butter today. - Hallelujah.

I've truly found paradise here at Green Gables.

- Afternoon, Mr. Dunlop! - Afternoon, dear Anne!

Take your needlepoint, please.

I wouldn't even be doing needlepoint if I wasn't out of paper.

There'll be plenty more when school starts up again after harvest.

But needlepoint provides so little scope for the imagination!

I wonder what's become of Nate.

Well, I guess we should make a start.

My apologies!

So sorry I'm late!

I got lost in my work, again.

- We were getting worried, is all. - Please don't hold it against me.

Shall I say grace?

My, it's been a long time since we said grace in this household.

It does seem like there's an awful lot to be grateful for,

especially now at harvest time...

Grace would be very nice.

Dear Lord, we thank you for...

Oh, could you please say: "Gracious Heavenly Father?"

Anne.

It sounds so much more romantical.

Gracious Heavenly Father,

please bless this table and the Cuthberts for taking us into their home.

We give thanks to you for this food and for the hands that have prepared it.

We ask your blessings upon this meal, that it will...

nourish our bodies and refresh our souls.

Bless those who are here

and those who are in our hearts.

And all those who are not as fortunate on this day.

- Amen. - Amen.

Come on, pick it up! Pick it up!

Hey, watch your back!

Feed the lady, Trinidad. No one payin' you to take a vacation.

- Ain't funny. - I wasn't trying to be funny.

Well... maybe a little.

Maybe you boys want some different job?! That what you want?

Sorry, sir.

Sometimes the music in my soul just needs to come out.

You want the slit trench?

- That suit you better? - We're good, sir. Everything fine.

Coming to you, sir.

I suspect latrine duty would be particularly repugnant.

- Don't act dotish now. - What's that?

You want no job? That it?

We goin' real good, sir. We does like to make she go.

This work be a privilege.

No more jawing.

- Hope I'm not disturbing you. - Just about to head out.

Is there any chance I could come with you today?

I'm sure I could get my chores done quickly

and since school is out for harvest, I don't have anywhere else to be.

I don't think you'd find digging dirt all day very interesting.

I would!

Please? I never get to see what you're doing

and I think that the science of rocks and such

is positively fascinating.

When I first came to Prince Edward Island, I marvelled at the red roads, I truly did.

If you hadn't come to stay, I would've never known why they're red.

The words iron oxide give me such a thrill!

They sound so scientific!

Oh! It's a whole universe!

And to think that your employer, far away in America,

might want this very soil more than anything.

Isn't the world a remarkable place?

You never stop talking.

And then, Princess Cordelia

raised her big, bad pistol and pointed it at the kitten.

What?!

Oh, Princess Cordelia, please spare me my life!

The kitten was destined to die.

Anne, stop talking, you're supposed to be asleep.

Anne Shirley, come here!

Esther, bring the books!

One hour.

Maybe two.

We'll see.

Not. One. Word.

You could do all the talking.

You can regale me with every bit of information you ever knew

about rocks and soils and minerals...

You know, Miss Marilla will have my hide. I can't steal you away

- right when there's extra work to be done. - But harvest is tomorrow...

Tell you what...

If you read this,

you'll know everything I know and more. Hm?

Best and final offer...

You'll live to regret lending this to me

because I'm going to learn everything there is to know about...

- Geology. - I have no doubt.

I'll have to ask you a thousand questions, if you don't mind.

Fair warning.

Ge-ology.

Out.

Oh my word!

Sorry, did I... scare you?

I-I-I thought you were gone. I would never have...

I had a small, red-headed delay.

My, my, your hair smells as fresh as a summer breeze.

Well, I'm off.

Sorry for the intrusion.

- Today's the day, yes? - Today's the day. Finally.

Time to bait the hook.

Ah, bountiful harvest.

Love me some full pockets looking to spend.

Anne! For heaven's sake. Take the pail to the barn!

Yes! Sorry!

- She's a character, that one. - She's a case, I should say.

Ah!

- What are you doing?! - Working. What are you doing?!

- What does it look like I'm doing? - Something boring that isn't work.

Hardly. Nate gave me this book.

Something's wrong with that guy.

What? Why do you say that?

I dunno...

- I just... - Well, this book is extremely interesting.

And Nate happens to understand that reading is a necessity.

I'm a rabbit!

Anne, stop it now, stop!

I'm a rabbit, see? I'm a fluffy little bouncing bunny rabbit!

Reading is in my life's blood.

I mean, look!

Look at this sentence! Isn't it glorious?

Sometimes you're not very nice.

What do you mean? Why are you... Jerry!

No school for me, remember?

I could teach you to read.

Don't bother.

Words are made up of letters from something called the alphabet.

There are 26 letters in it - the alphabet -

and it has infinite combinations to make up every word that there is!

Maybe let's start with your name.

Um...

so, this is the letter "J".

This is "E"...

I say, do you need some assistance?

Sorry, I...

It's Mr. Barry, right?

Right indeed. And you are...?

Nathaniel. Nate.

- I've been boarding at Green Gables. - Yes, the... geologist?

Unfortunately, yes.

So, what seems to be the trouble?

I-I... I really shouldn't say.

It's... just so frustrating, is all.

Maybe you've heard, I...

I work for a big chemical company.

And they hired me to extract iron oxide from the soil.

Ah. So that's what this is all about, eh?

Looks like you're headed to China.

Well, feels like it sometimes.

This is un-owned land, correct?

Yes, that's right.

I own 100 acres going across the other...

And they're gonna take it!

Not yours. This-this here, the...

I'm sorry. I don't mean to keep... popping my cork.

No-no, not to worry.

The thing is, is, um...

I've found gold.

There, I said it.

I'm pretty sure it's a big find, too.

I sent a soil sample out to New York for independent testing.

I'm waiting to hear.

I did it without my...

dear company's knowledge...

because once they know...

phew, they'll grab all the land rights.

It could be worth millions.

Quite...

Sorry to burden you, but...

...it felt good to finally say it aloud.

In confidence.

Ah!

Everyone here in Avonlea sure are good folk.

Shame for y'all not to have the profits;

the gold could be everywhere.

- See you soon, Mr. Barry. - Ah, call me William, please.

William. Bye for now.

Two days of this.

Fireman's not the only one who don't appreciate that song.

- I was just joking around. - Well, don't.

You're right, you're right, Fireman is an easy target.

That's not why.

What's eating you?

I been trimmer for 10 years. More.

This is all I have.

I can't move up, this is it for me.

And there ain't nothin' for me on dry land.

You're a white boy...

You got options.

You're a tourist, Blythe.

I need this.

Don't lose this work for me. Understand?

Yeah.

Yeah, I'm sorry.

And you don't sing worth a damn.

Says you!

Ah! Isn't this just the most beautiful day there ever was?!

I love autumn. I just love it!

I'm so glad I get to live in a world where there are Octobers, aren't you?

I'm still trying to understand

why you haven't been to the beach since you were children.

- Never really thought of it. - Never thought of it?!

Never really had an opportunity, I suppose.

But you've had every opportunity! For 50 years!

I love you both very much but this is positively mystifying!

Mystifying!

I've been longing to go every day for all of my 14 years

but I've never had the chance.

I can't wait to find out what we've all been missing

because I'm quite sure we've been missing a lot!

- Oh, stop! - What?

Stop the buggy! Stop!

- Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! - Whatever's the matter, Anne?

Ugh. Wait here! I'll be right back!

Anne!

Anne!

What the devil?

Anne!

Oh!

Isn't it glorious?

Anne! What are you doing?

Oh no... Come back here.

Anne! Oh!

Oh! Look at this!

Matthew!

Matthew, stop her. It's dangerous.

Anne, come back here this instant!

Come in! Come in! It's wonderful!

No, it's cold, Anne!

Matthew, will you stop her? Just... Oh!

- Ah! - Bring her back here!

Oof!

Ah!

- Pretty cold, eh? - It's perfect!

- Ooh-ooh! - Anne!

- Matthew, come back here. - Come in!

- Don't be silly. - Come on, Marilla.

- Come on, come in! - Ah!

Matthew! Matthew!

Ooh! Oh! Matthew!

Save her!

I got so excited I forgot I can't swim!

Is she all right?!

Anne, are you all right?!

I'm fine!

You want to learn?

With your legs, kick with your legs.

Kick, kick, kick.

Paddle with your hands like a puppy, there it is.

Can the first thing we do with all the harvest money

be to buy back Burty the horse.

I miss him.

I'm fairly certain that... we'll have enough.

I love it here.

I love looking out at the horizon

and imagining all the other places there are in the world

and all the possibilities.

You don't see me barging into your room whenever the mood strikes me.

Sorry. The temptation was irresistible.

Oh, Nate, we had such a marvellous time at the beach yesterday.

I feel positively irrepressible!

Oh, uh...

the book keeps falling open to this chapter on gold.

And then, I noticed that it seems to be the only one that's, well, beloved.

It looks like you've read this chapter over and over and over again.

There's coffee stains and smudges and underlines, and...

And then I noticed this little map you drew

with dimensions and plans for building...

I can't talk about it!

I'm sorry.

It's just that...

I'm in a moral quandary.

I'll know soon what to do.

I... I want, above all, to do the right thing.

- Can you understand that? - Yes. But can I...

I-I...

I need you to hold a good thought and don't say anything to anyone...

until I figure things out,

and end this turmoil in my heart.

Can you do that for me?

Shh.

Shh.

So just write another Bert story.

Another Bert story?

You always write a version of the same thing.

No, I don't!

About a dashing hero named Albert, Herbert, Rupert,

- Pilpert... - Pilpert?!

That's ridiculous. I would never write a story about a boy named Pilpert.

It's not like we can't tell...

You always murder everyone, you can't figure out what to do

- with your characters. - ...are about Gilbert.

No, they're not!

How else am I supposed to deal with the fact

that he's been gone for eight months and three days

and he may never come back?!

Anne, please take your nose out of that book and help me here.

How about...

a tragical tale of a sad and handsome scientist

who one day stumbles upon a secret that could save the world?

Oh, Anne! However do you think of such amazing things all the time?

I draw from life, Diana.

I draw from life.

Oh! I almost forgot! I've had a letter from Aunt Josephine!

She's very keen to read some of our stories!

Let's only send her our very best.

Well, then, we should send her all of Anne's.

Let's send her one each. To be fair.

Come!

- Anne. - Thank you.

Ah!

Voilà, the alphabet! Now we can really get started.

I was thinking about it, but...

I don't really need to know how to read.

Um, thanks anyways.

Of course you need to know how to read! Reading is-is everything.

Every book has a whole world inside it.

There's adventure, romance,

ships,

gunfights, knights on horseback!

You never know what's gonna happen until you begin!

You can be anyone. Go anywhere.

Reading can save your life.

Alright. I'll try it.

Yes! I'm currently out of paper but...

I brought some visual aids.

"A" is for Apple.

Those letters are here.

A, P, puh.

Puh.

- Another P. - Puh.

- L. - L.

E. Apple.

- Can't stand that nosy little kid. - She's not so bad.

She's a pain in my ass.

I had to tap dance today, Jonesey.

Had to navigate around her... evil little mind.

She's seconds away from tipping the grift.

She's just a girl.

Curiosity killed the cat.

So use it.

Jonesey, there's a reason we've been makin' hay for so long.

Good idea.

Yeah.

Yeah... let's kill the cat.

Careful now, careful...

Let's make my great aunt Beatrice proud!

Thing of beauty! Huh? Sing it with me now!

And now the fun part! Decorating!

- And I can choose anything I want? - If you can dream it, we can do it.

- You can't decorate a pie. - Can't we?

Oh, can't we?

While I was fighting in the Boer War,

I lost all hope of ever experiencing simple pleasures again.

- Was it very terrible? - It was...

It was unspeakable.

It was...

I lost my family; my parents and my sister,

during my years away.

It's been difficult to bear.

Jane Eyre said,

"You cannot at all imagine the craving I have for fraternal and sisterly love."

It made me feel ever so comforted to know that she felt as I did.

So I know a-a bit of how you feel and I'm sorry that you feel it.

I could be your sister.

Your very little sister.

It's done me such a world of good being here at Green Gables.

I'm starting to wish I could stay in Avonlea forever.

Oh! Wouldn't that be nice?

How about autumn leaves?

- Brilliant. - Oh!

Place them anywhere you want.

Hey, little man.

Allô.

Are you trying to better yourself, huh? Huh?

Ooh. Close but no cigar.

Gimme that.

You wanna get somewhere in life,

you gotta pay attention to the details.

See this "Q"?

It's supposed to have a tail. You missed it, pal.

I wasn't finished.

A tail like a little French...

...pig.

Aren't you bored of this yet?

Someone is bored of their chores.

Little thief!

Come out from there!

Don't you know it is wicked to covet? Wicked to steal?

You risked so much to take this.

You must have wanted it very, very badly.

Well, then...

...it's all yours.

You're bored of this, right?

Nope! I'm not finished yet.

And I like geology, it's not boring at all!

Good.

Good. See you kids later.

Is something wrong?

He is a bad man...

What happened?

Nothing. Nothing.

I don't know.

I'm going.

Don't you want your lesson?

Not today. Bye.

Ahem! Excuse the interruption, Nathaniel.

Any clothes that need mending?

Uh...

Can I give you the shirt off my back?

I... ripped a cuff today.

You sure take good care of me.

- Won't take long. - Hm.

Much obliged.

Honestly, William, you're making me dizzy.

I've never seen you like this.

Won't you tell me what's the matter?

As you can see I'm trying to think.

Well, I'd be very happy to help you.

I've got two perfectly good ears right here, ready to go...

Darling, what's on your mind?

I'd offer you a penny for your thoughts, but...

I haven't any money.

William?!

I just want to do something that matters for once.

Care to join us? We were just jawin'.

- Want your chair? - No, no. No.

It's fine.

It's fine.

Checked in with that French kid again today.

Crazy how it never, ever clicks for him.

The little frog just doesn't remember.

We sure are a couple of lucky stiffs.

Gonna go out on a limb and say it's safe to stop poking that bear.

Don't tell me what to do.

Well, well, what's all this?

It's just a...

Don't open it now.

G'night!

It's an apron!

Hope you like it.

Ahem.

Everyone in Avonlea sure can make a fortune from the gold I found.

You have to tell the town.

It's only fair, they could all strike it rich.

I know, I know, the money from the gold should go to the townsfolk,

not the company. I want to do the right thing.

I love it here.

The Cuthberts are some of the finest people I know.

I agree.

Argh, I'm so torn, what a moral quandary.

Do I do my job and tell my company or...

do I go with my heart and tell the town?

Only your conscience can guide you to the right decision.

Anne!

Anne!

Take some of this... abundance to Rachel.

Not those.

Where is Mr. Cuthbert? The fields?

Um... In the barn, I think.

Want me to take it?

No, no, I'll go. I could use the exercise.

That's for your family.

Thank you.

- Hello, Mrs. Lynde! - Hello, Anne.

What have we here?

An overabundance of scones?

Mr. Dunlop's been teaching me to bake.

Both of our boarders are nice.

Very nice.

- I suppose I should be going. - Is something the matter?

Is something weighing on you, dear?

Come, come, it's not healthful to hold things in.

Bad for the heart. I don't charge for my advice.

Even though it's worth a fortune.

It's a secret. I...

Ooh!

Go on, dear. It's safe with me.

All right, all right!

He is trying to answer!

What if there's no gold?

Give the man a chance!

Now then, one at a time.

Everybody, please sit.

This community will be polite and respectful

of what this man is trying to tell us.

Sir? Yes, you, sir. Thank you.

My name is Thomas Lynde and my wife and I want to know

where you sent the gold sample.

Yes, we do.

I sent the sample to an independent company in New York

for testing and confirmation.

As I said... I didn't want my employer to know.

Where's the proof?

How do we know you're telling the truth?

How do we know what's real and what is fool's gold?

I'm glad you asked.

I have here a certificate I received in the mail from New York.

This Soils Report certifies that there is indeed...

...gold in Avonlea.

I mentioned I had taken this action earlier to William Barry.

Nathaniel told me in the strictest confidence.

He was in a moral quandary and it all came out.

There really is gold in Avonlea...

Father is quite preoccupied at the prospect.

Do you really think we'll all be rich like you, Diana?!

Oh, yes, Mr. Andrews.

And just how do we proceed?

Each landowner would send in a sample of their soil to New York

for testing. Now, I warn you, it's expensive.

It's... $150 per test.

Money! I knew there was a catch!

It's an investment, fair enough. But an investment in the future.

It's close to half what most folks make in a year.

The reward for mining this land - your land -

is incalculable.

I have to write to Gilbert! I have to let him know about the gold!

Gilbert?

But you don't even know where he is!

I think I have a way I can find out!

Anne!

$150 is a substantial amount of money.

Perhaps I could offer some assistance for those in need?

If it seems like an overwhelming proposition,

you could consolidate everyone's payment and send it in all together,

as a community. I'd be happy to do that for you.

Look...

I don't have a horse in this race.

I'm not trying to push this, I'm really not.

I'm not from here and I don't mean to poke my nose in your business.

This is your decision. Individually.

I'm just...

I'm trying to offer you an opportunity. It just seemed like the right thing to do.

Put your money where your mouth is!

- I beg your pardon? - You heard me plain!

Now, I'm not from here either, but I'll say out loud, here and now,

I love this town.

I love Avonlea and I intend to set down roots.

I want to be here, gold or no.

What about you, Nathaniel?

- I-I-I... - You just gonna walk away?

Stick with that company you work for?

A company without morals that would steal the profit

from the mouths of good people...

- It's my job. It's all I have. - So quit!

What?!

Make your fortune here. Bet on Avonlea!

Yeah!

Why not be in charge of this-this mining operation?

You seem to know the business.

You've proven that we can count on you, Nathaniel.

You are a moral man.

I would feel much better about this endeavour if you undertook to oversee it.

What say you? Will you do it?

If there is a vast fortune here, what have you got to lose?

I'm not a betting man.

But I'll bet on Avonlea, I'll quit my job!

Paper, paper!

Oh! Perfect!

Hm. What's this?

New York City...

We're home!

Glad to see you're all tucked in safe and sound.

Nothing amiss?

Amiss?

Didn't get into any trouble while we were out?

I've decided to write a letter to Gilbert Blythe.

It seems only fair he should know about the gold.

What if it runs under his farm?

You're a kind and thoughtful girl, Anne.

Do you know where he is?

He was planning to get work on a steamer outside of Charlottetown.

I thought maybe Aunt Josephine might be able to help me figure out which one.

You know, from the list... thingy, the-the ship...

- Ship's manifest? - Yes!

Oh! Doesn't that sound romantical?

The-the manifest, not the letter to Gilbert.

Good night.

- Did you say your prayers? - I will.

Gracious Heavenly Father,

I hardly know where to start regarding everything I'm grateful for.

As for the things I want, I guess I'll just name the two most important.

Please let there be gold in Avonlea so that there's no more hardship for anyone.

And please, please help me get my letter to Gilbert.

And please be sure I don't misspell any words.

Amen.

Oh, and I'll replace Nate's paper.

Ah!