Chapter 2

50

dark, but not so dark that Mrs. Rachel could not see them from her window vantage, and up the hill and into the long lane of Green Gables. By the time they arrived at the house Matthew was shrinking from the approaching revelation with an energy he did not understand. It was not of Marilla or himself he was thinking when he or of the trouble the mistake was probably going to make for them but of the child’s disappointment. When he thought of that (begin subscript)^(end subscript)(begin superscript)rapt(end superscript) light bring being quenched in her eyes he had an uncomfortable feeling that he was going to assist at murdering something — much the same feeling that came over him when he had to kill a lamb or calf or any other innocent little creature.