1) scared stiff
Meaning: extremely frightened; so scared you cannot move
Example:
I was scared stiff when I heard a loud noise in the dark.
2) awkward (feel uncomfortable)
Meaning: feeling uneasy, embarrassed, or not relaxed
Example:
I felt awkward when I didn’t know anyone at the party.
3) drop somebody off
Meaning: to take someone to a place by car and leave them there
Example:
I will drop you off at the station on my way to work.
4) seize the opportunity
Meaning: to take advantage of a good chance quickly
Example:
He seized the opportunity to study abroad.
5) might as well
Meaning: used to suggest doing something because there is no better option
Example:
It’s raining, so we might as well stay at home.
6) talkative
Meaning: someone who talks a lot
Example:
My little sister is very talkative with her friends.
7) eagerly
Meaning: with excitement and strong interest
Example:
She eagerly opened her birthday present.
Matthew Cuthbert and his horse jogged along the eight miles to Bright River calmly and steadily in the warm summer light.. The road was rural and pretty. It ran between handsome farms, and now and then passed through small woods of sweet-smelling pine trees. In other places, the land dipped down into shallow valleys allowing wild plum trees to grow - their pale flowers hanging in the misty evening air. Everywhere smelled of apple orchards , and far away the meadows sloped down into the distance .
Matthew enjoyed the drive in his own quiet way. As a matter of fact , the only times he did not enjoy this trip were when he met women on the road. On Prince Edward Island people were expected to nod to everyone they met. Matthew always did so out of politeness , but he felt uncomfortable every time, as though it were something forced .
Matthew was scared stiff of most women, except Marilla and Mrs. Rachel Lynde. He had the strange feeling that other women were secretly laughing at him. Perhaps they were. Matthew was an unusual-looking man. He had a thin, awkward body and long grey hair that fell down onto his shoulders. He also had a soft brown beard, which he had worn since he was twenty.
When Matthew arrived at Bright River, the train was not there. He thought he must be early. So he tied his horse outside the small hotel and wandered over to the station.
The platform was almost empty. The only person there was a girl sitting on a pile of wooden roof tiles* at the far end. Matthew noticed she was a girl but did not look at her carefully. He hurried past her because he felt shy.
But if he had looked, he would have seen that she was waiting with great excitement. She sat very straight and looked down the track again and again. She was waiting for someone, and since there was nothing else to do, she waited with all her patience .
Matthew soon met the stationmaster*, who was locking up the ticket office before going home for supper.
'Will the five-thirty train be here soon?' Matthew asked.
'The five-thirty train came half an hour ago,' the stationmaster said quickly. 'It dropped off a passenger for you—a little girl. She’s sitting out there on the roof tiles. I asked her to wait inside, but she said she preferred to sit outside. She said she wanted to seize the opportunity of enjoying such a splendid summer evening. She’s quite a character .'
Matthew stared at him.
'I’m not expecting a girl,' he said slowly. 'I came for a boy. Mrs Alexander Spencer was bringing him from Nova Scotia.'
The stationmaster whistled .
'Then there must be some mistake,' he said. 'Mrs Spencer left that girl with me. She said you and your sister were adopting her from an orphanage* and that you would come along for her.'
Matthew looked confused.
'I don’t understand,' he said weakly . At that moment he wished very much that Marilla were there to sort this out .
'Well,' said the stationmaster carelessly , 'you’d better ask the girl. She seems quite capable of explaining everything.'
Then he walked off towards his supper, leaving Matthew alone.
Matthew sighed . Speaking to a strange girl felt harder than facing a lion. But he slowly made his way towards her.
The girl had been watching him carefully. As soon as she saw him coming towards her, she stood up. She held an old carpetbag in one hand and held out the other hand politely.
'I suppose you are Mr Matthew Cuthbert of Green Gables?' she said in a clear, sweet voice. 'I’m very glad to see you. I was beginning to worry you might not come. I imagined many things that might have held you back .'
Matthew shook her small hand awkwardly .
'I’m sorry I was late,' he said shyly. 'Come along. The horse is waiting.' And he held out his hand to take the carpetbag.
'Oh, I can carry my bag,' the girl said cheerfully . 'It’s not heavy, even though it holds all my precious possessions . But you have to carry it in a special way, so I’d better keep it.'
They climbed into the buggy* and soon set off down the road.
'I’m so glad you came,' the girl continued happily. 'Mrs Spencer said we had to drive eight miles. I’m glad because I love driving. And it feels wonderful to think that I’m going to live with you and belong to someone.'
She paused for a moment, then continued.
'I’ve never really belonged to anyone. The orphanage* was such a terrible place. I was there for four months, and that was enough. Of course the people there were kind, but it was so easy to lose the opportunity to develop one’s imagination.'
Matthew listened quietly.
'I used to imagine stories about the other children,' she went on. 'For example, I imagined that the girl beside me was secretly the daughter of a great lord who had been stolen as a baby. I thought about things like that at night because during the day there was too much work.'
Matthew said nothing, but he found himself listening with interest.
Soon they drove down a steep hill where wild cherry trees grew along the road.
The girl suddenly broke off a branch of wild cherry blossom .
'Isn’t it beautiful?' she asked. 'That tree looks like a bride in a white dress. I’ve never seen a bride, but I can imagine one. I don’t think I’ll ever be one myself because I’m so unattractive . But I do hope I will have a white dress someday.'
Matthew looked at her in embarrassment and said quietly, 'Well now, I don’t know.'
The girl laughed softly.
'When I left the ophanage* this morning I felt ashamed of this old dress,' she said. 'But then I imagined I was wearing a beautiful blue silk dress with flowers on my hat. When you imagine things, you might as well imagine something wonderful.'
Matthew began to enjoy the ride. He usually liked talkative people if they did the talking themselves.
'But am I talking too much?' the girl suddenly asked. 'People always tell me I do.'
'Oh, you can talk as much as you like,' Matthew said shyly. 'I don’t mind.'
'Oh, I’m glad! People always say children should be seen and not heard. But if you have big ideas, you need big words to express them, don’t you?'
'That doesn’t sound unreasonable ,' said Matthew.
Soon they turned onto a road where apple trees grew over their heads. Their white blossoms formed a soft roof above the buggy*.
The girl suddenly looked up with shining eyes.
'Oh, Mr. Cuthbert!' she whispered .
The place was like a long tunnel of flowers. The air smelled sweet, and the evening sky shone pink at the end of the road.
'What do people call this place?' she asked softly.
'The Avenue,' Matthew answered.
'The Avenue?' she said. 'That name isn’t good enough. I shall call it the White Way of Delight .'
Matthew smiled quietly.
Later they reached a hill where a long shining pond lay below them.
'That’s Barry’s pond,' said Matthew.
'I don’t like that name either,' she said after some careful consideration . 'I shall call it the Lake of Shining Waters . I find it quite thrilling when I find the perfect name for something.'
They crossed the bridge, and the buggy* made a loud noise of the heavy wheels on wooden boards .
'I love the sound of crossing bridges,' she said happily. 'Good night, dear Lake of Shining Waters.'
At last they climbed another hill.
'We’re nearly home now,' Matthew began.
'Oh, don’t tell me!' the girl cried quickly. 'Let me guess.'
She looked around eagerly . Finally she pointed to a white farmhouse surrounded by trees.
'That must be it,' she said.
'Well now, you guessed right,' Matthew replied.
'Oh!' she whispered with joy . 'It already feels like home.'
Matthew felt uneasy . He knew Marilla would soon have to tell the girl that a mistake had been made.
As he lifted her down from the buggy*, she listened to the sound of the leaves in the trees.
'Listen,' she whispered softly. 'The trees are talking in their sleep. They must be having beautiful dreams.'
Holding tightly to her carpetbag, which contained all her precious possessions , she followed Matthew into the house.
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