Marilla Cuthbert—Dora Keith

Marilla Cuthbert’s bond with Dora Keith is shaped by a practical question with emotional stakes: whether Marilla can afford to keep the child she has taken in. When the expected family arrangement fails, Marilla continues caring for Dora; the later death of the twins’ uncle and the provision he leaves for their maintenance make that care permanent. The inheritance does not create Marilla’s wish to keep Dora, but it gives that wish a sustainable foundation.

A Temporary Home Under Strain

When a letter arrived saying the children could not be taken that spring and asking that they remain until fall, Marilla accepted that there was little alternative. She remarked that the twins were less trouble than before—or that the household had grown used to them—and took note of Davy’s improvement. Her grim manner concealed a private relief: the delay meant the children would stay longer, even though their future with her remained uncertain.

Marilla’s care was not only a matter of affection; it had to fit the household’s limited means. She later explained that she wanted to keep the twins but could not see how she could afford to do so as they grew older. The rent from the farm barely supported the house, and she was determined not to use Anne Shirley’s money for their upkeep. Her concern for Dora therefore existed alongside a firm sense of financial responsibility.

Care in Everyday Decisions

Marilla’s guardianship is visible in the ordinary choices made for Dora. Anne had bought Dora a new hat, and Marilla judged that the child did not need it, comparing the excess to a cat having two tails. The remark is brisk, but it also shows that Dora’s clothing and needs are part of the family’s practical decisions. Marilla weighs gifts against necessity rather than treating care as unlimited spending.

That careful management does not mean Dora is merely a burden to be calculated. When the possibility of the twins leaving arose, Marilla’s relief at their continued stay revealed how readily their presence had become part of her home. Her acceptance of the temporary extension keeps the children safe while their longer-term circumstances remain unresolved.

The Inheritance and a Permanent Home

The uncertainty ended when a letter from the executor of the twins’ uncle’s will reported that he had died. He had left two thousand dollars to Marilla in trust for Davy and Dora, with the interest available for their maintenance until they came of age or married. The arrangement answered the question that had troubled Marilla: she could keep the children without spending Anne’s money or relying on the farm’s limited income.

Marilla described the money as a practical solution. She had wanted to keep the twins, but had not known how to provide for them in the long term; now, as she put it, they were provided for. The inheritance thus formalized a relationship already established through daily care. Marilla became not simply the adult temporarily looking after Dora, but the person entrusted with the resources for her upbringing.

Dora’s Place at Green Gables

Davy and Dora were delighted to learn that they would live at Green Gables for good. Their happiness shows what the arrangement meant to the children: the possibility of departure had given way to a secure home with Marilla. Dora’s one anxious question was whether Uncle Richard had been buried. Her concern briefly recalls the death that made the inheritance possible, even as the children’s joy at staying shows the immediate emotional force of their new security.

Marilla’s relationship with Dora therefore joins tenderness to sober responsibility. She wishes to keep the child, recognizes the limits of her resources, refuses to draw on Anne’s money, and accepts the trust that makes continued care possible. The final outcome is not merely that Dora remains in the household: Green Gables becomes her permanent home, and Marilla’s personal attachment is supported by a durable provision for her future.