Marilla Cuthbert and Dora Keith

Marilla Cuthbert and Dora Keith are brought together when Marilla takes Dora and her twin brother, Davy, into her home after their mother’s death. The relationship begins not with an easy bond but with a difficult decision: Marilla is a much older relative weighing the care of two young children against her own capacity. Dora’s quiet and composed manner makes her comparatively undemanding, yet her place in Marilla’s household is part of a larger, lasting commitment to give the orphaned twins a home.

Kinship and the decision to take Dora in

Dora’s mother, Mary Keith, is gravely ill, and the children’s uncle cannot take them until the following spring. He is working at a lumber camp and expects to marry, after which he says he will have a home for them. In the meantime, Mary is reluctant to ask neighbors to keep the twins. Marilla understands that Mary wants her to take them, though Mary has not directly asked. The need is urgent, but the family connection is limited: Marilla calls the third-cousin relationship a slim claim and hesitates over the responsibility of caring for two six-year-olds.

Marilla distinguishes Dora from Davy as she considers what the arrangement would involve. Dora seems good and quiet, whereas Davy strikes her as a troublesome child. This contrast helps explain why Dora appears less daunting to Marilla, but it does not make the decision simply a matter of choosing the easier child: taking Dora means taking both twins. Anne Shirley argues that the children need good training and that leaving them to uncertain care could expose them to harmful influences. Marilla ultimately agrees, primarily from a sense of duty, while warning Anne that the extra work will fall partly to her.

Arrival at Green Gables

The twins come to Green Gables with Marilla after their mother’s funeral in late autumn. Their arrival recalls an earlier moment in the household’s history, when Matthew Cuthbert brought Anne to Marilla’s home as an orphan. The resemblance is not exact—the circumstances and children differ—but the echo underscores how a household that once took in Anne is again becoming a place of refuge for children without parents.

Dora’s first conduct at Green Gables fits Marilla’s initial impression of her. At the gate, Dora calmly submits to Anne’s kiss, while Davy greets Anne with a hearty hug and an announcement of his identity. At supper Dora behaves like a little lady; Davy is so hungry that he resists the expectation of polite table manners. These contrasts give Marilla immediate evidence of the different temperaments she will have to manage. Dora is not portrayed as troublesome in the way Davy is, but she enters the household as a young child who needs protection and care, not merely as a quiet presence.

Care within a demanding household

On the twins’ first evening, Marilla decides that they should go to bed. Dora is to sleep with her, while Davy is assigned to the west gable room and is asked whether he is afraid to sleep alone. The arrangement places Dora close beside Marilla from the outset, while Davy’s separate room reflects the practical need to settle both children after a long and exhausting day. Marilla’s firm instruction sends Davy upstairs with Anne even when he would prefer to stay up.

The commitment also requires work beyond the immediate welcome. Marilla’s failing eyesight prevents her from sewing, so she tells Anne that making and mending the twins’ clothes will become her responsibility. Anne dislikes sewing but accepts the task as part of the duty Marilla has undertaken. Dora’s care therefore belongs to a shared household effort: Marilla makes the decision and assumes the parental responsibility, while Anne helps with the practical labor of raising the children. The arrangement is affectionate in its purpose, but the text also makes its costs—extra work and worry—plain.

A lasting home and its wider significance

Marilla’s initial uncertainty gives way to a settled place for Dora and Davy at Green Gables. The twins’ orphanhood does not remain a temporary inconvenience to be passed on when their uncle is ready; the household becomes their permanent home. Dora’s quietness may make the transition easier for Marilla than Davy’s livelier behavior does, yet the significance of the relationship lies in Marilla’s acceptance of both children and the continuing responsibility that follows from that choice.

That responsibility later shapes the possibilities available to others in the household. When Anne considers going to Redmond College, she worries that she cannot leave Marilla alone with the twins, who still need looking after. Marilla has already begun discussing a solution with Rachel Lynde: Rachel may come to live with her, allowing Anne to continue her education. Dora’s presence is thus part of the practical circumstances that make Anne’s departure difficult, even as Marilla’s planning seeks to keep the family’s care intact. The relationship connects private compassion to the household’s longer future: Marilla’s decision gives Dora security, and the work of sustaining that home becomes a shared concern among those who love and support one another.