Kilmeny of the Orchard

A young man named Eric Marshall goes to teach at a school on Prince Edward Island and meets Kilmeny, a mute girl who has perfect hearing. He sees her when he is walking through an old orchard and hears her playing the violin. He visits her a number of times and gradually falls in love with her. Neil Gordon, Kilmeny’s cousin-in-law, also loves Kilmeny and hates Eric for this. When Eric proposes marriage she rejects him, even though she loves him, believing that her disability will only hinder his life if they were married, despite his protests that it would not matter at all.
Meanwhile, Eric's good friend David who is a renowned throat doctor, comes to the island and visits Eric. He examines Kilmeny, and says that nothing will cure her but an extreme psychological need to speak. Distraught, Eric wandered alone to the Connors' orchard and sat on a wooden bench. Kilmeny, deeply depressed at the time, arrived at the orchard and saw Neil Gordon swinging an axe behind Eric, poised to strike down his romantic rival. Overcome by fear, the first time in her life she screamed to warn Eric. Eric escaped, Neil fled, and Kilmeny found her voice. By the story's end, Kilmeny accepted Eric, and the two began making plans for their future marriage.