Kilmeny of the Orchard

Lucy Maud Montgomery wrote a book titled Kilmeny of the Orchard. The protagonist is a young guy named Eric Marshall who travels to Prince Edward Island to work as a teacher and meets Kilmeny a mute girl with perfect hearing. He hears her playing the violin as he strolls through an ancient orchard and sees her. He makes several trips to see her and gradually develops feelings for her. Even though she loves him back she rejects his proposal because she thinks their marriage would negatively impact his life due to her condition despite his assurances that it wouldn't. Around this time Eric's close friend David a renowned throat surgeon visits the island and sees him. After examining Kilmeny he concludes that her only hope of recovery is an intense psychological desire to talk. When Eric's very envious brother Kilmeny's brother Neil Gordon approaches him from behind with an axe with the intent to kill him this need becomes urgent. Kilmeny is nearby so she screams for Eric to turn around and look behind him because she can talk at this point. Kilmeny and Eric get hitched as Neil escapes on a ship.