\"I’vegoodnewsforyou,Anne,\"saidDiana。\"MotherandIhavejustgothomefromCarmody,andIsawMarySentnerfromSpencervaleinMr。Blair’sstore。ShesaystheoldCoppgirlsontheToryRoadhaveawillow-wareplatterandshethinksit’sexactlyliketheonewehadatthesupper。Shesaysthey’lllikelysellit,forMarthaCopphasneverbeenknowntokeepanythingsheCOULDsell;
butiftheywon’tthere’saplatteratWesleyKeyson’satSpencervaleandsheknowsthey’dsellit,butsheisn’tsureit’sjustthesamekindasAuntJosephine’s。\"
\"I’llgorightovertoSpencervaleafterittomorrow,\"saidAnneresolutely,\"andyoumustcomewithme。Itwillbesuchaweightoffmymind,forIhavetogototowndayaftertomorrowandhowcanIfaceyourAuntJosephinewithoutawillow-wareplatter?
ItwouldbeevenworsethanthetimeIhadtoconfessaboutjumpingonthespareroombed。\"
Bothgirlslaughedovertheoldmemory……concerningwhich,ifanyofmyreadersareignorantandcurious,ImustreferthemtoAnne’searlierhistory。
Thenextafternoonthegirlsfaredforthontheirplatterhuntingexpedition。ItwastenmilestoSpencervaleandthedaywasnotespeciallypleasantfortraveling。Itwasverywarmandwindless,andthedustontheroadwassuchasmighthavebeenexpectedaftersixweeksofdryweather。
\"Oh,Idowishitwouldrainsoon,\"sighedAnne。\"Everythingissoparchedup。Thepoorfieldsjustseempitifultomeandthetreesseemtobestretchingouttheirhandspleadingforrain。Asformygarden,ithurtsmeeverytimeIgointoit。IsupposeIshouldn’tcomplainaboutagardenwhenthefarmers’cropsaresufferingso。
Mr。Harrisonsayshispasturesaresoscorchedupthathispoorcowscanhardlygetabitetoeatandhefeelsguiltyofcrueltytoanimalseverytimehemeetstheireyes。\"
AfterawearisomedrivethegirlsreachedSpencervaleandturneddownthe\"Tory\"Road……agreen,solitaryhighwaywherethestripsofgrassbetweenthewheeltracksboreevidencetolackoftravel。
Alongmostofitsextentitwaslinedwiththick-setyoungsprucescrowdingdowntotheroadway,withhereandthereabreakwherethebackfieldofaSpencervalefarmcameouttothefenceoranexpanseofstumpswasaflamewithfireweedandgoldenrod。
\"WhyisitcalledtheToryRoad?\"askedAnne。
\"Mr。Allansaysitisontheprincipleofcallingaplaceagrovebecausetherearenotreesinit,\"saidDiana,\"fornobodylivesalongtheroadexcepttheCoppgirlsandoldMartinBovyeratthefurtherend,whoisaLiberal。TheTorygovernmentrantheroadthroughwhentheywereinpowerjusttoshowtheyweredoingsomething。\"
Diana’sfatherwasaLiberal,forwhichreasonsheandAnneneverdiscussedpolitics。GreenGablesfolkhadalwaysbeenConservatives。
FinallythegirlscametotheoldCopphomestead……aplaceofsuchexceedingexternalneatnessthatevenGreenGableswouldhavesufferedbycontrast。Thehousewasaveryold-fashionedone,situatedonaslope,whichfacthadnecessitatedthebuildingofastonebasementunderoneend。Thehouseandout-buildingswereallwhitewashedtoaconditionofblindingperfectionandnotaweedwasvisibleintheprimkitchengardensurroundedbyitswhitepaling。
\"Theshadesarealldown,\"saidDianaruefully。\"Ibelievethatnobodyishome。\"
Thisprovedtobethecase。Thegirlslookedateachotherinperplexity。
\"Idon’tknowwhattodo,\"saidAnne。\"IfIweresuretheplatterwastherightkindIwouldnotmindwaitinguntiltheycamehome。
Butifitisn’titmaybetoolatetogotoWesleyKeyson’safterward。\"
Dianalookedatacertainlittlesquarewindowoverthebasement。
\"Thatisthepantrywindow,Ifeelsure,\"shesaid,\"becausethishouseisjustlikeUncleCharles’atNewbridge,andthatistheirpantrywindow。Theshadeisn’tdown,soifweclimbedupontheroofofthatlittlehousewecouldlookintothepantryandmightbeabletoseetheplatter。Doyouthinkitwouldbeanyharm?\"
\"No,Idon’tthinkso,\"decidedAnne,afterduereflection,\"sinceourmotiveisnotidlecuriosity。\"
Thisimportantpointofethicsbeingsettled,Annepreparedtomounttheaforesaid\"littlehouse,\"aconstructionoflathes,withapeakedroof,whichhadintimespastservedasahabitationforducks。TheCoppgirlshadgivenupkeepingducks……\"becausetheyweresuchuntidybirds\"……
andthehousehadnotbeeninuseforsomeyears,saveasanabodeofcorrectionforsettinghens。Althoughscrupulouslywhitewashedithadbecomesomewhatshaky,andAnnefeltratherdubiousasshescrambledupfromthevantagepointofakegplacedonabox。
\"I’mafraiditwon’tbearmyweight,\"shesaidasshegingerlysteppedontheroof。
\"Leanonthewindowsill,\"advisedDiana,andAnneaccordinglyleaned。
Muchtoherdelight,shesaw,asshepeeredthroughthepane,awillow-wareplatter,exactlysuchasshewasinquestof,ontheshelfinfrontofthewindow。Somuchshesawbeforethecatastrophecame。InherjoyAnneforgottheprecariousnatureofherfooting,incautiouslyceasedtoleanonthewindowsill,gaveanimpulsivelittlehopofpleasure……andthenextmomentshehadcrashedthroughtheroofuptoherarmpits,andthereshehung,quiteunabletoextricateherself。Dianadashedintotheduckhouseand,seizingherunfortunatefriendbythewaist,triedtodrawherdown。
\"Ow……don’t,\"shriekedpoorAnne。\"Therearesomelongsplintersstickingintome。Seeifyoucanputsomethingundermyfeet……thenperhapsIcandrawmyselfup。\"
DianahastilydraggedinthepreviouslymentionedkegandAnnefoundthatitwasjustsufficientlyhightofurnishasecurerestingplaceforherfeet。Butshecouldnotreleaseherself。
\"CouldIpullyououtifIcrawledup?\"suggestedDiana。
Anneshookherheadhopelessly。
\"No……thesplintershurttoobadly。Ifyoucanfindanaxeyoumightchopmeout,though。Ohdear,IdoreallybegintobelievethatIwasbornunderanill-omenedstar。\"
Dianasearchedfaithfullybutnoaxewastobefound。
\"I’llhavetogoforhelp,\"shesaid,returningtotheprisoner。
\"No,indeed,youwon’t,\"saidAnnevehemently。\"IfyoudothestoryofthiswillgetouteverywhereandIshallbeashamedtoshowmyface。
No,wemustjustwaituntiltheCoppgirlscomehomeandbindthemtosecrecy。They’llknowwheretheaxeisandgetmeout。
I’mnotuncomfortable,aslongasIkeepperfectlystill……
notuncomfortableinBODYImean。IwonderwhattheCoppgirlsvaluethishouseat。IshallhavetopayforthedamageI’vedone,butIwouldn’tmindthatifIwereonlysuretheywouldunderstandmymotiveinpeepinginattheirpantrywindow。MysolecomfortisthattheplatterisjustthekindIwantandifMissCoppwillonlysellittomeIshallberesignedtowhathashappened。\"
\"WhatiftheCoppgirlsdon’tcomehomeuntilafternight……ortilltomorrow?\"suggestedDiana。
\"Ifthey’renotbackbysunsetyou’llhavetogoforotherassistance,Isuppose,\"saidAnnereluctantly,\"butyoumustn’tgountilyoureallyhaveto。Ohdear,thisisadreadfulpredicament。
Iwouldn’tmindmymisfortunessomuchiftheywereromantic,asMrs。Morgan’sheroines’alwaysare,buttheyarealwaysjustsimplyridiculous。FancywhattheCoppgirlswillthinkwhentheydriveintotheiryardandseeagirl’sheadandshouldersstickingoutoftheroofofoneoftheirouthouses。Listen……isthatawagon?No,Diana,Ibelieveitisthunder。\"
Thunderitwasundoubtedly,andDiana,havingmadeahastypilgrimagearoundthehouse,returnedtoannouncethataveryblackcloudwasrisingrapidlyinthenorthwest。
\"Ibelievewe’regoingtohaveaheavythunder-shower,\"sheexclaimedindismay,\"Oh,Anne,whatwillwedo?\"
\"Wemustprepareforit,\"saidAnnetranquilly。Athunderstormseemedatrifleincomparisonwithwhathadalreadyhappened。
\"You’dbetterdrivethehorseandbuggyintothatopenshed。
Fortunatelymyparasolisinthebuggy。Here……takemyhatwithyou。MarillatoldmeIwasagoosetoputonmybesthattocometotheToryRoadandshewasright,asshealwaysis。\"
Dianauntiedtheponyanddroveintotheshed,justasthefirstheavydropsofrainfell。Thereshesatandwatchedtheresultingdownpour,whichwassothickandheavythatshecouldhardlyseeAnnethroughit,holdingtheparasolbravelyoverherbarehead。
Therewasnotagreatdealofthunder,butforthebestpartofanhourtheraincamemerrilydown。OccasionallyAnneslantedbackherparasolandwavedanencouraginghandtoherfriend;Butconversationatthatdistancewasquiteoutofthequestion。
Finallytherainceased,thesuncameout,andDianaventuredacrossthepuddlesoftheyard。
\"Didyougetverywet?\"sheaskedanxiously。
\"Oh,no,\"returnedAnnecheerfully。\"Myheadandshouldersarequitedryandmyskirtisonlyalittledampwheretherainbeatthroughthelathes。Don’tpityme,Diana,forIhaven’tmindeditatall。Ikeptthinkinghowmuchgoodtherainwilldoandhowgladmygardenmustbeforit,andimaginingwhattheflowersandbudswouldthinkwhenthedropsbegantofall。Iimaginedoutamostinterestingdialoguebetweentheastersandthesweetpeasandthewildcanariesinthelilacbushandtheguardianspiritofthegarden。
WhenIgohomeImeantowriteitdown。IwishIhadapencilandpapertodoitnow,becauseIdaresayI’llforgetthebestpartsbeforeIreachhome。\"
Dianathefaithfulhadapencilanddiscoveredasheetofwrappingpaperintheboxofthebuggy。Annefoldedupherdrippingparasol,putonherhat,spreadthewrappingpaperonashingleDianahandedup,andwroteouthergardenidylunderconditionsthatcouldhardlybeconsideredasfavorabletoliterature。
Nevertheless,theresultwasquitepretty,andDianawas\"enraptured\"whenAnnereadittoher。
\"Oh,Anne,it’ssweet……justsweet。DOsendittothe`CanadianWoman。’\"
Anneshookherhead。
\"Oh,no,itwouldn’tbesuitableatall。ThereisnoPLOTinit,yousee。It’sjustastringoffancies。Ilikewritingsuchthings,butofcoursenothingofthesortwouldeverdoforpublication,foreditorsinsistonplots,soPriscillasays。Oh,there’sMissSarahCoppnow。PLEASE,Diana,goandexplain。\"
MissSarahCoppwasasmallperson,garbedinshabbyblack,withahatchosenlessforvainadornmentthanforqualitiesthatwouldwearwell。
Shelookedasamazedasmightbeexpectedonseeingthecurioustableauinheryard,butwhensheheardDiana’sexplanationshewasallsympathy。
Shehurriedlyunlockedthebackdoor,producedtheaxe,andwithafewskillfullblowssetAnnefree。Thelatter,somewhattiredandstiff,duckeddownintotheinteriorofherprisonandthankfullyemergedintolibertyoncemore。
\"MissCopp,\"shesaidearnestly。\"IassureyouIlookedintoyourpantrywindowonlytodiscoverifyouhadawillow-wareplatter。
Ididn’tseeanythingelse——Ididn’tLOOKforanythingelse。\"
\"Blessyou,that’sallright,\"saidMissSarahamiably。\"Youneedn’tworry——there’snoharmdone。Thankgoodness,weCoppskeepourpantriespresentableatalltimesanddon’tcarewhoseesintothem。Asforthatoldduckhouse,I’mgladit’ssmashed,formaybenowMarthawillagreetohavingittakendown。SheneverwouldbeforeforfearitmightcomeinhandysometimeandI’vehadtowhitewashiteveryspring。ButyoumightaswellarguewithapostaswithMartha。Shewenttotowntoday——Idrovehertothestation。
Andyouwanttobuymyplatter。Well,whatwillyougiveforit?\"
\"Twentydollars,\"saidAnne,whowasnevermeanttomatchbusinesswitswithaCopp,orshewouldnothaveofferedherpriceatthestart。
\"Well,I’llsee,\"saidMissSarahcautiously。\"Thatplatterisminefortunately,orI’dneverdaretosellitwhenMarthawasn’there。
Asitis,Idaresayshe’llraiseafuss。Martha’sthebossofthisestablishmentIcantellyou。I’mgettingawfultiredoflivingunderanotherwoman’sthumb。Butcomein,comein。Youmustberealtiredandhungry。I’lldothebestIcanforyouinthewayofteabutIwarnyounottoexpectanythingbutbreadandbutterandsomecowcumbers。Marthalockedupallthecakeandcheeseandpreservesaforeshewent。Shealwaysdoes,becauseshesaysI’mtooextravagantwiththemifcompanycomes。\"
Thegirlswerehungryenoughtodojusticetoanyfare,andtheyenjoyedMissSarah’sexcellentbreadandbutterand\"cowcumbers\"
thoroughly。WhenthemealwasoverMissSarahsaid,\"Idon’tknowasImindsellingtheplatter。Butit’sworthtwenty-fivedollars。It’saveryoldplatter。\"
DianagaveAnne’sfootagentlekickunderthetable,meaning,\"Don’tagree——she’llletitgofortwentyifyouholdout。\"
ButAnnewasnotmindedtotakeanychancesinregardtothatpreciousplatter。Shepromptlyagreedtogivetwenty-fiveandMissSarahlookedasifshefeltsorryshehadn’taskedforthirty。
\"Well,Iguessyoumayhaveit。IwantallthemoneyIcanscareupjustnow。Thefactis——\"MissSarahthrewupherheadimportantly,withaproudflushonherthincheeks——\"I’mgoingtobemarried——toLutherWallace。Hewantedmetwentyyearsago。
Ilikedhimrealwellbuthewaspoorthenandfatherpackedhimoff。
Is’poseIshouldn’thavelethimgosomeekbutIwastimidandfrightenedoffather。Besides,Ididn’tknowmenweresoskurse。\"
Whenthegirlsweresafelyaway,DianadrivingandAnneholdingthecovetedplattercarefullyonherlap,thegreen,rain-freshenedsolitudesoftheToryRoadwereenlivenedbyripplesofgirlishlaughter。
\"I’llamuseyourAuntJosephinewiththe`strangeeventfulhistory’
ofthisafternoonwhenIgototowntomorrow。We’vehadarathertryingtimebutit’sovernow。I’vegottheplatter,andthatrainhaslaidthedustbeautifully。So`all’swellthatendswell。’\"
\"We’renothomeyet,\"saidDianaratherpessimistically,\"andthere’snotellingwhatmayhappenbeforeweare。You’resuchagirltohaveadventures,Anne。\"
\"Havingadventurescomesnaturaltosomepeople,\"saidAnneserenely。\"Youjusthaveagiftforthemoryouhaven’t。\"
XIX
JustaHappyDay\"Afterall,\"AnnehadsaidtoMarillaonce,\"Ibelievethenicestandsweetestdaysarenotthoseonwhichanythingverysplendidorwonderfulorexcitinghappensbutjustthosethatbringsimplelittlepleasures,followingoneanothersoftly,likepearlsslippingoffastring。\"
LifeatGreenGableswasfullofjustsuchdays,forAnne’sadventuresandmisadventures,likethoseofotherpeople,didnotallhappenatonce,butweresprinkledovertheyear,withlongstretchesofharmless,happydaysbetween,filledwithworkanddreamsandlaughterandlessons。
SuchadaycamelateinAugust。IntheforenoonAnneandDianarowedthedelightedtwinsdownthepondtothesandshoretopick\"sweetgrass\"
andpaddleinthesurf,overwhichthewindwasharpinganoldlyriclearnedwhentheworldwasyoung。
IntheafternoonAnnewalkeddowntotheoldIrvingplacetoseePaul。
Shefoundhimstretchedoutonthegrassybankbesidethethickfirgrovethatshelteredthehouseonthenorth,absorbedinabookoffairytales。Hesprangupradiantlyatsightofher。
\"Oh,I’msogladyou’vecome,teacher,\"hesaideagerly,\"becauseGrandma’saway。You’llstayandhaveteawithme,won’tyou?
It’ssolonesometohaveteaallbyoneself。YOUknow,teacher。
I’vehadseriousthoughtsofaskingYoungMaryJoetositdownandeatherteawithme,butIexpectGrandmawouldn’tapprove。
ShesaystheFrenchhavetobekeptintheirplace。Andanyhow,it’sdifficulttotalkwithYoungMaryJoe。Shejustlaughsandsays,`Well,yousdobeatalldekidsIeverknowed。’Thatisn’tmyideaofconversation。\"
\"OfcourseI’llstaytotea,\"saidAnnegaily。\"Iwasdyingtobeasked。Mymouthhasbeenwateringforsomemoreofyourgrandma’sdeliciousshortbreadeversinceIhadteaherebefore。\"
Paullookedverysober。
\"Ifitdependedonme,teacher,\"hesaid,standingbeforeAnnewithhishandsinhispocketsandhisbeautifullittlefaceshadowedwithsuddencare,\"Youshouldhaveshortbreadwitharightgoodwill。
ButitdependsonMaryJoe。IheardGrandmatellherbeforesheleftthatshewasn’ttogivemeanyshortcakebecauseitwastoorichforlittleboys’stomachs。ButmaybeMaryJoewillcutsomeforyouifIpromiseIwon’teatany。Letushopeforthebest。\"
\"Yes,letus,\"agreedAnne,whomthischeerfulphilosophysuitedexactly,\"andifMaryJoeproveshard-heartedandwon’tgivemeanyshortbreaditdoesn’tmatterintheleast,soyouarenottoworryoverthat。\"
\"You’resureyouwon’tmindifshedoesn’t?\"saidPaulanxiously。
\"Perfectlysure,dearheart。\"
\"ThenIwon’tworry,\"saidPaul,withalongbreathofrelief,\"especiallyasIreallythinkMaryJoewilllistentoreason。
She’snotanaturallyunreasonableperson,butshehaslearnedbyexperiencethatitdoesn’tdotodisobeyGrandma’sorders。
Grandmaisanexcellentwomanbutpeoplemustdoasshetellsthem。
ShewasverymuchpleasedwithmethismorningbecauseImanagedatlasttoeatallmyplatefulofporridge。ItwasagreateffortbutIsucceeded。Grandmasaysshethinksshe’llmakeamanofmeyet。
But,teacher,Iwanttoaskyouaveryimportantquestion。
Youwillanswerittruthfully,won’tyou?\"
\"I’lltry,\"promisedAnne。
\"DoyouthinkI’mwronginmyupperstory?\"askedPaul,asifhisveryexistencedependedonherreply。
\"Goodness,no,Paul,\"exclaimedAnneinamazement。\"Certainlyyou’renot。Whatputsuchanideaintoyourhead?\"
\"MaryJoe……butshedidn’tknowIheardher。Mrs。PeterSloane’shiredgirl,Veronica,cametoseeMaryJoelasteveningandIheardthemtalkinginthekitchenasIwasgoingthroughthehall。
IheardMaryJoesay,`DatPaul,heisdequeeres’leetleboy。
Hetalksdatqueer。Itinkdere’ssometingwronginhisupperstory。’
Icouldn’tsleeplastnightforeversolong,thinkingofit,andwonderingifMaryJoewasright。Icouldn’tbeartoaskGrandmaaboutitsomehow,butImadeupmymindI’daskyou。I’msogladyouthinkI’mallrightinmyupperstory。\"
\"Ofcourseyouare。MaryJoeisasilly,ignorantgirl,andyouarenevertoworryaboutanythingshesays,\"saidAnneindignantly,secretlyresolvingtogiveMrs。IrvingadiscreethintastotheadvisabilityofrestrainingMaryJoe’stongue。
\"Well,that’saweightoffmymind,\"saidPaul。\"I’mperfectlyhappynow,teacher,thankstoyou。Itwouldn’tbenicetohavesomethingwronginyourupperstory,wouldit,teacher?
IsupposethereasonMaryJoeimaginesIhaveisbecauseItellherwhatIthinkaboutthingssometimes。\"
\"Itisaratherdangerouspractice,\"admittedAnne,outofthedepthsofherownexperience。
\"Well,byandbyI’lltellyouthethoughtsItoldMaryJoeandyoucanseeforyourselfifthere’sanythingqueerinthem,\"saidPaul,\"butI’llwaittillitbeginstogetdark。ThatisthetimeIachetotellpeoplethings,andwhennobodyelseishandyIjustHAVEtotellMaryJoe。ButafterthisIwon’t,ifitmakesherimagineI’mwronginmyupperstory。I’lljustacheandbearit。\"
\"AndiftheachegetstoobadyoucancomeuptoGreenGablesandtellmeyourthoughts,\"suggestedAnne,withallthegravitythatendearedhertochildren,whosodearlylovetobetakenseriously。
\"Yes,Iwill。ButIhopeDavywon’tbetherewhenIgobecausehemakesfacesatme。Idon’tmindVERYmuchbecauseheissuchalittleboyandIamquiteabigone,butstillitisnotpleasanttohavefacesmadeatyou。AndDavymakessuchterribleones。
SometimesIamfrightenedhewillnevergethisfacestraightenedoutagain。HemakesthematmeinchurchwhenIoughttobethinkingofsacredthings。Doralikesmethough,andIlikeher,butnotsowellasIdidbeforeshetoldMinnieMayBarrythatshemeanttomarrymewhenIgrewup。ImaymarrysomebodywhenIgrowupbutI’mfartooyoungtobethinkingofityet,don’tyouthink,teacher?\"
\"Ratheryoung,\"agreedteacher。
\"Speakingofmarrying,remindsmeofanotherthingthathasbeentroublingmeoflate,\"continuedPaul。\"Mrs。LyndewasdownhereonedaylastweekhavingteawithGrandma,andGrandmamademeshowhermylittlemother’spicture……theonefathersentmeformybirthdaypresent。Ididn’texactlywanttoshowittoMrs。Lynde。
Mrs。Lyndeisagood,kindwoman,butsheisn’tthesortofpersonyouwanttoshowyourmother’spictureto。YOUknow,teacher。
ButofcourseIobeyedGrandma。Mrs。Lyndesaidshewasveryprettyutkindofactressylooking,andmusthavebeenanawfullotyoungerthanfather。Thenshesaid,`Someofthesedaysyourpawillbemarryingagainlikely。Howwillyouliketohaveanewma,MasterPaul?’Well,theideaalmosttookmybreathaway,teacher,butIwasn’tgoingtoletMrs。LyndeseeTHAT。Ijustlookedherstraightintheface……likethis……andIsaid,`Mrs。Lynde,fathermadeaprettygoodjobofpickingoutmyfirstmotherandI
couldtrusthimtopickoutjustasgoodaonethesecondtime。’
AndICANtrusthim,teacher。Butstill,Ihope,ifheeverdoesgivemeanewmother,he’llaskmyopinionaboutherbeforeit’stoolate。There’sMaryJoecomingtocallustotea。I’llgoandconsultwithherabouttheshortbread。\"
Asaresultofthe\"consultation,\"MaryJoecuttheshortbreadandaddedadishofpreservestothebilloffare。AnnepouredtheteaandsheandPaulhadaverymerrymealinthedimoldsittingroomwhosewindowswereopentothegulfbreezes,andtheytalkedsomuch\"nonsense\"thatMaryJoewasquitescandalizedandtoldVeronicathenexteveningthat\"deschoolmees\"wasasqueerasPaul。
AfterteaPaultookAnneuptohisroomtoshowherhismother’spicture,whichhadbeenthemysteriousbirthdaypresentkeptbyMrs。Irvinginthebookcase。Paul’slittlelow-ceilingedroomwasasoftwhirlofruddylightfromthesunthatwassettingovertheseaandswingingshadowsfromthefirtreesthatgrewclosetothesquare,deep-setwindow。Fromoutthissoftglowandglamorshoneasweet,girlishface,withtendermothereyes,thatwashangingonthewallatthefootofthebed。
\"That’smylittlemother,\"saidPaulwithlovingpride。\"IgotGrandmatohangittherewhereI’dseeitassoonasIopenedmyeyesinthemorning。InevermindnothavingthelightwhenIgotobednow,becauseitjustseemsasifmylittlemotherwasrightherewithme。FatherknewjustwhatIwouldlikeforabirthdaypresent,althoughheneveraskedme。Isn’titwonderfulhowmuchfathersDOknow?\"
\"Yourmotherwasverylovely,Paul,andyoulookalittlelikeher。
Buthereyesandhairaredarkerthanyours。\"
\"Myeyesarethesamecolorasfather’s,\"saidPaul,flyingabouttheroomtoheapallavailablecushionsonthewindowseat,\"butfather’shairisgray。Hehaslotsofit,butitisgray。
Yousee,fatherisnearlyfifty。That’sripeoldage,isn’tit?
Butit’sonlyOUTSIDEhe’sold。INSIDEhe’sjustasyoungasanybody。
Now,teacher,pleasesithere;andI’llsitatyourfeet。MayIlaymyheadagainstyourknee?That’sthewaymylittlemotherandI
usedtosit。Oh,thisisrealsplendid,Ithink。\"
\"Now,IwanttohearthosethoughtswhichMaryJoepronouncessoqueer,\"
saidAnne,pattingthemopofcurlsatherside。Paulneverneededanycoaxingtotellhisthoughts……atleast,tocongenialsouls。
\"Ithoughtthemoutinthefirgroveonenight,\"hesaiddreamily。
\"OfcourseIdidn’tBELIEVEthembutITHOUGHTthem。YOUknow,teacher。AndthenIwantedtotellthemtosomebodyandtherewasnobodybutMaryJoe。MaryJoewasinthepantrysettingbreadandIsatdownonthebenchbesideherandIsaid,`MaryJoe,doyouknowwhatIthink?Ithinktheeveningstarisalighthouseonthelandwherethefairiesdwell。’AndMaryJoesaid,`Well,yousaredequeerone。Dareain’tnosuchtingasfairies。’Iwasverymuchprovoked。Ofcourse,Iknewtherearenofairies;butthatneedn’tpreventmythinkingthereis。Youknow,teacher。ButItriedagainquitepatiently。Isaid,`Wellthen,MaryJoe,doyouknowwhatIthink?Ithinkanangelwalksovertheworldafterthesunsets……agreat,tall,whiteangel,withsilveryfoldedwings……
andsingstheflowersandbirdstosleep。Childrencanhearhimiftheyknowhowtolisten。’ThenMaryJoeheldupherhandsalloverflourandsaid,`Well,yousaredequeerleetleboy。
Yousmakemefeelscare。’Andshereallydidlookedscared。
Iwentoutthenandwhisperedtherestofmythoughtstothegarden。
Therewasalittlebirchtreeinthegardenanditdied。Grandmasaysthesaltspraykilledit;butIthinkthedryadbelongingtoitwasafoolishdryadwhowanderedawaytoseetheworldandgotlost。
Andthelittletreewassolonelyitdiedofabrokenheart。\"
\"Andwhenthepoor,foolishlittledryadgetstiredoftheworldandcomesbacktohertreeHERheartwillbreak,\"saidAnne。
\"Yes;butifdryadsarefoolishtheymusttaketheconsequences,justasiftheywererealpeople,\"saidPaulgravely。\"DoyouknowwhatIthinkaboutthenewmoon,teacher?Ithinkitisalittlegoldenboatfullofdreams。\"
\"Andwhenittipsonacloudsomeofthemspilloutandfallintoyoursleep。\"
\"Exactly,teacher。Oh,youDOknow。AndIthinkthevioletsarelittlesnipsoftheskythatfelldownwhentheangelscutoutholesforthestarstoshinethrough。Andthebuttercupsaremadeoutofoldsunshine;andIthinkthesweetpeaswillbebutterflieswhentheygotoheaven。Now,teacher,doyouseeanythingsoveryqueeraboutthosethoughts?\"
\"No,laddiedear,theyarenotqueeratall;theyarestrangeandbeautifulthoughtsforalittleboytothink,andsopeoplewhocouldn’tthinkanythingofthesortthemselves,iftheytriedforahundredyears,thinkthemqueer。Butkeeponthinkingthem,Paul……somedayyouaregoingtobeapoet,Ibelieve。\"
WhenAnnereachedhomeshefoundaverydifferenttypeofboyhoodwaitingtobeputtobed。Davywassulky;andwhenAnnehadundressedhimhebouncedintobedandburiedhisfaceinthepillow。
\"Davy,youhaveforgottentosayyourprayers,\"saidAnnerebukingly。
\"No,Ididn’tforget,\"saidDavydefiantly,\"butIain’tgoingtosaymyprayersanymore。I’mgoingtogiveuptryingtobegood,’causenomatterhowgoodIamyou’dlikePaulIrvingbetter。
SoImightaswellbebadandhavethefunofit。\"
\"Idon’tlikePaulIrvingBETTER,\"saidAnneseriously。\"Ilikeyoujustaswell,onlyinadifferentway。\"
\"ButIwantyoutolikemethesameway,\"poutedDavy。
\"Youcan’tlikedifferentpeoplethesameway。Youdon’tlikeDoraandmethesameway,doyou?\"
Davysatupandreflected。
\"No……o……o,\"headmittedatlast,\"IlikeDorabecauseshe’smysisterbutIlikeyoubecauseyou’reYOU。\"
\"AndIlikePaulbecauseheisPaulandDavybecauseheisDavy,\"
saidAnnegaily。
\"Well,IkindofwishI’dsaidmyprayersthen,\"saidDavy,convincedbythislogic。\"Butit’stoomuchbothergettingoutnowtosaythem。
I’llsaythemtwiceoverinthemorning,Anne。Won’tthatdoaswell?\"
No,Annewaspositiveitwouldnotdoaswell。SoDavyscrambledoutandkneltdownatherknee。Whenhehadfinishedhisdevotionsheleanedbackonhislittle,bare,brownheelsandlookedupather。
\"Anne,I’mgooderthanIusedtobe。\"
\"Yes,indeedyouare,Davy,\"saidAnne,whoneverhesitatedtogivecreditwherecreditwasdue。
\"IKNOWI’mgooder,\"saidDavyconfidently,\"andI’lltellyouhowIknowit。TodayMarillagivemetwopiecesofbreadandjam,oneformeandoneforDora。OnewasagooddealbiggerthantheotherandMarilladidn’tsaywhichwasmine。ButIgivethebiggestpiecetoDora。Thatwasgoodofme,wasn’tit?\"
\"Verygood,andverymanly,Davy。\"
\"Ofcourse,\"admittedDavy,\"Dorawasn’tveryhungryandsheonlyethalfhersliceandthenshegivetheresttome。ButIdidn’tknowshewasgoingtodothatwhenIgiveittoher,soIWASgood,Anne。\"
InthetwilightAnnesauntereddowntotheDryad’sBubbleandsawGilbertBlythecomingdownthroughtheduskyHauntedWood。ShehadasuddenrealizationthatGilbertwasaschoolboynolonger。Andhowmanlyhelooked——thetall,frank-facedfellow,withtheclear,straightforwardeyesandthebroadshoulders。AnnethoughtGilbertwasaveryhandsomelad,eventhoughhedidn’tlookatalllikeheridealman。SheandDianahadlongagodecidedwhatkindofamantheyadmiredandtheirtastesseemedexactlysimilar。Hemustbeverytallanddistinguishedlooking,withmelancholy,inscrutableeyes,andamelting,sympatheticvoice。TherewasnothingeithermelancholyorinscrutableinGilbert’sphysiognomy,butofcoursethatdidn’tmatterinfriendship!
GilbertstretchedhimselfoutonthefernsbesidetheBubbleandlookedapprovinglyatAnne。IfGilberthadbeenaskedtodescribehisidealwomanthedescriptionwouldhaveansweredpointforpointtoAnne,eventothoseseventinyfreckleswhoseobnoxiouspresencestillcontinuedtovexhersoul。Gilbertwasasyetlittlemorethanaboy;butaboyhashisdreamsashaveothers,andinGilbert’sfuturetherewasalwaysagirlwithbig,limpidgrayeyes,andafaceasfineanddelicateasaflower。Hehadmadeuphismind,also,thathisfuturemustbeworthyofitsgoddess。
EveninquietAvonleathereweretemptationstobemetandfaced。
WhiteSandsyouthwerearather\"fast\"set,andGilbertwaspopularwhereverhewent。ButhemeanttokeephimselfworthyofAnne’sfriendshipandperhapssomedistantdayherlove;andhewatchedoverwordandthoughtanddeedasjealouslyasifhercleareyesweretopassinjudgmentonit。Sheheldoverhimtheunconsciousinfluencethateverygirl,whoseidealsarehighandpure,wieldsoverherfriends;aninfluencewhichwouldendureaslongasshewasfaithfultothoseidealsandwhichshewouldascertainlyloseifshewereeverfalsetothem。InGilbert’seyesAnne’sgreatestcharmwasthefactthatsheneverstoopedtothepettypracticesofsomanyoftheAvonleagirls——thesmalljealousies,thelittledeceitsandrivalries,thepalpablebidsforfavor。Anneheldherselfapartfromallthis,notconsciouslyorofdesign,butsimplybecauseanythingofthesortwasutterlyforeigntohertransparent,impulsivenature,crystalclearinitsmotivesandaspirations。
ButGilbertdidnotattempttoputhisthoughtsintowords,forhehadalreadytoogoodreasontoknowthatAnnewouldmercilesslyandfrostilynipallattemptsatsentimentinthebud——orlaughathim,whichwastentimesworse。
\"Youlooklikearealdryadunderthatbirchtree,\"hesaidteasingly。
\"Ilovebirchtrees,\"saidAnne,layinghercheekagainstthecreamysatinoftheslimbole,withoneofthepretty,caressinggesturesthatcamesonaturaltoher。
\"Thenyou’llbegladtohearthatMr。MajorSpencerhasdecidedtosetoutarowofwhitebirchesallalongtheroadfrontofhisfarm,bywayofencouragingtheA。V。I。S。,\"saidGilbert。
\"Hewastalkingtomeaboutittoday。MajorSpenceristhemostprogressiveandpublic-spiritedmaninAvonlea。AndMr。WilliamBellisgoingtosetoutasprucehedgealonghisroadfrontanduphislane。OurSocietyisgettingonsplendidly,Anne。Itispasttheexperimentalstageandisanacceptedfact。TheolderfolksarebeginningtotakeaninterestinitandtheWhiteSandspeoplearetalkingofstartingonetoo。EvenElishaWrighthascomearoundsincethatdaytheAmericansfromthehotelhadthepicnicattheshore。TheypraisedourroadsidessohighlyandsaidtheyweresomuchprettierthaninanyotherpartoftheIsland。Andwhen,induetime,theotherfarmersfollowMr。Spencer’sgoodexampleandplantornamentaltreesandhedgesalongtheirroadfrontsAvonleawillbetheprettiestsettlementintheprovince。\"
\"TheAidsaretalkingoftakingupthegraveyard,\"saidAnne,\"andI
hopetheywill,becausetherewillhavetobeasubscriptionforthat,anditwouldbenousefortheSocietytotryitafterthehallaffair。
ButtheAidswouldneverhavestirredinthematteriftheSocietyhadn’tputitintotheirthoughtsunofficially。Thosetreesweplantedonthechurchgroundsareflourishing,andthetrusteeshavepromisedmethattheywillfenceintheschoolgroundsnextyear。
IftheydoI’llhaveanarbordayandeveryscholarshallplantatree;
andwe’llhaveagardeninthecornerbytheroad。\"
\"We’vesucceededinalmostallourplanssofar,exceptingettingtheoldBoulterhouseremoved,\"saidGilbert,\"andI’vegivenTHATupindespair。
Leviwon’thaveittakendownjusttovexus。There’sacontrarystreakinalltheBoultersandit’sstronglydevelopedinhim。\"
\"JuliaBellwantstosendanothercommitteetohim,butIthinkthebetterwaywilljustbetoleavehimseverelyalone,\"saidAnnesagely。
\"AndtrusttoProvidence,asMrs。Lyndesays,\"smiledGilbert。
\"Certainly,nomorecommittees。Theyonlyaggravatehim。
JuliaBellthinksyoucandoanything,ifyouonlyhaveacommitteetoattemptit。Nextspring,Anne,wemuststartanagitationfornicelawnsandgrounds。We’llsowgoodseedbetimesthiswinter。
I’veatreatisehereonlawnsandlawnmakingandI’mgoingtoprepareapaperonthesubjectsoon。Well,Isupposeourvacationisalmostover。SchoolopensMonday。HasRubyGillisgottheCarmodyschool?\"
\"Yes;Priscillawrotethatshehadtakenherownhomeschool,sotheCarmodytrusteesgaveittoRuby。I’msorryPriscillaisnotcomingback,butsinceshecan’tI’mgladRubyhasgottheschool。
ShewillbehomeforSaturdaysanditwillseemlikeoldtimes,tohaveherandJaneandDianaandmyselfalltogetheragain。\"
Marilla,justhomefromMrs。Lynde’s,wassittingonthebackporchstepwhenAnnereturnedtothehouse。
\"RachelandIhavedecidedtohaveourcruisetotowntomorrow,\"
shesaid。\"Mr。LyndeisfeelingbetterthisweekandRachelwantstogobeforehehasanothersickspell。\"
\"Iintendtogetupextraearlytomorrowmorning,forI’veeversomuchtodo,\"saidAnnevirtuously。\"Foronething,I’mgoingtoshiftthefeathersfrommyoldbedticktothenewone。IoughttohavedoneitlongagobutI’vejustkeptputtingitoff……
it’ssuchadetestabletask。It’saverybadhabittoputoffdisagreeablethings,andInevermeantoagain,orelseIcan’tcomfortablytellmypupilsnottodoit。Thatwouldbeinconsistent。
ThenIwanttomakeacakeforMr。HarrisonandfinishmypaperongardensfortheA。V。I。S。,andwriteStella,andwashandstarchmymuslindress,andmakeDora’snewapron。\"
\"Youwon’tgethalfdone,\"saidMarillapessimistically。\"Ineveryetplannedtodoalotofthingsbutsomethinghappenedtopreventme。\"
XX
TheWayItOftenHappensAnnerosebetimesthenextmorningandblithelygreetedthefreshday,whenthebannersofthesunrisewereshakentriumphantlyacrossthepearlyskies。GreenGableslayinapoolofsunshine,fleckedwiththedancingshadowsofpoplarandwillow。BeyondthelandwasMr。Harrison’swheatfield,agreat,windrippledexpanseofpalegold。
TheworldwassobeautifulthatAnnespenttenblissfulminuteshangingidlyoverthegardengatedrinkingthelovelinessin。
AfterbreakfastMarillamadereadyforherjourney。Dorawastogowithher,havingbeenlongpromisedthistreat。
\"Now,Davy,youtrytobeagoodboyanddon’tbotherAnne,\"shestraitlychargedhim。\"IfyouaregoodI’llbringyouastripedcandycanefromtown。\"
Foralas,Marillahadstoopedtotheevilhabitofbribingpeopletobegood!
\"Iwon’tbebadonpurpose,buts’posenI’mbadzacksidentally?\"
Davywantedtoknow。
\"You’llhavetoguardagainstaccidents,\"admonishedMarilla。
\"Anne,ifMr。Shearercomestodaygetaniceroastandsomesteak。
Ifhedoesn’tyou’llhavetokillafowlfordinnertomorrow。\"
Annenodded。
\"I’mnotgoingtobothercookinganydinnerforjustDavyandmyselftoday,\"
shesaid。\"ThatcoldhambonewilldofornoonlunchandI’llhavesomesteakfriedforyouwhenyoucomehomeatnight。\"
\"I’mgoingtohelpMr。Harrisonhauldulsethismorning,\"announcedDavy。
\"Heaskedmeto,andIguesshe’llaskmetodinnertoo。Mr。Harrisonisanawfulkindman。He’sarealsociableman。IhopeI’llbelikehimwhenIgrowup。ImeanBEHAVElikehim……Idon’twanttoLOOKlikehim。
ButIguessthere’snodanger,forMrs。LyndesaysI’maveryhandsomechild。
Doyous’poseit’lllast,Anne?Iwanttoknow\"
\"Idaresayitwill,\"saidAnnegravely。\"YouAREahandsomeboy,Davy,\"……Marillalookedvolumesofdisapproval……\"butyoumustliveuptoitandbejustasniceandgentlemanlyasyoulooktobe。\"
\"AndyoutoldMinnieMayBarrytheotherday,whenyoufoundhercrying’causesomeonesaidshewasugly,thatifshewasniceandkindandlovingpeoplewouldn’tmindherlooks,\"saidDavydiscontentedly。
\"Seemstomeyoucan’tgetoutofbeinggoodinthisworldforsomereasonor’nother。YoujustHAVEtobehave。\"
\"Don’tyouwanttobegood?\"askedMarilla,whohadlearnedagreatdealbuthadnotyetlearnedthefutilityofaskingsuchquestions。
\"Yes,IwanttobegoodbutnotTOOgood,\"saidDavycautiously。
\"Youdon’thavetobeverygoodtobeaSundaySchoolsuperintendent。
Mr。Bell’sthat,andhe’sarealbadman。\"
\"Indeedhe’snot,\"saidMarilaindignantly。
\"Heis……hesaysheishimself,\"asseveratedDavy。\"HesaiditwhenheprayedinSundaySchoollastSunday。Hesaidhewasavilewormandamiserablesinnerandguiltyoftheblackest’niquity。
Whatdidhedothatwassobad,Marilla?Didhekillanybody?
Orstealthecollectioncents?Iwanttoknow。\"
FortunatelyMrs。LyndecamedrivingupthelaneatthismomentandMarillamadeoff,feelingthatshehadescapedfromthesnareofthefowler,andwishingdevoutlythatMr。Bellwerenotquitesohighlyfigurativeinhispublicpetitions,especiallyinthehearingofsmallboyswhowerealways\"wantingtoknow。\"
Anne,leftaloneinherglory,workedwithawill。Thefloorwasswept,thebedsmade,thehensfed,themuslindresswashedandhungoutontheline。ThenAnnepreparedforthetransferoffeathers。Shemountedtothegarretanddonnedthefirstolddressthatcametohand……anavybluecashmereshehadwornatfourteen。Itwasdecidedlyontheshortsideandas\"skimpy\"asthenotablewinceyAnnehadwornupontheoccasionofherdebutatGreenGables;butatleastitwouldnotbemateriallyinjuredbydownandfeathers。AnnecompletedhertoiletbytyingabigredandwhitespottedhandkerchiefthathadbelongedtoMatthewoverherhead,and,thusaccoutred,betookherselftothekitchenchamber,whitherMarilla,beforeherdeparture,hadhelpedhercarrythefeatherbed。
AcrackedmirrorhungbythechamberwindowandinanunluckymomentAnnelookedintoit。Therewerethosesevenfrecklesonhernose,morerampantthanever,orsoitseemedintheglareoflightfromtheunshadedwindow。
\"Oh,Iforgottorubthatlotiononlastnight,\"shethought。
\"I’dbetterrundowntothepantryanddoitnow。\"
Annehadalreadysufferedmanythingstryingtoremovethosefreckles。
Ononeoccasiontheentireskinhadpeeledoffhernosebutthefrecklesremained。Afewdayspreviouslyshehadfoundarecipeforafrecklelotioninamagazineand,astheingredientswerewithinherreach,shestraightwaycompoundedit,muchtothedisgustofMarilla,whothoughtthatifProvidencehadplacedfrecklesonyournoseitwasyourboundendutytoleavethemthere。
Annescurrieddowntothepantry,which,alwaysdimfromthebigwillowgrowingclosetothewindow,wasnowalmostdarkbyreasonoftheshadedrawntoexcludeflies。Annecaughtthebottlecontainingthelotionfromtheshelfandcopiouslyanointedhernosetherewithbymeansofalittlespongesacredtothepurpose。
Thisimportantdutydone,shereturnedtoherwork。AnyonewhohasevershiftedfeathersfromoneticktoanotherwillnotneedtobetoldthatwhenAnnefinishedshewasasighttobehold。Herdresswaswhitewithdownandfluff,andherfronthair,escapingfromunderthehandkerchief,wasadornedwithaveritablehalooffeathers。
Atthisauspiciousmomentaknocksoundedatthekitchendoor。
\"ThatmustbeMr。Shearer,\"thoughtAnne。\"I’minadreadfulmessbutI’llhavetorundownasIam,forhe’salwaysinahurry。\"
DownflewAnnetothekitchendoor。Ifeveracharitablefloordidopentoswallowupamiserable,befeathereddamseltheGreenGablesporchfloorshouldpromptlyhaveengulfedAnneatthatmoment。
OnthedoorstepwerestandingPriscillaGrant,goldenandfairinsilkattire,ashort,stoutgray-hairedladyinatweedsuit,andanotherlady,tallstately,wonderfullygowned,withabeautiful,highbredfaceandlarge,black-lashedvioleteyes,whomAnne\"instinctivelyfelt,\"asshewouldhavesaidinherearlierdays,tobeMrs。CharlotteE。Morgan。
InthedismayofthemomentonethoughtstoodoutfromtheconfusionofAnne’smindandshegraspedatitasattheproverbialstraw。AllMrs。Morgan’sheroineswerenotedfor\"risingtotheoccasion。\"Nomatterwhattheirtroubleswere,theyinvariablyrosetotheoccasionandshowedtheirsuperiorityoverallillsoftime,space,andquantity。AnnethereforefeltitwasHERdutytorisetotheoccasionandshedidit,soperfectlythatPriscillaafterwarddeclaredsheneveradmiredAnneShirleymorethanatthatmoment。Nomatterwhatheroutragedfeelingswereshedidnotshowthem。ShegreetedPriscillaandwasintroducedtohercompanionsascalmlyandcomposedlyasifshehadbeenarrayedinpurpleandfinelinen。Tobesure,itwassomewhatofashocktofindthattheladyshehadinstinctivelyfelttobeMrs。MorganwasnotMrs。Morganatall,butanunknownMrs。Pendexter,whilethestoutlittlegray-hairedwomanwasMrs。Morgan;butinthegreatershockthelesserlostitspower。
Anneusheredhergueststothespareroomandthenceintotheparlor,wheresheleftthemwhileshehastenedouttohelpPriscillaunharnessherhorse。
\"It’sdreadfultocomeuponyousounexpectedlyasthis,\"
apologizedPriscilla,\"butIdidnotknowtilllastnightthatwewerecoming。AuntCharlotteisgoingawayMondayandshehadpromisedtospendtodaywithafriendintown。Butlastnightherfriendtelephonedtohernottocomebecausetheywerequarantinedforscarletfever。SoIsuggestedwecomehereinstead,forIknewyouwerelongingtoseeher。WecalledattheWhiteSandsHotelandbroughtMrs。Pendexterwithus。Sheisafriendofaunt’sandlivesinNewYorkandherhusbandisamillionaire。Wecan’tstayverylong,forMrs。Pendexterhastobebackatthehotelbyfiveo’clock。\"
SeveraltimeswhiletheywereputtingawaythehorseAnnecaughtPriscillalookingatherinafurtive,puzzledway。
\"Sheneedn’tstareatmeso,\"Annethoughtalittleresentfully。
\"Ifshedoesn’tKNOWwhatitistochangeafeatherbedshemightIMAGINEit。\"
WhenPriscillahadgonetotheparlor,andbeforeAnnecouldescapeupstairs,Dianawalkedintothekitchen。Annecaughtherastonishedfriendbythearm。
\"DianaBarry,whodoyousupposeisinthatparloratthisverymoment?Mrs。CharlotteE。Morgan……andaNewYorkmillionaire’swife……andhereIamlikeTHIS……andNOTATHINGINTHEHOUSE
FORDINNERBUTACOLDHAMBONE,Diana!\"
BythistimeAnnehadbecomeawarethatDianawasstaringatherinpreciselythesamebewilderedfashionasPriscillahaddone。
Itwasreallytoomuch。
\"Oh,Diana,don’tlookatmeso,\"sheimplored。\"YOU,atleast,mustknowthattheneatestpersonintheworldcouldn’temptyfeathersfromonetickintoanotherandremainneatintheprocess。\"
\"It……it……isn’tthefeathers,\"hesitatedDiana。\"It’s……
it’s……yournose,Anne。\"
\"Mynose?Oh,Diana,surelynothinghasgonewrongwithit!\"
Annerushedtothelittlelookingglassoverthesink。Oneglancerevealedthefataltruth。Hernosewasabrilliantscarlet!
Annesatdownonthesofa,herdauntlessspiritsubduedatlast。
\"Whatisthematterwithit?\"askedDiana,curiosityovercomingdelicacy。
\"IthoughtIwasrubbingmyfrecklelotiononit,butImusthaveusedthatreddyeMarillahasformarkingthepatternonherrugs,\"
wasthedespairingresponse。\"WhatshallIdo?\"
\"Washitoff,\"saidDianapractically。
\"Perhapsitwon’twashoff。FirstIdyemyhair;thenIdyemynose。
MarillacutmyhairoffwhenIdyeditbutthatremedywouldhardlybepracticableinthiscase。Well,thisisanotherpunishmentforvanityandIsupposeIdeserveit……thoughthere’snotmuchcomfortinTHAT。
Itisreallyalmostenoughtomakeonebelieveinill-luck,thoughMrs。
Lyndesaysthereisnosuchthing,becauseeverythingisforeordained。\"
FortunatelythedyewashedoffeasilyandAnne,somewhatconsoled,betookherselftotheeastgablewhileDianaranhome。PresentlyAnnecamedownagain,clothedandinherrightmind。Themuslindressshehadfondlyhopedtowearwasbobbingmerrilyaboutonthelineoutside,soshewasforcedtocontentherselfwithherblacklawn。ShehadthefireonandtheteasteepingwhenDianareturned;thelatterworeHERmuslin,atleast,andcarriedacoveredplatterinherhand。
\"Mothersentyouthis,\"shesaid,liftingthecoveranddisplayinganicelycarvedandjointedchickentoAnne’sgreatfuleyes。
Thechickenwassupplementedbylightnewbread,excellentbutterandcheese,Marilla’sfruitcakeandadishofpreservedplums,floatingintheirgoldensyrupasincongealedsummersunshine。
Therewasabigbowlfulofpink-and-whiteastersalso,bywayofdecoration;yetthespreadseemedverymeagerbesidetheelaborateoneformerlypreparedforMrs。Morgan。
Anne’shungryguests,however,didnotseemtothinkanythingwaslackingandtheyatethesimpleviandswithapparentenjoyment。
ButafterthefirstfewmomentsAnnethoughtnomoreofwhatwasorwasnotonherbilloffare。Mrs。Morgan’sappearancemightbesomewhatdisappointing,asevenherloyalworshippershadbeenforcedtoadmittoeachother;butsheprovedtobeadelightfulconversationalist。Shehadtraveledextensivelyandwasanexcellentstoryteller。Shehadseenmuchofmenandwomen,andcrystalizedherexperiencesintowittylittlesentencesandepigramswhichmadeherhearersfeelasiftheywerelisteningtooneofthepeopleincleverbooks。Butunderallhersparkletherewasastronglyfeltundercurrentoftrue,womanlysympathyandkindheartednesswhichwonaffectionaseasilyasherbrilliancywonadmiration。Nordidshemonopolizetheconversation。Shecoulddrawothersoutasskillfullyandfullyasshecouldtalkherself,andAnneandDianafoundthemselveschatteringfreelytoher。Mrs。
Pendextersaidlittle;shemerelysmiledwithherlovelyeyesandlips,andatechickenandfruitcakeandpreserveswithsuchexquisitegracethatsheconveyedtheimpressionofdiningonambrosiaandhoneydew。
Butthen,asAnnesaidtoDianalateron,anybodysodivinelybeautifulasMrs。Pendexterdidn’tneedtotalk;itwasenoughforherjusttoLOOK。
AfterdinnertheyallhadawalkthroughLover’sLaneandVioletValeandtheBirchPath,thenbackthroughtheHauntedWoodtotheDryad’sBubble,wheretheysatdownandtalkedforadelightfullasthalfhour。Mrs。MorganwantedtoknowhowtheHauntedWoodcamebyitsname,andlaugheduntilshecriedwhensheheardthestoryandAnne’sdramaticaccountofacertainmemorablewalkthroughitatthewitchinghouroftwilight。
\"Ithasindeedbeenafeastofreasonandflowofsoul,hasn’tit?\"
saidAnne,whenherguestshadgoneandsheandDianawerealoneagain。
\"Idon’tknowwhichIenjoyedmore……listeningtoMrs。MorganorgazingatMrs。Pendexter。Ibelievewehadanicertimethanifwe’dknowntheywerecomingandbeencumberedwithmuchserving。
Youmuststaytoteawithme,Diana,andwe’lltalkitallover。\"
\"PriscillasaysMrs。Pendexter’shusband’ssisterismarriedtoanEnglishearl;andyetshetookasecondhelpingoftheplumpreserves,\"
saidDiana,asifthetwofactsweresomehowincompatible。
\"IdaresayeventheEnglishearlhimselfwouldn’thaveturneduphisaristocraticnoseatMarilla’splumpreserves,\"saidAnneproudly。
AnnedidnotmentionthemisfortunewhichhadbefallenHERnosewhensherelatedtheday’shistorytoMarillathatevening。Butshetookthebottleoffrecklelotionandemptieditoutofthewindow。
\"Ishallnevertryanybeautifyingmessesagain,\"shesaid,darklyresolute。\"Theymaydoforcareful,deliberatepeople;butforanyonesohopelesslygivenovertomakingmistakesasIseemtobeit’stemptingfatetomeddlewiththem。\"
XXI
SweetMissLavendarSchoolopenedandAnnereturnedtoherwork,withfewertheoriesbutconsiderablymoreexperience。Shehadseveralnewpupils,six-andseven-year-oldsjustventuring,round-eyed,intoaworldofwonder。
AmongthemwereDavyandDora。DavysatwithMiltyBoulter,whohadbeengoingtoschoolforayearandwasthereforequiteamanoftheworld。
DorahadmadeacompactatSundaySchoolthepreviousSundaytositwithLilySloane;butLilySloanenotcomingthefirstday,shewastemporarilyassignedtoMirabelCotton,whowastenyearsoldandtherefore,inDora’seyes,oneofthe\"biggirls。\"
\"Ithinkschoolisgreatfun,\"DavytoldMarillawhenhegothomethatnight。\"YousaidI’dfindithardtositstillandIdid……
youmostlydotellthetruth,Inotice……butyoucanwriggleyourlegsaboutunderthedeskandthathelpsalot。It’ssplendidtohavesomanyboystoplaywith。IsitwithMiltyBoulterandhe’sfine。He’slongerthanmebutI’mwider。It’snicertositinthebackseatsbutyoucan’tsittheretillyourlegsgrowlongenoughtotouchthefloor。MiltydrawedapictureofAnneonhisslateanditwasawfuluglyandItoldhimifhemadepicturesofAnnelikethatI’dlickhimatrecess。IthoughtfirstI’ddrawoneofhimandputhornsandatailonit,butIwasafraiditwouldhurthisfeelings,andAnnesaysyoushouldneverhurtanyone’sfeelings。Itseemsit’sdreadfultohaveyourfeelingshurt。It’sbettertoknockaboydownthanhurthisfeelingsifyouMUSTdosomething。Miltysaidhewasn’tscaredofmebuthe’djustassooncallitsomebodyelseto’bligeme,soherubbedoutAnne’snameandprintedBarbaraShaw’sunderit。Miltydoesn’tlikeBarbara’causeshecallshimasweetlittleboyandonceshepattedhimonhishead。\"
Dorasaidprimlythatshelikedschool;butshewasveryquiet,evenforher;andwhenattwilightMarillabadehergoupstairstobedshehesitatedandbegantocry。
\"I’m……I’mfrightened,\"shesobbed。\"I……Idon’twanttogoupstairsaloneinthedark。\"
\"Whatnotionhaveyougotintoyourheadnow?\"demandedMarilla。
\"I’msureyou’vegonetobedaloneallsummerandneverbeenfrightenedbefore。\"
Dorastillcontinuedtocry,soAnnepickedherup,cuddledhersympathetically,andwhispered,\"TellAnneallaboutit,sweetheart。Whatareyoufrightenedof?\"
\"Of……ofMirabelCotton’suncle,\"sobbedDora。\"MirabelCottontoldmeallaboutherfamilytodayinschool。Nearlyeverybodyinherfamilyhasdied……allhergrandfathersandgrandmothersandeversomanyunclesandaunts。Theyhaveahabitofdying,Mirabelsays。
Mirabel’sawfulproudofhavingsomanydeadrelations,andshetoldmewhattheyalldiedof,andwhattheysaid,andhowtheylookedintheircoffins。AndMirabelsaysoneofheruncleswasseenwalkingaroundthehouseafterhewasburied。Hermothersawhim。Idon’tmindtherestsomuchbutIcan’thelpthinkingaboutthatuncle。\"
AnnewentupstairswithDoraandsatbyheruntilshefellasleep。
ThenextdayMirabelCottonwaskeptinatrecessand\"gentlybutfirmly\"giventounderstandthatwhenyouweresounfortunateastopossessanunclewhopersistedinwalkingabouthousesafterhehadbeendecentlyinterreditwasnotingoodtastetotalkaboutthateccentricgentlemantoyourdeskmateoftenderyears。Mirabelthoughtthisveryharsh。TheCottonshadnotmuchtoboastof。
Howwasshetokeepupherprestigeamongherschoolmatesifshewereforbiddentomakecapitaloutofthefamilyghost?
SeptemberslippedbyintoagoldandcrimsongraciousnessofOctober。
OneFridayeveningDianacameover。
\"I’daletterfromEllaKimballtoday,Anne,andshewantsustogoovertoteatomorrowafternoontomeethercousin,IreneTrent,fromtown。
Butwecan’tgetoneofourhorsestogo,forthey’llallbeinusetomorrow,andyourponyislame……soIsupposewecan’tgo。\"
\"Whycan’twewalk?\"suggestedAnne。\"Ifwegostraightbackthroughthewoodswe’llstriketheWestGraftonroadnotfarfromtheKimballplace。IwasthroughthatwaylastwinterandIknowtheroad。It’snomorethanfourmilesandwewon’thavetowalkhome,forOliverKimballwillbesuretodriveus。He’llbeonlytoogladoftheexcuse,forhegoestoseeCarrieSloaneandtheysayhisfatherwillhardlyeverlethimhaveahorse。\"
Itwasaccordinglyarrangedthattheyshouldwalk,andthefollowingafternoontheysetout,goingbywayofLover’sLanetothebackoftheCuthbertfarm,wheretheyfoundaroadleadingintotheheartofacresofglimmeringbeechandmaplewoods,whichwereallinawondrousglowofflameandgold,lyinginagreatpurplestillnessandpeace。
\"It’sasiftheyearwerekneelingtoprayinavastcathedralfullofmellowstainedlight,isn’tit?\"saidAnnedreamily。\"Itdoesn’tseemrighttohurrythroughit,doesit?Itseemsirreverent,likerunninginachurch。\"
\"WeMUSThurrythough,\"saidDiana,glancingatherwatch。
\"We’veleftourselveslittleenoughtimeasitis。\"
\"Well,I’llwalkfastbutdon’taskmetotalk,\"saidAnne,quickeningherpace。\"Ijustwanttodrinktheday’slovelinessin……IfeelasifshewereholdingitouttomylipslikeacupofairywineandI’lltakeasipateverystep。\"
Perhapsitwasbecauseshewassoabsorbedin\"drinkingitin\"thatAnnetooktheleftturningwhentheycametoaforkintheroad。
Sheshouldhavetakentheright,buteverafterwardshecounteditthemostfortunatemistakeofherlife。Theycameoutfinallytoalonely,grassyroad,withnothinginsightalongitbutranksofsprucesaplings。
\"Why,wherearewe?\"exclaimedDianainbewilderment。\"Thisisn’ttheWestGraftonroad。\"
\"No,it’sthebaselineroadinMiddleGrafton,\"saidAnne,rathershamefacedly。\"Imusthavetakenthewrongturningatthefork。
Idon’tknowwhereweareexactly,butwemustbeallofthreemilesfromKimballs’still。\"
\"Thenwecan’tgettherebyfive,forit’shalfpastfournow,\"
saidDiana,withadespairinglookatherwatch。\"We’llarriveaftertheyhavehadtheirtea,andthey’llhaveallthebotherofgettingoursoveragain。\"
\"We’dbetterturnbackandgohome,\"suggestedAnnehumbly。
ButDiana,afterconsideration,vetoedthis。
\"No,wemayaswellgoandspendtheevening,sincewehavecomethisfar\"
Afewyardsfurtheronthegirlscametoaplacewheretheroadforkedagain。
\"Whichofthesedowetake?\"askedDianadubiously。
Anneshookherhead。
\"Idon’tknowandwecan’taffordtomakeanymoremistakes。Hereisagateandalaneleadingrightintothewood。Theremustbeahouseattheotherside。Letusgodownandinquire。\"
\"Whataromanticoldlanethisit,\"saidDiana,astheywalkedalongitstwistsandturns。Itranunderpatriarchaloldfirswhosebranchesmetabove,creatingaperpetualgloominwhichnothingexceptmosscouldgrow。Oneitherhandwerebrownwoodfloors,crossedhereandtherebyfallenlancesofsunlight。