OWENFORDCOMES
OneeveningMissCorneliatelephoneddowntoAnne。
\"Thewritermanhasjustarrivedhere。I’mgoingtodrivehimdowntoyourplace，andyoucanshowhimthewayovertoLeslie’s。It’sshorterthandrivingroundbytheotherroad，andI’minamortalhurry。TheReesebabyhasgoneandfallenintoapailofhotwaterattheGlen，andgotnearlyscaldedtodeathandtheywantmerightoff——toputanewskinonthechild，I
presume。Mrs。Reeseisalwayssocareless，andthenexpectsotherpeopletomendhermistakes。Youwon’tmind，willyou，dearie？Histrunkcangodowntomorrow。\"
\"Verywell，\"saidAnne。\"Whatishelike，MissCornelia？\"
\"You’llseewhathe’slikeoutsidewhenItakehimdown。Asforwhathe’slikeinsideonlytheLordwhomadehimknowsTHAT。I’mnotgoingtosayanotherword，foreveryreceiverintheGlenisdown。\"
\"MissCorneliaevidentlycan’tfindmuchfaultwithMr。
Ford’slooks，orshewouldfinditinspiteofthereceivers，\"saidAnne。\"Iconcludetherefore，Susan，thatMr。Fordisratherhandsomethanotherwise。\"
\"Well，Mrs。Doctor，dear，IDOenjoyseeingawell-lookingman，\"saidSusancandidly。\"HadInotbettergetupasnackforhim？Thereisastrawberrypiethatwouldmeltinyourmouth。\"
\"No，Leslieisexpectinghimandhashissupperready。
Besides，Iwantthatstrawberrypieformyownpoorman。Hewon’tbehometilllate，soleavethepieandaglassofmilkoutforhim，Susan。\"
\"ThatIwill，Mrs。Doctor，dear。Susanisatthehelm。
Afterall，itisbettertogivepietoyourownmenthantostrangers，whomaybeonlyseekingtodevour，andthedoctorhimselfisaswell-lookingamanasyouoftencomeacross。\"
WhenOwenFordcameAnnesecretlyadmitted，asMissCorneliatowedhimin，thathewasvery\"well-looking\"
indeed。Hewastallandbroad-shouldered，withthick，brownhair，finely-cutnoseandchin，largeandbrilliantdark-grayeyes。
\"Anddidyounoticehisearsandhisteeth，Mrs。
Doctor，dear？\"queriedSusanlateron。\"Hehasgotthenicest-shapedearsIeversawonaman’shead。I
amchoiceaboutears。WhenIwasyoungIwasscaredthatImighthavetomarryamanwithearslikeflaps。
ButIneednothaveworried，forneverachancedidI
havewithanykindofears。\"
AnnehadnotnoticedOwenFord’sears，butshedidseehisteeth，ashislipspartedovertheminafrankandfriendlysmile。Unsmiling，hisfacewasrathersadandabsentinexpression，notunlikethemelancholy，inscrutableheroofAnne’sownearlydreams；butmirthandhumorandcharmlighteditupwhenhesmiled。
Certainly，ontheoutside，asMissCorneliasaid，OwenFordwasaverypresentablefellow。
\"YoucannotrealisehowdelightedIamtobehere，Mrs。
Blythe，\"hesaid，lookingaroundhimwitheager，interestedeyes。\"Ihaveanoddfeelingofcominghome。Mymotherwasbornandspentherchildhoodhere，youknow。Sheusedtotalkagreatdealtomeofheroldhome。IknowthegeographyofitaswellasoftheoneIlivedin，and，ofcourse，shetoldmethestoryofthebuildingofthehouse，andofmygrandfather’sagonisedwatchfortheRoyalWilliam。I
hadthoughtthatsooldahousemusthavevanishedyearsago，orIshouldhavecometoseeitbeforethis。\"
\"Oldhousesdon’tvanisheasilyonthisenchantedcoast，\"smiledAnne。\"Thisisa`landwhereallthingsalwaysseemthesame’——nearlyalways，atleast。
JohnSelwyn’shousehasn’tevenbeenmuchchanged，andoutsidetherose-bushesyourgrandfatherplantedforhisbridearebloomingthisveryminute。\"
\"Howthethoughtlinksmewiththem！WithyourleaveI
mustexplorethewholeplacesoon。\"
\"Ourlatch-stringwillalwaysbeoutforyou，\"
promisedAnne。\"AnddoyouknowthattheoldseacaptainwhokeepstheFourWindslightknewJohnSelwynandhisbridewellinhisboyhood？HetoldmetheirstorythenightIcamehere——thethirdbrideoftheoldhouse。\"
\"Canitbepossible？ThisISadiscovery。Imusthunthimup。\"
\"Itwon’tbedifficult；weareallcroniesofCaptainJim。Hewillbeaseagertoseeyouasyoucouldbetoseehim。Yourgrandmothershineslikeastarinhismemory。ButIthinkMrs。Mooreisexpectingyou。I’llshowyouour`cross-lots’road。\"
Annewalkedwithhimtothehouseupthebrook，overafieldthatwasaswhiteassnowwithdaisies。A
boat-loadofpeopleweresingingfaracrosstheharbor。
Thesounddriftedoverthewaterlikefaint，unearthlymusicwind-blownacrossastarlitsea。Thebiglightflashedandbeaconed。OwenFordlookedaroundhimwithsatisfaction。
\"AndsothisisFourWinds，\"hesaid。\"Iwasn’tpreparedtofinditquitesobeautiful，inspiteofallmother’spraises。Whatcolors——whatscenery——whatcharm！Ishallgetasstrongasahorseinnotime。
Andifinspirationcomesfrombeauty，IshouldcertainlybeabletobeginmygreatCanadiannovelhere。\"
\"Youhaven’tbegunityet？\"askedAnne。
\"Alack-a-day，no。I’veneverbeenabletogettherightcentralideaforit。Itlurksbeyondme——itallures——andbeckons——andrecedes——Ialmostgraspitanditisgone。Perhapsamidthispeaceandloveliness，Ishallbeabletocaptureit。MissBryanttellsmethatyouwrite。\"
\"Oh，Idolittlethingsforchildren。Ihaven’tdonemuchsinceIwasmarried。And——IhavenodesignsonagreatCanadiannovel，\"laughedAnne。\"Thatisquitebeyondme。\"
OwenFordlaughedtoo。
\"Idaresayitisbeyondmeaswell。AllthesameI
meantohaveatryatitsomeday，ifIcanevergettime。Anewspapermandoesn’thavemuchchanceforthatsortofthing。I’vedoneagooddealofshortstorywritingforthemagazines，butI’veneverhadtheleisurethatseemstobenecessaryforthewritingofabook。WiththreemonthsoflibertyIoughttomakeastart，though——ifIcouldonlygetthenecessarymotifforit——theSOULofthebook。\"
AnideawhiskedthroughAnne’sbrainwithasuddennessthatmadeherjump。Butshedidnotutterit，fortheyhadreachedtheMoorehouse。AstheyenteredtheyardLesliecameoutontheverandafromthesidedoor，peeringthroughthegloomforsomesignofherexpectedguest。Shestoodjustwherethewarmyellowlightfloodedherfromtheopendoor。Sheworeaplaindressofcheap，cream-tintedcottonvoile，withtheusualgirdleofcrimson。Lesliewasneverwithouthertouchofcrimson。ShehadtoldAnnethatsheneverfeltsatisfiedwithoutagleamofredsomewhereabouther，ifitwereonlyaflower。ToAnne，italwaysseemedtosymboliseLeslie’sglowing，pent-uppersonality，deniedallexpressionsaveinthatflamingglint。
Leslie’sdresswascutalittleawayattheneckandhadshortsleeves。Herarmsgleamedlikeivory-tintedmarble。Everyexquisitecurveofherformwasoutlinedinsoftdarknessagainstthelight。Herhairshoneinitlikeflame。Beyondherwasapurplesky，floweringwithstarsovertheharbor。
Anneheardhercompaniongiveagasp。Evenintheduskshecouldseetheamazementandadmirationonhisface。
\"Whoisthatbeautifulcreature？\"heasked。
\"ThatisMrs。Moore，\"saidAnne。\"Sheisverylovely，isn’tshe？\"
\"I——Ineversawanythinglikeher，\"heanswered，ratherdazedly。\"Iwasn’tprepared——Ididn’texpect——goodheavens，oneDOESN’Texpectagoddessforalandlady！Why，ifshewereclothedinagownofsea-purple，witharopeofamethystsinherhair，shewouldbeaveritablesea-queen。Andshetakesinboarders！\"
\"Evengoddessesmustlive，\"saidAnne。\"AndLeslieisn’tagoddess。She’sjustaverybeautifulwoman，ashumanastherestofus。DidMissBryanttellyouaboutMr。Moore？\"
\"Yes，——he’smentallydeficient，orsomethingofthesort，isn’the？ButshesaidnothingaboutMrs。Moore，andIsupposedshe’dbetheusualhustlingcountryhousewifewhotakesinboarderstoearnanhonestpenny。\"
\"Well，that’sjustwhatLeslieisdoing，\"saidAnnecrisply。\"Anditisn’taltogetherpleasantforher，either。Ihopeyouwon’tmindDick。Ifyoudo，pleasedon’tletLeslieseeit。Itwouldhurtherhorribly。
He’sjustabigbaby，andsometimesaratherannoyingone。\"
\"Oh，Iwon’tmindhim。Idon’tsupposeI’llbemuchinthehouseanyhow，exceptformeals。Butwhatashameitallis！Herlifemustbeahardone。\"
\"Itis。Butshedoesn’tliketobepitied。\"
Lesliehadgonebackintothehouseandnowmetthematthefrontdoor。ShegreetedOwenFordwithcoldcivility，andtoldhiminabusiness-liketonethathisroomandhissupperwerereadyforhim。Dick，withapleasedgrin，shambledupstairswiththevalise，andOwenFordwasinstalledasaninmateoftheoldhouseamongthewillows。
CHAPTER24
THELIFE-BOOKOFCAPTAINJIM
\"Ihavealittlebrowncocoonofanideathatmaypossiblyexpandintoamagnificentmothoffulfilment，\"AnnetoldGilbertwhenshereachedhome。
Hehadreturnedearlierthanshehadexpected，andwasenjoyingSusan’scherrypie。Susanherselfhoveredinthebackground，likearathergrimbutbeneficentguardianspirit，andfoundasmuchpleasureinwatchingGilberteatpieashedidineatingit。
\"Whatisyouridea？\"heasked。
\"Isha’n’ttellyoujustyet——nottillIseeifIcanbringthethingabout。\"
\"WhatsortofachapisFord？\"
\"Oh，verynice，andquitegood-looking。\"
\"Suchbeautifulears，doctor，dear，\"interjectedSusanwitharelish。
\"Heisaboutthirtyorthirty-five，Ithink，andhemeditateswritinganovel。Hisvoiceispleasantandhissmiledelightful，andheknowshowtodress。Helooksasiflifehadn’tbeenaltogethereasyforhim，somehow。\"
OwenFordcameoverthenexteveningwithanotetoAnnefromLeslie；theyspentthesunsettimeinthegardenandthenwentforamoonlitsailontheharbor，inthelittleboatGilberthadsetupforsummeroutings。TheylikedOwenimmenselyandhadthatfeelingofhavingknownhimformanyyearswhichdistinguishesthefreemasonryofthehouseofJoseph。
\"Heisasniceashisears，Mrs。Doctor，dear，\"saidSusan，whenhehadgone。HehadtoldSusanthathehadnevertastedanythinglikeherstrawberryshortcakeandSusan’ssusceptibleheartwashisforever。
\"Hehasgotawaywithhim。\"shereflected，asshecleareduptherelicsofthesupper。\"Itisrealqueerheisnotmarried，foramanlikethatcouldhaveanybodyfortheasking。Well，maybeheislikeme，andhasnotmettherightoneyet。\"
Susanreallygrewquiteromanticinhermusingsasshewashedthesupperdishes。
TwonightslaterAnnetookOwenForddowntoFourWindsPointtointroducehimtoCaptainJim。Thecloverfieldsalongtheharborshorewerewhiteninginthewesternwind，andCaptainJimhadoneofhisfinestsunsetsonexhibition。Hehimselfhadjustreturnedfromatripovertheharbor。
\"IhadtogooverandtellHenryPollackhewasdying。
Everybodyelsewasafraidtotellhim。Theyexpectedhe’dtakeonturrible，forhe’sbeendreadfuldeterminedtolive，andbeenmakingnoendofplansforthefall。HiswifethoughtheoughterbetoldandthatI’dbethebestonetobreakittohimthathecouldn’tgetbetter。Henryandmeareoldcronies——wesailedintheGrayGullforyearstogether。Well，IwentoverandsatdownbyHenry’sbedandIsaystohim，saysI，jestrightoutplainandsimple，forifathing’sgottobetolditmayaswellbetoldfirstaslast，saysI，`Mate，Ireckonyou’vegotyoursailingordersthistime，’Iwassorterquakinginside，forit’sanawfulthingtohavetotellamanwhohain’tanyideahe’sdyingthatheis。Butloandbehold，MistressBlythe，Henrylooksupatme，withthosebrightoldblackeyesofhisinhiswizenedfaceandsays，sayshe，`TellmesomethingIdon’tknow，JimBoyd，ifyouwanttogivemeinformation。I’veknownTHATforaweek。’Iwastooastonishedtospeak，andHenry，hechuckled。`Toseeyoucominginhere，’sayshe，`withyourfaceassolemnasatombstoneandsittingdowntherewithyourhandsclaspedoveryourstomach，andpassingmeoutablue-mouldyolditemofnewslikethat！It’dmakeacatlaugh，JimBoyd，’sayshe。`Whotoldyou？’saysI，stupidlike。`Nobody，’sayshe。`AweekagoTuesdaynightIwaslyinghereawake——andIjestknew。I’dsuspicioneditbefore，butthenIKNEW。I’vebeenkeepingupforthewife’ssake。AndI’dLIKEtohavegotthatbarnbuilt，forEben’llnevergetitright。
Butanyhow，nowthatyou’veeasedyourmind，Jim，putonasmileandtellmesomethinginteresting，’Well，thereitwas。They’dbeensoscaredtotellhimandheknewitallthetime。Strangehownaturelooksoutforus，ain’tit，andletsusknowwhatweshouldknowwhenthetimecomes？DidInevertellyoutheyarnaboutHenrygettingthefishhookinhisnose，MistressBlythe？\"
\"No。\"
\"Well，himandmehadalaughoverittoday。Ithappenednighuntothirtyyearsago。Himandmeandseveralmorewasoutmackerelfishingoneday。Itwasagreatday——neversawsuchaschoolofmackerelinthegulf——andinthegeneralexcitementHenrygotquitewildandcontrivedtostickafishhookcleanthroughonesideofhisnose。Well，therehewas；therewasbarbononeendandabigpieceofleadontheother，soitcouldn’tbepulledout。Wewantedtotakehimashoreatonce，butHenrywasgame；hesaidhe’dbejiggeredifhe’dleaveaschoollikethatforanythingshortoflockjaw；thenhekeptfishingaway，haulinginhandoverfistandgroaningbetweentimes。Fin’llytheschoolpassedandwecomeinwithaload；Igotafileandbeguntotrytofilethroughthathook。ItriedtobeaseasyasIcould，butyoushouldhaveheardHenry——no，youshouldn’teither。Itwaswellnoladieswerearound。Henrywasn’taswearingman，buthe’dheardsomefewmattersofthatsortalongshoreinhistime，andhefished’emalloutofhisrecollectionandhurled’ematme。Fin’llyhedeclaredhecouldn’tstanditandIhadnobowelsofcompassion。SowehitchedupandIdrovehimtoadoctorinCharlottetown，thirty-fivemiles——thereweren’tnonenearerinthemdays——withthatblessedhookstillhangingfromhisnose。WhenwegotthereoldDr。CrabbjesttookafileandfiledthathookjestthesameasI’dtriedtodo，onlyheweren’tamiteparticularaboutdoingiteasy！\"
CaptainJim’svisittohisoldfriendhadrevivedmanyrecollectionsandhewasnowinthefulltideofreminiscences。
\"HenrywasaskingmetodayifIrememberedthetimeoldFatherChiniquyblessedAlexanderMacAllister’sboat。
Anotheroddyarn——andtrueasgospel。Iwasintheboatmyself。Wewentout，himandme，inAlexanderMacAllister’sboatonemorningatsunrise。Besides，therewasaFrenchboyintheboat——Catholicofcourse。
YouknowoldFatherChiniquyhadturnedProtestant，sotheCatholicshadn’tmuchuseforhim。Well，wesatoutinthegulfinthebroilingsuntillnoon，andnotabitedidweget。WhenwewentashoreoldFatherChiniquyhadtogo，sohesaidinthatpolitewayofhis，`I’mverysorryIcannotgooutwithyoudisafternoon，Mr。MacAllister，butIleaveyoumyblessing。Youwillcatchat’ousanddisafternoon。
`Well，wedidnotcatchathousand，butwecaughtexactlyninehundredandninety-nine——thebiggestcatchforasmallboatonthewholenorthshorethatsummer。
Curious，wasn’tit？AlexanderMacAllister，hesaystoAndrewPeters，`Well，andwhatdoyouthinkofFatherChiniquynow？’`Vell，’growledAndrew，`It’inkdeolddevilhasgotablessingleftyet。’Laws，howHenrydidlaughoverthattoday！\"
\"DoyouknowwhoMr。Fordis，CaptainJim？\"askedAnne，seeingthatCaptainJim’sfountainofreminiscencehadrunoutforthepresent。\"Iwantyoutoguess。\"
CaptainJimshookhishead。
\"Ineverwasanyhandatguessing，MistressBlythe，andyetsomehowwhenIcomeinIthought，`WherehaveI
seenthemeyesbefore？’——forIHAVEseen’em。\"
\"ThinkofaSeptembermorningmanyyearsago，\"saidAnne，softly。\"Thinkofashipsailinguptheharbor——ashiplongwaitedforanddespairedof。ThinkofthedaytheRoyalWilliamcameinandthefirstlookyouhadattheschoolmaster’sbride。\"
CaptainJimsprangup。
\"They’rePersisSelwyn’seyes，\"healmostshouted。
\"Youcan’tbeherson——youmustbeher——\"
\"Grandson；yes，IamAliceSelwyn’sson。\"
CaptainJimswoopeddownonOwenFordandshookhishandoveragain。
\"AliceSelwyn’sson！Lord，butyou’rewelcome！Many’sthetimeI’vewonderedwherethedescendantsoftheschoolmasterwereliving。IknewtherewasnoneontheIsland。Alice——Alice——thefirstbabyeverborninthatlittlehouse。Nobabyeverbroughtmorejoy！I’vedandledherahundredtimes。Itwasfrommykneeshetookherfirststepsalone。Can’tIseehermother’sfacewatchingher——anditwasnearsixtyyearsago。Isshelivingyet？\"
\"No，shediedwhenIwasonlyaboy。\"
\"Oh，itdoesn’tseemrightthatIshouldbelivingtohearthat，\"sighedCaptainJim。\"ButI’mheart-gladtoseeyou。It’sbroughtbackmyyouthforalittlewhile。Youdon’tknowyetwhataboonTHATis。
MistressBlytheherehasthetrick——shedoesitquiteoftenforme。\"
CaptainJimwasstillmoreexcitedwhenhediscoveredthatOwenFordwaswhathecalleda\"realwritingman。\"Hegazedathimasatasuperiorbeing。
CaptainJimknewthatAnnewrote，buthehadnevertakenthatfactveryseriously。CaptainJimthoughtwomenweredelightfulcreatures，whooughttohavethevote，andeverythingelsetheywanted，blesstheirhearts；buthedidnotbelievetheycouldwrite。
\"JestlookatAMadLove，\"hewouldprotest。\"Awomanwrotethatandjestlookatit——onehundredandthreechapterswhenitcouldallhavebeentoldinten。A
writingwomanneverknowswhentostop；that’sthetrouble。Thep’intofgoodwritingistoknowwhentostop。\"
\"Mr。Fordwantstohearsomeofyourstories，CaptainJim\"saidAnne。\"TellhimtheoneaboutthecaptainwhowentcrazyandimaginedhewastheFlyingDutchman。\"
ThiswasCaptainJim’sbeststory。Itwasacompoundofhorrorandhumor，andthoughAnnehadhearditseveraltimesshelaughedasheartilyandshiveredasfearsomelyoveritasMr。Forddid。Othertalesfollowed，forCaptainJimhadanaudienceafterhisownheart。Hetoldhowhisvesselhadbeenrundownbyasteamer；howhehadbeenboardedbyMalaypirates；howhisshiphadcaughtfire；howhehelpedapoliticalprisonerescapefromaSouthAfricanrepublic；howhehadbeenwreckedonefallontheMagdalensandstrandedthereforthewinter；howatigerhadbrokenlooseonboardship；howhiscrewhadmutiniedandmaroonedhimonabarrenisland——theseandmanyothertales，tragicorhumorousorgrotesque，didCaptainJimrelate。Themysteryofthesea，thefascinationoffarlands，thelureofadventure，thelaughteroftheworld——hishearersfeltandrealisedthemall。OwenFordlistened，withhisheadonhishand，andtheFirstMatepurringonhisknee，hisbrillianteyesfastenedonCaptainJim’srugged，eloquentface。
\"Won’tyouletMr。Fordseeyourlife-book，CaptainJim？\"askedAnne，whenCaptainJimfinallydeclaredthatyarn-spinningmustendforthetime。
\"Oh，hedon’twanttobebotheredwithTHAT，\"
protestedCaptainJim，whowassecretlydyingtoshowit。
\"Ishouldlikenothingbetterthantoseeit，CaptainBoyd，\"saidOwen。\"Ifitishalfaswonderfulasyourtalesitwillbeworthseeing。\"
WithpretendedreluctanceCaptainJimdughislife-bookoutofhisoldchestandhandedittoOwen。
\"Ireckonyouwon’tcaretowrastlelongwithmyoldhando’write。Ineverhadmuchschooling，\"heobservedcarelessly。\"JustwrotethattheretoamusemynephewJoe。He’salwayswantingstories。Comeshereyesterdayandsaystome，reproachful-like，asI
wasliftingatwenty-poundcodfishoutofmyboat，`UncleJim，ain’tacodfishadumbanimal？’I’dbeena-tellinghim，yousee，thathemustberealkindtodumbanimals，andneverhurt’eminanyway。Igotoutofthescrapebysayingacodfishwasdumbenoughbutitwasn’tananimal，butJoedidn’tlooksatisfied，andIwasn’tsatisfiedmyself。You’vegottobemightycarefulwhatyoutellthemlittlecritters。THEYcanseethroughyou。\"
Whiletalking，CaptainJimwatchedOwenFordfromthecornerofhiseyeasthelatterexaminedthelife-book；
andpresentlyobservingthathisguestwaslostinitspages，heturnedsmilinglytohiscupboardandproceededtomakeapotoftea。OwenFordseparatedhimselffromthelife-book，withasmuchreluctanceasamiserwrencheshimselffromhisgold，longenoughtodrinkhistea，andthenreturnedtoithungrily。
\"Oh，youcantakethatthinghomewithyouifyouwantto，\"saidCaptainJim，asifthe\"thing\"werenothismosttreasuredpossession。\"Imustgodownandpullmyboatupabitontheskids。There’sawindcoming。
Didyounoticetheskytonight？
Mackerelskiesandmares’tailsMaketallshipscarryshortsails。\"
OwenFordacceptedtheofferofthelife-bookgladly。
OntheirwayhomeAnnetoldhimthestoryoflostMargaret。
\"Thatoldcaptainisawonderfuloldfellow，\"hesaid。
\"Whatalifehehasled！Why，themanhadmoreadventuresinoneweekofhislifethanmostofushaveinalifetime。Doyoureallythinkhistalesarealltrue？\"
\"Icertainlydo。IamsureCaptainJimcouldnottellalie；andbesides，allthepeopleaboutheresaythateverythinghappenedasherelatesit。Thereusedtobeplentyofhisoldshipmatesalivetocorroboratehim。
He’soneofthelastoftheoldtypeofP。E。Islandsea-captains。Theyarealmostextinctnow。\"
CHAPTER25
THEWRITINGOFTHEBOOK
OwenFordcameovertothelittlehousethenextmorninginastateofgreatexcitement。\"Mrs。Blythe，thisisawonderfulbook——absolutelywonderful。IfI
couldtakeitandusethematerialforabookIfeelcertainIcouldmakethenoveloftheyearoutofit。
DoyousupposeCaptainJimwouldletmedoit？\"
\"Letyou！I’msurehewouldbedelighted，\"criedAnne。\"IadmitthatitwaswhatwasinmyheadwhenI
tookyoudownlastnight。CaptainJimhasalwaysbeenwishinghecouldgetsomebodytowritehislife-bookproperlyforhim。\"
\"WillyougodowntothePointwithmethisevening，Mrs。Blythe？I’llaskhimaboutthatlife-bookmyself，butIwantyoutotellhimthatyoutoldmethestoryoflostMargaretandaskhimifhewillletmeuseitasathreadofromancewithwhichtoweavethestoriesofthelife-bookintoaharmoniouswhole。\"
CaptainJimwasmoreexcitedthaneverwhenOwenFordtoldhimofhisplan。Atlasthischerisheddreamwastoberealizedandhis\"life-book\"giventotheworld。
HewasalsopleasedthatthestoryoflostMargaretshouldbewovenintoit。
\"Itwillkeephernamefrombeingforgotten，\"hesaidwistfully。
\"That’swhyIwantitputin。\"
\"We’llcollaborate，\"criedOwendelightedly。\"YouwillgivethesoulandIthebody。Oh，we’llwriteafamousbookbetweenus，CaptainJim。Andwe’llgetrighttowork。\"
\"Andtothinkmybookistobewritbytheschoolmaster’sgrandson！\"exclaimedCaptainJim。
\"Lad，yourgrandfatherwasmydearestfriend。I
thoughttherewasnobodylikehim。IseenowwhyIhadtowaitsolong。Itcouldn’tbewrittilltherightmancome。YouBELONGhere——you’vegotthesoulofthisoldnorthshoreinyou——you’retheonlyonewhoCOULD
writeit。\"
ItwasarrangedthatthetinyroomoffthelivingroomatthelighthouseshouldbegivenovertoOwenforaworkshop。ItwasnecessarythatCaptainJimshouldbenearhimashewrote，forconsultationuponmanymattersofsea-faringandgulfloreofwhichOwenwasquiteignorant。
Hebeganworkonthebooktheverynextmorning，andflunghimselfintoitheartandsoul。AsforCaptainJim，hewasahappymanthatsummer。HelookeduponthelittleroomwhereOwenworkedasasacredshrine。
OwentalkedeverythingoverwithCaptainJim，buthewouldnotlethimseethemanuscript。
\"Youmustwaituntilitispublished，\"hesaid。\"Thenyou’llgetitallatonceinitsbestshape。\"
Hedelvedintothetreasuresofthelife-bookandusedthemfreely。HedreamedandbroodedoverlostMargaretuntilshebecameavividrealitytohimandlivedinhispages。Asthebookprogressedittookpossessionofhimandheworkedatitwithfeverisheagerness。HeletAnneandLesliereadthemanuscriptandcriticiseit；andtheconcludingchapterofthebook，whichthecritics，lateron，werepleasedtocallidyllic，wasmodelleduponasuggestionofLeslie’s。
Annefairlyhuggedherselfwithdelightoverthesuccessofheridea。
\"IknewwhenIlookedatOwenFordthathewastheverymanforit，\"shetoldGilbert。\"Bothhumorandpassionwereinhisface，andthat，togetherwiththeartofexpression，wasjustwhatwasnecessaryforthewritingofsuchabook。AsMrs。Rachelwouldsay，hewaspredestinedforthepart。\"
OwenFordwroteinthemornings。TheafternoonsweregenerallyspentinsomemerryoutingwiththeBlythes。
Leslieoftenwent，too，forCaptainJimtookchargeofDickfrequently，inordertosetherfree。Theywentboatingontheharborandupthethreeprettyriversthatflowedintoit；theyhadclambakesonthebarandmussel-bakesontherocks；theypickedstrawberriesonthesand-dunes；theywentoutcod-fishingwithCaptainJim；theyshotploverintheshorefieldsandwildducksinthecove——atleast，themendid。Intheeveningstheyrambledinthelow-lying，daisied，shorefieldsunderagoldenmoon，ortheysatinthelivingroomatthelittlehousewhereoftenthecoolnessoftheseabreezejustifiedadriftwoodfire，andtalkedofthethousandandonethingswhichhappy，eager，cleveryoungpeoplecanfindtotalkabout。
EversincethedayonwhichshehadmadeherconfessiontoAnneLesliehadbeenachangedcreature。Therewasnotraceofheroldcoldnessandreserve，noshadowofheroldbitterness。Thegirlhoodofwhichshehadbeencheatedseemedtocomebacktoherwiththeripenessofwomanhood；sheexpandedlikeaflowerofflameandperfume；nolaughwasreadierthanhers，nowitquicker，inthetwilightcirclesofthatenchantedsummer。Whenshecouldnotbewiththemallfeltthatsomeexquisitesavorwaslackingintheirintercourse。
Herbeautywasilluminedbytheawakenedsoulwithin，assomerosylampmightshinethroughaflawlessvaseofalabaster。TherewerehourswhenAnne’seyesseemedtoachewiththesplendorofher。AsforOwenFord，the\"Margaret\"ofhisbook，althoughshehadthesoftbrownhairandelfinfaceoftherealgirlwhohadvanishedsolongago，\"pillowedwherelostAtlantissleeps，\"hadthepersonalityofLeslieMoore，asitwasrevealedtohiminthosehalcyondaysatFourWindsHarbor。
Allinall，itwasanever-to-be-forgottensummer——oneofthosesummerswhichcomeseldomintoanylife，butleavearichheritageofbeautifulmemoriesintheirgoing——oneofthosesummerswhich，inafortunatecombinationofdelightfulweather，delightfulfriendsanddelightfuldoings，comeasneartoperfectionasanythingcancomeinthisworld。
\"Toogoodtolast，\"Annetoldherselfwithalittlesigh，ontheSeptemberdaywhenacertainnipinthewindandacertainshadeofintenseblueonthegulfwatersaidthatautumnwashardby。
ThateveningOwenFordtoldthemthathehadfinishedhisbookandthathisvacationmustcometoanend。
\"Ihaveagooddealtodotoityet——revisingandpruningandsoforth，\"hesaid，\"butinthemainit’sdone。Iwrotethelastsentencethismorning。IfI
canfindapublisherforititwillprobablybeoutnextsummerorfall。\"
Owenhadnotmuchdoubtthathewouldfindapublisher。
Heknewthathehadwrittenagreatbook——abookthatwouldscoreawonderfulsuccess——abookthatwouldLIVE。Heknewthatitwouldbringhimbothfameandfortune；butwhenhehadwrittenthelastlineofithehadbowedhisheadonthemanuscriptandsosatforalongtime。Andhisthoughtswerenotofthegoodworkhehaddone。
CHAPTER26
OWENFORD’SCONFESSION
\"I’msosorryGilbertisaway，\"saidAnne。\"Hehadtogo——AllanLyonsattheGlenhasmetwithaseriousaccident。Hewillnotlikelybehometillverylate。
Buthetoldmetotellyouhe’dbeupandoverearlyenoughinthemorningtoseeyoubeforeyouleft。It’stooprovoking。SusanandIhadplannedsuchanicelittlejamboreeforyourlastnighthere。\"
ShewassittingbesidethegardenbrookonthelittlerusticseatGilberthadbuilt。OwenFordstoodbeforeher，leaningagainstthebronzecolumnofayellowbirch。Hewasverypaleandhisfaceborethemarksoftheprecedingsleeplessnight。Anne，glancingupathim，wonderedif，afterall，hissummerhadbroughthimthestrengthitshould。Hadheworkedtoohardoverhisbook？Sherememberedthatforaweekhehadnotbeenlookingwell。
\"I’mrathergladthedoctorisaway，\"saidOwenslowly。\"Iwantedtoseeyoualone，Mrs。Blythe。
ThereissomethingImusttellsomebody，orIthinkitwilldrivememad。I’vebeentryingforaweektolookitintheface——andIcan’t。IknowIcantrustyou——and，besides，youwillunderstand。Awomanwitheyeslikeyoursalwaysunderstands。Youareoneofthefolkspeopleinstinctivelytellthingsto。Mrs。
Blythe，IloveLeslie。LOVEher！Thatseemstooweakaword！\"
Hisvoicesuddenlybrokewiththesuppressedpassionofhisutterance。Heturnedhisheadawayandhidhisfaceonhisarm。Hiswholeformshook。Annesatlookingathim，paleandaghast。Shehadneverthoughtofthis！Andyet——howwasitshehadneverthoughtofit？Itnowseemedanaturalandinevitablething。Shewonderedatherownblindness。
But——but——thingslikethisdidnothappeninFourWinds。Elsewhereintheworldhumanpassionsmightsetatdefiancehumanconventionsandlaws——butnotHERE，surely。Lesliehadkeptsummerboardersoffandonfortenyears，andnothinglikethishadhappened。ButperhapstheyhadnotbeenlikeOwenFord；andthevivid，LIVINGLeslieofthissummerwasnotthecold，sullengirlofotheryears。Oh，SOMEBODYshouldhavethoughtofthis！Whyhadn’tMissCorneliathoughtofit？MissCorneliawasalwaysreadyenoughtosoundthealarmwheremenwereconcerned。AnnefeltanunreasonableresentmentagainstMissCornelia。Thenshegavealittleinwardgroan。Nomatterwhowastoblamethemischiefwasdone。AndLeslie——whatofLeslie？ItwasforLeslieAnnefeltmostconcerned。
\"DoesLeslieknowthis，Mr。Ford？\"sheaskedquietly。
\"No——no，——unlessshehasguessedit。Yousurelydon’tthinkI’dbecadandscoundrelenoughtotellher，Mrs。
Blythe。Icouldn’thelplovingher——that’sall——andmymiseryisgreaterthanIcanbear。\"
\"DoesSHEcare？\"askedAnne。Themomentthequestioncrossedherlipsshefeltthatsheshouldnothaveaskedit。OwenFordanswereditwithovereagerprotest。
\"No——no，ofcoursenot。ButIcouldmakehercareifshewerefree——IknowIcould。\"
\"Shedoescare——andheknowsit，\"thoughtAnne。Aloudshesaid，sympatheticallybutdecidedly:
\"Butsheisnotfree，Mr。Ford。Andtheonlythingyoucandoistogoawayinsilenceandleavehertoherownlife。\"
\"Iknow——Iknow，\"groanedOwen。Hesatdownonthegrassybankandstaredmoodilyintotheamberwaterbeneathhim。\"Iknowthere’snothingtodo——nothingbuttosayconventionally，`Good-bye，Mrs。Moore。
Thankyouforallyourkindnesstomethissummer，’
justasIwouldhavesaidittothesonsy，bustling，keen-eyedhousewifeIexpectedhertobewhenIcame。
ThenI’llpaymyboardmoneylikeanyhonestboarderandgo！Oh，it’sverysimple。Nodoubt——noperplexity——astraightroadtotheendoftheworld！
AndI’llwalkit——youneedn’tfearthatIwon’t，Mrs。
Blythe。Butitwouldbeeasiertowalkoverred-hotploughshares。\"
Anneflinchedwiththepainofhisvoice。Andtherewassolittleshecouldsaythatwouldbeadequatetothesituation。Blamewasoutofthequestion——advicewasnotneeded——sympathywasmockedbytheman’sstarkagony。Shecouldonlyfeelwithhiminamazeofcompassionandregret。HerheartachedforLeslie！
Hadnotthatpoorgirlsufferedenoughwithoutthis？
\"Itwouldn’tbesohardtogoandleaveherifshewereonlyhappy，\"resumedOwenpassionately。\"Buttothinkofherlivingdeath——torealisewhatitistowhichI
doleaveher！THATistheworstofall。Iwouldgivemylifetomakeherhappy——andIcandonothingeventohelpher——nothing。Sheisboundforevertothatpoorwretch——withnothingtolookforwardtobutgrowingoldinasuccessionofempty，meaningless，barrenyears。
Itdrivesmemadtothinkofit。ButImustgothroughmylife，neverseeingher，butalwaysknowingwhatsheisenduring。It’shideous——hideous！\"
\"Itisveryhard，\"saidAnnesorrowfully。\"We——herfriendshere——allknowhowharditisforher。\"
\"Andsheissorichlyfittedforlife，\"saidOwenrebelliously。
\"Herbeautyistheleastofherdower——andsheisthemostbeautifulwomanI’veeverknown。Thatlaughofhers！I’veangledallsummertoevokethatlaugh，justforthedelightofhearingit。Andhereyes——theyareasdeepandblueasthegulfoutthere。Ineversawsuchblueness——andgold！Didyoueverseeherhairdown，Mrs。Blythe？\"
\"No。\"
\"Idid——once。IhadgonedowntothePointtogofishingwithCaptainJimbutitwastooroughtogoout，soIcameback。Shehadtakentheopportunityofwhatsheexpectedtobeanafternoonalonetowashherhair，andshewasstandingontheverandainthesunshinetodryit。Itfellallabouthertoherfeetinafountainoflivinggold。Whenshesawmeshehurriedin，andthewindcaughtherhairandswirleditallaroundher——Danaeinhercloud。Somehow，justthentheknowledgethatIlovedhercamehometome——andrealisedthatIhadlovedherfromthemomentIfirstsawherstandingagainstthedarknessinthatglowoflight。Andshemustliveonhere——pettingandsoothingDick，pinchingandsavingforamereexistence，whileI
spendmylifelongingvainlyforher，anddebarred，bythatveryfact，fromevengivingherthelittlehelpafriendmight。Iwalkedtheshorelastnight，almosttilldawn，andthrasheditalloutoverandoveragain。
Andyet，inspiteofeverything，Ican’tfinditinmyhearttobesorrythatIcametoFourWinds。Itseemstomethat，badaseverythingis，itwouldbestillworsenevertohaveknownLeslie。It’sburning，searingpaintoloveherandleaveher——butnottohavelovedherisunthinkable。Isupposeallthissoundsverycrazy——alltheseterribleemotionsalwaysdosoundfoolishwhenweputthemintoourinadequatewords。
Theyarenotmeanttobespoken——onlyfeltandendured。
Ishouldn’thavespoken——butithashelped——some。Atleast，ithasgivenmestrengthtogoawayrespectablytomorrowmorning，withoutmakingascene。You’llwritemenowandthen，won’tyou，Mrs。Blythe，andgivemewhatnewsthereistogiveofher？\"
\"Yes，\"saidAnne。\"Oh，I’msosorryyouaregoing——we’llmissyouso——we’veallbeensuchfriends！
Ifitwerenotforthisyoucouldcomebackothersummers。Perhaps，evenyet——by-and-by——whenyou’veforgotten，perhaps——\"
\"Ishallneverforget——andIshallnevercomebacktoFourWinds，\"saidOwenbriefly。
Silenceandtwilightfelloverthegarden。Farawaytheseawaslappinggentlyandmonotonouslyonthebar。
Thewindofeveninginthepoplarssoundedlikesomesad，weird，oldrune——somebrokendreamofoldmemories。Aslendershapelyyoungaspenroseupbeforethemagainstthefinemaizeandemeraldandpalingroseofthewesternsky，whichbroughtouteveryleafandtwigindark，tremulous，elfinloveliness。
\"Isn’tthatbeautiful？\"saidOwen，pointingtoitwiththeairofamanwhoputsacertainconversationbehindhim。
\"It’ssobeautifulthatithurtsme，\"saidAnnesoftly。\"Perfectthingslikethatalwaysdidhurtme——IrememberIcalledit`thequeerache’whenIwasachild。Whatisthereasonthatpainlikethisseemsinseparablefromperfection？Isitthepainoffinality——whenwerealisethattherecanbenothingbeyondbutretrogression？\"
\"Perhaps，\"saidOwendreamily，\"itistheprisonedinfiniteinuscallingouttoitskindredinfiniteasexpressedinthatvisibleperfection。\"
\"Youseemtohaveacoldinthehead。Betterrubsometallowonyournosewhenyougotobed，\"saidMissCornelia，whohadcomeinthroughthelittlegatebetweenthefirsintimetocatchOwen’slastremark。
MissCornelialikedOwen；butitwasamatterofprinciplewithhertovisitany\"high-falutin\"
languagefromamanwithasnub。
MissCorneliapersonatedthecomedythateverpeepsaroundthecorneratthetragedyoflife。Anne，whosenerveshadbeenratherstrained，laughedhysterically，andevenOwensmiled。Certainly，sentimentandpassionhadawayofshrinkingoutofsightinMissCornelia’spresence。AndyettoAnnenothingseemedquiteashopelessanddarkandpainfulasithadseemedafewmomentsbefore。Butsleepwasfarfromhereyesthatnight。
CHAPTER27
ONTHESANDBAR
OwenFordleftFourWindsthenextmorning。IntheeveningAnnewentovertoseeLeslie，butfoundnobody。
Thehousewaslockedandtherewasnolightinanywindow。Itlookedlikeahomeleftsoulless。Lesliedidnotrunoveronthefollowingday——whichAnnethoughtabadsign。
Gilberthavingoccasiontogointheeveningtothefishingcove，AnnedrovewithhimtothePoint，intendingtostayawhilewithCaptainJim。Butthegreatlight，cuttingitsswathesthroughthefogoftheautumnevening，wasincareofAlecBoydandCaptainJimwasaway。
\"Whatwillyoudo？\"askedGilbert。\"Comewithme？\"
\"Idon’twanttogotothecove——butI’llgooverthechannelwithyou，androamaboutonthesandshoretillyoucomeback。Therockshoreistooslipperyandgrimtonight。\"
AloneonthesandsofthebarAnnegaveherselfuptotheeeriecharmofthenight。ItwaswarmforSeptember，andthelateafternoonhadbeenveryfoggy；
butafullmoonhadinpartlessenedthefogandtransformedtheharborandthegulfandthesurroundingshoresintoastrange，fantastic，unrealworldofpalesilvermist，throughwhicheverythingloomedphantom-like。CaptainJosiahCrawford’sblackschoonersailingdownthechannel，ladenwithpotatoesforBluenoseports，wasaspectralshipboundforafarunchartedland，everreceding，nevertobereached。
Thecallsofunseengullsoverheadwerethecriesofthesoulsofdoomedseamen。Thelittlecurlsoffoamthatblewacrossthesandwereelfinthingsstealingupfromthesea-caves。Thebig，round-shoulderedsand-duneswerethesleepinggiantsofsomeoldnortherntale。Thelightsthatglimmeredpalelyacrosstheharborwerethedelusivebeaconsonsomecoastoffairyland。Annepleasedherselfwithahundredfanciesasshewanderedthroughthemist。Itwasdelightful——romantic——mysterioustoberoamingherealoneonthisenchantedshore。
Butwasshealone？Somethingloomedinthemistbeforeher——tookshapeandform——suddenlymovedtowardsheracrossthewave-rippledsand。
\"Leslie！\"exclaimedAnneinamazement。\"Whateverareyoudoing——HERE——tonight？\"
\"Ifitcomestothat，whateverareYOUdoinghere？\"
saidLeslie，tryingtolaugh。Theeffortwasafailure。Shelookedverypaleandtired；butthelovelocksunderherscarletcapwerecurlingaboutherfaceandeyeslikelittlesparklingringsofgold。
\"I’mwaitingforGilbert——he’soverattheCove。I
intendedtostayatthelight，butCaptainJimisaway。\"
\"Well，_I_cameherebecauseIwantedtowalk——andwalk——andWALK，\"saidLeslierestlessly。\"Icouldn’tontherockshore——thetidewastoohighandtherocksprisonedme。Ihadtocomehere——orIshouldhavegonemad，Ithink。IrowedmyselfoverthechannelinCaptainJim’sflat。I’vebeenhereforanhour。
Come——come——letuswalk。Ican’tstandstill。Oh，Anne！\"
\"Leslie，dearest，whatisthetrouble？\"askedAnne，thoughsheknewtoowellalready。
\"Ican’ttellyou——don’taskme。Iwouldn’tmindyourknowing——Iwishyoudidknow——butIcan’ttellyou——I
can’ttellanyone。I’vebeensuchafool，Anne——andoh，ithurtssoterriblytobeafool。There’snothingsopainfulintheworld。\"
Shelaughedbitterly。Anneslippedherarmaroundher。
\"Leslie，isitthatyouhavelearnedtocareforMr。
Ford？\"
Leslieturnedherselfaboutpassionately。
\"Howdidyouknow？\"shecried。\"Anne，howdidyouknow？Oh，isitwritteninmyfaceforeveryonetosee？Isitasplainasthat？\"
\"No，no。I——Ican’ttellyouhowIknew。Itjustcameintomymind，somehow。Leslie，don’tlookatmelikethat！\"
\"Doyoudespiseme？\"demandedLeslieinafierce，lowtone。\"DoyouthinkI’mwicked——unwomanly？OrdoyouthinkI’mjustplainfool？\"
\"Idon’tthinkyouanyofthosethings。Come，dear，let’sjusttalkitoversensibly，aswemighttalkoveranyotherofthegreatcrisesoflife。You’vebeenbroodingoveritandletyourselfdriftintoamorbidviewofit。Youknowyouhavealittletendencytodothatabouteverythingthatgoeswrong，andyoupromisedmethatyouwouldfightagainstit。\"
\"But——oh，it’sso——soshameful，\"murmuredLeslie。\"Tolovehim——unsought——andwhenI’mnotfreetoloveanybody。\"
\"There’snothingshamefulaboutit。ButI’mverysorrythatyouhavelearnedtocareforOwen，because，asthingsare，itwillonlymakeyoumoreunhappy。\"
\"Ididn’tLEARNtocare，\"saidLeslie，walkingonandspeakingpassionately。\"IfithadbeenlikethatI
couldhavepreventedit。Ineverdreamedofsuchathinguntilthatday，aweekago，whenhetoldmehehadfinishedhisbookandmustsoongoaway。Then——
thenIknew。Ifeltasifsomeonehadstruckmeaterribleblow。Ididn’tsayanything——Icouldn’tspeak——butIdon’tknowwhatIlookedlike。I’msoafraidmyfacebetrayedme。Oh，IwoulddieofshameifIthoughtheknew——orsuspected。\"
Annewasmiserablysilent，hamperedbyherdeductionsfromherconversationwithOwen。Lesliewentonfeverishly，asifshefoundreliefinspeech。
\"Iwassohappyallthissummer，Anne——happierthanI
everwasinmylife。Ithoughtitwasbecauseeverythinghadbeenmadeclearbetweenyouandme，andthatitwasourfriendshipwhichmadelifeseemsobeautifulandfulloncemore。AnditWAS，inpart——butnotall——oh，notnearlyall。Iknownowwhyeverythingwassodifferent。Andnowit’sallover——andhehasgone。HowcanIlive，Anne？WhenIturnedbackintothehousethismorningafterhehadgonethesolitudestruckmelikeablowintheface。\"
\"Itwon’tseemsohardbyandby，dear，\"saidAnne，whoalwaysfeltthepainofherfriendssokeenlythatshecouldnotspeakeasy，fluentwordsofcomforting。
Besides，sherememberedhowwell-meantspeecheshadhurtherinherownsorrowandwasafraid。
\"Oh，itseemstomeitwillgrowharderallthetime，\"
saidLesliemiserably。\"I’venothingtolookforwardto。Morningwillcomeaftermorning——andhewillnotcomeback——hewillnevercomeback。Oh，whenIthinkthatIwillneverseehimagainIfeelasifagreatbrutalhandhadtwisteditselfamongmyheartstrings，andwaswrenchingthem。Once，longago，Idreamedoflove——andIthoughtitmustbebeautiful——andNOW——itslikeTHIS。Whenhewentawayyesterdaymorninghewassocoldandindifferent。Hesaid`Good-bye，Mrs。
Moore’inthecoldesttoneintheworld——asifwehadnotevenbeenfriends——asifImeantabsolutelynothingtohim。IknowIdon’t——Ididn’twanthimtocare——butheMIGHThavebeenalittlekinder。\"
\"Oh，IwishGilbertwouldcome，\"thoughtAnne。ShewasrackedbetweenhersympathyforLeslieandthenecessityofavoidinganythingthatwouldbetrayOwen’sconfidence。Sheknewwhyhisgood-byehadbeensocold——whyitcouldnothavethecordialitythattheirgood-comradeshipdemanded——butshecouldnottellLeslie。
\"Icouldn’thelpit，Anne——Icouldn’thelpit，\"saidpoorLeslie。
\"Iknowthat。\"
\"Doyoublamemesoverymuch？\"
\"Idon’tblameyouatall。\"
\"Andyouwon’t——youwon’ttellGilbert？\"
\"Leslie！DoyouthinkIwoulddosuchathing？\"
\"Oh，Idon’tknow——youandGilbertaresuchCHUMS。I
don’tseehowyoucouldhelptellinghimeverything。\"
\"Everythingaboutmyownconcerns——yes。Butnotmyfriends’secrets。\"
\"Icouldn’thaveHIMknow。ButI’mgladYOUknow。I
wouldfeelguiltyiftherewereanythingIwasashamedtotellyou。IhopeMissCorneliawon’tfindout。
SometimesIfeelasifthoseterrible，kindbrowneyesofhersreadmyverysoul。Oh，Iwishthismistwouldneverlift——IwishIcouldjuststayinitforever，hiddenawayfromeverylivingbeing。Idon’tseehowI
cangoonwithlife。Thissummerhasbeensofull。I
neverwaslonelyforamoment。BeforeOwencamethereusedtobehorriblemoments——whenIhadbeenwithyouandGilbert——andthenhadtoleaveyou。YoutwowouldwalkawaytogetherandIwouldwalkawayALONE。AfterOwencamehewasalwaystheretowalkhomewithme——wewouldlaughandtalkasyouandGilbertweredoing——therewerenomorelonely，enviousmomentsforme。AndNOW！Oh，yes，I’vebeenafool。Let’shavedonetalkingaboutmyfolly。I’llneverboreyouwithitagain。\"
\"HereisGilbert，andyouarecomingbackwithus，\"
saidAnne，whohadnointentionofleavingLeslietowanderaloneonthesand-baronsuchanightandinsuchamood。\"There’splentyofroominourboatforthree，andwe’lltietheflatonbehind。\"
\"Oh，IsupposeImustreconcilemyselftobeingtheoddoneagain，\"saidpoorLesliewithanotherbitterlaugh。\"Forgiveme，Anne——thatwashateful。Ioughttobethankful——andIAM——thatIhavetwogoodfriendswhoaregladtocountmeinasathird。Don’tmindmyhatefulspeeches。Ijustseemtobeonegreatpainalloverandeverythinghurtsme。\"
\"Leslieseemedveryquiettonight，didn’tshe？\"saidGilbert，whenheandAnnereachedhome。\"Whatintheworldwasshedoingoverthereonthebaralone？\"
\"Oh，shewastired——andyouknowshelikestogototheshoreafteroneofDick’sbaddays。\"
\"Whatapityshehadn’tmetandmarriedafellowlikeFordlongago，\"ruminatedGilbert。\"They’dhavemadeanidealcouple，wouldn’tthey？\"
\"Forpity’ssake，Gilbert，don’tdevelopintoamatch-maker。It’sanabominableprofessionforaman，\"criedAnnerathersharply，afraidthatGilbertmightblunderonthetruthifhekeptoninthisstrain。
\"Blessus，Anne-girl，I’mnotmatchmaking，\"protestedGilbert，rathersurprisedathertone。\"Iwasonlythinkingofoneofthemight-have-beens。\"
\"Well，don’t。It’sawasteoftime，\"saidAnne。Thensheaddedsuddenly:
\"Oh，Gilbert，Iwisheverybodycouldbeashappyasweare。\"
CHAPTER28
ODDSANDENDS
\"I’vebeenreadingobituarynotices，\"saidMissCornelia，layingdowntheDailyEnterpriseandtakinguphersewing。
TheharborwaslyingblackandsullenunderadourNovembersky；thewet，deadleavesclungdrenchedandsoddentothewindowsills；butthelittlehousewasgaywithfirelightandspring-likewithAnne’sfernsandgeraniums。
\"It’salwayssummerhere，Anne，\"Lesliehadsaidoneday；andallwhoweretheguestsofthathouseofdreamsfeltthesame。
\"TheEnterpriseseemstoruntoobituariesthesedays，\"quothMissCornelia。\"Italwayshasacoupleofcolumnsofthem，andIreadeveryline。It’soneofmyformsofrecreation，especiallywhenthere’ssomeoriginalpoetryattachedtothem。Here’sachoicesampleforyou:
She’sgonetobewithherMaker，Nevermoretoroam。SheusedtoplayandsingwithjoyThesongofHome，SweetHome。
Whosayswehaven’tanypoeticaltalentontheIsland！
Haveyouevernoticedwhatheapsofgoodpeopledie，Anne，dearie？It’skindofpitiful。Here’stenobituaries，andeveryoneofthemsaintsandmodels，eventhemen。Here’soldPeterStimson，whohas`leftalargecircleoffriendstomournhisuntimelyloss。’
Lord，Anne，dearie，thatmanwaseighty，andeverybodywhoknewhimhadbeenwishinghimdeadthesethirtyyears。Readobituarieswhenyou’reblue，Anne，dearie——especiallytheonesoffolksyouknow。Ifyou’veanysenseofhumoratallthey’llcheeryouup，believeME。Ijustwish_I_hadthewritingoftheobituariesofsomepeople。Isn’t`obituary’anawfuluglyword？ThisveryPeterI’vebeenspeakingofhadafaceexactlylikeone。IneversawitbutIthoughtofthewordOBITUARYthenandthere。There’sonlyoneuglierwordthatIknowof，andthat’sRELICT。Lord，Anne，dearie，Imaybeanoldmaid，butthere’sthiscomfortinit——I’llneverbeanyman’s`relict。’\"
\"ItISanuglyword，\"saidAnne，laughing。\"Avonleagraveyardwasfullofoldtombstones`sacredtothememoryofSo-and-So，RELICTofthelateSo-and-So。’Italwaysmademethinkofsomethingwornoutandmotheaten。Whyisitthatsomanyofthewordsconnectedwithdeatharesodisagreeable？Idowishthatthecustomofcallingadeadbody`theremains’couldbeabolished。IpositivelyshiverwhenIheartheundertakersayatafuneral，`Allwhowishtoseetheremainspleasestepthisway。’ItalwaysgivesmethehorribleimpressionthatIamabouttoviewthesceneofacannibalfeast。\"
\"Well，allIhope，\"saidMissCorneliacalmly，\"isthatwhenI’mdeadnobodywillcallme`ourdepartedsister。’Itookascunneratthissister-and-brotheringbusinessfiveyearsagowhentherewasatravellingevangelistholdingmeetingsattheGlen。Ihadn’tanyuseforhimfromthestart。I
feltinmybonesthattherewassomethingwrongwithhim。Andtherewas。Mindyou，hewaspretendingtobeaPresbyterian——PresbyTARian，HEcalledit——andallthetimehewasaMethodist。Hebrotheredandsisteredeverybody。Hehadalargecircleofrelations，thatmanhad。Heclutchedmyhandferventlyonenight，andsaidimploringly，`MyDEARsisterBryant，areyouaChristian？’Ijustlookedhimoverabit，andthenI
saidcalmly，`TheonlybrotherIeverhad，MR。Fiske，wasburiedfifteenyearsago，andIhaven’tadoptedanysince。AsforbeingaChristian，Iwasthat，Ihopeandbelieve，whenyouwerecrawlingaboutthefloorinpetticoats。’THATsquelchedhim，believeME。Mindyou，Annedearie，I’mnotdownonallevangelists。
We’vehadsomerealfine，earnestmen，whodidalotofgoodandmadetheoldsinnerssquirm。ButthisFiske-manwasn’toneofthem。Ihadagoodlaughalltomyselfoneevening。FiskehadaskedallwhowereChristianstostandup。_I_didn’t，believeme！I
neverhadanyuseforthatsortofthing。Butmostofthemdid，andthenheaskedallwhowantedtobeChristianstostandup。Nobodystirredforaspell，soFiskestartedupahymnatthetopofhisvoice。JustinfrontofmepoorlittleIkeyBakerwassittingintheMillisonpew。Hewasahomeboy，tenyearsold，andMillisonjustaboutworkedhimtodeath。Thepoorlittlecreaturewasalwayssotiredhefellasleeprightoffwheneverhewenttochurchoranywherehecouldsitstillforafewminutes。He’dbeensleepingallthroughthemeeting，andIwasthankfultoseethepoorchildgettingarest，believeME。Well，whenFiske’svoicewentsoaringskywardandtherestjoinedin，poorIkeywakenedwithastart。Hethoughtitwasjustanordinarysingingandthateverybodyoughttostandup，sohescrambledtohisfeetmightyquick，knowinghe’dgetacombingdownfromMariaMillisonforsleepinginmeeting。Fiskesawhim，stoppedandshouted，`Anothersoulsaved！GloryHallelujah！’Andtherewaspoor，frightenedIkey，onlyhalfawakeandyawning，neverthinkingabouthissoulatall。Poorchild，heneverhadtimetothinkofanythingbuthistired，overworkedlittlebody。
\"LesliewentonenightandtheFiske-mangotrightafterher——oh，hewasespeciallyanxiousaboutthesoulsofthenice-lookinggirls，believeme！——andhehurtherfeelingssosheneverwentagain。Andthenheprayedeverynightafterthat，rightinpublic，thattheLordwouldsoftenherhardheart。FinallyIwenttoMr。Leavitt，ourministerthen，andtoldhimifhedidn’tmakeFiskestopthatI’djustriseupthenextnightandthrowmyhymnbookathimwhenhementionedthat`beautifulbutunrepentantyoungwoman。’I’dhavedoneittoo，believeME。Mr。Leavittdidputastoptoit，butFiskekeptonwithhismeetingsuntilCharleyDouglasputanendtohiscareerintheGlen。Mrs。
CharleyhadbeenoutinCaliforniaallwinter。She’dbeenrealmelancholyinthefall——religiousmelancholy——itraninherfamily。Herfatherworriedsomuchoverbelievingthathehadcommittedtheunpardonablesinthathediedintheasylum。SowhenRoseDouglasgotthatwayCharleypackedherofftovisithersisterinLosAngeles。ShegotperfectlywellandcamehomejustwhentheFiskerevivalwasinfullswing。ShesteppedoffthetrainattheGlen，realsmilingandchipper，andthefirstthingshesawstaringherinthefaceontheblack，gable-endofthefreightshed，wasthequestion，inbigwhiteletters，twofeethigh，`Whithergoestthou——toheavenorhell？’
ThathadbeenoneofFiske’sideas，andhehadgotHenryHammondtopaintit。Rosejustgaveashriekandfainted；andwhentheygotherhomeshewasworsethanever。CharleyDouglaswenttoMr。LeavittandtoldhimthateveryDouglaswouldleavethechurchifFiskewaskeptthereanylonger。Mr。Leavitthadtogivein，fortheDouglasespaidhalfhissalary，soFiskedeparted，andwehadtodependonourBiblesoncemoreforinstructionsonhowtogettoheaven。AfterhewasgoneMr。LeavittfoundouthewasjustamasqueradingMethodist，andhefeltprettysick，believeME。Mr。
Leavittfellshortinsomeways，buthewasagood，soundPresbyterian。\"
\"Bytheway，IhadaletterfromMr。Fordyesterday，\"
saidAnne。\"Heaskedmetorememberhimkindlytoyou。\"
\"Idon’twanthisremembrances，\"saidMissCornelia，curtly。
\"Why？\"saidAnne，inastonishment。\"Ithoughtyoulikedhim。\"
\"Well，soIdid，inakindofway。ButI’llneverforgivehimforwhathedonetoLeslie。There’sthatpoorchildeatingherheartoutabouthim——asifshehadn’thadtroubleenough——andhimrantingroundToronto，I’venodoubt，enjoyinghimselfsameasever。
Justlikeaman。\"
\"Oh，MissCornelia，howdidyoufindout？\"
\"Lord，Anne，dearie，I’vegoteyes，haven’tI？AndI’veknownLesliesinceshewasababy。There’sbeenanewkindofheartbreakinhereyesallthefall，andIknowthatwriter-manwasbehinditsomehow。I’llneverforgivemyselfforbeingthemeansofbringinghimhere。ButIneverexpectedhe’dbelikehewas。I
thoughthe’djustbeliketheothermenLesliehadboarded——conceitedyoungasses，everyoneofthem，thatsheneverhadanyusefor。Oneofthemdidtrytoflirtwithheronceandshefrozehimout——sobad，I
feelsurehe’snevergothimselfthawedsince。SoI
neverthoughtofanydanger。\"
\"Don’tletLesliesuspectyouknowhersecret，\"saidAnnehurriedly。\"Ithinkitwouldhurther。\"
\"Trustme，Anne，dearie。_I_wasn’tbornyesterday。
Oh，aplagueonallthemen！OneofthemruinedLeslie’slifetobeginwith，andnowanotherofthetribecomesandmakesherstillmorewretched。Anne，thisworldisanawfulplace，believeme。\"
\"There’ssomethingintheworldamissWillbeunriddledbyandby，\"
quotedAnnedreamily。
\"Ifitis，it’llbeinaworldwheretherearen’tanymen，\"saidMissCorneliagloomily。
\"Whathavethemenbeendoingnow？\"askedGilbert，entering。
\"Mischief——mischief！Whatelsedidtheyeverdo？\"
\"ItwasEveatetheapple，MissCornelia。\"
\"’Twasahe-creaturetemptedher，\"retortedMissCorneliatriumphantly。
Leslie，afterherfirstanguishwasover，founditpossibletogoonwithlifeafterall，asmostofusdo，nomatterwhatourparticularformoftormenthasbeen。Itisevenpossiblethatsheenjoyedmomentsofit，whenshewasoneofthegaycircleinthelittlehouseofdreams。ButifAnneeverhopedthatshewasforgettingOwenFordshewouldhavebeenundeceivedbythefurtivehungerinLeslie’seyeswheneverhisnamewasmentioned。Pitifultothathunger，AnnealwayscontrivedtotellCaptainJimorGilbertbitsofnewsfromOwen’sletterswhenLesliewaswiththem。Thegirl’sflushandpalloratsuchmomentsspokealltooeloquentlyoftheemotionthatfilledherbeing。ButsheneverspokeofhimtoAnne，ormentionedthatnightonthesand-bar。
Onedayherolddogdiedandshegrievedbitterlyoverhim。
\"He’sbeenmyfriendsolong，\"shesaidsorrowfullytoAnne。\"HewasDick’solddog，youknow——Dickhadhimforayearorsobeforeweweremarried。HelefthimwithmewhenhesailedontheFourSisters。Carlogotveryfondofme——andhisdog-lovehelpedmethroughthatfirstdreadfulyearaftermotherdied，whenIwasalone。WhenIheardthatDickwascomingbackIwasafraidCarlowouldn’tbesomuchmine。ButheneverseemedtocareforDick，thoughhehadbeensofondofhimonce。Hewouldsnapandgrowlathimasifhewereastranger。Iwasglad。Itwasnicetohaveonethingwhoselovewasallmine。Thatolddoghasbeensuchacomforttome，Anne。HegotsofeebleinthefallthatIwasafraidhecouldn’tlivelong——butIhopedIcouldnursehimthroughthewinter。Heseemedprettywellthismorning。Hewaslyingontherugbeforethefire；
then，allatonce，hegotupandcreptovertome；heputhisheadonmylapandgavemeonelovinglookoutofhisbig，soft，dogeyes——andthenhejustshiveredanddied。Ishallmisshimso。\"
\"Letmegiveyouanotherdog，Leslie，\"saidAnne。
\"I’mgettingalovelyGordonsetterforaChristmaspresentforGilbert。Letmegiveyouonetoo。\"