第1章

Mrs。RachelLyndeisSurprisedMrs。RachelLyndelivedjustwheretheAvonleamainroaddippeddownintoalittlehollow，fringedwithaldersandladies’eardropsandtraversedbyabrookthathaditssourceawaybackinthewoodsoftheoldCuthbertplace；

itwasreputedtobeanintricate，headlongbrookinitsearliercoursethroughthosewoods，withdarksecretsofpoolandcascade；butbythetimeitreachedLynde’sHollowitwasaquiet，well-conductedlittlestream，fornotevenabrookcouldrunpastMrs。RachelLynde’sdoorwithoutdueregardfordecencyanddecorum；itprobablywasconsciousthatMrs。Rachelwassittingatherwindow，keepingasharpeyeoneverythingthatpassed，frombrooksandchildrenup，andthatifshenoticedanythingoddoroutofplaceshewouldneverrestuntilshehadferretedoutthewhysandwhereforesthereof。

ThereareplentyofpeopleinAvonleaandoutofit，whocanattendcloselytotheirneighbor’sbusinessbydintofneglectingtheirown；butMrs。RachelLyndewasoneofthosecapablecreatureswhocanmanagetheirownconcernsandthoseofotherfolksintothebargain。Shewasanotablehousewife；herworkwasalwaysdoneandwelldone；

she"ran"theSewingCircle，helpedruntheSunday-school，andwasthestrongestpropoftheChurchAidSocietyandForeignMissionsAuxiliary。YetwithallthisMrs。Rachelfoundabundanttimetositforhoursatherkitchenwindow，knitting"cottonwarp"quilts——shehadknittedsixteenofthem，asAvonleahousekeeperswerewonttotellinawedvoices——andkeepingasharpeyeonthemainroadthatcrossedthehollowandwoundupthesteepredhillbeyond。

SinceAvonleaoccupiedalittletriangularpeninsulajuttingoutintotheGulfofSt。Lawrencewithwaterontwosidesofit，anybodywhowentoutofitorintoithadtopassoverthathillroadandsoruntheunseengauntletofMrs。Rachel’sall-seeingeye。

ShewassittingthereoneafternooninearlyJune。Thesunwascominginatthewindowwarmandbright；theorchardontheslopebelowthehousewasinabridalflushofpinky-

whitebloom，hummedoverbyamyriadofbees。ThomasLynde——

ameeklittlemanwhomAvonleapeoplecalled"RachelLynde’shusband"——wassowinghislateturnipseedonthehillfieldbeyondthebarn；andMatthewCuthbertoughttohavebeensowinghisonthebigredbrookfieldawayoverbyGreenGables。Mrs。RachelknewthatheoughtbecauseshehadheardhimtellPeterMorrisontheeveningbeforeinWilliamJ。Blair’sstoreoveratCarmodythathemeanttosowhisturnipseedthenextafternoon。Peterhadaskedhim，ofcourse，forMatthewCuthberthadneverbeenknowntovolunteerinformationaboutanythinginhiswholelife。

AndyetherewasMatthewCuthbert，athalf-pastthreeontheafternoonofabusyday，placidlydrivingoverthehollowandupthehill；moreover，heworeawhitecollarandhisbestsuitofclothes，whichwasplainproofthathewasgoingoutofAvonlea；andhehadthebuggyandthesorrelmare，whichbetokenedthathewasgoingaconsiderabledistance。

Now，wherewasMatthewCuthbertgoingandwhywashegoingthere？

HaditbeenanyothermaninAvonlea，Mrs。Rachel，deftlyputtingthisandthattogether，mighthavegivenaprettygoodguessastobothquestions。ButMatthewsorarelywentfromhomethatitmustbesomethingpressingandunusualwhichwastakinghim；hewastheshyestmanaliveandhatedtohavetogoamongstrangersortoanyplacewherehemighthavetotalk。Matthew，dressedupwithawhitecollaranddrivinginabuggy，wassomethingthatdidn’thappenoften。Mrs。Rachel，ponderasshemight，couldmakenothingofitandherafternoon’senjoymentwasspoiled。

"I’lljuststepovertoGreenGablesafterteaandfindoutfromMarillawherehe’sgoneandwhy，"theworthywomanfinallyconcluded。"Hedoesn’tgenerallygototownthistimeofyearandheNEVERvisits；ifhe’drunoutofturnipseedhewouldn’tdressupandtakethebuggytogoformore；

hewasn’tdrivingfastenoughtobegoingforadoctor。Yetsomethingmusthavehappenedsincelastnighttostarthimoff。I’mcleanpuzzled，that’swhat，andIwon’tknowaminute’speaceofmindorconscienceuntilIknowwhathastakenMatthewCuthbertoutofAvonleatoday。"

AccordinglyafterteaMrs。Rachelsetout；shehadnotfartogo；thebig，rambling，orchard-emboweredhousewheretheCuthbertslivedwasascantquarterofamileuptheroadfromLynde’sHollow。Tobesure，thelonglanemadeitagooddealfurther。MatthewCuthbert’sfather，asshyandsilentashissonafterhim，hadgotasfarawayashepossiblycouldfromhisfellowmenwithoutactuallyretreatingintothewoodswhenhefoundedhishomestead。

GreenGableswasbuiltatthefurthestedgeofhisclearedlandandthereitwastothisday，barelyvisiblefromthemainroadalongwhichalltheotherAvonleahousesweresosociablysituated。Mrs。RachelLyndedidnotcalllivinginsuchaplaceLIVINGatall。

"It’sjustSTAYING，that’swhat，"shesaidasshesteppedalongthedeep-rutted，grassylaneborderedwithwildrosebushes。"It’snowonderMatthewandMarillaarebothalittleodd，livingawaybackherebythemselves。

Treesaren’tmuchcompany，thoughdearknowsiftheywerethere’dbeenoughofthem。I’drutherlookatpeople。

Tobesure，theyseemcontentedenough；butthen，Isuppose，they’reusedtoit。Abodycangetusedtoanything，eventobeinghanged，astheIrishmansaid。"

WiththisMrs。RachelsteppedoutofthelaneintothebackyardofGreenGables。Verygreenandneatandprecisewasthatyard，setaboutononesidewithgreatpatriarchalwillowsandtheotherwithprimLombardies。Notastraysticknorstonewastobeseen，forMrs。Rachelwouldhaveseenitiftherehadbeen。PrivatelyshewasoftheopinionthatMarillaCuthbertsweptthatyardoverasoftenasshesweptherhouse。Onecouldhaveeatenamealoffthegroundwithoutoverbrimmingtheproverbialpeckofdirt。

Mrs。Rachelrappedsmartlyatthekitchendoorandsteppedinwhenbiddentodoso。ThekitchenatGreenGableswasacheerfulapartment——orwouldhavebeencheerfulifithadnotbeensopainfullycleanastogiveitsomethingoftheappearanceofanunusedparlor。Itswindowslookedeastandwest；throughthewestone，lookingoutonthebackyard，cameafloodofmellowJunesunlight；

buttheeastone，whenceyougotaglimpseofthebloomwhitecherry-treesintheleftorchardandnodding，slenderbirchesdowninthehollowbythebrook，wasgreenedoverbyatangleofvines。HeresatMarillaCuthbert，whenshesatatall，alwaysslightlydistrustfulofsunshine，whichseemedtohertoodancingandirresponsibleathingforaworldwhichwasmeanttobetakenseriously；andhereshesatnow，knitting，andthetablebehindherwaslaidforsupper。

Mrs。Rachel，beforeshehadfairlyclosedthedoor，hadtakenamentalnoteofeverythingthatwasonthattable。

Therewerethreeplateslaid，sothatMarillamustbeexpectingsomeonehomewithMatthewtotea；butthedisheswereeverydaydishesandtherewasonlycrab-applepreservesandonekindofcake，sothattheexpectedcompanycouldnotbeanyparticularcompany。YetwhatofMatthew’swhitecollarandthesorrelmare？Mrs。Rachelwasgettingfairlydizzywiththisunusualmysteryaboutquiet，unmysteriousGreenGables。

"Goodevening，Rachel，"Marillasaidbriskly。"Thisisarealfineevening，isn’tit"Won’tyousitdown？Howareallyourfolks？"

SomethingthatforlackofanyothernamemightbecalledfriendshipexistedandalwayshadexistedbetweenMarillaCuthbertandMrs。Rachel，inspiteof——orperhapsbecauseof——theirdissimilarity。

Marillawasatall，thinwoman，withanglesandwithoutcurves；herdarkhairshowedsomegraystreaksandwasalwaystwistedupinahardlittleknotbehindwithtwowirehairpinsstuckaggressivelythroughit。Shelookedlikeawomanofnarrowexperienceandrigidconscience，whichshewas；buttherewasasavingsomethingabouthermouthwhich，ifithadbeeneversoslightlydeveloped，mighthavebeenconsideredindicativeofasenseofhumor。

"We’reallprettywell，"saidMrs。Rachel。"IwaskindofafraidYOUweren’t，though，whenIsawMatthewstartingofftoday。Ithoughtmaybehewasgoingtothedoctor’s。"

Marilla’slipstwitchedunderstandingly。ShehadexpectedMrs。Rachelup；shehadknownthatthesightofMatthewjauntingoffsounaccountablywouldbetoomuchforherneighbor’scuriosity。

"Oh，no，I’mquitewellalthoughIhadabadheadacheyesterday，"shesaid。"MatthewwenttoBrightRiver。We’regettingalittleboyfromanorphanasyluminNovaScotiaandhe’scomingonthetraintonight。"

IfMarillahadsaidthatMatthewhadgonetoBrightRivertomeetakangaroofromAustraliaMrs。Rachelcouldnothavebeenmoreastonished。Shewasactuallystrickendumbforfiveseconds。ItwasunsupposablethatMarillawasmakingfunofher，butMrs。Rachelwasalmostforcedtosupposeit。

"Areyouinearnest，Marilla？"shedemandedwhenvoicereturnedtoher。

"Yes，ofcourse，"saidMarilla，asifgettingboysfromorphanasylumsinNovaScotiawerepartoftheusualspringworkonanywell-regulatedAvonleafarminsteadofbeinganunheardofinnovation。

Mrs。Rachelfeltthatshehadreceivedaseverementaljolt。

Shethoughtinexclamationpoints。Aboy！MarillaandMatthewCuthbertofallpeopleadoptingaboy！Fromanorphanasylum！Well，theworldwascertainlyturningupsidedown！Shewouldbesurprisedatnothingafterthis！Nothing！

"Whatonearthputsuchanotionintoyourhead？"shedemandeddisapprovingly。

Thishadbeendonewithouthereadvicebeingasked，andmustperforcebedisapproved。

"Well，we’vebeenthinkingaboutitforsometime——allwinterinfact，"returnedMarilla。"Mrs。AlexanderSpencerwasuphereonedaybeforeChristmasandshesaidshewasgoingtogetalittlegirlfromtheasylumoverinHopetoninthespring。HercousinlivesthereandMrs。Spencerhasvisitedhereandknowsallaboutit。SoMatthewandIhavetalkeditoveroffandoneversince。Wethoughtwe’dgetaboy。Matthewisgettingupinyears，youknow——he’ssixty——

andheisn’tsospryasheoncewas。Hishearttroubleshimagooddeal。Andyouknowhowdesperatehardit’sgottobetogethiredhelp。There’sneveranybodytobehadbutthosestupid，half-grownlittleFrenchboys；andassoonasyoudogetonebrokeintoyourwaysandtaughtsomethinghe’supandofftothelobstercanneriesortheStates。AtfirstMatthewsuggestedgettingaHomeboy。ButIsaid`no’

flattothat。`Theymaybeallright——I’mnotsayingthey’renot——butnoLondonstreetArabsforme，’Isaid。

`Givemeanativebornatleast。There’llbearisk，nomatterwhoweget。ButI’llfeeleasierinmymindandsleepsounderatnightsifwegetabornCanadian。’SointheendwedecidedtoaskMrs。Spencertopickusoutonewhenshewentovertogetherlittlegirl。Weheardlastweekshewasgoing，sowesentherwordbyRichardSpencer’sfolksatCarmodytobringusasmart，likelyboyofabouttenoreleven。Wedecidedthatwouldbethebestage——oldenoughtobeofsomeuseindoingchoresrightoffandyoungenoughtobetrainedupproper。Wemeantogivehimagoodhomeandschooling。WehadatelegramfromMrs。AlexanderSpencertoday——themail-manbroughtitfromthestation——

sayingtheywerecomingonthefive-thirtytraintonight。

SoMatthewwenttoBrightRivertomeethim。Mrs。Spencerwilldrophimoffthere。OfcourseshegoesontoWhiteSandsstationherself"

Mrs。Rachelpridedherselfonalwaysspeakinghermind；

sheproceededtospeakitnow，havingadjustedhermentalattitudetothisamazingpieceofnews。

"Well，Marilla，I’lljusttellyouplainthatIthinkyou’redoingamightyfoolishthing——ariskything，that’swhat。Youdon’tknowwhatyou’regetting。You’rebringingastrangechildintoyourhouseandhomeandyoudon’tknowasinglethingabouthimnorwhathisdispositionislikenorwhatsortofparentshehadnorhowhe’slikelytoturnout。Why，itwasonlylastweekIreadinthepaperhowamanandhiswifeupwestoftheIslandtookaboyoutofanorphanasylumandhesetfiretothehouseatnight——setitONPURPOSE，Marilla——andnearlyburntthemtoacrispintheirbeds。AndIknowanothercasewhereanadoptedboyusedtosucktheeggs——theycouldn’tbreakhimofit。Ifyouhadaskedmyadviceinthematter——whichyoudidn’tdo，Marilla——I’dhavesaidformercy’ssakenottothinkofsuchathing，that’swhat。"

ThisJob’scomfortingseemedneithertooffendnortoalarmMarilla。Sheknittedsteadilyon。

"Idon’tdenythere’ssomethinginwhatyousay，Rachel。

I’vehadsomequalmsmyself。ButMatthewwasterriblesetonit。Icouldseethat，soIgavein。It’ssoseldomMatthewsetshismindonanythingthatwhenhedoesIalwaysfeelit’smydutytogivein。Andasfortherisk，there’srisksinprettyneareverythingabodydoesinthisworld。

There’srisksinpeople’shavingchildrenoftheirownifitcomestothat——theydon’talwaysturnoutwell。AndthenNovaScotiaisrightclosetotheIsland。Itisn’tasifweweregettinghimfromEnglandortheStates。Hecan’tbemuchdifferentfromourselves。"

"Well，Ihopeitwillturnoutallright，"saidMrs。

Rachelinatonethatplainlyindicatedherpainfuldoubts。

"Onlydon’tsayIdidn’twarnyouifheburnsGreenGablesdownorputsstrychnineinthewell——IheardofacaseoverinNewBrunswickwhereanorphanasylumchilddidthatandthewholefamilydiedinfearfulagonies。Only，itwasagirlinthatinstance。"

"Well，we’renotgettingagirl，"saidMarilla，asifpoisoningwellswereapurelyfeminineaccomplishmentandnottobedreadedinthecaseofaboy。"I’dneverdreamoftakingagirltobringup。IwonderatMrs。AlexanderSpencerfordoingit。Butthere，SHEwouldn’tshrinkfromadoptingawholeorphanasylumifshetookitintoherhead。"

Mrs。RachelwouldhavelikedtostayuntilMatthewcamehomewithhisimportedorphan。ButreflectingthatitwouldbeagoodtwohoursatleastbeforehisarrivalsheconcludedtogouptheroadtoRobertBell’sandtellthenews。Itwouldcertainlymakeasensationsecondtonone，andMrs。Racheldearlylovedtomakeasensation。Soshetookherselfaway，somewhattoMarilla’srelief，forthelatterfeltherdoubtsandfearsrevivingundertheinfluenceofMrs。Rachel’spessimism。

"Well，ofallthingsthateverwereorwillbe！"

ejaculatedMrs。Rachelwhenshewassafelyoutinthelane。

"ItdoesreallyseemasifImustbedreaming。Well，I’msorryforthatpooryoungoneandnomistake。MatthewandMarilladon’tknowanythingaboutchildrenandthey’llexpecthimtobewiserandsteadierthathisowngrandfather，ifsobe’sheeverhadagrandfather，whichisdoubtful。ItseemsuncannytothinkofachildatGreenGablessomehow；there’sneverbeenonethere，forMatthewandMarillaweregrownupwhenthenewhousewasbuilt——iftheyeverWEREchildren，whichishardtobelievewhenonelooksatthem。Iwouldn’tbeinthatorphan’sshoesforanything。My，butIpityhim，that’swhat。"

SosaidMrs。Racheltothewildrosebushesoutofthefulnessofherheart；butifshecouldhaveseenthechildwhowaswaitingpatientlyattheBrightRiverstationatthatverymomentherpitywouldhavebeenstilldeeperandmoreprofound。

CHAPTERII

MatthewCuthbertissurprisedMatthewCuthbertandthesorrelmarejoggedcomfortablyovertheeightmilestoBrightRiver。Itwasaprettyroad，runningalongbetweensnugfarmsteads，withnowandagainabitofbalsamyfirwoodtodrivethroughorahollowwherewildplumshungouttheirfilmybloom。Theairwassweetwiththebreathofmanyappleorchardsandthemeadowsslopedawayinthedistancetohorizonmistsofpearlandpurple；while"ThelittlebirdssangasifitwereTheonedayofsummerinalltheyear。"

Matthewenjoyedthedriveafterhisownfashion，exceptduringthemomentswhenhemetwomenandhadtonodtothem——

forinPrinceEdwardislandyouaresupposedtonodtoallandsundryyoumeetontheroadwhetheryouknowthemornot。

MatthewdreadedallwomenexceptMarillaandMrs。

Rachel；hehadanuncomfortablefeelingthatthemysteriouscreaturesweresecretlylaughingathim。Hemayhavebeenquiterightinthinkingso，forhewasanodd-lookingpersonage，withanungainlyfigureandlongiron-grayhairthattouchedhisstoopingshoulders，andafull，softbrownbeardwhichhehadworneversincehewastwenty。Infact，hehadlookedattwentyverymuchashelookedatsixty，lackingalittleofthegrayness。

WhenhereachedBrightRivertherewasnosignofanytrain；hethoughthewastooearly，sohetiedhishorseintheyardofthesmallBrightRiverhotelandwentovertothestationhouse。Thelongplatformwasalmostdeserted；

theonlylivingcreatureinsightbeingagirlwhowassittingonapileofshinglesattheextremeend。Matthew，barelynotingthatitWASagirl，sidledpastherasquicklyaspossiblewithoutlookingather。Hadhelookedhecouldhardlyhavefailedtonoticethetenserigidityandexpectationofherattitudeandexpression。Shewassittingtherewaitingforsomethingorsomebodyand，sincesittingandwaitingwastheonlythingtodojustthen，shesatandwaitedwithallhermightandmain。

Matthewencounteredthestationmasterlockinguptheticketofficepreparatorytogoinghomeforsupper，andaskedhimifthefive-thirtytrainwouldsoonbealong。

"Thefive-thirtytrainhasbeeninandgonehalfanhourago，"answeredthatbriskofficial。"Buttherewasapassengerdroppedoffforyou——alittlegirl。She’ssittingoutthereontheshingles。Iaskedhertogointotheladies’waitingroom，butsheinformedmegravelythatshepreferredtostayoutside。`Therewasmorescopeforimagination，’shesaid。She’sacase，Ishouldsay。"

"I’mnotexpectingagirl，"saidMatthewblankly。"It’saboyI’vecomefor。Heshouldbehere。Mrs。AlexanderSpencerwastobringhimoverfromNovaScotiaforme。"

Thestationmasterwhistled。

"Guessthere’ssomemistake，"hesaid。"Mrs。Spencercameoffthetrainwiththatgirlandgaveherintomycharge。Saidyouandyoursisterwereadoptingherfromanorphanasylumandthatyouwouldbealongforherpresently。

That’sallIknowaboutit——andIhaven’tgotanymoreorphansconcealedhereabouts。"

"Idon’tunderstand，"saidMatthewhelplessly，wishingthatMarillawasathandtocopewiththesituation。

"Well，you’dbetterquestionthegirl，"saidthestation-

mastercarelessly。"Idaresayshe’llbeabletoexplain——

she’sgotatongueofherown，that’scertain。Maybetheywereoutofboysofthebrandyouwanted。"

Hewalkedjauntilyaway，beinghungry，andtheunfortunateMatthewwaslefttodothatwhichwasharderforhimthanbeardingalioninitsden——walkuptoagirl——astrangegirl——anorphangirl——anddemandofherwhyshewasn’taboy。

Matthewgroanedinspiritasheturnedaboutandshuffledgentlydowntheplatformtowardsher。

Shehadbeenwatchinghimeversincehehadpassedherandshehadhereyesonhimnow。Matthewwasnotlookingatherandwouldnothaveseenwhatshewasreallylikeifhehadbeen，butanordinaryobserverwouldhaveseenthis:

Achildofabouteleven，garbedinaveryshort，verytight，veryuglydressofyellowish-graywincey。Sheworeafadedbrownsailorhatandbeneaththehat，extendingdownherback，weretwobraidsofverythick，decidedlyredhair。

Herfacewassmall，whiteandthin，alsomuchfreckled；hermouthwaslargeandsowerehereyes，whichlookedgreeninsomelightsandmoodsandgrayinothers。

Sofar，theordinaryobserver；anextraordinaryobservermighthaveseenthatthechinwasverypointedandpronounced；thatthebigeyeswerefullofspiritandvivacity；thatthemouthwassweet-lippedandexpressive；

thattheforeheadwasbroadandfull；inshort，ourdiscerningextraordinaryobservermighthaveconcludedthatnocommonplacesoulinhabitedthebodyofthisstraywoman-

childofwhomshyMatthewCuthbertwassoludicrouslyafraid。

Matthew，however，wassparedtheordealofspeakingfirst，forassoonassheconcludedthathewascomingtohershestoodup，graspingwithonethinbrownhandthehandleofashabby，old-fashionedcarpet-bag；theothersheheldouttohim。

"IsupposeyouareMr。MatthewCuthbertofGreenGables？"

shesaidinapeculiarlyclear，sweetvoice。"I’mverygladtoseeyou。Iwasbeginningtobeafraidyouweren’tcomingformeandIwasimaginingallthethingsthatmighthavehappenedtopreventyou。Ihadmadeupmymindthatifyoudidn’tcomeformeto-nightI’dgodownthetracktothatbigwildcherry-treeatthebend，andclimbupintoittostayallnight。Iwouldn’tbeabitafraid，anditwouldbelovelytosleepinawildcherry-treeallwhitewithbloominthemoonshine，don’tyouthink？Youcouldimagineyouweredwellinginmarblehalls，couldn’tyou？

AndIwasquitesureyouwouldcomeformeinthemorning，ifyoudidn’tto-night。"

Matthewhadtakenthescrawnylittlehandawkwardlyinhis；

thenandtherehedecidedwhattodo。Hecouldnottellthischildwiththeglowingeyesthattherehadbeenamistake；hewouldtakeherhomeandletMarilladothat。

Shecouldn’tbeleftatBrightRiveranyhow，nomatterwhatmistakehadbeenmade，soallquestionsandexplanationsmightaswellbedeferreduntilhewassafelybackatGreenGables。

"I’msorryIwaslate，"hesaidshyly。"Comealong。

Thehorseisoverintheyard。Givemeyourbag。"

"Oh，Icancarryit，"thechildrespondedcheerfully。"Itisn’theavy。I’vegotallmyworldlygoodsinit，butitisn’theavy。Andifitisn’tcarriedinjustacertainwaythehandlepullsout——soI’dbetterkeepitbecauseIknowtheexactknackofit。It’sanextremelyoldcarpet-bag。

Oh，I’mverygladyou’vecome，evenifitwouldhavebeennicetosleepinawildcherry-tree。We’vegottodrivealongpiece，haven’twe？Mrs。Spencersaiditwaseightmiles。I’mgladbecauseIlovedriving。Oh，itseemssowonderfulthatI’mgoingtolivewithyouandbelongtoyou。

I’veneverbelongedtoanybody——notreally。Buttheasylumwastheworst。I’veonlybeeninitfourmonths，butthatwasenough。Idon’tsupposeyoueverwereanorphaninanasylum，soyoucan’tpossiblyunderstandwhatitislike。

It’sworsethananythingyoucouldimagine。Mrs。Spencersaiditwaswickedofmetotalklikethat，butIdidn’tmeantobewicked。It’ssoeasytobewickedwithoutknowingit，isn’tit？Theyweregood，youknow——theasylumpeople。Butthereissolittlescopefortheimaginationinanasylum——onlyjustintheotherorphans。Itwasprettyinterestingtoimaginethingsaboutthem——toimaginethatperhapsthegirlwhosatnexttoyouwasreallythedaughterofabeltedearl，whohadbeenstolenawayfromherparentsinherinfancybyacruelnursewhodiedbeforeshecouldconfess。Iusedtolieawakeatnightsandimaginethingslikethat，becauseIdidn’thavetimeintheday。Iguessthat’swhyI’msothin——IAMdreadfulthin，ain’tI？Thereisn’tapickonmybones。IdolovetoimagineI’mniceandplump，withdimplesinmyelbows。"

WiththisMatthew’scompanionstoppedtalking，partlybecauseshewasoutofbreathandpartlybecausetheyhadreachedthebuggy。Notanotherworddidshesayuntiltheyhadleftthevillageandweredrivingdownasteeplittlehill，theroadpartofwhichhadbeencutsodeeplyintothesoftsoil，thatthebanks，fringedwithbloomingwildcherry-treesandslimwhitebirches，wereseveralfeetabovetheirheads。

Thechildputoutherhandandbrokeoffabranchofwildplumthatbrushedagainstthesideofthebuggy。

"Isn’tthatbeautiful？Whatdidthattree，leaningoutfromthebank，allwhiteandlacy，makeyouthinkof？"sheasked。

"Wellnow，Idunno，"saidMatthew。

"Why，abride，ofcourse——abrideallinwhitewithalovelymistyveil。I’veneverseenone，butIcanimaginewhatshewouldlooklike。Idon’teverexpecttobeabridemyself。I’msohomelynobodywilleverwanttomarryme——

unlessitmightbeaforeignmissionary。Isupposeaforeignmissionarymightn’tbeveryparticular。ButIdohopethatsomedayIshallhaveawhitedress。Thatismyhighestidealofearthlybliss。Ijustloveprettyclothes。

AndI’veneverhadaprettydressinmylifethatIcanremember——butofcourseit’sallthemoretolookforwardto，isn’tit？AndthenIcanimaginethatI’mdressedgorgeously。ThismorningwhenIlefttheasylumIfeltsoashamedbecauseIhadtowearthishorridoldwinceydress。

Alltheorphanshadtowearthem，youknow。AmerchantinHopetonlastwinterdonatedthreehundredyardsofwinceytotheasylum。Somepeoplesaiditwasbecausehecouldn’tsellit，butI’dratherbelievethatitwasoutofthekindnessofhisheart，wouldn’tyou？WhenwegotonthetrainIfeltasifeverybodymustbelookingatmeandpityingme。ButIjustwenttoworkandimaginedthatIhadonthemostbeautifulpalebluesilkdress——becausewhenyouAREimaginingyoumightaswellimaginesomethingworthwhile——andabighatallflowersandnoddingplumes，andagoldwatch，andkidglovesandboots。IfeltcheereduprightawayandIenjoyedmytriptotheIslandwithallmymight。Iwasn’tabitsickcomingoverintheboat。

NeitherwasMrs。Spenceralthoughshegenerallyis。Shesaidshehadn’ttimetogetsick，watchingtoseethatI

didn’tfalloverboard。Shesaidsheneversawthebeatofmeforprowlingabout。Butifitkeptherfrombeingseasickit’samercyIdidprowl，isn’tit？AndIwantedtoseeeverythingthatwastobeseenonthatboat，becauseI

didn’tknowwhetherI’deverhaveanotheropportunity。Oh，therearealotmorecherry-treesallinbloom！ThisIslandisthebloomiestplace。Ijustloveitalready，andI’msogladI’mgoingtolivehere。I’vealwaysheardthatPrinceEdwardIslandwastheprettiestplaceintheworld，andI

usedtoimagineIwaslivinghere，butIneverreallyexpectedIwould。It’sdelightfulwhenyourimaginationscometrue，isn’tit？Butthoseredroadsaresofunny。

WhenwegotintothetrainatCharlottetownandtheredroadsbegantoflashpastIaskedMrs。Spencerwhatmadethemredandshesaidshedidn’tknowandforpity’ssakenottoaskheranymorequestions。ShesaidImusthaveaskedherathousandalready。IsupposeIhad，too，buthowyougoingtofindoutaboutthingsifyoudon’taskquestions？AndwhatDOESmaketheroadsred？"

"Wellnow，Idunno，"saidMatthew。

"Well，thatisoneofthethingstofindoutsometime。

Isn’titsplendidtothinkofallthethingstherearetofindoutabout？Itjustmakesmefeelgladtobealive——

it’ssuchaninterestingworld。Itwouldn’tbehalfsointerestingifweknowallabouteverything，wouldit？

There’dbenoscopeforimaginationthen，wouldthere？ButamItalkingtoomuch？PeoplearealwaystellingmeIdo。

WouldyouratherIdidn’ttalk？IfyousaysoI’llstop。I

canSTOPwhenImakeupmymindtoit，althoughit’sdifficult。"

Matthew，muchtohisownsurprise，wasenjoyinghimself。

Likemostquietfolkshelikedtalkativepeoplewhentheywerewillingtodothetalkingthemselvesanddidnotexpecthimtokeepuphisendofit。Buthehadneverexpectedtoenjoythesocietyofalittlegirl。Womenwerebadenoughinallconscience，butlittlegirlswereworse。Hedetestedthewaytheyhadofsidlingpasthimtimidly，withsidewiseglances，asiftheyexpectedhimtogobblethemupatamouthfuliftheyventuredtosayaword。ThatwastheAvonleatypeofwell-bredlittlegirl。Butthisfreckledwitchwasverydifferent，andalthoughhefounditratherdifficultforhisslowerintelligencetokeepupwithherbriskmentalprocesseshethoughtthathe"kindoflikedherchatter。"Sohesaidasshylyasusual:

"Oh，youcantalkasmuchasyoulike。Idon’tmind。"

"Oh，I’msoglad。IknowyouandIaregoingtogetalongtogetherfine。It’ssucharelieftotalkwhenonewantstoandnotbetoldthatchildrenshouldbeseenandnotheard。

I’vehadthatsaidtomeamilliontimesifIhaveonce。

AndpeoplelaughatmebecauseIusebigwords。Butifyouhavebigideasyouhavetousebigwordstoexpressthem，haven’tyou？"

"Wellnow，thatseemsreasonable，"saidMatthew。

"Mrs。Spencersaidthatmytonguemustbehunginthemiddle。Butitisn’t——it’sfirmlyfastenedatoneend。

Mrs。SpencersaidyourplacewasnamedGreenGables。I

askedherallaboutit。Andshesaidthereweretreesallaroundit。Iwasgladderthanever。Ijustlovetrees。

Andthereweren’tanyatallabouttheasylum，onlyafewpoorweeny-teenythingsoutinfrontwithlittlewhitewashedcageythingsaboutthem。Theyjustlookedlikeorphansthemselves，thosetreesdid。Itusedtomakemewanttocrytolookatthem。Iusedtosaytothem，`Oh，youPOOR

littlethings！IfyouwereoutinagreatbigwoodswithothertreesallaroundyouandlittlemossesandJunebellsgrowingoveryourrootsandabrooknotfarawayandbirdssinginginyoubranches，youcouldgrow，couldn’tyou？Butyoucan’twhereyouare。Iknowjustexactlyhowyoufeel，littletrees。’Ifeltsorrytoleavethembehindthismorning。

Youdogetsoattachedtothingslikethat，don’tyou？

IsthereabrookanywherenearGreenGables？IforgottoaskMrs。Spencerthat。"

"Wellnow，yes，there’sonerightbelowthehouse。"

"Fancy。It’salwaysbeenoneofmydreamstolivenearabrook。IneverexpectedIwould，though。Dreamsdon’toftencometrue，dothey？Wouldn’titbeniceiftheydid？

ButjustnowIfeelprettynearlyperfectlyhappy。Ican’tfeelexactlyperfectlyhappybecause——well，whatcolorwouldyoucallthis？"

ShetwitchedoneofherlongglossybraidsoverherthinshoulderandhelditupbeforeMatthew’seyes。Matthewwasnotusedtodecidingonthetintsofladies’tresses，butinthiscasetherecouldn’tbemuchdoubt。

"It’sred，ain’tit？"hesaid。

Thegirlletthebraiddropbackwithasighthatseemedtocomefromherverytoesandtoexhaleforthallthesorrowsoftheages。

"Yes，it’sred，"shesaidresignedly。"NowyouseewhyI

can’tbeperfectlyhappy。Nobodycouldwhohasredhair。I

don’tmindtheotherthingssomuch——thefrecklesandthegreeneyesandmyskinniness。Icanimaginethemaway。I

canimaginethatIhaveabeautifulrose-leafcomplexionandlovelystarryvioleteyes。ButICANNOTimaginethatredhairaway。Idomybest。Ithinktomyself，`Nowmyhairisagloriousblack，blackastheraven’swing。’ButallthetimeIKNOWitisjustplainredanditbreaksmyheart。

Itwillbemylifelongsorrow。Ireadofagirlonceinanovelwhohadalifelongsorrowbutitwasn’tredhair。

Herhairwaspuregoldripplingbackfromheralabasterbrow。

Whatisanalabasterbrow？Inevercouldfindout。

Canyoutellme？"

"Wellnow，I’mafraidIcan’t，"saidMatthew，whowasgettingalittledizzy。Hefeltashehadoncefeltinhisrashyouthwhenanotherboyhadenticedhimonthemerry-go-

roundatapicnic。

"Well，whateveritwasitmusthavebeensomethingnicebecauseshewasdivinelybeautiful。Haveyoueverimaginedwhatitmustfeelliketobedivinelybeautiful？"

"Wellnow，no，Ihaven’t，"confessedMatthewingenuously。

"Ihave，often。Whichwouldyouratherbeifyouhadthechoice——divinelybeautifulordazzlinglycleverorangelicallygood？"

"Wellnow，I——Idon’tknowexactly。"

"NeitherdoI。Icanneverdecide。Butitdoesn’tmakemuchrealdifferenceforitisn’tlikelyI’lleverbeeither。It’scertainI’llneverbeangelicallygood。

Mrs。Spencersays——oh，Mr。Cuthbert！Oh，Mr。Cuthbert！！

Oh，Mr。Cuthbert！！！"

ThatwasnotwhatMrs。Spencerhadsaid；neitherhadthechildtumbledoutofthebuggynorhadMatthewdoneanythingastonishing。Theyhadsimplyroundedacurveintheroadandfoundthemselvesinthe"Avenue。"

The"Avenue，"socalledbytheNewbridgepeople，wasastretchofroadfourorfivehundredyardslong，completelyarchedoverwithhuge，wide-spreadingapple-trees，plantedyearsagobyaneccentricoldfarmer。Overheadwasonelongcanopyofsnowyfragrantbloom。Belowtheboughstheairwasfullofapurpletwilightandfaraheadaglimpseofpaintedsunsetskyshonelikeagreatrosewindowattheendofacathedralaisle。

Itsbeautyseemedtostrikethechilddumb。Sheleanedbackinthebuggy，herthinhandsclaspedbeforeher，herfaceliftedrapturouslytothewhitesplendorabove。EvenwhentheyhadpassedoutandweredrivingdownthelongslopetoNewbridgeshenevermovedorspoke。Stillwithraptfaceshegazedafarintothesunsetwest，witheyesthatsawvisionstroopingsplendidlyacrossthatglowingbackground。

ThroughNewbridge，abustlinglittlevillagewheredogsbarkedatthemandsmallboyshootedandcuriousfacespeeredfromthewindows，theydrove，stillinsilence。Whenthreemoremileshaddroppedawaybehindthemthechildhadnotspoken。Shecouldkeepsilence，itwasevident，asenergeticallyasshecouldtalk。

"Iguessyou’refeelingprettytiredandhungry，"

Matthewventuredtosayatlast，accountingforherlongvisitationofdumbnesswiththeonlyreasonhecouldthinkof。"Butwehaven’tveryfartogonow——onlyanothermile。"

Shecameoutofherreveriewithadeepsighandlookedathimwiththedreamygazeofasoulthathadbeenwonderingafar，star-led。

"Oh，Mr。Cuthbert，"shewhispered，"thatplacewecamethrough——thatwhiteplace——whatwasit？"

"Wellnow，youmustmeantheAvenue，"saidMatthewafterafewmoments’profoundreflection。"Itisakindofprettyplace。"

"Pretty？Oh，PRETTYdoesn’tseemtherightwordtouse。

Norbeautiful，either。Theydon’tgofarenough。Oh，itwaswonderful——wonderful。It’sthefirstthingIeversawthatcouldn’tbeimproveduponbyimagination。Itjustsatisfiesmehere"——sheputonehandonherbreast——"itmadeaqueerfunnyacheandyetitwasapleasantache。Didyoueverhaveanachelikethat，Mr。Cuthbert？"

"Wellnow，Ijustcan’trecollectthatIeverhad。"

"Ihaveitlotsoftime——wheneverIseeanythingroyallybeautiful。Buttheyshouldn’tcallthatlovelyplacetheAvenue。Thereisnomeaninginanamelikethat。Theyshouldcallit——letmesee——theWhiteWayofDelight。Isn’tthataniceimaginativename？WhenIdon’tlikethenameofaplaceorapersonIalwaysimagineanewoneandalwaysthinkofthemso。TherewasagirlattheasylumwhosenamewasHepzibahJenkins，butIalwaysimaginedherasRosaliaDeVere。OtherpeoplemaycallthatplacetheAvenue，butI

shallalwayscallittheWhiteWayofDelight。Havewereallyonlyanothermiletogobeforewegethome？I’mgladandI’msorry。I’msorrybecausethisdrivehasbeensopleasantandI’malwayssorrywhenpleasantthingsend。

Somethingstillpleasantermaycomeafter，butyoucanneverbesure。Andit’ssooftenthecasethatitisn’tpleasanter。Thathasbeenmyexperienceanyhow。ButI’mgladtothinkofgettinghome。Yousee，I’veneverhadarealhomesinceIcanremember。Itgivesmethatpleasantacheagainjusttothinkofcomingtoareallytrulyhome。

Oh，isn’tthatpretty！"

Theyhaddrivenoverthecrestofahill。Belowthemwasapond，lookingalmostlikeariversolongandwindingwasit。Abridgespanneditmidwayandfromtheretoitslowerend，whereanamber-huedbeltofsand-hillsshutitinfromthedarkbluegulfbeyond，thewaterwasagloryofmanyshiftinghues——themostspiritualshadingsofcrocusandroseandetherealgreen，withotherelusivetintingsforwhichnonamehaseverbeenfound。Abovethebridgethepondranupintofringinggrovesoffirandmapleandlayalldarklytranslucentintheirwaveringshadows。Hereandthereawildplumleanedoutfromthebanklikeawhite-cladgirltip-toeingtoherownreflection。Fromthemarshattheheadofthepondcametheclear，mournfully-sweetchorusofthefrogs。Therewasalittlegrayhousepeeringaroundawhiteappleorchardonaslopebeyondand，althoughitwasnotyetquitedark，alightwasshiningfromoneofitswindows。

"That’sBarry’spond，"saidMatthew。

"Oh，Idon’tlikethatname，either。Ishallcallit——letmesee——theLakeofShiningWaters。Yes，thatistherightnameforit。Iknowbecauseofthethrill。WhenIhitonanamethatsuitsexactlyitgivesmeathrill。Dothingsevergiveyouathrill？"

Matthewruminated。

"Wellnow，yes。Italwayskindofgivesmeathrilltoseethemuglywhitegrubsthatspadeupinthecucumberbeds。

Ihatethelookofthem。"

"Oh，Idon’tthinkthatcanbeexactlythesamekindofathrill。Doyouthinkitcan？Theredoesn’tseemtobemuchconnectionbetweengrubsandlakesofshiningwaters，doesthere？ButwhydootherpeoplecallitBarry’spond？"

"IreckonbecauseMr。Barrylivesupthereinthathouse。

OrchardSlope’sthenameofhisplace。Ifitwasn’tforthatbigbushbehindityoucouldseeGreenGablesfromhere。Butwehavetogooverthebridgeandroundbytheroad，soit’snearhalfamilefurther。"

"HasMr。Barryanylittlegirls？Well，notsoverylittleeither——aboutmysize。"

"He’sgotoneabouteleven。HernameisDiana。"

"Oh！"withalongindrawingofbreath。"Whataperfectlylovelyname！"

"Wellnow，Idunno。There’ssomethingdreadfulheathenishaboutit，seemstome。I’drutherJaneorMaryorsomesensiblenamelikethat。ButwhenDianawasborntherewasaschoolmasterboardingthereandtheygavehimthenamingofherandhecalledherDiana。"

"IwishtherehadbeenaschoolmasterlikethataroundwhenIwasborn，then。Oh，hereweareatthebridge。I’mgoingtoshutmyeyestight。I’malwaysafraidgoingoverbridges。Ican’thelpimaginingthatperhapsjustaswegettothemiddle，they’llcrumpleuplikeajack-knifeandnipus。SoIshutmyeyes。ButIalwayshavetoopenthemforallwhenIthinkwe’regettingnearthemiddle。

Because，yousee，ifthebridgeDIDcrumpleupI’dwanttoSEEitcrumple。Whatajollyrumbleitmakes！Ialwaysliketherumblepartofit。Isn’titsplendidtherearesomanythingstolikeinthisworld？Therewe’reover。NowI’lllookback。Goodnight，dearLakeofShiningWaters。I

alwayssaygoodnighttothethingsIlove，justasIwouldtopeopleIthinktheylikeit。Thatwaterlooksasifitwassmilingatme。"

WhentheyhaddrivenupthefurtherhillandaroundacornerMatthewsaid:

"We’reprettynearhomenow。That’sGreenGablesover——"

"Oh，don’ttellme，"sheinterruptedbreathlessly，catchingathispartiallyraisedarmandshuttinghereyesthatshemightnotseehisgesture。"Letmeguess。I’msureI’llguessright。"

Sheopenedhereyesandlookedabouther。Theywereonthecrestofahill。Thesunhadsetsometimesince，butthelandscapewasstillclearinthemellowafterlight。Tothewestadarkchurchspireroseupagainstamarigoldsky。

Belowwasalittlevalleyandbeyondalong，gently-risingslopewithsnugfarmsteadsscatteredalongit。Fromonetoanotherthechild’seyesdarted，eagerandwistful。Atlasttheylingeredononeawaytotheleft，farbackfromtheroad，dimlywhitewithblossomingtreesinthetwilightofthesurroundingwoods。Overit，inthestainlesssouthwestsky，agreatcrystal-whitestarwasshininglikealampofguidanceandpromise。

"That’sit，isn’tit？"shesaid，pointing。

Matthewslappedthereinsonthesorrel’sbackdelightedly。

"Wellnow，you’veguessedit！ButIreckonMrs。Spencerdescribeditso’syoucouldtell。"

"No，shedidn’t——reallyshedidn’t。Allshesaidmightjustaswellhavebeenaboutmostofthoseotherplaces。I

hadn’tanyrealideawhatitlookedlike。ButjustassoonasIsawitIfeltitwashome。Oh，itseemsasifImustbeinadream。Doyouknow，myarmmustbeblackandbluefromtheelbowup，forI’vepinchedmyselfsomanytimestoday。EverylittlewhileahorriblesickeningfeelingwouldcomeovermeandI’dbesoafraiditwasalladream。

ThenI’dpinchmyselftoseeifitwasreal——untilsuddenlyIrememberedthatevensupposingitwasonlyadreamI’dbettergoondreamingaslongasIcould；soIstoppedpinching。ButitISrealandwe’renearlyhome。"

Withasighofrapturesherelapsedintosilence。Matthewstirreduneasily。HefeltgladthatitwouldbeMarillaandnothewhowouldhavetotellthiswaifoftheworldthatthehomeshelongedforwasnottobehersafterall。TheydroveoverLynde’sHollow，whereitwasalreadyquitedark，butnotsodarkthatMrs。Rachelcouldnotseethemfromherwindowvantage，andupthehillandintothelonglaneofGreenGables。BythetimetheyarrivedatthehouseMatthewwasshrinkingfromtheapproachingrevelationwithanenergyhedidnotunderstand。ItwasnotofMarillaorhimselfhewasthinkingofthetroublethismistakewasprobablygoingtomakeforthem，butofthechild’sdisappointment。Whenhethoughtofthatraptlightbeingquenchedinhereyeshehadanuncomfortablefeelingthathewasgoingtoassistatmurderingsomething——muchthesamefeelingthatcameoverhimwhenhehadtokillalamborcalforanyotherinnocentlittlecreature。

Theyardwasquitedarkastheyturnedintoitandthepoplarleaveswererustlingsilkilyallroundit。

"Listentothetreestalkingintheirsleep，"shewhispered，asheliftedhertotheground。"Whatnicedreamstheymusthave！"

Then，holdingtightlytothecarpet-bagwhichcontained"allherworldlygoods，"shefollowedhimintothehouse。

CHAPTERIII

MarillaCuthbertisSurprisedMarillacamebrisklyforwardasMatthewopenedthedoor。

Butwhenhereyesfelloftheoddlittlefigureinthestiff，uglydress，withthelongbraidsofredhairandtheeager，luminouseyes，shestoppedshortinamazement。

"MatthewCuthbert，who’sthat？"sheejaculated。"Whereistheboy？"

"Therewasn’tanyboy，"saidMatthewwretchedly。"TherewasonlyHER。"

Henoddedatthechild，rememberingthathehadneverevenaskedhername。

"Noboy！ButthereMUSThavebeenaboy，"insistedMarilla。

"WesentwordtoMrs。Spencertobringaboy。"

"Well，shedidn’t。ShebroughtHER。Iaskedthestation-

master。AndIhadtobringherhome。Shecouldn’tbeleftthere，nomatterwherethemistakehadcomein。"

"Well，thisisaprettypieceofbusiness！"ejaculatedMarilla。

Duringthisdialoguethechildhadremainedsilent，hereyesrovingfromonetotheother，alltheanimationfadingoutofherface。Suddenlysheseemedtograspthefullmeaningofwhathadbeensaid。Droppingherpreciouscarpet-bagshesprangforwardastepandclaspedherhands。

"Youdon’twantme！"shecried。"Youdon’twantmebecauseI’mnotaboy！Imighthaveexpectedit。Nobodyeverdidwantme。Imighthaveknownitwasalltoobeautifultolast。

Imighthaveknownnobodyreallydidwantme。Oh，whatshallIdo？I’mgoingtoburstintotears！"

Burstintotearsshedid。Sittingdownonachairbythetable，flingingherarmsoutuponit，andburyingherfaceinthem，sheproceededtocrystormily。MarillaandMatthewlookedateachotherdeprecatinglyacrossthestove。

Neitherofthemknewwhattosayordo。FinallyMarillasteppedlamelyintothebreach。

"Well，well，there’snoneedtocrysoaboutit。"

"Yes，thereISneed！"Thechildraisedherheadquickly，revealingatear-stainedfaceandtremblinglips。"YOU

wouldcry，too，ifyouwereanorphanandhadcometoaplaceyouthoughtwasgoingtobehomeandfoundthattheydidn’twantyoubecauseyouweren’taboy。Oh，thisisthemostTRAGICALthingthateverhappenedtome！"

Somethinglikeareluctantsmile，ratherrustyfromlongdisuse，mellowedMarilla’sgrimexpression。

"Well，don’tcryanymore。We’renotgoingtoturnyouout-

of-doorsto-night。You’llhavetostayhereuntilweinvestigatethisaffair。What’syourname？"

Thechildhesitatedforamoment。

"WillyoupleasecallmeCordelia？"shesaideagerly。

"CALLyouCordelia？Isthatyourname？"

"No-o-o，it’snotexactlymyname，butIwouldlovetobecalledCordelia。It’ssuchaperfectlyelegantname。"

"Idon’tknowwhatonearthyoumean。IfCordeliaisn’tyourname，whatis？"

"AnneShirley，"reluctantlyfalteredforththeownerofthatname，"but，oh，pleasedocallmeCordelia。Itcan’tmattermuchtoyouwhatyoucallmeifI’monlygoingtobeherealittlewhile，canit？AndAnneissuchanunromanticname。"

"Unromanticfiddlesticks！"saidtheunsympatheticMarilla。

"Anneisarealgoodplainsensiblename。You’venoneedtobeashamedofit。"

"Oh，I’mnotashamedofit，"explainedAnne，"onlyIlikeCordeliabetter。I’vealwaysimaginedthatmynamewasCordelia——atleast，Ialwayshaveoflateyears。WhenIwasyoungIusedtoimagineitwasGeraldine，butIlikeCordeliabetternow。ButifyoucallmeAnnepleasecallmeAnnespelledwithanE。"

"Whatdifferencedoesitmakehowit’sspelled？"askedMarillawithanotherrustysmileasshepickeduptheteapot。

"Oh，itmakesSUCHadifference。ItLOOKSsomuchnicer。

Whenyouhearanamepronouncedcan’tyoualwaysseeitinyourmind，justasifitwasprintedout？Ican；andA-n-nlooksdreadful，butA-n-n-elookssomuchmoredistinguished。

Ifyou’llonlycallmeAnnespelledwithanEIshalltrytoreconcilemyselftonotbeingcalledCordelia。"

"Verywell，then，AnnespelledwithanE，canyoutellushowthismistakecametobemade？WesentwordtoMrs。Spencertobringusaboy。Weretherenoboysattheasylum？"

"Oh，yes，therewasanabundanceofthem。ButMrs。SpencersaidDISTINCTLYthatyouwantedagirlaboutelevenyearsold。AndthematronsaidshethoughtIwoulddo。Youdon’tknowhowdelightedIwas。Icouldn’tsleepalllastnightforjoy。Oh，"sheaddedreproachfully，turningtoMatthew，"whydidn’tyoutellmeatthestationthatyoudidn’twantmeandleavemethere？IfIhadn’tseentheWhiteWayofDelightandtheLakeofShiningWatersitwouldn’tbesohard。"

"Whatonearthdoesshemean？"demandedMarilla，staringatMatthew。

"She——she’sjustreferringtosomeconversationwehadontheroad，"saidMatthewhastily。"I’mgoingouttoputthemarein，Marilla。HaveteareadywhenIcomeback。"

"DidMrs。Spencerbringanybodyoverbesidesyou？"

continuedMarillawhenMatthewhadgoneout。

"ShebroughtLilyJonesforherself。Lilyisonlyfiveyearsoldandsheisverybeautifulandhadnut-brownhair。IfIwasverybeautifulandhadnut-brownhairwouldyoukeepme？"

"No。WewantaboytohelpMatthewonthefarm。Agirlwouldbeofnousetous。Takeoffyourhat。I’lllayitandyourbagonthehalltable。"

Annetookoffherhatmeekly。Matthewcamebackpresentlyandtheysatdowntosupper。ButAnnecouldnoteat。Invainshenibbledatthebreadandbutterandpeckedatthecrab-applepreserveoutofthelittlescallopedglassdishbyherplate。Shedidnotreallymakeanyheadwayatall。

"You’renoteatinganything，"saidMarillasharply，eyingherasifitwereaseriousshortcoming。Annesighed。

"Ican’t。I’minthedepthsofdespair。Canyoueatwhenyouareinthedepthsofdespair？"

"I’veneverbeeninthedepthsofdespair，soIcan’tsay，"

respondedMarilla。

"Weren’tyou？Well，didyouevertrytoIMAGINEyouwereinthedepthsofdespair？"

"No，Ididn’t。"

"ThenIdon’tthinkyoucanunderstandwhatit’slike。It’sveryuncomfortablefeelingindeed。Whenyoutrytoeatalumpcomesrightupinyourthroatandyoucan’tswallowanything，notevenifitwasachocolatecaramel。Ihadonechocolatecarameloncetwoyearsagoanditwassimplydelicious。I’veoftendreamedsincethenthatIhadalotofchocolatecaramels，butIalwayswakeupjustwhenI’mgoingtoeatthem。Idohopeyouwon’tbeoffendedbecauseIcan’teat。Everythingisextremelynice，butstillIcannoteat。"

"Iguessshe’stired，"saidMatthew，whohadn’tspokensincehisreturnfromthebarn。"Bestputhertobed，Marilla。"

MarillahadbeenwonderingwhereAnneshouldbeputtobed。

Shehadpreparedacouchinthekitchenchamberforthedesiredandexpectedboy。But，althoughitwasneatandclean，itdidnotseemquitethethingtoputagirltheresomehow。Butthespareroomwasoutofthequestionforsuchastraywaif，sothereremainedonlytheeastgableroom。MarillalightedacandleandtoldAnnetofollowher，whichAnnespiritlesslydid，takingherhatandcarpet-bagfromthehalltableasshepassed。Thehallwasfearsomelyclean；thelittlegablechamberinwhichshepresentlyfoundherselfseemedstillcleaner。

Marillasetthecandleonathree-legged，three-corneredtableandturneddownthebedclothes。

"Isupposeyouhaveanightgown？"shequestioned。

Annenodded。

"Yes，Ihavetwo。Thematronoftheasylummadethemforme。They’refearfullyskimpy。Thereisneverenoughtogoaroundinanasylum，sothingsarealwaysskimpy——atleastinapoorasylumlikeours。Ihateskimpynight-dresses。

Butonecandreamjustaswellinthemasinlovelytrailingones，withfrillsaroundtheneck，that’soneconsolation。"

"Well，undressasquickasyoucanandgotobed。I’llcomebackinafewminutesforthecandle。Idaren’ttrustyoutoputitoutyourself。You’dlikelysettheplaceonfire。"

WhenMarillahadgoneAnnelookedaroundherwistfully。

Thewhitewashedwallsweresopainfullybareandstaringthatshethoughttheymustacheovertheirownbareness。

Thefloorwasbare，too，exceptforaroundbraidedmatinthemiddlesuchasAnnehadneverseenbefore。Inonecornerwasthebed，ahigh，old-fashionedone，withfourdark，low-

turnedposts。Intheothercornerwastheaforesaidthree-

cornertableadornedwithafat，redvelvetpin-cushionhardenoughtoturnthepointofthemostadventurouspin。Aboveithungalittlesix-by-eightmirror。Midwaybetweentableandbedwasthewindow，withanicywhitemuslinfrilloverit，andoppositeitwasthewash-stand。Thewholeapartmentwasofarigiditynottobedescribedinwords，butwhichsentashivertotheverymarrowofAnne’sbones。Withasobshehastilydiscardedhergarments，putontheskimpynightgownandsprangintobedwheresheburrowedfacedownwardintothepillowandpulledtheclothesoverherhead。WhenMarillacameupforthelightvariousskimpyarticlesofraimentscatteredmostuntidilyoverthefloorandacertaintempestuousappearanceofthebedweretheonlyindicationsofanypresencesaveherown。

ShedeliberatelypickedupAnne’sclothes，placedthemneatlyonaprimyellowchair，andthen，takingupthecandle，wentovertothebed。

"Goodnight，"shesaid，alittleawkwardly，butnotunkindly。

Anne’swhitefaceandbigeyesappearedoverthebedclotheswithastartlingsuddenness。

"HowcanyoucallitaGOODnightwhenyouknowitmustbetheveryworstnightI’veeverhad？"shesaidreproachfully。

Thenshediveddownintoinvisibilityagain。

Marillawentslowlydowntothekitchenandproceededtowashthesupperdishes。Matthewwassmoking——asuresignofperturbationofmind。Heseldomsmoked，forMarillasetherfaceagainstitasafilthyhabit；butatcertaintimesandseasonshefeltdriventoitandthemMarillawinkedatthepractice，realizingthatameremanmusthavesomeventforhisemotions。

"Well，thisisaprettykettleoffish，"shesaidwrathfully。"Thisiswhatcomesofsendingwordinsteadofgoingourselves。RichardSpencer’sfolkshavetwistedthatmessagesomehow。OneofuswillhavetodriveoverandseeMrs。Spencertomorrow，that’scertain。Thisgirlwillhavetobesentbacktotheasylum。"

"Yes，Isupposeso，"saidMatthewreluctantly。

"YouSUPPOSEso！Don’tyouknowit？"

"Wellnow，she’sarealnicelittlething，Marilla。It’skindofapitytosendherbackwhenshe’ssosetonstayinghere。"

"MatthewCuthbert，youdon’tmeantosayyouthinkweoughttokeepher！"

Marilla’sastonishmentcouldnothavebeengreaterifMatthewhadexpressedapredilectionforstandingonhishead。

"Well，now，no，Isupposenot——notexactly，"stammeredMatthew，uncomfortablydrivenintoacornerforhisprecisemeaning。

"Isuppose——wecouldhardlybeexpectedtokeepher。"

"Ishouldsaynot。Whatgoodwouldshebetous？"

"Wemightbesomegoodtoher，"saidMatthewsuddenlyandunexpectedly。

"MatthewCuthbert，Ibelievethatchildhasbewitchedyou！

Icanseeasplainasplainthatyouwanttokeepher。"

"Wellnow，she’sarealinterestinglittlething，"persistedMatthew。"Youshouldhaveheardhertalkcomingfromthestation。"

"Oh，shecantalkfastenough。Isawthatatonce。It’snothinginherfavour，either。Idon’tlikechildrenwhohavesomuchtosay。Idon’twantanorphangirlandifI

didsheisn’tthestyleI’dpickout。There’ssomethingI

don’tunderstandabouther。No，she’sgottobedespatchedstraight-waybacktowhereshecamefrom。"

"IcouldhireaFrenchboytohelpme，"saidMatthew，"andshe’dbecompanyforyou。"

"I’mnotsufferingforcompany，"saidMarillashortly。"AndI’mnotgoingtokeepher。"

"Wellnow，it’sjustasyousay，ofcourse，Marilla，"saidMatthewrisingandputtinghispipeaway。"I’mgoingtobed。"

TobedwentMatthew。Andtobed，whenshehadputherdishesaway，wentMarilla，frowningmostresolutely。Andup-stairs，intheeastgable，alonely，heart-hungry，friendlesschildcriedherselftosleep。

CHAPTERIV

MorningatGreenGablesItwasbroaddaylightwhenAnneawokeandsatupinbed，staringconfusedlyatthewindowthroughwhichafloodofcheerysunshinewaspouringandoutsideofwhichsomethingwhiteandfeatherywavedacrossglimpsesofbluesky。

Foramomentshecouldnotrememberwhereshewas。Firstcameadelightfulthrill，assomethingverypleasant；thenahorribleremembrance。ThiswasGreenGablesandtheydidn’twantherbecauseshewasn’taboy！

Butitwasmorningand，yes，itwasacherry-treeinfullbloomoutsideofherwindow。Withaboundshewasoutofbedandacrossthefloor。Shepushedupthesash——itwentupstifflyandcreakily，asifithadn’tbeenopenedforalongtime，whichwasthecase；anditstucksotightthatnothingwasneededtoholditup。

AnnedroppedonherkneesandgazedoutintotheJunemorning，hereyesglisteningwithdelight。Oh，wasn’titbeautiful？Wasn’titalovelyplace？Supposeshewasn’treallygoingtostayhere！Shewouldimagineshewas。

Therewasscopeforimaginationhere。

Ahugecherry-treegrewoutside，soclosethatitsboughstappedagainstthehouse，anditwassothick-setwithblossomsthathardlyaleafwastobeseen。Onbothsidesofthehousewasabigorchard，oneofapple-treesandoneofcherry-trees，alsoshoweredoverwithblossoms；andtheirgrasswasallsprinkledwithdandelions。Inthegardenbelowwerelilac-treespurplewithflowers，andtheirdizzilysweetfragrancedrifteduptothewindowonthemorningwind。

Belowthegardenagreenfieldlushwithcloverslopeddowntothehollowwherethebrookranandwherescoresofwhitebirchesgrew，upspringingairilyoutofanundergrowthsuggestiveofdelightfulpossibilitiesinfernsandmossesandwoodsythingsgenerally。Beyonditwasahill，greenandfeatherywithspruceandfir；therewasagapinitwherethegraygableendofthelittlehouseshehadseenfromtheothersideoftheLakeofShiningWaterswasvisible。

Offtotheleftwerethebigbarnsandbeyondthem，awaydownovergreen，low-slopingfields，wasasparklingblueglimpseofsea。

Anne’sbeauty-lovingeyeslingeredonitall，takingeverythinggreedilyin。Shehadlookedonsomanyunlovelyplacesinherlife，poorchild；butthiswasaslovelyasanythingshehadeverdreamed。