第10章

Sheneverforgotthatday；itwassobrightandgoldenandfair，sofreefromshadowandsolavishofblossom。Annespentsomeofitsrichhoursintheorchard；shewenttotheDryad’sBubbleandWillowmereandVioletVale；shecalledatthemanseandhadasatisfyingtalkwithMrs。Allan；andfinallyintheeveningshewentwithMatthewforthecows，throughLovers’Lanetothebackpasture。Thewoodswereallgloriedthroughwithsunsetandthewarmsplendorofitstreameddownthroughthehillgapsinthewest。Matthewwalkedslowlywithbenthead；Anne，tallanderect，suitedherspringingsteptohis。

"You’vebeenworkingtoohardtoday，Matthew，"shesaidreproachfully。"Whywon’tyoutakethingseasier？"

"Wellnow，Ican’tseemto，"saidMatthew，asheopenedtheyardgatetoletthecowsthrough。"It’sonlythatI’mgettingold，Anne，andkeepforgettingit。Well，well，I’vealwaysworkedprettyhardandI’dratherdropinharness。"

"IfIhadbeentheboyyousentfor，"saidAnnewistfully，"I’dbeabletohelpyousomuchnowandspareyouinahundredways。IcouldfinditinmyhearttowishIhadbeen，justforthat。"

"Wellnow，I’dratherhaveyouthanadozenboys，Anne，"

saidMatthewpattingherhand。"Justmindyouthat——

ratherthanadozenboys。Wellnow，Iguessitwasn’taboythattooktheAveryscholarship，wasit？Itwasagirl——mygirl——mygirlthatI’mproudof。"

Hesmiledhisshysmileatherashewentintotheyard。

Annetookthememoryofitwithherwhenshewenttoherroomthatnightandsatforalongwhileatheropenwindow，thinkingofthepastanddreamingofthefuture。

OutsidetheSnowQueenwasmistilywhiteinthemoonshine；

thefrogsweresinginginthemarshbeyondOrchardSlope。

Annealwaysrememberedthesilvery，peacefulbeautyandfragrantcalmofthatnight。Itwasthelastnightbeforesorrowtouchedherlife；andnolifeiseverquitethesameagainwhenoncethatcold，sanctifyingtouchhasbeenlaiduponit。

CHAPTERXXXVII

TheReaperWhoseNameIsDeath"Matthew——Matthew——whatisthematter？Matthew，areyousick？"

ItwasMarillawhospoke，alarmineveryjerkyword。Annecamethroughthehall，herhandsfullofwhitenarcissus，——itwaslongbeforeAnnecouldlovethesightorodorofwhitenarcissusagain，——intimetohearherandtoseeMatthewstandingintheporchdoorway，afoldedpaperinhishand，andhisfacestrangelydrawnandgray。AnnedroppedherflowersandsprangacrossthekitchentohimatthesamemomentasMarilla。Theywerebothtoolate；beforetheycouldreachhimMatthewhadfallenacrossthethreshold。

"He’sfainted，"gaspedMarilla。"Anne，runforMartin——

quick，quick！He’satthebarn。"

Martin，thehiredman，whohadjustdrivenhomefromthepostoffice，startedatonceforthedoctor，callingatOrchardSlopeonhiswaytosendMr。andMrs。Barryover。

Mrs。Lynde，whowasthereonanerrand，cametoo。TheyfoundAnneandMarilladistractedlytryingtorestoreMatthewtoconsciousness。

Mrs。Lyndepushedthemgentlyaside，triedhispulse，andthenlaidherearoverhisheart。Shelookedattheiranxiousfacessorrowfullyandthetearscameintohereyes。

"Oh，Marilla，"shesaidgravely。"Idon’tthink——wecandoanythingforhim。"

"Mrs。Lynde，youdon’tthink——youcan’tthinkMatthewis——is——"

Annecouldnotsaythedreadfulword；sheturnedsickandpallid。

"Child，yes，I’mafraidofit。Lookathisface。Whenyou’veseenthatlookasoftenasIhaveyou’llknowwhatitmeans。"

AnnelookedatthestillfaceandtherebeheldthesealoftheGreatPresence。

Whenthedoctorcamehesaidthatdeathhadbeeninstantaneousandprobablypainless，causedinalllikelihoodbysomesuddenshock。

ThesecretoftheshockwasdiscoveredtobeinthepaperMatthewhadheldandwhichMartinhadbroughtfromtheofficethatmorning。

ItcontainedanaccountofthefailureoftheAbbeyBank。

ThenewsspreadquicklythroughAvonlea，andalldayfriendsandneighborsthrongedGreenGablesandcameandwentonerrandsofkindnessforthedeadandliving。

Forthefirsttimeshy，quietMatthewCuthbertwasapersonofcentralimportance；thewhitemajestyofdeathhadfallenonhimandsethimapartasonecrowned。

WhenthecalmnightcamesoftlydownoverGreenGablestheoldhousewashushedandtranquil。IntheparlorlayMatthewCuthbertinhiscoffin，hislonggrayhairframinghisplacidfaceonwhichtherewasalittlekindlysmileasifhebutslept，dreamingpleasantdreams。Therewereflowersabouthim——sweetold-fashionedflowerswhichhismotherhadplantedinthehomesteadgardeninherbridaldaysandforwhichMatthewhadalwayshadasecret，wordlesslove。

Annehadgatheredthemandbroughtthemtohim，heranguished，tearlesseyesburninginherwhiteface。Itwasthelastthingshecoulddoforhim。

TheBarrysandMrs。Lyndestayedwiththemthatnight。

Diana，goingtotheeastgable，whereAnnewasstandingatherwindow，saidgently:

"Annedear，wouldyouliketohavemesleepwithyoutonight？"

"Thankyou，Diana。"Annelookedearnestlyintoherfriend’sface。

"Ithinkyouwon’tmisunderstandmewhenIsayIwanttobealone。

I’mnotafraid。Ihaven’tbeenaloneoneminutesinceithappened——

andIwanttobe。Iwanttobequitesilentandquietandtrytorealizeit。Ican’trealizeit。HalfthetimeitseemstomethatMatthewcan’tbedead；andtheotherhalfitseemsasifhemusthavebeendeadforalongtimeandI’vehadthishorribledullacheeversince。"

Dianadidnotquiteunderstand。Marilla’simpassionedgrief，breakingalltheboundsofnaturalreserveandlifelonghabitinitsstormyrush，shecouldcomprehendbetterthanAnne’stearlessagony。Butshewentawaykindly，leavingAnnealonetokeepherfirstvigilwithsorrow。

Annehopedthatthetearswouldcomeinsolitude。ItseemedtoheraterriblethingthatshecouldnotshedatearforMatthew，whomshehadlovedsomuchandwhohadbeensokindtoher，Matthewwhohadwalkedwithherlasteveningatsunsetandwasnowlyinginthedimroombelowwiththatawfulpeaceonhisbrow。Butnotearscameatfirst，evenwhenshekneltbyherwindowinthedarknessandprayed，lookinguptothestarsbeyondthehills——notears，onlythesamehorribledullacheofmiserythatkeptonachinguntilshefellasleep，wornoutwiththeday’spainandexcitement。

Inthenightsheawakened，withthestillnessandthedarknessabouther，andtherecollectionofthedaycameoverherlikeawaveofsorrow。ShecouldseeMatthew’sfacesmilingatherashehadsmiledwhentheypartedatthegatethatlastevening——shecouldhearhisvoicesaying，"Mygirl——mygirlthatI’mproudof。"ThenthetearscameandAnneweptherheartout。Marillaheardherandcreptintocomforther。

"There——there——don’tcryso，dearie。Itcan’tbringhimback。

It——it——isn’trighttocryso。Iknewthattoday，butI

couldn’thelpitthen。He’dalwaysbeensuchagood，kindbrothertome——butGodknowsbest。"

"Oh，justletmecry，Marilla，"sobbedAnne。"Thetearsdon’thurtmelikethatachedid。Stayhereforalittlewhilewithmeandkeepyourarmroundme——so。Icouldn’thaveDianastay，she’sgoodandkindandsweet——butit’snothersorrow——she’soutsideofitandshecouldn’tcomecloseenoughtomyhearttohelpme。It’soursorrow——

yoursandmine。Oh，Marilla，whatwillwedowithouthim？"

"We’vegoteachother，Anne。Idon’tknowwhatI’ddoifyouweren’there——ifyou’dnevercome。Oh，Anne，I

knowI’vebeenkindofstrictandharshwithyoumaybe——

butyoumustn’tthinkIdidn’tloveyouaswellasMatthewdid，forallthat。IwanttotellyounowwhenIcan。It’sneverbeeneasyformetosaythingsoutofmyheart，butattimeslikethisit’seasier。Iloveyouasdearasifyouweremyownfleshandbloodandyou’vebeenmyjoyandcomforteversinceyoucametoGreenGables。"

TwodaysafterwardstheycarriedMatthewCuthbertoverhishomesteadthresholdandawayfromthefieldshehadtilledandtheorchardshehadlovedandthetreeshehadplanted；andthenAvonleasettledbacktoitsusualplacidityandevenatGreenGablesaffairsslippedintotheiroldgrooveandworkwasdoneanddutiesfulfilledwithregularityasbefore，althoughalwayswiththeachingsenseof"lossinallfamiliarthings。"Anne，newtogrief，thoughtitalmostsadthatitcouldbeso——thattheyCOULD

goonintheoldwaywithoutMatthew。Shefeltsomethinglikeshameandremorsewhenshediscoveredthatthesunrisesbehindthefirsandthepalepinkbudsopeninginthegardengavehertheoldinrushofgladnesswhenshesawthem——thatDiana’svisitswerepleasanttoherandthatDiana’smerrywordsandwaysmovedhertolaughterandsmiles——that，inbrief，thebeautifulworldofblossomandloveandfriendshiphadlostnoneofitspowertopleaseherfancyandthrillherheart，thatlifestillcalledtoherwithmanyinsistentvoices。

"ItseemslikedisloyaltytoMatthew，somehow，tofindpleasureinthesethingsnowthathehasgone，"shesaidwistfullytoMrs。Allanoneeveningwhentheyweretogetherinthemansegarden。"Imisshimsomuch——allthetime——

andyet，Mrs。Allan，theworldandlifeseemverybeautifulandinterestingtomeforall。TodayDianasaidsomethingfunnyandIfoundmyselflaughing。IthoughtwhenithappenedIcouldneverlaughagain。AnditsomehowseemsasifIoughtn’tto。"

"WhenMatthewwasherehelikedtohearyoulaughandhelikedtoknowthatyoufoundpleasureinthepleasantthingsaroundyou，"saidMrs。Allangently。

"Heisjustawaynow；andhelikestoknowitjustthesame。

Iamsureweshouldnotshutourheartsagainstthehealinginfluencesthatnatureoffersus。ButIcanunderstandyourfeeling。Ithinkweallexperiencethesamething。

Weresentthethoughtthatanythingcanpleaseuswhensomeoneweloveisnolongerheretosharethepleasurewithus，andwealmostfeelasifwewereunfaithfultooursorrowwhenwefindourinterestinlifereturningtous。"

"IwasdowntothegraveyardtoplantarosebushonMatthew’sgravethisafternoon，"saidAnnedreamily。

"ItookaslipofthelittlewhiteScotchrosebushhismotherbroughtoutfromScotlandlongago；Matthewalwayslikedthoserosesthebest——theyweresosmallandsweetontheirthornystems。ItmademefeelgladthatIcouldplantitbyhisgrave——asifIweredoingsomethingthatmustpleasehimintakingittheretobenearhim。Ihopehehasrosesliketheminheaven。Perhapsthesoulsofallthoselittlewhiterosesthathehaslovedsomanysummerswerealltheretomeethim。Imustgohomenow。Marillaisallaloneandshegetslonelyattwilight。"

"Shewillbelonelierstill，Ifear，whenyougoawayagaintocollege，"saidMrs。Allan。

Annedidnotreply；shesaidgoodnightandwentslowlybacktogreenGables。Marillawassittingonthefrontdoor-stepsandAnnesatdownbesideher。Thedoorwasopenbehindthem，heldbackbyabigpinkconchshellwithhintsofseasunsetsinitssmoothinnerconvolutions。

Annegatheredsomespraysofpale-yellowhoneysuckleandputtheminherhair。Shelikedthedelicioushintoffragrance，assomeaerialbenediction，abovehereverytimeshemoved。

"DoctorSpencerwasherewhileyouwereaway，"Marillasaid。

"HesaysthatthespecialistwillbeintowntomorrowandheinsiststhatImustgoinandhavemyeyesexamined。

IsupposeI’dbettergoandhaveitover。I’llbemorethanthankfulifthemancangivemetherightkindofglassestosuitmyeyes。Youwon’tmindstayingherealonewhileI’maway，willyou？Martinwillhavetodrivemeinandthere’sironingandbakingtodo。"

"Ishallbeallright。Dianawillcomeoverforcompanyforme。Ishallattendtotheironingandbakingbeautifully——

youneedn’tfearthatI’llstarchthehandkerchiefsorflavorthecakewithliniment。"

Marillalaughed。

"Whatagirlyouwereformakingmistakesinthemdays，Anne。

Youwerealwaysgettingintoscrapes。Ididusetothinkyouwerepossessed。Doyoumindthetimeyoudyedyourhair？"

"Yes，indeed。Ishallneverforgetit，"smiledAnne，touchingtheheavybraidofhairthatwaswoundabouthershapelyhead。"IlaughalittlenowsometimeswhenI

thinkwhataworrymyhairusedtobetome——butIdon’tlaughMUCH，becauseitwasaveryrealtroublethen。

Ididsufferterriblyovermyhairandmyfreckles。

Myfrecklesarereallygone；andpeopleareniceenoughtotellmemyhairisauburnnow——allbutJosiePye。

Sheinformedmeyesterdaythatshereallythoughtitwasredderthanever，oratleastmyblackdressmadeitlookredder，andsheaskedmeifpeoplewhohadredhairevergotusedtohavingit。Marilla，I’vealmostdecidedtogiveuptryingtolikeJosiePye。I’vemadewhatIwouldoncehavecalledaheroicefforttolikeher，butJosiePyewon’tBEliked。"

"JosieisaPye，"saidMarillasharply，"soshecan’thelpbeingdisagreeable。Isupposepeopleofthatkindservesomeusefulpurposeinsociety，butImustsayIdon’tknowwhatitisanymorethanIknowtheuseofthistles。

IsJosiegoingtoteach？"

"No，sheisgoingbacktoQueen’snextyear。SoareMoodySpurgeonandCharlieSloane。JaneandRubyaregoingtoteachandtheyhavebothgotschools——JaneatNewbridgeandRubyatsomeplaceupwest。"

"GilbertBlytheisgoingtoteachtoo，isn’the？"

"Yes"——briefly。

"Whatanice-lookingfellowheis，"saidMarillaabsently。

"IsawhiminchurchlastSundayandheseemedsotallandmanly。

Helooksalotlikehisfatherdidatthesameage。JohnBlythewasaniceboy。Weusedtoberealgoodfriends，heandI。

Peoplecalledhimmybeau。"

Annelookedupwithswiftinterest。

"Oh，Marilla——andwhathappened？——whydidn’tyou——"

"Wehadaquarrel。Iwouldn’tforgivehimwhenheaskedmeto。

Imeantto，afterawhile——butIwassulkyandangryandIwantedtopunishhimfirst。Henevercameback——theBlytheswereallmightyindependent。ButIalwaysfelt——rathersorry。I’vealwayskindofwishedI’dforgivenhimwhenIhadthechance。"

"Soyou’vehadabitofromanceinyourlife，too，"saidAnnesoftly。

"Yes，Isupposeyoumightcallitthat。Youwouldn’tthinksotolookatme，wouldyou？Butyounevercantellaboutpeoplefromtheiroutsides。EverybodyhasforgotaboutmeandJohn。

I’dforgottenmyself。ButitallcamebacktomewhenIsawGilbertlastSunday。"

CHAPTERXXXVIII

TheBendintheroadMarillawenttotownthenextdayandreturnedintheevening。AnnehadgoneovertoOrchardSlopewithDianaandcamebacktofindMarillainthekitchen，sittingbythetablewithherheadleaningonherhand。SomethinginherdejectedattitudestruckachilltoAnne’sheart。

ShehadneverseenMarillasitlimplyinertlikethat。

"Areyouverytired，Marilla？"

"Yes——no——Idon’tknow，"saidMarillawearily，lookingup。"IsupposeIamtiredbutIhaven’tthoughtaboutit。

It’snotthat。"

"Didyouseetheoculist？Whatdidhesay？"askedAnneanxiously。

"Yes，Isawhim。Heexaminedmyeyes。HesaysthatifIgiveupallreadingandsewingentirelyandanykindofworkthatstrainstheeyes，andifI’mcarefulnottocry，andifIweartheglasseshe’sgivenmehethinksmyeyesmaynotgetanyworseandmyheadacheswillbecured。ButifIdon’thesaysI’llcertainlybestone-blindinsixmonths。Blind！Anne，justthinkofit！"

ForaminuteAnne，afterherfirstquickexclamationofdismay，wassilent。ItseemedtoherthatshecouldNOT

speak。Thenshesaidbravely，butwithacatchinhervoice:

"Marilla，DON’Tthinkofit。Youknowhehasgivenyouhope。

Ifyouarecarefulyouwon’tloseyoursightaltogether；

andifhisglassescureyourheadachesitwillbeagreatthing。"

"Idon’tcallitmuchhope，"saidMarillabitterly。"WhatamItoliveforifIcan’treadorsewordoanythinglikethat？Imightaswellbeblind——ordead。Andasforcrying，Ican’thelpthatwhenIgetlonesome。Butthere，it’snogoodtalkingaboutit。Ifyou’llgetmeacupofteaI’llbethankful。I’maboutdoneout。Don’tsayanythingaboutthistoanyoneforaspellyet，anyway。Ican’tbearthatfolksshouldcomeheretoquestionandsympathizeandtalkaboutit。"

WhenMarillahadeatenherlunchAnnepersuadedhertogotobed。ThenAnnewentherselftotheeastgableandsatdownbyherwindowinthedarknessalonewithhertearsandherheavinessofheart。Howsadlythingshadchangedsinceshehadsattherethenightaftercominghome！Thenshehadbeenfullofhopeandjoyandthefuturehadlookedrosywithpromise。Annefeltasifshehadlivedyearssincethen，butbeforeshewenttobedtherewasasmileonherlipsandpeaceinherheart。Shehadlookedherdutycourageouslyinthefaceandfounditafriend——asdutyeveriswhenwemeetitfrankly。

OneafternoonafewdayslaterMarillacameslowlyinfromthefrontyardwhereshehadbeentalkingtoacaller——

amanwhomAnneknewbysightasSadlerfromCarmody。

AnnewonderedwhathecouldhavebeensayingtobringthatlooktoMarilla’sface。

"WhatdidMr。Sadlerwant，Marilla？"

MarillasatdownbythewindowandlookedatAnne。

Thereweretearsinhereyesindefianceoftheoculist’sprohibitionandhervoicebrokeasshesaid:

"HeheardthatIwasgoingtosellGreenGablesandhewantstobuyit。"

"Buyit！BuyGreenGables？"Annewonderedifshehadheardaright。

"Oh，Marilla，youdon’tmeantosellGreenGables！"

"Anne，Idon’tknowwhatelseistobedone。I’vethoughtitallover。IfmyeyeswerestrongIcouldstayhereandmakeouttolookafterthingsandmanage，withagoodhiredman。ButasitisIcan’t。Imaylosemysightaltogether；andanywayI’llnotbefittorunthings。

Oh，IneverthoughtI’dlivetoseethedaywhenI’dhavetosellmyhome。Butthingswouldonlygobehindworseandworseallthetime，tillnobodywouldwanttobuyit。

Everycentofourmoneywentinthatbank；andthere’ssomenotesMatthewgavelastfalltopay。Mrs。Lyndeadvisesmetosellthefarmandboardsomewhere——withherIsuppose。Itwon’tbringmuch——it’ssmallandthebuildingsareold。Butit’llbeenoughformetoliveonIreckon。I’mthankfulyou’reprovidedforwiththatscholarship，Anne。I’msorryyouwon’thaveahometocometoinyourvacations，that’sall，butIsupposeyou’llmanagesomehow。"

Marillabrokedownandweptbitterly。

"Youmustn’tsellGreenGables，"saidAnneresolutely。

"Oh，Anne，IwishIdidn’thaveto。Butyoucanseeforyourself。

Ican’tstayherealone。I’dgocrazywithtroubleandloneliness。

Andmysightwouldgo——Iknowitwould。"

"Youwon’thavetostayherealone，Marilla。I’llbewithyou。

I’mnotgoingtoRedmond。"

"NotgoingtoRedmond！"MarillaliftedherwornfacefromherhandsandlookedatAnne。"Why，whatdoyoumean？"

"JustwhatIsay。I’mnotgoingtotakethescholarship。

Idecidedsothenightafteryoucamehomefromtown。Yousurelydon’tthinkIcouldleaveyoualoneinyourtrouble，Marilla，afterallyou’vedoneforme。I’vebeenthinkingandplanning。Letmetellyoumyplans。Mr。Barrywantstorentthefarmfornextyear。Soyouwon’thaveanybotheroverthat。AndI’mgoingtoteach。I’veappliedfortheschoolhere——butIdon’texpecttogetitforI

understandthetrusteeshavepromisedittoGilbertBlythe。

ButIcanhavetheCarmodyschool——Mr。Blairtoldmesolastnightatthestore。Ofcoursethatwon’tbequiteasniceorconvenientasifIhadtheAvonleaschool。ButIcanboardhomeanddrivemyselfovertoCarmodyandback，inthewarmweatheratleast。AndeveninwinterIcancomehomeFridays。We’llkeepahorseforthat。Oh，Ihaveitallplannedout，Marilla。AndI’llreadtoyouandkeepyoucheeredup。Yousha’n’tbedullorlonesome。Andwe’llberealcozyandhappyheretogether，youandI。"

Marillahadlistenedlikeawomaninadream。

"Oh，Anne，Icouldgetonrealwellifyouwerehere，Iknow。

ButIcan’tletyousacrificeyourselfsoforme。Itwouldbeterrible。"

"Nonsense！"Annelaughedmerrily。"Thereisnosacrifice。

NothingcouldbeworsethangivingupGreenGables——nothingcouldhurtmemore。Wemustkeepthedearoldplace。

Mymindisquitemadeup，Marilla。I’mNOTgoingtoRedmond；andIAMgoingtostayhereandteach。

Don’tyouworryaboutmeabit。"

"Butyourambitions——and——"

"I’mjustasambitiousasever。Only，I’vechangedtheobjectofmyambitions。I’mgoingtobeagoodteacher——

andI’mgoingtosaveyoureyesight。Besides，Imeantostudyathomehereandtakealittlecollegecourseallbymyself。

Oh，I’vedozensofplans，Marilla。I’vebeenthinkingthemoutforaweek。Ishallgivelifeheremybest，andIbelieveitwillgiveitsbesttomeinreturn。WhenIleftQueen’smyfutureseemedtostretchoutbeforemelikeastraightroad。

IthoughtIcouldseealongitformanyamilestone。Nowthereisabendinit。Idon’tknowwhatliesaroundthebend，butI’mgoingtobelievethatthebestdoes。Ithasafascinationofitsown，thatbend，Marilla。Iwonderhowtheroadbeyonditgoes——whatthereisofgreengloryandsoft，checkeredlightandshadows——whatnewlandscapes——whatnewbeauties——whatcurvesandhillsandvalleysfurtheron。"

"Idon’tfeelasifIoughttoletyougiveitup，"saidMarilla，referringtothescholarship。

"Butyoucan’tpreventme。I’msixteenandahalf，`obstinateasamule，’asMrs。Lyndeoncetoldme，"laughedAnne。

"Oh，Marilla，don’tyougopityingme。Idon’tliketobepitied，andthereisnoneedforit。I’mheartgladovertheverythoughtofstayingatdearGreenGables。

NobodycouldloveitasyouandIdo——sowemustkeepit。"

"Youblessedgirl！"saidMarilla，yielding。"Ifeelasifyou’dgivenmenewlife。IguessIoughttostickoutandmakeyougotocollege——butIknowIcan’t，soIain’tgoingtotry。I’llmakeituptoyouthough，Anne。"

WhenitbecamenoisedabroadinAvonleathatAnneShirleyhadgivenuptheideaofgoingtocollegeandintendedtostayhomeandteachtherewasagooddealofdiscussionoverit。Mostofthegoodfolks，notknowingaboutMarilla’seyes，thoughtshewasfoolish。Mrs。Allandidnot。ShetoldAnnesoinapprovingwordsthatbroughttearsofpleasuretothegirl’seyes。NeitherdidgoodMrs。Lynde。ShecameuponeeveningandfoundAnneandMarillasittingatthefrontdoorinthewarm，scentedsummerdusk。

Theylikedtosittherewhenthetwilightcamedownandthewhitemothsflewaboutinthegardenandtheodorofmintfilledthedewyair。

Mrs。Racheldepositedhersubstantialpersonuponthestonebenchbythedoor，behindwhichgrewarowoftallpinkandyellowhollyhocks，withalongbreathofmingledwearinessandrelief。

"IdeclareI’mgettinggladtositdown。I’vebeenonmyfeetallday，andtwohundredpoundsisagoodbitfortwofeettocarryround。It’sagreatblessingnottobefat，Marilla。

Ihopeyouappreciateit。Well，Anne，Ihearyou’vegivenupyournotionofgoingtocollege。Iwasrealgladtohearit。

You’vegotasmucheducationnowasawomancanbecomfortablewith。Idon’tbelieveingirlsgoingtocollegewiththemenandcrammingtheirheadsfullofLatinandGreekandallthatnonsense。"

"ButI’mgoingtostudyLatinandGreekjustthesame，Mrs。Lynde，"saidAnnelaughing。"I’mgoingtotakemyArtscourserighthereatGreenGables，andstudyeverythingthatIwouldatcollege。"

Mrs。Lyndeliftedherhandsinholyhorror。

"AnneShirley，you’llkillyourself。"

"Notabitofit。Ishallthriveonit。Oh，I’mnotgoingtooverdothings。As`JosiahAllen’swife，’says，Ishallbe`mejum’。ButI’llhavelotsofsparetimeinthelongwinterevenings，andI’venovocationforfancywork。

I’mgoingtoteachoveratCarmody，youknow。"

"Idon’tknowit。Iguessyou’regoingtoteachrighthereinAvonlea。Thetrusteeshavedecidedtogiveyoutheschool。"

"Mrs。Lynde！"criedAnne，springingtoherfeetinhersurprise。

"Why，IthoughttheyhadpromisedittoGilbertBlythe！"

"Sotheydid。ButassoonasGilbertheardthatyouhadappliedforithewenttothem——theyhadabusinessmeetingattheschoollastnight，youknow——andtoldthemthathewithdrewhisapplication，andsuggestedthattheyacceptyours。

HesaidhewasgoingtoteachatWhiteSands。OfcourseheknewhowmuchyouwantedtostaywithMarilla，andImustsayIthinkitwasrealkindandthoughtfulinhim，that’swhat。

Realself-sacrificing，too，forhe’llhavehisboardtopayatWhiteSands，andeverybodyknowshe’sgottoearnhisownwaythroughcollege。Sothetrusteesdecidedtotakeyou。

IwastickledtodeathwhenThomascamehomeandtoldme。"

"Idon’tfeelthatIoughttotakeit，"murmuredAnne。

"Imean——Idon’tthinkIoughttoletGilbertmakesuchasacrificefor——forme。"

"Iguessyoucan’tpreventhimnow。He’ssignedpaperswiththeWhiteSandstrustees。Soitwouldn’tdohimanygoodnowifyouweretorefuse。Ofcourseyou’lltaketheschool。

You’llgetalongallright，nowthattherearenoPyesgoing。

Josiewasthelastofthem，andagoodthingshewas，that’swhat。

There’sbeensomePyeorothergoingtoAvonleaschoolforthelasttwentyyears，andIguesstheirmissioninlifewastokeepschoolteachersremindedthatearthisn’ttheirhome。

Blessmyheart！WhatdoesallthatwinkingandblinkingattheBarrygablemean？"

"Dianaissignalingformetogoover，"laughedAnne。

"Youknowwekeepuptheoldcustom。ExcusemewhileI

runoverandseewhatshewants。"

Annerandownthecloverslopelikeadeer，anddisappearedinthefirryshadowsoftheHauntedWood。Mrs。Lyndelookedafterherindulgently。

"There’sagooddealofthechildaboutheryetinsomeways。"

"There’sagooddealmoreofthewomanaboutherinothers，"

retortedMarilla，withamomentaryreturnofheroldcrispness。

ButcrispnesswasnolongerMarilla’sdistinguishingcharacteristic。AsMrs。LyndetoldherThomasthatnight。

"MarillaCuthberthasgotMELLOW。That’swhat。"

AnnewenttothelittleAvonleagraveyardthenexteveningtoputfreshflowersonMatthew’sgraveandwatertheScotchrosebush。Shelingeredthereuntildusk，likingthepeaceandcalmofthelittleplace，withitspoplarswhoserustlewaslikelow，friendlyspeech，anditswhisperinggrassesgrowingatwillamongthegraves。

WhenshefinallyleftitandwalkeddownthelonghillthatslopedtotheLakeofShiningWatersitwaspastsunsetandallAvonlealaybeforeherinadreamlikeafterlight——

"ahauntofancientpeace。"Therewasafreshnessintheairasofawindthathadblownoverhoney-sweetfieldsofclover。

Homelightstwinkledouthereandthereamongthehomesteadtrees。Beyondlaythesea，mistyandpurple，withitshaunting，unceasingmurmur。Thewestwasagloryofsoftmingledhues，andthepondreflectedthemallinstillsoftershadings。ThebeautyofitallthrilledAnne’sheart，andshegratefullyopenedthegatesofhersoultoit。

"Dearoldworld，"shemurmured，"youareverylovely，andIamgladtobealiveinyou。"

HalfwaydownthehillatallladcamewhistlingoutofagatebeforetheBlythehomestead。ItwasGilbert，andthewhistlediedonhislipsasherecognizedAnne。Heliftedhiscapcourteously，buthewouldhavepassedoninsilence，ifAnnehadnotstoppedandheldoutherhand。

"Gilbert，"shesaid，withscarletcheeks，"Iwanttothankyouforgivinguptheschoolforme。Itwasverygoodofyou——andIwantyoutoknowthatIappreciateit。"

Gilberttooktheofferedhandeagerly。

"Itwasn’tparticularlygoodofmeatall，Anne。Iwaspleasedtobeabletodoyousomesmallservice。Arewegoingtobefriendsafterthis？Haveyoureallyforgivenmemyoldfault？"

Annelaughedandtriedunsuccessfullytowithdrawherhand。

"Iforgaveyouthatdaybythepondlanding，althoughIdidn’tknowit。WhatastubbornlittlegooseIwas。

I’vebeen——Imayaswellmakeacompleteconfession——I’vebeensorryeversince。"

"Wearegoingtobethebestoffriends，"saidGilbert，jubilantly。"Wewereborntobegoodfriends，Anne。

You’vethwarteddestinyenough。Iknowwecanhelpeachotherinmanyways。Youaregoingtokeepupyourstudies，aren’tyou？SoamI。Come，I’mgoingtowalkhomewithyou。"

MarillalookedcuriouslyatAnnewhenthelatterenteredthekitchen。

"Whowasthatcameupthelanewithyou，Anne？"

"GilbertBlythe，"answeredAnne，vexedtofindherselfblushing。"ImethimonBarry’shill。"

"Ididn’tthinkyouandGilbertBlytheweresuchgoodfriendsthatyou’dstandforhalfanhouratthegatetalkingtohim，"saidMarillawithadrysmile。

"Wehaven’tbeen——we’vebeengoodenemies。Butwehavedecidedthatitwillbemuchmoresensibletobegoodfriendsinthefuture。Werewereallytherehalfanhour？Itseemedjustafewminutes。But，yousee，wehavefiveyears’lostconversationstocatchupwith，Marilla。"

Annesatlongatherwindowthatnightcompanionedbyagladcontent。Thewindpurredsoftlyinthecherryboughs，andthemintbreathscameuptoher。ThestarstwinkledoverthepointedfirsinthehollowandDiana’slightgleamedthroughtheoldgap。

Anne’shorizonshadclosedinsincethenightshehadsatthereaftercominghomefromQueen’s；butifthepathsetbeforeherfeetwastobenarrowsheknewthatflowersofquiethappinesswouldbloomalongit。Thejoyofsincereworkandworthyaspirationandcongenialfriendshipweretobehers；nothingcouldrobherofherbirthrightoffancyorheridealworldofdreams。Andtherewasalwaysthebendintheroad！

"`God’sinhisheaven，all’srightwiththeworld，’"

whisperedAnnesoftly。