第5章

SPRINGDAYS

TheiceintheharborgrewblackandrottenintheMarchsuns；inApriltherewerebluewatersandawindy，white-cappedgulfagain；andagaintheFourWindslightbegemmedthetwilights。

"I’msogladtoseeitoncemore，"saidAnne，onthefirsteveningofitsreappearance。"I’vemisseditsoallwinter。Thenorthwesternskyhasseemedblankandlonelywithoutit。"

Thelandwastenderwithbrand-new，golden-green，babyleaves。TherewasanemeraldmistonthewoodsbeyondtheGlen。Theseawardvalleyswerefulloffairymistsatdawn。

Vibrantwindscameandwentwithsaltfoamintheirbreath。Thesealaughedandflashedandpreenedandallured，likeabeautiful，coquettishwoman。Theherringschooledandthefishingvillagewoketolife。

Theharborwasalivewithwhitesailsmakingforthechannel。Theshipsbegantosailoutwardandinwardagain。

"Onaspringdaylikethis，"saidAnne，"Iknowexactlywhatmysoulwillfeellikeontheresurrectionmorning。"

"TherearetimesinspringwhenIsorterfeelthatI

mighthavebeenapoetifI’dbeencaughtyoung，"

remarkedCaptainJim。"IcatchmyselfconningoveroldlinesandversesIheardtheschoolmasterrecitingsixtyyearsago。Theydon’ttroublemeatothertimes。

NowIfeelasifIhadtogetoutontherocksorthefieldsorthewaterandspoutthem。"

CaptainJimhadcomeupthatafternoontobringAnnealoadofshellsforhergarden，andalittlebunchofsweet-grasswhichhehadfoundinarambleoverthesanddunes。

"It’sgettingrealscarcealongthisshorenow，"hesaid。"WhenIwasaboytherewasa-plentyofit。Butnowit’sonlyonceinawhileyou’llfindaplot——andneverwhenyou’relookingforit。Youjesthavetostumbleonit——you’rewalkingalongonthesandhills，neverthinkingofsweet-grass——andallatoncetheairisfullofsweetness——andthere’sthegrassunderyourfeet。Ifavorthesmellofsweet-grass。Italwaysmakesmethinkofmymother。"

"Shewasfondofit？"askedAnne。

"NotthatIknowson。Dunno’ssheeversawanysweet-grass。No，it’sbecauseithasakindofmotherlyperfume——nottooyoung，youunderstand——somethingkindofseasonedandwholesomeanddependable——jestlikeamother。Theschoolmaster’sbridealwayskeptitamongherhandkerchiefs。Youmightputthatlittlebunchamongyours，MistressBlythe。Idon’tliketheseboughtenscents——butawhiffofsweet-grassbelongsanywherealadydoes。"

Annehadnotbeenespeciallyenthusiasticovertheideaofsurroundingherflowerbedswithquahogshells；asadecorationtheydidnotappealtoheronfirstthought。

ButshewouldnothavehurtCaptainJim’sfeelingsforanything；sosheassumedavirtueshedidnotatfirstfeel，andthankedhimheartily。AndwhenCaptainJimhadproudlyencircledeverybedwitharimofthebig，milk-whiteshells，Annefoundtohersurprisethatshelikedtheeffect。Onatownlawn，orevenupattheGlen，theywouldnothavebeeninkeeping，buthere，intheold-fashioned，sea-boundgardenofthelittlehouseofdreams，theyBELONGED。

"TheyDOlooknice，"shesaidsincerely。

"Theschoolmaster’sbridealwayshadcowhawksroundherbeds，"saidCaptainJim。"Shewasamasterhandwithflowers。SheLOOKEDat’em——andtouched’em——SO——andtheygrewlikemad。Somefolkshavethatknack——I

reckonyouhaveit，too，MistressBlythe。"

"Oh，Idon’tknow——butIlovemygarden，andIloveworkinginit。Topotterwithgreen，growingthings，watchingeachdaytoseethedear，newsproutscomeup，isliketakingahandincreation，Ithink。Justnowmygardenislikefaith——thesubstanceofthingshopedfor。Butbideawee。"

"Italwaysamazesmetolookatthelittle，wrinkledbrownseedsandthinkoftherainbowsin’em，"saidCaptainJim。"WhenIponderonthemseedsIdon’tfinditnowisehardtobelievethatwe’vegotsoulsthat’llliveinotherworlds。Youcouldn’thardlybelievetherewaslifeinthemtinythings，somenobiggerthangrainsofdust，letalonecolorandscent，ifyouhadn’tseenthemiracle，couldyou？"

Anne，whowascountingherdayslikesilverbeadsonarosary，couldnotnowtakethelongwalktothelighthouseoruptheGlenroad。ButMissCorneliaandCaptainJimcameveryoftentothelittlehouse。MissCorneliawasthejoyofAnne’sandGilbert’sexistence。

Theylaughedside-splittinglyoverherspeechesaftereveryvisit。WhenCaptainJimandshehappenedtovisitthelittlehouseatthesametimetherewasmuchsportforthelistening。Theywagedwordywarfare，sheattacking，hedefending。AnneoncereproachedtheCaptainforhisbaitingofMissCornelia。

"Oh，Idolovetosethergoing，MistressBlythe，"

chuckledtheunrepentantsinner。"It’sthegreatestamusementIhaveinlife。Thattongueofherswouldblisterastone。Andyouandthatyoungdogofadoctorenj’ylisteningtoherasmuchasIdo。"

CaptainJimcamealonganothereveningtobringAnnesomemayflowers。Thegardenwasfullofthemoist，scentedairofamaritimespringevening。Therewasamilk-whitemistontheedgeofthesea，withayoungmoonkissingit，andasilvergladnessofstarsovertheGlen。Thebellofthechurchacrosstheharborwasringingdreamilysweet。Themellowchimedriftedthroughthedusktominglewiththesoftspring-moanofthesea。CaptainJim’smayflowersaddedthelastcompletingtouchtothecharmofthenight。

"Ihaven’tseenanythisspring，andI’vemissedthem，"saidAnne，buryingherfaceinthem。

"Theyain’ttobefoundaroundFourWinds，onlyinthebarrensawaybehindtheGlenupyander。ItookalittletriptodaytotheLand-of-nothing-to-do，andhuntedtheseupforyou。Ireckonthey’rethelastyou’llseethisspring，forthey’renearlydone。"

"Howkindandthoughtfulyouare，CaptainJim。Nobodyelse——notevenGilbert"——withashakeofherheadathim——"rememberedthatIalwayslongformayflowersinspring。"

"Well，Ihadanothererrand，too——IwantedtotakeMr。

Howardbackyanderamessoftrout。Helikesoneoccasional，andit’sallIcandoforakindnesshedidmeonce。Istayedalltheafternoonandtalkedtohim。

Helikestotalktome，thoughhe’sahighlyeddicatedmanandI’monlyanignorantoldsailor，becausehe’soneofthefolksthat’sGOTtotalkorthey’remiserable，andhefindslistenersscarcearoundhere。

TheGlenfolksfightshyofhimbecausetheythinkhe’saninfidel。Heain’tthatfargoneexactly——fewmenis，Ireckon——buthe’swhatyoumightcallaheretic。

Hereticsarewicked，butthey’remightyint’resting。

It’sjestthatthey’vegotsorterlostlookingforGod，beingundertheimpressionthatHe’shardtofind——whichHeain’tnever。Mostof’emblundertoHimafterawhile，Iguess。Idon’tthinklisteningtoMr。

Howard’sargumentsislikelytodomemuchharm。Mindyou，IbelievewhatIwasbroughtuptobelieve。Itsavesavastofbother——andbackofitall，Godisgood。ThetroublewithMr。Howardisthathe’saleetleTOOclever。Hethinksthathe’sboundtoliveuptohiscleverness，andthatit’ssmartertothrashoutsomenewwayofgettingtoheaventhantogobytheoldtrackthecommon，ignorantfolksistravelling。

Buthe’llgettheresometimeallright，andthenhe’lllaughathimself。"

"Mr。HowardwasaMethodisttobeginwith，"saidMissCornelia，asifshethoughthehadnotfartogofromthattoheresy。

"Doyouknow，Cornelia，"saidCaptainJimgravely，"I’veoftenthoughtthatifIwasn’taPresbyterianI’dbeaMethodist。"

"Oh，well，"concededMissCornelia，"ifyouweren’taPresbyterianitwouldn’tmattermuchwhatyouwere。

Speakingofheresy，remindsme，doctor——I’vebroughtbackthatbookyoulentme——thatNaturalLawintheSpiritualWorld——Ididn’treadmore’nathirdofit。I

canreadsense，andIcanreadnonsense，butthatbookisneithertheonenortheother。"

"ItISconsideredratherhereticalinsomequarters，"

admittedGilbert，"butItoldyouthatbeforeyoutookit，MissCornelia。"

"Oh，Iwouldn’thavemindeditsbeingheretical。Icanstandwickedness，butIcan’tstandfoolishness，"saidMissCorneliacalmly，andwiththeairofhavingsaidthelastthingtherewastosayaboutNaturalLaw。

"Speakingofbooks，AMadLovecometoanendatlasttwoweeksago，"remarkedCaptainJimmusingly。"Itruntoonehundredandthreechapters。Whentheygotmarriedthebookstoppedrightoff，soIreckontheirtroubleswereallover。It’srealnicethatthat’sthewayinbooksanyhow，isn’tit，evenif’tistn’tsoanywhereelse？"

"Ineverreadnovels，"saidMissCornelia。"DidyouhearhowGeordieRussellwastoday，CaptainJim？"

"Yes，Icalledinonmywayhometoseehim。He’sgettingroundallright——butstewinginabrothoftrouble，asusual，poorman。

’Coursehebrewsupmostofitforhimself，butI

reckonthatdon’tmakeitanyeasiertobear。"

"He’sanawfulpessimist，"saidMissCornelia。

"Well，no，heain’tapessimistexactly，Cornelia。Heonlyjestneverfindsanythingthatsuitshim。"

"Andisn’tthatapessimist？"

"No，no。Apessimistisonewhoneverexpectstofindanythingtosuithim。Geordiehain’tgotTHATfaryet。"

"You’dfindsomethinggoodtosayofthedevilhimself，JimBoyd。"

"Well，you’veheardthestoryoftheoldladywhosaidhewaspersevering。Butno，Cornelia，I’venothinggoodtosayofthedevil。"

"Doyoubelieveinhimatall？"askedMissCorneliaseriously。

"HowcanyouaskthatwhenyouknowwhatagoodPresbyterianIam，Cornelia？HowcouldaPresbyteriangetalongwithoutadevil？"

"DOyou？"persistedMissCornelia。

CaptainJimsuddenlybecamegrave。

"IbelieveinwhatIheardaministeroncecall`amightyandmalignantandINTELLIGENTpowerofevilworkingintheuniverse，’"hesaidsolemnly。"IdoTHAT，Cornelia。Youcancallitthedevil，orthe`principleofevil，’ortheOldScratch，oranynameyoulike。It’sTHERE，andalltheinfidelsandhereticsintheworldcan’targueitaway，anymore’ntheycanargueGodaway。It’sthere，andit’sworking。But，mindyou，Cornelia，Ibelieveit’sgoingtogettheworstofitinthelongrun。"

"IamsureIhopeso，"saidMissCornelia，nonetoohopefully。"Butspeakingofthedevil，IampositivethatBillyBoothispossessedbyhimnow。HaveyouheardofBilly’slatestperformance？"

"No，whatwasthat？"

"He’sgoneandburneduphiswife’snew，brownbroadclothsuit，thatshepaidtwenty-fivedollarsforinCharlottetown，becausehedeclaresthemenlookedtooadmiringatherwhensheworeittochurchthefirsttime。Wasn’tthatlikeaman？"

"MistressBoothISmightypretty，andbrown’shercolor，"saidCaptainJimreflectively。

"Isthatanygoodreasonwhyheshouldpokehernewsuitintothekitchenstove？BillyBoothisajealousfool，andhemakeshiswife’slifemiserable。She’scriedalltheweekabouthersuit。Oh，Anne，IwishI

couldwritelikeyou，believeME。Wouldn’tIscoresomeofthemenroundhere！"

"ThoseBoothsareallamitequeer，"saidCaptainJim。

"Billyseemedthesanestofthelottillhegotmarriedandthenthisqueerjealousstreakcroppedoutinhim。

HisbrotherDaniel，now，wasalwaysodd。"

"Tooktantrumseveryfewdaysorsoandwouldn’tgetoutofbed，"saidMissCorneliawitharelish。"Hiswifewouldhavetodoallthebarnworktillhegotoverhisspell。Whenhediedpeoplewroteherlettersofcondolence；ifI’dwrittenanythingitwouldhavebeenoneofcongratulation。Theirfather，oldAbramBooth，wasadisgustingoldsot。Hewasdrunkathiswife’sfuneral，andkeptreelingroundandhiccuping`I

didn’tdri——i——i——nkmuchbutIfeela——a——awfullyque——e——e——r。’Igavehimagoodjabinthebackwithmyumbrellawhenhecamenearme，anditsoberedhimupuntiltheygotthecasketoutofthehouse。YoungJohnnyBoothwastohavebeenmarriedyesterday，buthecouldn’tbebecausehe’sgoneandgotthemumps。

Wasn’tthatlikeaman？"

"Howcouldhehelpgettingthemumps，poorfellow？"

"I’dpoorfellowhim，believeME，ifIwasKateSterns。

Idon’tknowhowhecouldhelpgettingthemumps，butI

DOknowtheweddingsupperwasallpreparedandeverythingwillbespoiledbeforehe’swellagain。

Suchawaste！Heshouldhavehadthemumpswhenhewasaboy。"

"Come，come，Cornelia，don’tyouthinkyou’reamiteunreasonable？"

MissCorneliadisdainedtoreplyandturnedinsteadtoSusanBaker，agrim-faced，kind-heartedelderlyspinsteroftheGlen，whohadbeeninstalledasmaid-of-all-workatthelittlehouseforsomeweeks。

SusanhadbeenuptotheGlentomakeasickcall，andhadjustreturned。

"HowispooroldAuntMandytonight？"askedMissCornelia。

Susansighed。

"Verypoorly——verypoorly，Cornelia。Iamafraidshewillsoonbeinheaven，poorthing！"

"Oh，surely，it’snotsobadasthat！"exclaimedMissCornelia，sympathetically。

CaptainJimandGilbertlookedateachother。Thentheysuddenlyroseandwentout。

"Therearetimes，"saidCaptainJim，betweenspasms，"whenitwouldbeasinNOTtolaugh。Themtwoexcellentwomen！"

CHAPTER19

DAWNANDDUSK

InearlyJune，whenthesandhillswereagreatgloryofpinkwildroses，andtheGlenwassmotheredinappleblossoms，Marillaarrivedatthelittlehouse，accompaniedbyablackhorsehairtrunk，patternedwithbrassnails，whichhadreposedundisturbedintheGreenGablesgarretforhalfacentury。SusanBaker，who，duringherfewweeks’sojourninthelittlehouse，hadcometoworship"youngMrs。Doctor，"asshecalledAnne，withblindfervor，lookedratherjealouslyaskanceatMarillaatfirst。ButasMarilladidnottrytointerfereinkitchenmatters，andshowednodesiretointerruptSusan’sministrationstoyoungMrs。

Doctor，thegoodhandmaidenbecamereconciledtoherpresence，andtoldhercroniesattheGlenthatMissCuthbertwasafineoldladyandknewherplace。

Oneevening，whenthesky’slimpidbowlwasfilledwitharedglory，andtherobinswerethrillingthegoldentwilightwithjubilanthymnstothestarsofevening，therewasasuddencommotioninthelittlehouseofdreams。TelephonemessagesweresentuptotheGlen，DoctorDaveandawhite-cappednursecamehastilydown，Marillapacedthegardenwalksbetweenthequahogshells，murmuringprayersbetweenhersetlips，andSusansatinthekitchenwithcottonwoolinherearsandherapronoverherhead。

Leslie，lookingoutfromthehouseupthebrook，sawthateverywindowofthelittlehousewasalight，anddidnotsleepthatnight。

TheJunenightwasshort；butitseemedaneternitytothosewhowaitedandwatched。

"Oh，willitNEVERend？"saidMarilla；thenshesawhowgravethenurseandDoctorDavelooked，andshedaredasknomorequestions。SupposeAnne——butMarillacouldnotsupposeit。

"Donottellme，"saidSusanfiercely，answeringtheanguishinMarilla’seyes，"thatGodcouldbesocruelastotakethatdarlinglambfromuswhenwealllovehersomuch。"

"Hehastakenothersaswellbeloved，"saidMarillahoarsely。

Butatdawn，whentherisingsunrentapartthemistshangingoverthesandbar，andmaderainbowsofthem，joycametothelittlehouse。Annewassafe，andawee，whitelady，withhermother’sbigeyes，waslyingbesideher。Gilbert，hisfacegrayandhaggardfromhisnight’sagony，camedowntotellMarillaandSusan。

"ThankGod，"shudderedMarilla。

Susangotupandtookthecottonwooloutofherears。

"Nowforbreakfast，"shesaidbriskly。"Iamoftheopinionthatwewillallbegladofabiteandsup。

YoutellyoungMrs。Doctornottoworryaboutasinglething——Susanisatthehelm。Youtellherjusttothinkofherbaby。"

Gilbertsmiledrathersadlyashewentaway。Anne，herpalefaceblanchedwithitsbaptismofpain，hereyesaglowwiththeholypassionofmotherhood，didnotneedtobetoldtothinkofherbaby。Shethoughtofnothingelse。Forafewhoursshetastedofhappinesssorareandexquisitethatshewonderediftheangelsinheavendidnotenvyher。

"LittleJoyce，"shemurmured，whenMarillacameintoseethebaby。"Weplannedtocallherthatifshewereagirlie。Thereweresomanywewouldhavelikedtonameherfor；wecouldn’tchoosebetweenthem，sowedecidedonJoyce——wecancallherJoyforshort——Joy——itsuitssowell。Oh，Marilla，IthoughtI

washappybefore。NowIknowthatIjustdreamedapleasantdreamofhappiness。THISisthereality。"

"Youmustn’ttalk，Anne——waittillyou’restronger，"

saidMarillawarningly。

"YouknowhowharditisformeNOTtotalk，"smiledAnne。

AtfirstshewastooweakandtoohappytonoticethatGilbertandthenurselookedgraveandMarillasorrowful。Then，assubtly，andcoldly，andremorselesslyasasea-fogstealinglandward，fearcreptintoherheart。WhywasnotGilbertgladder？

Whywouldhenottalkaboutthebaby？Whywouldtheynotletherhaveitwithherafterthatfirstheavenly——happyhour？Was——wasthereanythingwrong？

"Gilbert，"whisperedAnneimploringly，"thebaby——isallright——isn’tshe？Tellme——tellme。"

Gilbertwasalongwhileinturninground；thenhebentoverAnneandlookedinhereyes。Marilla，listeningfearfullyoutsidethedoor，heardapitiful，heartbrokenmoan，andfledtothekitchenwhereSusanwasweeping。

"Oh，thepoorlamb——thepoorlamb！Howcanshebearit，MissCuthbert？Iamafraiditwillkillher。Shehasbeenthatbuiltupandhappy，longingforthatbaby，andplanningforit。Cannotanythingbedonenohow，MissCuthbert？"

"I’mafraidnot，Susan。Gilbertsaysthereisnohope。

Heknewfromthefirstthelittlethingcouldn’tlive。"

"Anditissuchasweetbaby，"sobbedSusan。"Ineversawonesowhite——theyaremostlyredoryallow。Anditopeneditsbigeyesasifitwasmonthsold。Thelittle，littlething！Oh，thepoor，youngMrs。

Doctor！"

Atsunsetthelittlesoulthathadcomewiththedawningwentaway，leavingheartbreakbehindit。MissCorneliatookthewee，whiteladyfromthekindlybutstrangerhandsofthenurse，anddressedthetinywaxenforminthebeautifuldressLesliehadmadeforit。Lesliehadaskedhertodothat。Thenshetookitbackandlaiditbesidethepoor，broken，tear-blindedlittlemother。

"TheLordhasgivenandtheLordhastakenaway，dearie，"shesaidthroughherowntears。"BlessedbethenameoftheLord。"

Thenshewentaway，leavingAnneandGilbertalonetogetherwiththeirdead。

Thenextday，thesmallwhiteJoywaslaidinavelvetcasketwhichLesliehadlinedwithapple-blossoms，andtakentothegraveyardofthechurchacrosstheharbor。

MissCorneliaandMarillaputallthelittlelove-madegarmentsaway，togetherwiththeruffledbasketwhichhadbeenbefrilledandbelacedfordimpledlimbsanddownyhead。LittleJoywasnevertosleepthere；shehadfoundacolder，narrowerbed。

"Thishasbeenanawfuldisappointmenttome，"sighedMissCornelia。"I’velookedforwardtothisbaby——andIdidwantittobeagirl，too。"

"IcanonlybethankfulthatAnne’slifewasspared，"

saidMarilla，withashiver，recallingthosehoursofdarknesswhenthegirlshelovedwaspassingthroughthevalleyoftheshadow。

"Poor，poorlamb！Herheartisbroken，"saidSusan。

"IENVYAnne，"saidLesliesuddenlyandfiercely，"andI’denvyherevenifshehaddied！Shewasamotherforonebeautifulday。I’dgladlygivemylifeforTHAT！"

"Iwouldn’ttalklikethat，Leslie，dearie，"saidMissCorneliadeprecatingly。ShewasafraidthatthedignifiedMissCuthbertwouldthinkLesliequiteterrible。

Anne’sconvalescencewaslong，andmadebitterforherbymanythings。ThebloomandsunshineoftheFourWindsworldgratedharshlyonher；andyet，whentherainfellheavily，shepictureditbeatingsomercilesslydownonthatlittlegraveacrosstheharbor；andwhenthewindblewaroundtheeavessheheardsadvoicesinitshehadneverheardbefore。

Kindlycallershurther，too，withthewell-meantplatitudeswithwhichtheystrovetocoverthenakednessofbereavement。AletterfromPhilBlakewasanaddedsting。Philhadheardofthebaby’sbirth，butnotofitsdeath，andshewroteAnneacongratulatoryletterofsweetmirthwhichhurtherhorribly。

"IwouldhavelaughedoveritsohappilyifIhadmybaby，"shesobbedtoMarilla。"ButwhenIhaven’titjustseemslikewantoncruelty——thoughIknowPhilwouldn’thurtmefortheworld。Oh，Marilla，Idon’tseehowIcanEVERbehappyagain——EVERYTHINGwillhurtmealltherestofmylife。"

"Timewillhelpyou，"saidMarilla，whowasrackedwithsympathybutcouldneverlearntoexpressitinotherthanage-wornformulas。

"Itdoesn’tseemFAIR，"saidAnnerebelliously。

"Babiesarebornandlivewheretheyarenotwanted——wheretheywillbeneglected——wheretheywillhavenochance。Iwouldhavelovedmybabyso——andcaredforitsotenderly——andtriedtogivehereverychanceforgood。AndyetIwasn’tallowedtokeepher。"

"ItwasGod’swill，Anne，"saidMarilla，helplessbeforetheriddleoftheuniverse——theWHYofundeservedpain。"AndlittleJoyisbetteroff。"

"Ican’tbelieveTHAT，"criedAnnebitterly。Then，seeingthatMarillalookedshocked，sheaddedpassionately，"Whyshouldshebebornatall——whyshouldanyonebebornatall——ifshe’sbetteroffdead？IDON’Tbelieveitisbetterforachildtodieatbirththantoliveitslifeout——andloveandbeloved——andenjoyandsuffer——anddoitswork——anddevelopacharacterthatwouldgiveitapersonalityineternity。AndhowdoyouknowitwasGod’swill？

PerhapsitwasjustathwartingofHispurposebythePowerofEvil。Wecan’tbeexpectedtoberesignedtoTHAT。"

"Oh，Anne，don’ttalkso，"saidMarilla，genuinelyalarmedlestAnneweredriftingintodeepanddangerouswaters。"Wecan’tunderstand——butwemusthavefaith——weMUSTbelievethatallisforthebest。I

knowyoufindithardtothinkso，justnow。Buttrytobebrave——forGilbert’ssake。He’ssoworriedaboutyou。Youaren’tgettingstrongasfastasyoushould。"

"Oh，IknowI’vebeenveryselfish，"sighedAnne。"I

loveGilbertmorethanever——andIwanttoliveforhissake。Butitseemsasifpartofmewasburiedoverthereinthatlittleharborgraveyard——andithurtssomuchthatI’mafraidoflife。"

"Itwon’thurtsomuchalways，Anne。"

"Thethoughtthatitmaystophurtingsometimeshurtsmeworsethanallelse，Marilla。"

"Yes，Iknow，I’vefeltthattoo，aboutotherthings。

Butweallloveyou，Anne。CaptainJimhasbeenupeverydaytoaskforyou——andMrs。Moorehauntstheplace——andMissBryantspendsmostofhertime，I

think，cookingupnicethingsforyou。Susandoesn’tlikeitverywell。ShethinksshecancookaswellasMissBryant。"

"DearSusan！Oh，everybodyhasbeensodearandgoodandlovelytome，Marilla。I’mnotungrateful——andperhaps——whenthishorribleachegrowsalittleless——I’llfindthatIcangoonliving。"

CHAPTER20

LOSTMARGARET

Annefoundthatshecouldgoonliving；thedaycamewhensheevensmiledagainoveroneofMissCornelia’sspeeches。ButtherewassomethinginthesmilethathadneverbeeninAnne’ssmilebeforeandwouldneverbeabsentfromitagain。

OnthefirstdayshewasabletogoforadriveGilberttookherdowntoFourWindsPoint，andlefthertherewhileherowedoverthechanneltoseeapatientatthefishingvillage。Arollickingwindwasscuddingacrosstheharborandthedunes，whippingthewaterintowhite-capsandwashingthesandshorewithlonglinesofsilverybreakers。

"I’mrealproudtoseeyouhereagain，MistressBlythe，"saidCaptainJim。"Sitdown——sitdown。I’mafearedit’smightydustyheretoday——butthere’snoneedoflookingatdustwhenyoucanlookatsuchscenery，isthere？"

"Idon’tmindthedust，"saidAnne，"butGilbertsaysImustkeepintheopenair。IthinkI’llgoandsitontherocksdownthere。"

"Wouldyoulikecompanyorwouldyouratherbealone？"

"IfbycompanyyoumeanyoursI’dmuchratherhaveitthanbealone，"saidAnne，smiling。Thenshesighed。

Shehadneverbeforemindedbeingalone。Nowshedreadedit。Whenshewasalonenowshefeltsodreadfullyalone。

"Here’sanicelittlespotwherethewindcan’tgetatyou，"saidCaptainJim，whentheyreachedtherocks。

"Ioftensithere。It’sagreatplacejesttositanddream。"

"Oh——dreams，"sighedAnne。"Ican’tdreamnow，CaptainJim——I’mdonewithdreams。"

"Oh，no，you’renot，MistressBlythe——oh，no，you’renot，"saidCaptainJimmeditatively。"Iknowhowyoufeeljestnow——butifyoukeeponlivingyou’llgetgladagain，andthefirstthingyouknowyou’llbedreamingagain——thankthegoodLordforit！Ifitwasn’tforourdreamstheymightaswellburyus。

How’dwestandlivingifitwasn’tforourdreamofimmortality？Andthat’sadreamthat’sBOUNDtocometrue，MistressBlythe。You’llseeyourlittleJoyceagainsomeday。"

"Butshewon’tbemybaby，"saidAnne，withtremblinglips。"Oh，shemaybe，asLongfellowsays，`afairmaidenclothedwithcelestialgrace’——butshe’llbeastrangertome。"

"Godwillmanagebetter’nTHAT，Ibelieve，"saidCaptainJim。

Theywerebothsilentforalittletime。ThenCaptainJimsaidverysoftly:

"MistressBlythe，mayItellyouaboutlostMargaret？"

"Ofcourse，"saidAnnegently。Shedidnotknowwho"lostMargaret"was，butshefeltthatshewasgoingtoheartheromanceofCaptainJim’slife。

"I’veoftenwantedtotellyouabouther，"CaptainJimwenton。

"Doyouknowwhy，MistressBlythe？It’sbecauseIwantsomebodytorememberandthinkofhersometimeafterI’mgone。Ican’tbearthathernameshouldbeforgottenbyalllivingsouls。AndnownobodyrememberslostMargaretbutme。"

ThenCaptainJimtoldthestory——anold，oldforgottenstory，foritwasoverfiftyyearssinceMargarethadfallenasleeponedayinherfather’sdoryanddrifted——orsoitwassupposed，fornothingwasevercertainlyknownastoherfate——outofthechannel，beyondthebar，toperishintheblackthundersquallwhichhadcomeupsosuddenlythatlong-agosummerafternoon。ButtoCaptainJimthosefiftyyearswerebutasyesterdaywhenitispast。

"Iwalkedtheshoreformonthsafterthat，"hesaidsadly，"lookingtofindherdear，sweetlittlebody；

buttheseanevergiveherbacktome。ButI’llfindhersometime，MistressBlythe——I’llfindhersometime。

She’swaitingforme。IwishIcouldtellyoujesthowshelooked，butIcan’t。I’veseenafine，silverymisthangingoverthebaratsunrisethatseemedlikeher——andthenagainI’veseenawhitebirchinthewoodsbackyanderthatmademethinkofher。Shehadpale，brownhairandalittlewhite，sweetface，andlongslenderfingerslikeyours，MistressBlythe，onlybrowner，forshewasashoregirl。SometimesIwakeupinthenightandheartheseacallingtomeintheoldway，anditseemsasiflostMargaretcalledinit。

Andwhenthere’sastormandthewavesaresobbingandmoaningIhearherlamentingamongthem。Andwhentheylaughonagaydayit’sHERlaugh——lostMargaret’ssweet，roguish，littlelaugh。Theseatookherfromme，butsomedayI’llfindher。MistressBlythe。Itcan’tkeepusapartforever。"

"Iamgladyouhavetoldmeabouther，"saidAnne。"I

haveoftenwonderedwhyyouhadlivedallyourlifealone。"

"Icouldn’tevercareforanyoneelse。LostMargarettookmyheartwithher——outthere，"saidtheoldlover，whohadbeenfaithfulforfiftyyearstohisdrownedsweetheart。"Youwon’tmindifItalkagooddealabouther，willyou，MistressBlythe？It’sapleasuretome——forallthepainwentoutofhermemoryyearsagoandjestleftitsblessing。Iknowyou’llneverforgether，MistressBlythe。Andiftheyears，asIhope，bringotherlittlefolkstoyourhome，I

wantyoutopromisemethatyou’lltellTHEMthestoryoflostMargaret，sothathernamewon’tbeforgottenamonghumankind。"

CHAPTER21

BARRIERSSWEPTAWAY

"Anne，"saidLeslie，breakingabruptlyashortsilence，"youdon’tknowhowGOODitistobesittingherewithyouagain——working——andtalking——andbeingsilenttogether。"

Theyweresittingamongtheblue-eyedgrassesonthebankofthebrookinAnne’sgarden。Thewatersparkledandcroonedpastthem；thebirchesthrewdappledshadowsoverthem；rosesbloomedalongthewalks。Thesunwasbeginningtobelow，andtheairwasfullofwovenmusic。Therewasonemusicofthewindinthefirsbehindthehouse，andanotherofthewavesonthebar，andstillanotherfromthedistantbellofthechurchnearwhichthewee，whiteladyslept。Annelovedthatbell，thoughitbroughtsorrowfulthoughtsnow。

ShelookedcuriouslyatLeslie，whohadthrowndownhersewingandspokenwithalackofrestraintthatwasveryunusualwithher。

"Onthathorriblenightwhenyouweresoill，"Lesliewenton，"Ikeptthinkingthatperhapswe’dhavenomoretalksandwalksandWORKStogether。AndI

realisedjustwhatyourfriendshiphadcometomeantome——justwhatYOUmeant——andjustwhatahatefullittlebeastIhadbeen。"

"Leslie！Leslie！Ineverallowanyonetocallmyfriendsnames。"

"It’strue。That’sexactlywhatIam——ahatefullittlebeast。There’ssomethingI’veGOTtotellyou，Anne。I

supposeitwillmakeyoudespiseme，butIMUSTconfessit。Anne，therehavebeentimesthispastwinterandspringwhenIhaveHATEDyou。"

"IKNEWit，"saidAnnecalmly。

"YouKNEWit？"

"Yes，Isawitinyoureyes。"

"Andyetyouwentonlikingmeandbeingmyfriend。"

"Well，itwasonlynowandthenyouhatedme，Leslie。

Betweentimesyoulovedme，Ithink。"

"Icertainlydid。Butthatotherhorridfeelingwasalwaysthere，spoilingit，backinmyheart。Ikeptitdown——sometimesIforgotit——butsometimesitwouldsurgeupandtakepossessionofme。IhatedyoubecauseIENVIEDyou——oh，Iwassickwithenvyofyouattimes。Youhadadearlittlehome——andlove——andhappiness——andgladdreams——everythingIwanted——andneverhad——andnevercouldhave。Oh，nevercouldhave！

THATwaswhatstung。Iwouldn’thaveenviedyou，ifI

hadhadanyHOPEthatlifewouldeverbedifferentforme。ButIhadn’t——Ihadn’t——anditdidn’tseemFAIR。

Itmademerebellious——andithurtme——andsoIhatedyouattimes。Oh，Iwassoashamedofit——I’mdyingofshamenow——butIcouldn’tconquerit。

Thatnight，whenIwasafraidyoumightn’tlive——I

thoughtIwasgoingtobepunishedformywickedness——andIlovedyousothen。Anne，Anne，I

neverhadanythingtolovesincemymotherdied，exceptDick’solddog——andit’ssodreadfultohavenothingtolove——lifeissoEMPTY——andthere’sNOTHINGworsethanemptiness——andImighthavelovedyousomuch——andthathorriblethinghadspoiledit——"

Lesliewastremblingandgrowingalmostincoherentwiththeviolenceofheremotion。

"Don’t，Leslie，"imploredAnne，"oh，don’t。I

understand——don’ttalkofitanymore。"

"Imust——Imust。WhenIknewyouweregoingtoliveI

vowedthatIwouldtellyouassoonasyouwerewell——thatIwouldn’tgoonacceptingyourfriendshipandcompanionshipwithouttellingyouhowunworthyI

wasofit。AndI’vebeensoafraid——itwouldturnyouagainstme。"

"Youneedn’tfearthat，Leslie。"

"Oh，I’msoglad——soglad，Anne。"Leslieclaspedherbrown，work-hardenedhandstightlytogethertostilltheirshaking。"ButIwanttotellyoueverything，nowI’vebegun。Youdon’trememberthefirsttimeIsawyou，Isuppose——itwasn’tthatnightontheshore——"

"No，itwasthenightGilbertandIcamehome。Youweredrivingyourgeesedownthehill。IshouldthinkIDOrememberit！Ithoughtyouweresobeautiful——I

longedforweeksaftertofindoutwhoyouwere。"

"IknewwhoYOUwere，althoughIhadneverseeneitherofyoubefore。IhadheardofthenewdoctorandhisbridewhowerecomingtoliveinMissRussell’slittlehouse。I——Ihatedyouthatverymoment，Anne。"

"Ifelttheresentmentinyoureyes——thenIdoubted——I

thoughtImustbemistaken——becauseWHYshoulditbe？"

"Itwasbecauseyoulookedsohappy。Oh，you’llagreewithmenowthatIAMahatefulbeast——tohateanotherwomanjustbecauseshewashappy，——andwhenherhappinessdidn’ttakeanythingfromme！ThatwaswhyI

neverwenttoseeyou。IknewquitewellIoughttogo——evenoursimpleFourWindscustomsdemandedthat。

ButIcouldn’t。Iusedtowatchyoufrommywindow——I

couldseeyouandyourhusbandstrollingaboutyourgardenintheevening——oryourunningdownthepoplarlanetomeethim。Andithurtme。AndyetinanotherwayIwantedtogoover。Ifeltthat，ifIwerenotsomiserable，IcouldhavelikedyouandfoundinyouwhatI’veneverhadinmylife——anintimate，REALfriendofmyownage。Andthenyourememberthatnightattheshore？YouwereafraidIwouldthinkyoucrazy。Youmusthavethought_I_was。"

"No，butIcouldn’tunderstandyou，Leslie。Onemomentyoudrewmetoyou——thenextyoupushedmeback。"

"Iwasveryunhappythatevening。Ihadhadahardday。Dickhadbeenvery——veryhardtomanagethatday。

Generallyheisquitegood-naturedandeasilycontrolled，youknow，Anne。Butsomedaysheisverydifferent。Iwassoheartsick——Iranawaytotheshoreassoonashewenttosleep。Itwasmyonlyrefuge。I

sattherethinkingofhowmypoorfatherhadendedhislife，andwonderingifIwouldn’tbedriventoitsomeday。Oh，myheartwasfullofblackthoughts！Andthenyoucamedancingalongthecovelikeaglad，light-heartedchild。I——IhatedyoumorethenthanI’veeverdonesince。AndyetIcravedyourfriendship。Theonefeelingswayedmeonemoment；theotherfeelingthenext。WhenIgothomethatnightI

criedforshameofwhatyoumustthinkofme。Butit’salwaysbeenjustthesamewhenIcameoverhere。

SometimesI’dbehappyandenjoymyvisit。Andatothertimesthathideousfeelingwouldmaritall。

Thereweretimeswheneverythingaboutyouandyourhousehurtme。YouhadsomanydearlittlethingsI

couldn’thave。Doyouknow——it’sridiculous——butI

hadanespecialspiteatthosechinadogsofyours。

ThereweretimeswhenIwantedtocatchupGogandMagogandbangtheirpertblacknosestogether！Oh，yousmile，Anne——butitwasneverfunnytome。IwouldcomehereandseeyouandGilbertwithyourbooksandyourflowers，andyourhouseholdgoods，andyourlittlefamilyjokes——andyourloveforeachothershowingineverylookandword，evenwhenyoudidn’tknowit——andIwouldgohometo——youknowwhatIwenthometo！Oh，Anne，Idon’tbelieveI’mjealousandenviousbynature。WhenIwasagirlIlackedmanythingsmyschoolmateshad，butInevercared——Ineverdislikedthemforit。ButIseemtohavegrownsohateful——"

"Leslie，dearest，stopblamingyourself。YouareNOT

hatefulorjealousorenvious。Thelifeyouhavetolivehaswarpedyoualittle，perhaps-butitwouldhaveruinedanaturelessfineandnoblethanyours。I’mlettingyoutellmeallthisbecauseIbelieveit’sbetterforyoutotalkitoutandridyoursoulofit。

Butdon’tblameyourselfanymore。"

"Well，Iwon’t。IjustwantedyoutoknowmeasIam。

Thattimeyoutoldmeofyourdarlinghopeforthespringwastheworstofall，Anne。IshallneverforgivemyselfforthewayIbehavedthen。Irepenteditwithtears。AndIDIDputmanyatenderandlovingthoughtofyouintothelittledressImade。ButI

mighthaveknownthatanythingImadecouldonlybeashroudintheend。"

"Now，Leslie，thatISbitterandmorbid——putsuchthoughtsaway。

Iwassogladwhenyoubroughtthelittledress；andsinceIhadtoloselittleJoyceIliketothinkthatthedresssheworewastheoneyoumadeforherwhenyouletyourselfloveme。"

"Anne，doyouknow，IbelieveIshallalwaysloveyouafterthis。Idon’tthinkI’lleverfeelthatdreadfulwayaboutyouagain。Talkingitalloutseemstohavedoneawaywithit，somehow。It’sverystrange——andI

thoughtitsorealandbitter。It’slikeopeningthedoorofadarkroomtoshowsomehideouscreatureyou’vebelievedtobethere——andwhenthelightstreamsinyourmonsterturnsouttohavebeenjustashadow，vanishingwhenthelightcomes。Itwillnevercomebetweenusagain。"

"No，wearerealfriendsnow，Leslie，andIamveryglad。"

"Ihopeyouwon’tmisunderstandmeifIsaysomethingelse。Anne，Iwasgrievedtothecoreofmyheartwhenyoulostyourbaby；andifIcouldhavesavedherforyoubycuttingoffoneofmyhandsIwouldhavedoneit。Butyoursorrowhasbroughtusclosertogether。

Yourperfecthappinessisn’tabarrieranylonger。Oh，don’tmisunderstand，dearest——I’mNOTgladthatyourhappinessisn’tperfectanylonger——Icansaythatsincerely；butsinceitisn’t，thereisn’tsuchagulfbetweenus。"

"IDOunderstandthat，too，Leslie。Now，we’lljustshutupthepastandforgetwhatwasunpleasantinit。

It’sallgoingtobedifferent。We’rebothoftheraceofJosephnow。Ithinkyou’vebeenwonderful——wonderful。And，Leslie，Ican’thelpbelievingthatlifehassomethinggoodandbeautifulforyouyet。"

Leslieshookherhead。

"No，"shesaiddully。"Thereisn’tanyhope。Dickwillneverbebetter——andevenifhismemoryweretocomeback——oh，Anne，itwouldbeworse，evenworse，thanitisnow。Thisissomethingyoucan’tunderstand，youhappybride。Anne，didMissCorneliaevertellyouhowIcametomarryDick？"

"Yes。"

"I’mglad——Iwantedyoutoknow——butIcouldn’tbringmyselftotalkofitifyouhadn’tknown。Anne，itseemstomethateversinceIwastwelveyearsoldlifehasbeenbitter。BeforethatIhadahappychildhood。

Wewereverypoor——butwedidn’tmind。Fatherwassosplendid——socleverandlovingandsympathetic。WewerechumsasfarbackasIcanremember。Andmotherwassosweet。Shewasvery，verybeautiful。Ilooklikeher，butIamnotsobeautifulasshewas。"

"MissCorneliasaysyouarefarmorebeautiful。"

"Sheismistaken——orprejudiced。IthinkmyfigureIS

better——motherwasslightandbentbyhardwork——butshehadthefaceofanangel。Iusedjusttolookupatherinworship。Weallworshippedher，——fatherandKennethandI。"

AnnerememberedthatMissCorneliahadgivenheraverydifferentimpressionofLeslie’smother。Buthadnotlovethetruervision？Still，itWASselfishofRoseWesttomakeherdaughtermarryDickMoore。

"Kennethwasmybrother，"wentonLeslie。"Oh，I

can’ttellyouhowIlovedhim。Andhewascruellykilled。Doyouknowhow？"

"Yes。"

"Anne，Isawhislittlefaceasthewheelwentoverhim。Hefellonhisback。Anne——Anne——Icanseeitnow。Ishallalwaysseeit。Anne，allIaskofheavenisthatthatrecollectionshallbeblottedoutofmymemory。OmyGod！"

"Leslie，don’tspeakofit。Iknowthestory——don’tgointodetailsthatonlyharrowyoursoulupunavailingly。ItWILLbeblottedout。"

Afteramoment’sstruggle，Leslieregainedameasureofself-control。

"Thenfather’shealthgotworseandhegrewdespondent——hismindbecameunbalanced——you’veheardallthat，too？"

"Yes。"

"AfterthatIhadjustmothertolivefor。ButIwasveryambitious。Imeanttoteachandearnmywaythroughcollege。Imeanttoclimbtotheverytop——oh，Iwon’ttalkofthateither。It’snouse。Youknowwhathappened。Icouldn’tseemydearlittleheart-brokenmother，whohadbeensuchaslaveallherlife，turnedoutofherhome。Ofcourse，Icouldhaveearnedenoughforustoliveon。ButmotherCOULDN’T

leaveherhome。Shehadcomethereasabride——andshehadlovedfatherso——andallhermemorieswerethere。

Evenyet，Anne，whenIthinkthatImadeherlastyearhappyI’mnotsorryforwhatIdid。AsforDick——I

didn’thatehimwhenImarriedhim——Ijustfeltforhimtheindifferent，friendlyfeelingIhadformostofmyschoolmates。Iknewhedranksome——butIhadneverheardthestoryofthegirldownatthefishingcove。

IfIhad，ICOULDN’Thavemarriedhim，evenformother’ssake。Afterwards——IDIDhatehim——butmotherneverknew。Shedied——andthenIwasalone。IwasonlyseventeenandIwasalone。DickhadgoneoffintheFourSisters。Ihopedhewouldn’tbehomeverymuchmore。Theseahadalwaysbeeninhisblood。I

hadnootherhope。Well，CaptainJimbroughthimhome，asyouknow——andthat’sallthereistosay。Youknowmenow，Anne——theworstofme——thebarriersarealldown。Andyoustillwanttobemyfriend？"

Annelookedupthroughthebirches，atthewhitepaper-lanternofahalfmoondriftingdownwardstothegulfofsunset。Herfacewasverysweet。

"Iamyourfriendandyouaremine，foralways，"shesaid。"SuchafriendasIneverhadbefore。Ihavehadmanydearandbelovedfriends——butthereisasomethinginyou，Leslie，thatIneverfoundinanyoneelse。Youhavemoretooffermeinthatrichnatureofyours，andIhavemoretogiveyouthanIhadinmycarelessgirlhood。Wearebothwomen——andfriendsforever。"

Theyclaspedhandsandsmiledateachotherthroughthetearsthatfilledthegrayeyesandtheblue。

CHAPTER22

MISSCORNELIAARRANGESMATTERS

GilbertinsistedthatSusanshouldbekeptonatthelittlehouseforthesummer。Anneprotestedatfirst。

"Lifeherewithjustthetwoofusissosweet，Gilbert。Itspoilsitalittletohaveanyoneelse。

Susanisadearsoul，butsheisanoutsider。Itwon’thurtmetodotheworkhere。"

"Youmusttakeyourdoctor’sadvice，"saidGilbert。

"There’sanoldproverbtotheeffectthatshoemakers’

wivesgobarefootanddoctors’wivesdieyoung。I

don’tmeanthatitshallbetrueinmyhousehold。YouwillkeepSusanuntiltheoldspringcomesbackintoyourstep，andthoselittlehollowsonyourcheeksfillout。"

"Youjusttakeiteasy，Mrs。Doctor，dear，"saidSusan，comingabruptlyin。"Haveagoodtimeanddonotworryaboutthepantry。Susanisatthehelm。

Thereisnouseinkeepingadoganddoingyourownbarking。Iamgoingtotakeyourbreakfastuptoyoueverymorning。"

"Indeedyouarenot，"laughedAnne。"IagreewithMissCorneliathatit’sascandalforawomanwhoisn’tsicktoeatherbreakfastinbed，andalmostjustifiesthemeninanyenormities。"

"Oh，Cornelia！"saidSusan，withineffablecontempt。

"Ithinkyouhavebettersense，Mrs。Doctor，dear，thantoheedwhatCorneliaBryantsays。Icannotseewhyshemustbealwaysrunningdownthemen，evenifsheisanoldmaid。_I_amanoldmaid，butyouneverhearME

abusingthemen。Ilike’em。IwouldhavemarriedoneifIcould。Isitnotfunnynobodyeveraskedmetomarryhim，Mrs。Doctor，dear？Iamnobeauty，butIamasgood-lookingasmostofthemarriedwomenyousee。

ButIneverhadabeau。Whatdoyousupposeisthereason？"

"Itmaybepredestination，"suggestedAnne，withunearthlysolemnity。

Susannodded。

"ThatiswhatIhaveoftenthought，Mrs。Doctor，dear，andagreatcomfortitis。IdonotmindnobodywantingmeiftheAlmightydecreeditsoforHisownwisepurposes。Butsometimesdoubtcreepsin，Mrs。

Doctor，dear，andIwonderifmaybetheOldScratchhasnotmoretodowithitthananyoneelse。IcannotfeelresignedTHEN。Butmaybe，"addedSusan，brighteningup，"Iwillhaveachancetogetmarriedyet。Ioftenandoftenthinkoftheoldversemyauntusedtorepeat:

ThereneverwasagoosesograybutsometimesoonorlateSomehonestgandercameherwayandtookherforhismate！

Awomancannoteverbesureofnotbeingmarriedtillsheisburied，Mrs。Doctor，dear，andmeanwhileIwillmakeabatchofcherrypies。Inoticethedoctorfavors’em，andIDOlikecookingforamanwhoappreciateshisvictuals。"

MissCorneliadroppedinthatafternoon，puffingalittle。

"Idon’tmindtheworldorthedevilmuch，butthefleshDOESratherbotherme，"sheadmitted。"Youalwayslookascoolasacucumber，Anne，dearie。DoI

smellcherrypie？IfIdo，askmetostaytotea。

Haven’ttastedacherrypiethissummer。MycherrieshaveallbeenstolenbythosescampsofGilmanboysfromtheGlen。"

"Now，now，Cornelia，"remonstratedCaptainJim，whohadbeenreadingaseanovelinacornerofthelivingroom，"youshouldn’tsaythataboutthosetwopoor，motherlessGilmanboys，unlessyou’vegotcertainproof。Jestbecausetheirfatherain’tnonetoohonestisn’tanyreasonforcallingthemthieves。It’smorelikelyit’sbeentherobinstookyourcherries。

They’returriblethickthisyear。"

"Robins！"saidMissCorneliadisdainfully。"Humph！

Two-leggedrobins，believeME！"

"Well，mostoftheFourWindsrobinsAREconstructedonthatprinciple，"saidCaptainJimgravely。

MissCorneliastaredathimforamoment。Thensheleanedbackinherrockerandlaughedlongandungrudgingly。

"Well，youHAVEgotoneonmeatlast，JimBoyd，I’lladmit。Justlookhowpleasedheis，Anne，dearie，grinninglikeaChessy-cat。Asfortherobins’legsifrobinshavegreat，big，bare，sunburnedlegs，withraggedtrousershangingon’em，suchasIsawupinmycherrytreeonemorningatsunriselastweek，I’llbegtheGilmanboys’pardon。BythetimeIgotdowntheyweregone。Icouldn’tunderstandhowtheyhaddisappearedsoquick，butCaptainJimhasenlightenedme。Theyflewaway，ofcourse。"

CaptainJimlaughedandwentaway，regretfullydeclininganinvitationtostaytosupperandpartakeofcherrypie。

"I’monmywaytoseeLeslieandaskherifshe’lltakeaboarder，"MissCorneliaresumed。"I’daletteryesterdayfromaMrs。DalyinToronto，whoboardedaspellwithmetwoyearsago。Shewantedmetotakeafriendofhersforthesummer。HisnameisOwenFord，andhe’sanewspaperman，anditseemshe’sagrandsonoftheschoolmasterwhobuiltthishouse。JohnSelwyn’soldestdaughtermarriedanOntariomannamedFord，andthisisherson。Hewantstoseetheoldplacehisgrandparentslivedin。Hehadabadspelloftyphoidinthespringandhasn’tgotrightlyoverit，sohisdoctorhasorderedhimtothesea。Hedoesn’twanttogotothehotel——hejustwantsaquiethomeplace。Ican’ttakehim，forIhavetobeawayinAugust。I’vebeenappointedadelegatetotheW。F。M。S。

conventioninKingsportandI’mgoing。Idon’tknowwhetherLeslie’llwanttobebotheredwithhim，either，butthere’snooneelse。Ifshecan’ttakehimhe’llhavetogoovertheharbor。"

"Whenyou’veseenhercomebackandhelpuseatourcherrypies，"saidAnne。"BringLeslieandDick，too，iftheycancome。Andsoyou’regoingtoKingsport？

Whatanicetimeyouwillhave。Imustgiveyoualettertoafriendofminethere——Mrs。JonasBlake。"

"I’veprevailedonMrs。ThomasHolttogowithme，"

saidMissCorneliacomplacently。"It’stimeshehadalittleholiday，believeME。Shehasjustaboutworkedherselftodeath。TomHoltcancrochetbeautifully，buthecan’tmakealivingforhisfamily。Heneverseemstobeabletogetupearlyenoughtodoanywork，butInoticehecanalwaysgetupearlytogofishing。

Isn’tthatlikeaman？"

Annesmiled。ShehadlearnedtodiscountlargelyMissCornelia’sopinionsoftheFourWindsmen。Otherwiseshemusthavebelievedthemthemosthopelessassortmentofreprobatesandne’er-do-wellsintheworld，withveritableslavesandmartyrsforwives。

ThisparticularTomHolt，forexample，sheknewtobeakindhusband，amuchlovedfather，andanexcellentneighbor。Ifhewereratherinclinedtobelazy，likingbetterthefishinghehadbeenbornforthanthefarminghehadnot，andifhehadaharmlesseccentricityfordoingfancywork，nobodysaveMissCorneliaseemedtoholditagainsthim。Hiswifewasa"hustler，"whogloriedinhustling；hisfamilygotacomfortablelivingoffthefarm；andhisstrappingsonsanddaughters，inheritingtheirmother’senergy，wereallinafairwaytodowellintheworld。TherewasnotahappierhouseholdinGlenSt。MarythantheHolts’。

MissCorneliareturnedsatisfiedfromthehouseupthebrook。

"Leslie’sgoingtotakehim，"sheannounced。"Shejumpedatthechance。Shewantstomakealittlemoneytoshingletheroofofherhousethisfall，andshedidn’tknowhowshewasgoingtomanageit。IexpectCaptainJim’llbemorethaninterestedwhenhehearsthatagrandsonoftheSelwyns’iscominghere。Lesliesaidtotellyoushehankeredaftercherrypie，butshecouldn’tcometoteabecauseshehastogoandhuntupherturkeys。They’vestrayedaway。Butshesaid，iftherewasapieceleft，foryoutoputitinthepantryandshe’drunoverinthecat’slight，whenprowling’sinorder，togetit。Youdon’tknow，Anne，dearie，whatgooditdidmyhearttohearLesliesendyouamessagelikethat，laughinglikesheusedtolongago。

There’sagreatchangecomeoverherlately。Shelaughsandjokeslikeagirl，andfromhertalkI

gathershe’shererealoften。"

"Everyday——orelseI’moverthere，"saidAnne。"I

don’tknowwhatI’ddowithoutLeslie，especiallyjustnowwhenGilbertissobusy。He’shardlyeverhomeexceptforafewhoursintheweesma’s。He’sreallyworkinghimselftodeath。Somanyoftheover-harborpeoplesendforhimnow。"

"Theymightbetterbecontentwiththeirowndoctor，"

saidMissCornelia。"ThoughtobesureIcan’tblamethem，forhe’saMethodist。EversinceDr。BlythebroughtMrs。Allonbyroundfolksthinkhecanraisethedead。IbelieveDr。Daveisamitejealous——justlikeaman。HethinksDr。Blythehastoomanynew-fanglednotions！`Well，’Isaystohim，`itwasanew-fanglednotionsavedRhodaAllonby。IfYOU’Dbeenattendinghershe’dhavedied，andhadatombstonesayingithadpleasedGodtotakeheraway。’Oh，IDOliketospeakmymindtoDr。Dave！He’sbossedtheGlenforyears，andhethinkshe’sforgottenmorethanotherpeopleeverknew。Speakingofdoctors，IwishDr。Blythe’drunoverandseetothatboilonDickMoore’sneck。

It’sgettingpastLeslie’sskill。I’msureIdon’tknowwhatDickMoorewantstostartinhavingboilsfor——asifhewasn’tenoughtroublewithoutthat！"

"Doyouknow，Dickhastakenquiteafancytome，"

saidAnne。"Hefollowsmeroundlikeadog，andsmileslikeapleasedchildwhenInoticehim。"

"Doesitmakeyoucreepy？"

"Notatall。IratherlikepoorDickMoore。Heseemssopitifulandappealing，somehow。"

"Youwouldn’tthinkhimveryappealingifyou’dseehimonhiscantankerousdays，believeME。ButI’mgladyoudon’tmindhim——it’sallthenicerforLeslie。She’llhavemoretodowhenherboardercomes。Ihopehe’llbeadecentcreature。You’llprobablylikehim——he’sawriter。"

"Iwonderwhypeoplesocommonlysupposethatiftwoindividualsarebothwriterstheymustthereforebehugelycongenial，"saidAnne，ratherscornfully。

"Nobodywouldexpecttwoblacksmithstobeviolentlyattractedtowardeachothermerelybecausetheywerebothblacksmiths。"

Nevertheless，shelookedforwardtotheadventofOwenFordwithapleasantsenseofexpectation。IfhewereyoungandlikeablehemightproveaverypleasantadditiontosocietyinFourWinds。Thelatch-stringofthelittlehousewasalwaysoutfortheraceofJoseph。