第7章

Leslieshookherhead。

"Notjustnow，thankyou，Anne。Idon’tfeellikehavinganotherdogyet。Idon’tseemtohaveanyaffectionleftforanother。Perhaps——intime——I’llletyougivemeone。Ireallyneedoneasakindofprotection。ButtherewassomethingalmosthumanaboutCarlo——itwouldn’tbeDECENTtofillhisplacetoohurriedly，dearoldfellow。"

AnnewenttoAvonleaaweekbeforeChristmasandstayeduntilaftertheholidays。Gilbertcameupforher，andtherewasagladNewYearcelebrationatGreenGables，whenBarrysandBlythesandWrightsassembledtodevouradinnerwhichhadcostMrs。RachelandMarillamuchcarefulthoughtandpreparation。WhentheywentbacktoFourWindsthelittlehousewasalmostdriftedover，forthethirdstormofawinterthatwastoprovephenomenallystormyhadwhirleduptheharborandheapedhugesnowmountainsabouteverythingitencountered。ButCaptainJimhadshovelledoutdoorsandpaths，andMissCorneliahadcomedownandkindledthehearth-fire。

"It’sgoodtoseeyouback，Anne，dearie！Butdidyoueverseesuchdrifts？Youcan’tseetheMooreplaceatallunlessyougoupstairs。Leslie’llbesogladyou’reback。She’salmostburiedaliveoverthere。

FortunatelyDickcanshovelsnow，andthinksit’sgreatfun。Susansentmewordtotellyoushewouldbeonhandtomorrow。Whereareyouofftonow，Captain？"

"IreckonI’llploughuptotheGlenandsitabitwitholdMartinStrong。He’snotfarfromhisendandhe’slonesome。Hehasn’tmanyfriends——beentoobusyallhislifetomakeany。He’smadeheapsofmoney，though。"

"Well，hethoughtthatsincehecouldn’tserveGodandMammonhe’dbettersticktoMammon，"saidMissCorneliacrisply。"Soheshouldn’tcomplainifhedoesn’tfindMammonverygoodcompanynow。"

CaptainJimwentout，butrememberedsomethingintheyardandturnedbackforamoment。

"I’daletterfromMr。Ford，MistressBlythe，andhesaysthelife-bookisacceptedandisgoingtobepublishednextfall。IfeltfairupliftedwhenIgotthenews。TothinkthatI’mtoseeitinprintatlast。"

"Thatmaniscleancrazyonthesubjectofhislife-book，"saidMissCorneliacompassionately。"Formypart，Ithinkthere’sfartoomanybooksintheworldnow。"

CHAPTER29

GILBERTANDANNEDISAGREE

GilbertlaiddowntheponderousmedicaltomeoverwhichhehadbeenporinguntiltheincreasingduskoftheMarcheveningmadehimdesist。Heleanedbackinhischairandgazedmeditativelyoutofthewindow。Itwasearlyspring——probablytheugliesttimeoftheyear。

Noteventhesunsetcouldredeemthedead，soddenlandscapeandrottenblackharboriceuponwhichhelooked。Nosignoflifewasvisible，saveabigblackcrowwinginghissolitarywayacrossaleadenfield。

Gilbertspeculatedidlyconcerningthatcrow。Washeafamilycrow，withablackbutcomelycrowwifeawaitinghiminthewoodsbeyondtheGlen？Orwasheaglossyyoungbuckofacrowoncourtingthoughtsintent？Orwasheacynicalbachelorcrow，believingthathetravelsthefastestwhotravelsalone？

Whateverhewas，hesoondisappearedincongenialgloomandGilbertturnedtothecheerierviewindoors。

Thefirelightflickeredfrompointtopoint，gleamingonthewhiteandgreencoatsofGogandMagog，onthesleek，brownheadofthebeautifulsetterbaskingontherug，onthepictureframesonthewalls，onthevasefulofdaffodilsfromthewindowgarden，onAnneherself，sittingbyherlittletable，withhersewingbesideherandherhandsclaspedoverherkneewhileshetracedoutpicturesinthefire——CastlesinSpainwhoseairyturretspiercedmoonlitcloudandsunsetbar-shipssailingfromtheHavenofGoodHopesstraighttoFourWindsHarborwithpreciousburthen。ForAnnewasagainadreamerofdreams，albeitagrimshapeoffearwentwithhernightanddaytoshadowanddarkenhervisions。

Gilbertwasaccustomedtorefertohimselfas"anoldmarriedman。"ButhestilllookeduponAnnewiththeincredulouseyesofalover。Hecouldn’twhollybelieveyetthatshewasreallyhis。ItMIGHTbeonlyadreamafterall，partandparcelofthismagichouseofdreams。Hissoulstillwentontip-toebeforeher，lestthecharmbeshatteredandthedreamdispelled。

"Anne，"hesaidslowly，"lendmeyourears。Iwanttotalkwithyouaboutsomething。"

Annelookedacrossathimthroughthefire-litgloom。

"Whatisit？"sheaskedgaily。"Youlookfearfullysolemn，Gilbert。Ireallyhaven’tdoneanythingnaughtytoday。AskSusan。"

"It’snotofyou——orourselves——Iwanttotalk。It’saboutDickMoore。"

"DickMoore？"echoedAnne，sittingupalertly。"Why，whatintheworldhaveyoutosayaboutDickMoore？"

"I’vebeenthinkingagreatdealabouthimlately。DoyourememberthattimelastsummerItreatedhimforthosecarbunclesonhisneck？"

"Yes——yes。"

"Itooktheopportunitytoexaminethescarsonhisheadthoroughly。I’vealwaysthoughtDickwasaveryinterestingcasefromamedicalpointofview。LatelyI’vebeenstudyingthehistoryoftrephiningandthecaseswhereithasbeenemployed。Anne，IhavecometotheconclusionthatifDickMooreweretakentoagoodhospitalandtheoperationoftrephiningperformedonseveralplacesinhisskull，hismemoryandfacultiesmightberestored。"

"Gilbert！"Anne’svoicewasfullofprotest。"Surelyyoudon’tmeanit！"

"Ido，indeed。AndIhavedecidedthatitismydutytobroachthesubjecttoLeslie。"

"GilbertBlythe，youshallNOTdoanysuchthing，"

criedAnnevehemently。"Oh，Gilbert，youwon’t——youwon’t。Youcouldn’tbesocruel。Promisemeyouwon’t。"

"Why，Anne-girl，Ididn’tsupposeyouwouldtakeitlikethis。Bereasonable——"

"Iwon’tbereasonable——Ican’tbereasonable——IAM

reasonable。Itisyouwhoareunreasonable。Gilbert，haveyoueveroncethoughtwhatitwouldmeanforLeslieifDickMooreweretoberestoredtohisrightsenses？Juststopandthink！She’sunhappyenoughnow；butlifeasDick’snurseandattendantisathousandtimeseasierforherthanlifeasDick’swife。

Iknow——IKNOW！It’sunthinkable。Don’tyoumeddlewiththematter。Leavewellenoughalone。"

"IHAVEthoughtoverthataspectofthecasethoroughly，Anne。ButIbelievethatadoctorisboundtosetthesanctityofapatient’smindandbodyaboveallotherconsiderations，nomatterwhattheconsequencesmaybe。Ibelieveithisdutytoendeavortorestorehealthandsanity，ifthereisanyhopewhateverofit。"

"ButDickisn’tyourpatientinthatrespect，"criedAnne，takinganothertack。"IfLesliehadaskedyouifanythingcouldbedoneforhim，THENitmightbeyourdutytotellherwhatyoureallythought。Butyou’venorighttomeddle。"

"Idon’tcallitmeddling。UncleDavetoldLeslietwelveyearsagothatnothingcouldbedoneforDick。

Shebelievesthat，ofcourse。"

"AndwhydidUncleDavetellherthat，ifitwasn’ttrue？"criedAnne，triumphantly。"Doesn’theknowasmuchaboutitasyou？"

"Ithinknot——thoughitmaysoundconceitedandpresumptuoustosayit。AndyouknowaswellasI

thatheisratherprejudicedagainstwhathecalls`thesenew-fanglednotionsofcuttingandcarving。’

He’sevenopposedtooperatingforappendicitis。"

"He’sright，"exclaimedAnne，withacompletechangeoffront。`Ibelievemyselfthatyoumoderndoctorsareentirelytoofondofmakingexperimentswithhumanfleshandblood。"

"RhodaAllonbywouldnotbealivingwomantodayifI

hadbeenafraidofmakingacertainexperiment，"

arguedGilbert。"Itooktherisk——andsavedherlife。"

"I’msickandtiredofhearingaboutRhodaAllonby，"

criedAnne——mostunjustly，forGilberthadnevermentionedMrs。Allonby’snamesincethedayhehadtoldAnneofhissuccessinregardtoher。Andhecouldnotbeblamedforotherpeople’sdiscussionofit。

Gilbertfeltratherhurt。

"Ihadnotexpectedyoutolookatthematterasyoudo，Anne，"hesaidalittlestiffly，gettingupandmovingtowardstheofficedoor。Itwastheirfirstapproachtoaquarrel。

ButAnneflewafterhimanddraggedhimback。

"Now，Gilbert，youarenot`goingoffmad。’SitdownhereandI’llapologisebee-YEW-ti-fully，Ishouldn’thavesaidthat。But——oh，ifyouknew——"

Annecheckedherselfjustintime。ShehadbeenontheveryvergeofbetrayingLeslie’ssecret。

"Knewwhatawomanfeelsaboutit，"sheconcludedlamely。

"IthinkIdoknow。I’velookedatthematterfromeverypointofview——andI’vebeendriventotheconclusionthatitismydutytotellLesliethatI

believeitispossiblethatDickcanberestoredtohimself；theremyresponsibilityends。Itwillbeforhertodecidewhatshewilldo。"

"Idon’tthinkyou’veanyrighttoputsucharesponsibilityonher。Shehasenoughtobear。Sheispoor——howcouldsheaffordsuchanoperation？"

"Thatisforhertodecide，"persistedGilbertstubbornly。

"YousayyouthinkthatDickcanbecured。ButareyouSUREofit？"

"Certainlynot。Nobodycouldbesureofsuchathing。

Theremayhavebeenlesionsofthebrainitself，theeffectofwhichcanneverberemoved。Butif，asI

believe，hislossofmemoryandotherfacultiesisduemerelytothepressureonthebraincentersofcertaindepressedareasofbone，thenhecanbecured。"

"Butit’sonlyapossibility！"insistedAnne。"Now，supposeyoutellLeslieandshedecidestohavetheoperation。Itwillcostagreatdeal。Shewillhavetoborrowthemoney，orsellherlittleproperty。AndsupposetheoperationisafailureandDickremainsthesame。

Howwillshebeabletopaybackthemoneysheborrows，ormakealivingforherselfandthatbighelplesscreatureifshesellsthefarm？"

"Oh，Iknow——Iknow。Butitismydutytotellher。I

can’tgetawayfromthatconviction。"

"Oh，IknowtheBlythestubbornness，"groanedAnne。

"Butdon’tdothissolelyonyourownresponsibility。

ConsultDoctorDave。"

"IHAVEdoneso，"saidGilbertreluctantly。

"Andwhatdidhesay？"

"Inbrief——asyousay——leavewellenoughalone。Apartfromhisprejudiceagainstnew-fangledsurgery，I’mafraidhelooksatthecasefromyourpointofview——don’tdoit，forLeslie’ssake。"

"Therenow，"criedAnnetriumphantly。"Idothink，Gilbert，thatyououghttoabidebythejudgmentofamannearlyeighty，whohasseenagreatdealandsavedscoresofliveshimself——surelyhisopinionoughttoweighmorethanamereboy’s。"

"Thankyou。"

"Don’tlaugh。It’stooserious。"

"That’sjustmypoint。ItISserious。Hereisamanwhoisahelplessburden。Hemayberestoredtoreasonandusefulness——"

"Hewassoveryusefulbefore，"interjectedAnnewitheringly。

"Hemaybegivenachancetomakegoodandredeemthepast。Hiswifedoesn’tknowthis。Ido。Itisthereforemydutytotellherthatthereissuchapossibility。That，boileddown，ismydecision。"

"Don’tsay`decision’yet，Gilbert。Consultsomebodyelse。AskCaptainJimwhathethinksaboutit。"

"Verywell。ButI’llnotpromisetoabidebyhisopinion，Anne。

Thisissomethingamanmustdecideforhimself。MyconsciencewouldneverbeeasyifIkeptsilentonthesubject。"

"Oh，yourconscience！"moanedAnne。"IsupposethatUncleDavehasaconsciencetoo，hasn’the？"

"Yes。ButIamnotthekeeperofhisconscience。

Come，Anne，ifthisaffairdidnotconcernLeslie——ifitwereapurelyabstractcase，youwouldagreewithme，——youknowyouwould。"

"Iwouldn’t，"vowedAnne，tryingtobelieveitherself。"Oh，youcanargueallnight，Gilbert，butyouwon’tconvinceme。JustyouaskMissCorneliawhatshethinksofit。"

"You’redriventothelastditch，Anne，whenyoubringupMissCorneliaasareinforcement。Shewillsay，`Justlikeaman，’andragefuriously。Nomatter。

ThisisnoaffairforMissCorneliatosettle。Lesliealonemustdecideit。"

"Youknowverywellhowshewilldecideit，"saidAnne，almostintears。"Shehasidealsofduty，too。

Idon’tseehowyoucantakesucharesponsibilityonyourshoulders。_I_couldn’t。"

"`BecauserightisrighttofollowrightWerewisdominthescornofconsequence，’"

quotedGilbert。

"Oh，youthinkacoupletofpoetryaconvincingargument！"scoffedAnne。"Thatissolikeaman。"

Andthenshelaughedinspiteofherself。ItsoundedsolikeanechoofMissCornelia。

"Well，ifyouwon’tacceptTennysonasanauthority，perhapsyouwillbelievethewordsofaGreaterthanhe，"saidGilbertseriously。"`Yeshallknowthetruthandthetruthshallmakeyoufree。’Ibelievethat，Anne，withallmyheart。It’sthegreatestandgrandestverseintheBible——orinanyliterature——andtheTRUEST，iftherearecomparativedegreesoftrueness。Andit’sthefirstdutyofamantotellthetruth，asheseesitandbelievesit。"

"Inthiscasethetruthwon’tmakepoorLesliefree，"

sighedAnne。"Itwillprobablyendinstillmorebitterbondageforher。Oh，Gilbert，ICAN’Tthinkyouareright。"

CHAPTER30

LESLIEDECIDES

AsuddenoutbreakofavirulenttypeofinfluenzaattheGlenanddownatthefishingvillagekeptGilbertsobusyforthenextfortnightthathehadnotimetopaythepromisedvisittoCaptainJim。AnnehopedagainsthopethathehadabandonedtheideaaboutDickMoore，and，resolvingtoletsleepingdogslie，shesaidnomoreaboutthesubject。Butshethoughtofitincessantly。

"IwonderifitwouldberightformetotellhimthatLesliecaresforOwen，"shethought。"Hewouldneverlethersuspectthatheknew，soherpridewouldnotsuffer，anditMIGHTconvincehimthatheshouldletDickMoorealone。ShallI——shallI？No，afterall，I

cannot。Apromiseissacred，andI’venorighttobetrayLeslie’ssecret。Butoh，IneverfeltsoworriedoveranythinginmylifeasIdooverthis。

It’sspoilingthespring——it’sspoilingeverything。"

OneeveningGilbertabruptlyproposedthattheygodownandseeCaptainJim。WithasinkingheartAnneagreed，andtheysetforth。TwoweeksofkindsunshinehadwroughtamiracleinthebleaklandscapeoverwhichGilbert’scrowhadflown。Thehillsandfieldsweredryandbrownandwarm，readytobreakintobudandblossom；theharborwaslaughter-shakenagain；thelongharborroadwaslikeagleamingredribbon；downonthedunesacrowdofboys，whowereoutsmeltfishing，wereburningthethick，drysandhillgrassoftheprecedingsummer。Theflamessweptoverthedunesrosily，flingingtheircardinalbannersagainstthedarkgulfbeyond，andilluminatingthechannelandthefishingvillage。ItwasapicturesquescenewhichwouldatothertimeshavedelightedAnne’seyes；butshewasnotenjoyingthiswalk。NeitherwasGilbert。Theirusualgood-comradeshipandJosephiancommunityoftasteandviewpointweresadlylacking。Anne’sdisapprovalofthewholeprojectshoweditselfinthehaughtyupliftofherheadandthestudiedpolitenessofherremarks。

Gilbert’smouthwassetinalltheBlytheobstinacy，buthiseyesweretroubled。Hemeanttodowhathebelievedtobehisduty；buttobeatoutswithAnnewasahighpricetopay。Altogether，bothweregladwhentheyreachedthelight——andremorsefulthattheyshouldbeglad。

CaptainJimputawaythefishingnetuponwhichhewasworking，andwelcomedthemjoyfully。InthesearchinglightofthespringeveninghelookedolderthanAnnehadeverseenhim。Hishairhadgrownmuchgrayer，andthestrongoldhandshookalittle。Buthisblueeyeswereclearandsteady，andthestaunchsoullookedoutthroughthemgallantandunafraid。

CaptainJimlistenedinamazedsilencewhileGilbertsaidwhathehadcometosay。Anne，whoknewhowtheoldmanworshippedLeslie，feltquitesurethathewouldsidewithher，althoughshehadnotmuchhopethatthiswouldinfluenceGilbert。ShewasthereforesurprisedbeyondmeasurewhenCaptainJim，slowlyandsorrowfully，butunhesitatingly，gaveitashisopinionthatLeslieshouldbetold。

"Oh，CaptainJim，Ididn’tthinkyou’dsaythat，"sheexclaimedreproachfully。"Ithoughtyouwouldn’twanttomakemoretroubleforher。"

CaptainJimshookhishead。

"Idon’twantto。Iknowhowyoufeelaboutit，MistressBlythe——justasIfeelmeself。Butitain’tourfeelingswehavetosteerbythroughlife——no，no，we’dmakeshipwreckmightyoftenifwedidthat。

There’sonlytheonesafecompassandwe’vegottosetourcoursebythat——whatit’srighttodo。Iagreewiththedoctor。Ifthere’sachanceforDick，Leslieshouldbetoldofit。There’snotwosidestothat，inmyopinion。"

"Well，"saidAnne，givingupindespair，"waituntilMissCorneliagetsafteryoutwomen。"

"Cornelia’llrakeusforeandaft，nodoubt，"assentedCaptainJim。"Youwomenarelovelycritters，MistressBlythe，butyou’rejustamiteillogical。You’reahighlyeddicatedladyandCorneliaisn’t，butyou’relikeastwopeaswhenitcomestothat。Idunno’syou’reanytheworseforit。Logicisasortofhard，mercilessthing，Ireckon。Now，I’llbrewacupofteaandwe’lldrinkitandtalkofpleasantthings，jesttocalmourmindsabit。"

Atleast，CaptainJim’steaandconversationcalmedAnne’smindtosuchanextentthatshedidnotmakeGilbertsuffersoacutelyonthewayhomeasshehaddeliberatelyintendedtodo。Shedidnotrefertotheburningquestionatall，butshechattedamiablyofothermatters，andGilbertunderstoodthathewasforgivenunderprotest。

"CaptainJimseemsveryfrailandbentthisspring。

Thewinterhasagedhim，"saidAnnesadly。"IamafraidthathewillsoonbegoingtoseeklostMargaret。Ican’tbeartothinkofit。"

"FourWindswon’tbethesameplacewhenCaptainJim`setsouttosea，’"agreedGilbert。

Thefollowingeveninghewenttothehouseupthebrook。Annewandereddismallyarounduntilhisreturn。

"Well，whatdidLesliesay？"shedemandedwhenhecamein。

"Verylittle。Ithinkshefeltratherdazed。"

"Andisshegoingtohavetheoperation？"

"Sheisgoingtothinkitoveranddecideverysoon。"

Gilbertflunghimselfwearilyintotheeasychairbeforethefire。Helookedtired。IthadnotbeenaneasythingforhimtotellLeslie。Andtheterrorthathadsprungintohereyeswhenthemeaningofwhathetoldhercamehometoherwasnotapleasantthingtoremember。Now，whenthediewascast，hewasbesetwithdoubtsofhisownwisdom。

Annelookedathimremorsefully；thensheslippeddownontherugbesidehimandlaidherglossyredheadonhisarm。

"Gilbert，I’vebeenratherhatefuloverthis。Iwon’tbeanymore。Pleasejustcallmered-headedandforgiveme。"

BywhichGilbertunderstoodthat，nomatterwhatcameofit，therewouldbenoI-told-you-so’s。Buthewasnotwhollycomforted。Dutyintheabstractisonething；dutyintheconcreteisquiteanother，especiallywhenthedoerisconfrontedbyawoman’sstrickeneyes。

SomeinstinctmadeAnnekeepawayfromLeslieforthenextthreedays。OnthethirdeveningLesliecamedowntothelittlehouseandtoldGilbertthatshehadmadeuphermind；shewouldtakeDicktoMontrealandhavetheoperation。

Shewasverypaleandseemedtohavewrappedherselfinheroldmantleofaloofness。ButhereyeshadlostthelookwhichhadhauntedGilbert；theywerecoldandbright；andsheproceededtodiscussdetailswithhiminacrisp，business-likeway。Therewereplanstobemadeandmanythingstobethoughtover。WhenLesliehadgottheinformationshewantedshewenthome。Annewantedtowalkpartofthewaywithher。

"Betternot，"saidLesliecurtly。"Today’srainhasmadethegrounddamp。Good-night。"

"HaveIlostmyfriend？"saidAnnewithasigh。"IftheoperationissuccessfulandDickMoorefindshimselfagainLesliewillretreatintosomeremotefastnessofhersoulwherenoneofuscaneverfindher。"

"Perhapsshewillleavehim，"saidGilbert。

"Lesliewouldneverdothat，Gilbert。Hersenseofdutyisverystrong。ShetoldmeoncethatherGrandmotherWestalwaysimpresseduponherthefactthatwhensheassumedanyresponsibilityshemustnevershirkit，nomatterwhattheconsequencesmightbe。

Thatisoneofhercardinalrules。Isupposeit’sveryold-fashioned。"

"Don’tbebitter，Anne-girl。Youknowyoudon’tthinkitold-fashioned——youknowyouhavetheverysameideaofsacrednessofassumedresponsibilitiesyourself。

Andyouareright。Shirkingresponsibilitiesisthecurseofourmodernlife——thesecretofalltheunrestanddiscontentthatisseethingintheworld。"

"Thussaiththepreacher，"mockedAnne。Butunderthemockeryshefeltthathewasright；andshewasverysickatheartforLeslie。

AweeklaterMissCorneliadescendedlikeanavalancheuponthelittlehouse。GilbertwasawayandAnnewascompelledtobeartheshockoftheimpactalone。

MissCorneliahardlywaitedtogetherhatoffbeforeshebegan。

"Anne，doyoumeantotellmeit’struewhatI’veheard——thatDr。BlythehastoldLeslieDickcanbecured，andthatsheisgoingtotakehimtoMontrealtohavehimoperatedon？"

"Yes，itisquitetrue，MissCornelia，"saidAnnebravely。

"Well，it’sinhumancruelty，that’swhatitis，"saidMissCornelia，violentlyagitated。"IdidthinkDr。

Blythewasadecentman。Ididn’tthinkhecouldhavebeenguiltyofthis。"

"Dr。BlythethoughtitwashisdutytotellLesliethattherewasachanceforDick，"saidAnnewithspirit，"and，"sheadded，loyaltytoGilbertgettingthebetterofher，"Iagreewithhim。"

"Oh，no，youdon’t，dearie，"saidMissCornelia。"Nopersonwithanybowelsofcompassioncould。"

"CaptainJimdoes。"

"Don’tquotethatoldninnytome，"criedMissCornelia。"AndIdon’tcarewhoagreeswithhim。

Think——THINKwhatitmeanstothatpoorhunted，harriedgirl。"

"WeDOthinkofit。ButGilbertbelievesthatadoctorshouldputthewelfareofapatient’smindandbodybeforeallotherconsiderations。"

"That’sjustlikeaman。ButIexpectedbetterthingsofyou，Anne，"saidMissCornelia，moreinsorrowthaninwrath；thensheproceededtobombardAnnewithpreciselythesameargumentswithwhichthelatterhadattackedGilbert；andAnnevaliantlydefendedherhusbandwiththeweaponshehadusedforhisownprotection。Longwasthefray，butMissCorneliamadeanendatlast。

"It’saniniquitousshame，"shedeclared，almostintears。"That’sjustwhatitis——aniniquitousshame。

Poor，poorLeslie！"

"Don’tyouthinkDickshouldbeconsideredalittletoo？"pleadedAnne。

"Dick！DickMoore！HE’Shappyenough。He’sabetterbehavedandmorereputablememberofsocietynowthanheeverwasbefore。

Why，hewasadrunkardandperhapsworse。Areyougoingtosethimlooseagaintoroarandtodevour？"

"Hemayreform，"saidpoorAnne，besetbyfoewithoutandtraitorwithin。

"Reformyourgrandmother！"retortedMissCornelia。

"DickMooregottheinjuriesthatlefthimasheisinadrunkenbrawl。HeDESERVEShisfate。Itwassentonhimforapunishment。Idon’tbelievethedoctorhasanybusinesstotamperwiththevisitationsofGod。"

"NobodyknowshowDickwashurt，MissCornelia。Itmaynothavebeeninadrunkenbrawlatall。Hemayhavebeenwaylaidandrobbed。"

"PigsMAYwhistle，butthey’vepoormouthsforit，"

saidMissCornelia。"Well，thegistofwhatyoutellmeisthatthethingissettledandthere’snouseintalking。Ifthat’ssoI’llholdmytongue。Idon’tproposetowearMYteethoutgnawingfiles。WhenathinghastobeIgiveintoit。ButIliketomakemightysurefirstthatitHAStobe。Now，I’lldevoteMYenergiestocomfortingandsustainingLeslie。Andafterall，"addedMissCornelia，brighteninguphopefully，"perhapsnothingcanbedoneforDick。"

CHAPTER31

THETRUTHMAKESFREE

Leslie，havingoncemadeuphermindwhattodo，proceededtodoitwithcharacteristicresolutionandspeed。House-cleaningmustbefinishedwithfirst，whateverissuesoflifeanddeathmightawaitbeyond。

Thegrayhouseupthebrookwasputintoflawlessorderandcleanliness，withMissCornelia’sreadyassistance。

MissCornelia，havingsaidhersaytoAnne，andlaterontoGilbertandCaptainJim——sparingneitherofthem，letitbeassured——neverspokeofthemattertoLeslie。

SheacceptedthefactofDick’soperation，referredtoitwhennecessaryinabusiness-likeway，andignoreditwhenitwasnot。Leslieneverattemptedtodiscussit。Shewasverycoldandquietduringthesebeautifulspringdays。SheseldomvisitedAnne，andthoughshewasinvariablycourteousandfriendly，thatverycourtesywasasanicybarrierbetweenherandthepeopleofthelittlehouse。Theoldjokesandlaughterandchumminessofcommonthingscouldnotreachheroverit。Annerefusedtofeelhurt。SheknewthatLesliewasinthegripofahideousdread——adreadthatwrappedherawayfromalllittleglimpsesofhappinessandhoursofpleasure。Whenonegreatpassionseizespossessionofthesoulallotherfeelingsarecrowdedaside。NeverinallherlifehadLeslieMooreshudderedawayfromthefuturewithmoreintolerableterror。Butshewentforwardasunswervinglyinthepathshehadelectedasthemartyrsofoldwalkedtheirchosenway，knowingtheendofittobethefieryagonyofthestake。

ThefinancialquestionwassettledwithgreatereasethanAnnehadfeared。LeslieborrowedthenecessarymoneyfromCaptainJim，and，atherinsistence，hetookamortgageonthelittlefarm。

"Sothatisonethingoffthepoorgirl’smind，"MissCorneliatoldAnne，"andoffminetoo。Now，ifDickgetswellenoughtoworkagainhe’llbeabletoearnenoughtopaytheinterestonit；andifhedoesn’tI

knowCaptainJim’llmanagesomewaythatLesliewon’thaveto。Hesaidasmuchtome。`I’mgettingold，Cornelia，’hesaid，`andI’venochickorchildofmyown。Lesliewon’ttakeagiftfromalivingman，butmebbeshewillfromadeadone。’SoitwillbeallrightasfarasTHATgoes。Iwisheverythingelsemightbesettledassatisfactorily。AsforthatwretchofaDick，he’sbeenawfultheselastfewdays。Thedevilwasinhim，believeME！LeslieandIcouldn’tgetonwithourworkforthetrickshe’dplay。Hechasedallherducksonedayaroundtheyardtillmostofthemdied。Andnotonethingwouldhedoforus。

Sometimes，youknow，he’llmakehimselfquitehandy，bringinginpailsofwaterandwood。Butthisweekifwesenthimtothewellhe’dtrytoclimbdownintoit。

Ithoughtonce，`Ifyou’donlyshootdowntherehead-firsteverythingwouldbenicelysettled。’"

"Oh，MissCornelia！"

"Now，youneedn’tMissCorneliame，Anne，dearie。

ANYBODYwouldhavethoughtthesame。IftheMontrealdoctorscanmakearationalcreatureoutofDickMoorethey’rewonders。"

LeslietookDicktoMontrealearlyinMay。Gilbertwentwithher，tohelpher，andmakethenecessaryarrangementsforher。HecamehomewiththereportthattheMontrealsurgeonwhomtheyhadconsultedagreedwithhimthattherewasagoodchanceofDick’srestoration。

"Verycomforting，"wasMissCornelia’ssarcasticcomment。

Anneonlysighed。Lesliehadbeenverydistantattheirparting。

Butshehadpromisedtowrite。TendaysafterGilbert’sreturnthelettercame。LesliewrotethattheoperationhadbeensuccessfullyperformedandthatDickwasmakingagoodrecovery。

"Whatdoesshemeanby`successfully？’"askedAnne。

"DoesshemeanthatDick’smemoryisreallyrestored？"

"Notlikely——sinceshesaysnothingofit，"saidGilbert。"Sheusestheword`successfully’fromthesurgeon’spointofview。Theoperationhasbeenperformedandfollowedbynormalresults。ButitistoosoontoknowwhetherDick’sfacultieswillbeeventuallyrestored，whollyorinpart。Hismemorywouldnotbelikelytoreturntohimallatonce。Theprocesswillbegradual，ifitoccursatall。Isthatallshesays？"

"Yes——there’sherletter。It’sveryshort。Poorgirl，shemustbeunderaterriblestrain。GilbertBlythe，thereareheapsofthingsIlongtosaytoyou，onlyitwouldbemean。"

"MissCorneliasaysthemforyou，"saidGilbertwitharuefulsmile。"ShecombsmedowneverytimeI

encounterher。Shemakesitplaintomethatsheregardsmeaslittlebetterthanamurderer，andthatshethinksitagreatpitythatDr。Daveeverletmestepintohisshoes。SheeventoldmethattheMethodistdoctorovertheharborwastobepreferredbeforeme。WithMissCorneliatheforceofcondemnationcannofurthergo。"

"IfCorneliaBryantwassick，itwouldnotbeDoctorDaveortheMethodistdoctorshewouldsendfor，"

sniffedSusan。"Shewouldhaveyououtofyourhard-earnedbedinthemiddleofthenight，doctor，dear，ifshetookaspellofmisery，thatshewould。

Andthenshewouldlikelysayyourbillwaspastallreason。Butdonotmindher，doctor，dear。Ittakesallkindsofpeopletomakeaworld。"

NofurtherwordcamefromLeslieforsometime。TheMaydayscreptawayinasweetsuccessionandtheshoresofFourWindsHarborgreenedandbloomedandpurpled。OnedayinlateMayGilbertcamehometobemetbySusaninthestableyard。

"IamafraidsomethinghasupsetMrs。Doctor，doctor，dear，"shesaidmysteriously。"Shegotaletterthisafternoonandsincethenshehasjustbeenwalkingroundthegardenandtalkingtoherself。Youknowitisnotgoodforhertobeonherfeetsomuch，doctor，dear。Shedidnotseefittotellmewhathernewswas，andIamnopry，doctor，dear，andneverwas，butitisplainsomethinghasupsether。Anditisnotgoodforhertobeupset。"

Gilberthurriedratheranxiouslytothegarden。HadanythinghappenedatGreenGables？ButAnne，sittingontherusticseatbythebrook，didnotlooktroubled，thoughshewascertainlymuchexcited。Hereyesweretheirgrayest，andscarletspotsburnedonhercheeks。

"Whathashappened，Anne？"

Annegaveaqueerlittlelaugh。

"Ithinkyou’llhardlybelieveitwhenItellyou，Gilbert。_I_can’tbelieveityet。AsSusansaidtheotherday，`Ifeellikeaflycomingtoliveinthesun——dazed-like。’It’sallsoincredible。I’vereadtheletterascoreoftimesandeverytimeit’sjustthesame——Ican’tbelievemyowneyes。Oh，Gilbert，youwereright——soright。Icanseethatclearlyenoughnow——andI’msoashamedofmyself——andwillyoueverreallyforgiveme？"

"Anne，I’llshakeyouifyoudon’tgrowcoherent。

Redmondwouldbeashamedofyou。WHAThashappened？"

"Youwon’tbelieveit——youwon’tbelieveit——"

"I’mgoingtophoneforUncleDave，"saidGilbert，pretendingtostartforthehouse。

"Sitdown，Gilbert。I’lltrytotellyou。I’vehadaletter，andoh，Gilbert，it’sallsoamazing——soincrediblyamazing——weneverthought——notoneofuseverdreamed——"

"Isuppose，"saidGilbert，sittingdownwitharesignedair，"theonlythingtodoinacaseofthiskindistohavepatienceandgoatthemattercategorically。Whomisyourletterfrom？"

"Leslie——and，oh，Gilbert——"

"Leslie！Whew！Whathasshetosay？What’sthenewsaboutDick？"

Anneliftedtheletterandhelditout，calmlydramaticinamoment。

"ThereisNODick！ThemanwehavethoughtDickMoore——whomeverybodyinFourWindshasbelievedfortwelveyearstobeDickMoore——ishiscousin，GeorgeMoore，ofNovaScotia，who，itseems，alwaysresembledhimverystrikingly。DickMoorediedofyellowfeverthirteenyearsagoinCuba。"

CHAPTER32

MISSCORNELIADISCUSSESTHEAFFAIR

"Anddoyoumeantotellme，Anne，dearie，thatDickMoorehasturnedoutnottobeDickMooreatallbutsomebodyelse？IsTHATwhatyouphoneduptometoday？"

"Yes，MissCornelia。Itisveryamazing，isn’tit？"

"It’s——it’s——justlikeaman，"saidMissCorneliahelplessly。Shetookoffherhatwithtremblingfingers。ForonceinherlifeMissCorneliawasundeniablystaggered。

"Ican’tseemtosenseit，Anne，"shesaid。"I’veheardyousayit——andIbelieveyou——butIcan’ttakeitin。DickMooreisdead——hasbeendeadalltheseyears——andLeslieisfree？"

"Yes。Thetruthhasmadeherfree。GilbertwasrightwhenhesaidthatversewasthegrandestintheBible。"

"Tellmeeverything，Anne，dearie。SinceIgotyourphoneI’vebeeninaregularmuddle，believeME。

CorneliaBryantwasneversokerflummuxedbefore。"

"Thereisn’taverygreatdealtotell。Leslie’sletterwasshort。Shedidn’tgointoparticulars。

Thisman——GeorgeMoore——hasrecoveredhismemoryandknowswhoheis。HesaysDicktookyellowfeverinCuba，andtheFourSistershadtosailwithouthim。

Georgestayedbehindtonursehim。Buthediedveryshortlyafterwards。

GeorgedidnotwriteLesliebecauseheintendedtocomerighthomeandtellherhimself。"

"Andwhydidn’the？"

"Isupposehisaccidentmusthaveintervened。GilbertsaysitisquitelikelythatGeorgeMooreremembersnothingofhisaccident，orwhatledtoit，andmayneverrememberit。ItprobablyhappenedverysoonafterDick’sdeath。WemayfindoutmoreparticularswhenLesliewritesagain。"

"Doesshesaywhatsheisgoingtodo？Whenisshecominghome？"

"ShesaysshewillstaywithGeorgeMooreuntilhecanleavethehospital。ShehaswrittentohispeopleinNovaScotia。ItseemsthatGeorge’sonlynearrelativeisamarriedsistermucholderthanhimself。ShewaslivingwhenGeorgesailedontheFourSisters，butofcoursewedonotknowwhatmayhavehappenedsince。

DidyoueverseeGeorgeMoore，MissCornelia？"

"Idid。Itisallcomingbacktome。HewasherevisitinghisUncleAbnereighteenyearsago，whenheandDickwouldbeaboutseventeen。Theyweredoublecousins，yousee。Theirfatherswerebrothersandtheirmothersweretwinsisters，andtheydidlookaterriblelotalike。Ofcourse，"addedMissCorneliascornfully，"itwasn’toneofthosefreakresemblancesyoureadofinnovelswheretwopeoplearesomuchalikethattheycanfilleachother’splacesandtheirnearestanddearestcan’ttellbetweenthem。InthosedaysyoucouldtelleasyenoughwhichwasGeorgeandwhichwasDick，ifyousawthemtogetherandnearathand。Apart，orsomedistanceaway，itwasn’tsoeasy。

Theyplayedlotsoftricksonpeopleandthoughtitgreatfun，thetwoscamps。GeorgeMoorewasalittletallerandagooddealfatterthanDick——thoughneitherofthemwaswhatyouwouldcallfat——theywerebothoftheleankind。DickhadhighercolorthanGeorge，andhishairwasashadelighter。Buttheirfeatureswerejustalike，andtheybothhadthatqueerfreakofeyes——oneblueandonehazel。Theyweren’tmuchalikeinanyotherway，though。Georgewasarealnicefellow，thoughhewasascalawagformischief，andsomesaidhehadalikingforaglasseventhen。ButeverybodylikedhimbetterthanDick。Hespentaboutamonthhere。Leslieneversawhim；shewasonlyabouteightorninethenandIremembernowthatshespentthatwholewinteroverharborwithhergrandmotherWest。CaptainJimwasaway，too——thatwasthewinterhewaswreckedontheMagdalens。Idon’tsupposeeitherheorLesliehadeverheardabouttheNovaScotiacousinlookingsomuchlikeDick。NobodyeverthoughtofhimwhenCaptainJimbroughtDick——George，I

shouldsay——home。Ofcourse，weallthoughtDickhadchangedconsiderable——he’dgotsolumpishandfat。Butweputthatdowntowhathadhappenedtohim，andnodoubtthatwasthereason，for，asI’vesaid，Georgewasn’tfattobeginwitheither。Andtherewasnootherwaywecouldhaveguessed，fortheman’ssenseswerecleangone。Ican’tseethatitisanywonderwewerealldeceived。Butit’sastaggeringthing。AndLesliehassacrificedthebestyearsofherlifetonursingamanwhohadn’tanyclaimonher！Oh，dratthemen！Nomatterwhattheydo，it’sthewrongthing。

Andnomatterwhotheyare，it’ssomebodytheyshouldn’tbe。Theydoexasperateme。"

"GilbertandCaptainJimaremen，anditisthroughthemthatthetruthhasbeendiscoveredatlast，"saidAnne。

"Well，Iadmitthat，"concededMissCorneliareluctantly。"I’msorryIrakedthedoctoroffso。

It’sthefirsttimeinmylifeI’veeverfeltashamedofanythingIsaidtoaman。Idon’tknowasIshalltellhimso，though。He’lljusthavetotakeitforgranted。Well，Anne，dearie，it’samercytheLorddoesn’tanswerallourprayers。I’vebeenprayinghardrightalongthattheoperationwouldn’tcureDick。OfcourseIdidn’tputitjustquitesoplain。Butthatwaswhatwasinthebackofmymind，andIhavenodoubttheLordknewit。"

"Well，Hehasansweredthespiritofyourprayer。Youreallywishedthatthingsshouldn’tbemadeanyharderforLeslie。I’mafraidthatinmysecretheartI’vebeenhopingtheoperationwouldn’tsucceed，andIamwholesomelyashamedofit。"

"HowdoesLeslieseemtotakeit？"

"Shewriteslikeonedazed。Ithinkthat，likeourselves，shehardlyrealisesityet。Shesays，`Itallseemslikeastrangedreamtome，Anne。’Thatistheonlyreferenceshemakestoherself。"

"Poorchild！Isupposewhenthechainsarestruckoffaprisonerhe’dfeelqueerandlostwithoutthemforawhile。Anne，dearie，here’sathoughtkeepscomingintomymind。WhataboutOwenFord？WebothknowLesliewasfondofhim。Diditeveroccurtoyouthathewasfondofher？"

"It——did——once，"admittedAnne，feelingthatshemightsaysomuch。

"Well，Ihadn’tanyreasontothinkhewas，butitjustappearedtomeheMUSTbe。Now，Anne，dearie，theLordknowsI’mnotamatch-maker，andIscornallsuchdoings。ButifIwereyouandwritingtothatFordmanI’djustmention，casual-like，whathashappened。Thatiswhat_I_’ddo。"

"OfcourseIwillmentionitwhenIwritehim，"saidAnne，atrifledistantly。Somehow，thiswasathingshecouldnotdiscusswithMissCornelia。Andyet，shehadtoadmitthatthesamethoughthadbeenlurkinginhermindeversinceshehadheardofLeslie’sfreedom。

Butshewouldnotdesecrateitbyfreespeech。

"Ofcoursethereisnogreatrush，dearie。ButDickMoore’sbeendeadforthirteenyearsandLesliehaswastedenoughofherlifeforhim。We’lljustseewhatcomesofit。AsforthisGeorgeMoore，who’sgoneandcomebacktolifewheneveryonethoughthewasdeadanddonefor，justlikeaman，I’mrealsorryforhim。Hewon’tseemtofitinanywhere。"

"Heisstillayoungman，andifherecoverscompletely，asseemslikely，hewillbeabletomakeaplaceforhimselfagain。Itmustbeverystrangeforhim，poorfellow。Isupposealltheseyearssincehisaccidentwillnotexistforhim。"

CHAPTER33

LESLIERETURNS

AfortnightlaterLeslieMoorecamehomealonetotheoldhousewhereshehadspentsomanybitteryears。IntheJunetwilightshewentoverthefieldstoAnne’s，andappearedwithghost-likesuddennessinthescentedgarden。

"Leslie！"criedAnneinamazement。"Wherehaveyousprungfrom？Weneverknewyouwerecoming。Whydidn’tyouwrite？Wewouldhavemetyou。"

"Icouldn’twritesomehow，Anne。Itseemedsofutiletotrytosayanythingwithpenandink。AndIwantedtogetbackquietlyandunobserved。"

AnneputherarmsaboutLeslieandkissedher。Lesliereturnedthekisswarmly。Shelookedpaleandtired，andshegavealittlesighasshedroppeddownonthegrassesbesideagreatbedofdaffodilsthatweregleamingthroughthepale，silverytwilightlikegoldenstars。

"Andyouhavecomehomealone，Leslie？"

"Yes。GeorgeMoore’ssistercametoMontrealandtookhimhomewithher。Poorfellow，hewassorrytopartwithme——thoughIwasastrangertohimwhenhismemoryfirstcameback。HeclungtomeinthosefirstharddayswhenhewastryingtorealisethatDick’sdeathwasnotthethingofyesterdaythatitseemedtohim。

Itwasallveryhardforhim。IhelpedhimallI

could。Whenhissistercameitwaseasierforhim，becauseitseemedtohimonlytheotherdaythathehadseenherlast。Fortunatelyshehadnotchangedmuch，andthathelpedhim，too。"

"Itisallsostrangeandwonderful，Leslie。Ithinkwenoneofusrealiseityet。"

"Icannot。WhenIwentintothehouseoverthereanhourago，IfeltthatitMUSTbeadream——thatDickmustbethere，withhischildishsmile，ashehadbeenforsolong。Anne，Iseemstunnedyet。I’mnotgladorsorry——orANYTHING。Ifeelasifsomethinghadbeentornsuddenlyoutofmylifeandleftaterriblehole。

IfeelasifIcouldn’tbe_I_——asifImusthavechangedintosomebodyelseandcouldn’tgetusedtoit。

Itgivesmeahorriblelonely，dazed，helplessfeeling。

It’sgoodtoseeyouagain——itseemsasifyouwereasortofanchorformydriftingsoul。Oh，Anne，I

dreaditall——thegossipandwondermentandquestioning。WhenIthinkofthat，IwishthatIneednothavecomehomeatall。Dr。DavewasatthestationwhenIcameoffthetrain——hebroughtmehome。Pooroldman，hefeelsverybadlybecausehetoldmeyearsagothatnothingcouldbedoneforDick。`Ihonestlythoughtso，Leslie，’hesaidtometoday。`ButI

shouldhavetoldyounottodependonmyopinion——I

shouldhavetoldyoutogotoaspecialist。IfIhad，youwouldhavebeensavedmanybitteryears，andpoorGeorgeMooremanywastedones。Iblamemyselfverymuch，Leslie。’Itoldhimnottodothat——hehaddonewhathethoughtright。Hehasalwaysbeensokindtome——Icouldn’tbeartoseehimworryingoverit。"

"AndDick——George，Imean？Ishismemoryfullyrestored？"

"Practically。Ofcourse，thereareagreatmanydetailshecan’trecallyet——butheremembersmoreandmoreeveryday。HewentoutforawalkontheeveningafterDickwasburied。HehadDick’smoneyandwatchonhim；hemeanttobringthemhometome，alongwithmyletter。Headmitshewenttoaplacewherethesailorsresorted——andheremembersdrinking——andnothingelse。Anne，Ishallneverforgetthemomentherememberedhisownname。Isawhimlookingatmewithanintelligentbutpuzzledexpression。Isaid，`Doyouknowme，Dick？’Heanswered，`Ineversawyoubefore。

Whoareyou？AndmynameisnotDick。IamGeorgeMoore，andDickdiedofyellowfeveryesterday！WhereamI？Whathashappenedtome？’I——Ifainted，Anne。

AndeversinceIhavefeltasifIwereinadream。"

"Youwillsoonadjustyourselftothisnewstateofthings，Leslie。Andyouareyoung——lifeisbeforeyou——youwillhavemanybeautifulyearsyet。"

"PerhapsIshallbeabletolookatitinthatwayafterawhile，Anne。JustnowIfeeltootiredandindifferenttothinkaboutthefuture。I’m——I’m——Anne，I’mlonely。ImissDick。Isn’titallverystrange？

Doyouknow，IwasreallyfondofpoorDick——George，I

supposeIshouldsay——justasIwouldhavebeenfondofahelplesschildwhodependedonmeforeverything。I

wouldneverhaveadmittedit——Iwasreallyashamedofit——because，yousee，IhadhatedanddespisedDicksomuchbeforehewentaway。WhenIheardthatCaptainJimwasbringinghimhomeIexpectedIwouldjustfeelthesametohim。ButIneverdid——althoughIcontinuedtoloathehimasIrememberedhimbefore。FromthetimehecamehomeIfeltonlypity——apitythathurtandwrungme。Isupposedthenthatitwasjustbecausehisaccidenthadmadehimsohelplessandchanged。ButnowIbelieveitwasbecausetherewasreallyadifferentpersonalitythere。Carloknewit，Anne——I

knownowthatCarloknewit。IalwaysthoughtitstrangethatCarloshouldn’thaveknownDick。Dogsareusuallysofaithful。ButHEknewitwasnothismasterwhohadcomeback，althoughnoneoftherestofusdid。IhadneverseenGeorgeMoore，youknow。I

remembernowthatDickoncementionedcasuallythathehadacousininNovaScotiawholookedasmuchlikehimasatwin；butthethinghadgoneoutofmymemory，andinanycaseIwouldneverhavethoughtitofanyimportance。Yousee，itneveroccurredtometoquestionDick’sidentity。Anychangeinhimseemedtomejusttheresultoftheaccident。

"Oh，Anne，thatnightinAprilwhenGilberttoldmehethoughtDickmightbecured！Icanneverforgetit。

ItseemedtomethatIhadoncebeenaprisonerinahideouscageoftorture，andthenthedoorhadbeenopenedandIcouldgetout。IwasstillchainedtothecagebutIwasnotinit。AndthatnightIfeltthatamercilesshandwasdrawingmebackintothecage——backtoatortureevenmoreterriblethanithadoncebeen。

Ididn’tblameGilbert。Ifelthewasright。Andhehadbeenverygood——hesaidthatif，inviewoftheexpenseanduncertaintyoftheoperation，Ishoulddecidenottoriskit，hewouldnotblamemeintheleast。ButIknewhowIoughttodecide——andI

couldn’tfaceit。AllnightIwalkedthefloorlikeamadwoman，tryingtocompelmyselftofaceit。I

couldn’t，Anne——IthoughtIcouldn’t——andwhenmorningbrokeIsetmyteethandresolvedthatIWOULDN’T。I

wouldletthingsremainastheywere。Itwasverywicked，Iknow。ItwouldhavebeenjustpunishmentforsuchwickednessifIhadjustbeenlefttoabidebythatdecision。Ikepttoitallday。ThatafternoonI

hadtogouptotheGlentodosomeshopping。ItwasoneofDick’squiet，drowsydays，soIlefthimalone。

IwasgonealittlelongerthanIhadexpected，andhemissedme。Hefeltlonely。AndwhenIgothome，herantomeetmejustlikeachild，withsuchapleasedsmileonhisface。Somehow，Anne，Ijustgavewaythen。ThatsmileonhispoorvacantfacewasmorethanIcouldendure。IfeltasifIweredenyingachildthechancetogrowanddevelop。IknewthatImustgivehimhischance，nomatterwhattheconsequencesmightbe。SoIcameoverandtoldGilbert。Oh，Anne，youmusthavethoughtmehatefulinthoseweeksbeforeIwentaway。Ididn’tmeantobe——butIcouldn’tthinkofanythingexceptwhatIhadtodo，andeverythingandeverybodyaboutmewerelikeshadows。"

"Iknow——Iunderstood，Leslie。Andnowitisallover——yourchainisbroken——thereisnocage。"

"Thereisnocage，"repeatedLeslieabsently，pluckingatthefringinggrasseswithherslender，brownhands。

"But——itdoesn’tseemasiftherewereanythingelse，Anne。You——yourememberwhatItoldyouofmyfollythatnightonthesand-bar？Ifindonedoesn’tgetoverbeingafoolveryquickly。SometimesIthinktherearepeoplewhoarefoolsforever。Andtobeafool——ofthatkind——isalmostasbadasbeinga——adogonachain。"

"Youwillfeelverydifferentlyafteryougetoverbeingtiredandbewildered，"saidAnne，who，knowingacertainthingthatLesliedidnotknow，didnotfeelherselfcalledupontowasteovermuchsympathy。

LeslielaidhersplendidgoldenheadagainstAnne’sknee。

"Anyhow，IhaveYOU，"shesaid。"Lifecan’tbealtogetheremptywithsuchafriend。Anne，patmyhead——justasifIwerealittlegirl——MOTHERmeabit——andletmetellyouwhilemystubborntongueisloosedalittlejustwhatyouandyourcomradeshiphavemeanttomesincethatnightImetyouontherockshore。"

CHAPTER34

THESHIPO’DREAMSCOMESTOHARBOR

Onemorning，whenawindygoldensunrisewasbillowingoverthegulfinwavesoflight，acertainwearystorkflewoverthebarofFourWindsHarboronhiswayfromtheLandofEveningStars。Underhiswingwastuckedasleepy，starry-eyed，littlecreature。Thestorkwastired，andhelookedwistfullyabouthim。Heknewhewassomewherenearhisdestination，buthecouldnotyetseeit。Thebig，whitelight-houseontheredsandstonecliffhaditsgoodpoints；butnostorkpossessedofanygumptionwouldleaveanew，velvetbabythere。Anoldgrayhouse，surroundedbywillows，inablossomybrookvalley，lookedmorepromising，butdidnotseemquitethethingeither。Thestaringgreenabodefurtheronwasmanifestlyoutofthequestion。Thenthestorkbrightenedup。Hehadcaughtsightoftheveryplace——alittlewhitehousenestledagainstabig，whisperingfirwood，withaspiralofbluesmokewindingupfromitskitchenchimney——ahousewhichjustlookedasifitweremeantforbabies。Thestorkgaveasighofsatisfaction，andsoftlyalightedontheridge-pole。

HalfanhourlaterGilbertrandownthehallandtappedonthespare-roomdoor。AdrowsyvoiceansweredhimandinamomentMarilla’spale，scaredfacepeepedoutfrombehindthedoor。

"Marilla，Annehassentmetotellyouthatacertainyounggentlemanhasarrivedhere。Hehasn’tbroughtmuchluggagewithhim，butheevidentlymeanstostay。"

"Forpity’ssake！"saidMarillablankly。"Youdon’tmeantotellme，Gilbert，thatit’sallover。Whywasn’tIcalled？"

"Annewouldn’tletusdisturbyouwhentherewasnoneed。Nobodywascalleduntilabouttwohoursago。

Therewasno`passageperilous’thistime。"

"And——and——Gilbert——willthisbabylive？"

"Hecertainlywill。Heweighstenpoundsand——why，listentohim。Nothingwrongwithhislungs，isthere？

Thenursesayshishairwillbered。Anneisfuriouswithher，andI’mtickledtodeath。"

Thatwasawonderfuldayinthelittlehouseofdreams。

"Thebestdreamofallhascometrue，"saidAnne，paleandrapturous。"Oh，Marilla，Ihardlydarebelieveit，afterthathorribledaylastsummer。Ihavehadaheartacheeversincethen——butitisgonenow。"

"ThisbabywilltakeJoy’splace，"saidMarilla。

"Oh，no，no，NO，Marilla。Hecan’t——nothingcaneverdothat。Hehashisownplace，mydear，weeman-child。ButlittleJoyhashers，andalwayswillhaveit。Ifshehadlivedshewouldhavebeenoverayearold。Shewouldhavebeentoddlingaroundonhertinyfeetandlispingafewwords。Icanseehersoplainly，Marilla。Oh，IknownowthatCaptainJimwasrightwhenhesaidGodwouldmanagebetterthanthatmybabywouldseemastrangertomewhenIfoundherBeyond。I’velearnedTHATthispastyear。I’vefollowedherdevelopmentdaybydayandweekbyweek——I

alwaysshall。Ishallknowjusthowshegrowsfromyeartoyear——andwhenImeetheragainI’llknowher——shewon’tbeastranger。Oh，Marilla，LOOKathisdear，darlingtoes！Isn’titstrangetheyshouldbesoperfect？"

"Itwouldbestrangeriftheyweren’t，"saidMarillacrisply。Nowthatallwassafelyover，Marillawasherselfagain。

"Oh，Iknow——butitseemsasiftheycouldn’tbequiteFINISHED，youknow——andtheyare，eventothetinynails。Andhishands——JUSTlookathishands，Marilla。"

"Theyappeartobeagooddeallikehands，"Marillaconceded。

"Seehowheclingstomyfinger。I’msureheknowsmealready。Hecrieswhenthenursetakeshimaway。Oh，Marilla，doyouthink——youdon’tthink，doyou——thathishairisgoingtobered？"

"Idon’tseemuchhairofanycolor，"saidMarilla。

"Iwouldn’tworryaboutit，ifIwereyou，untilitbecomesvisible。"

"Marilla，heHAShair——lookatthatfinelittledownalloverhishead。Anyway，nursesayshiseyeswillbehazelandhisforeheadisexactlylikeGilbert’s。"

"Andhehasthenicestlittleears，Mrs。Doctor，dear，"saidSusan。"ThefirstthingIdidwastolookathisears。Hairisdeceitfulandnosesandeyeschange，andyoucannottellwhatisgoingtocomeofthem，butearsisearsfromstarttofinish，andyoualwaysknowwhereyouarewiththem。Justlookattheirshape——andtheyaresetrightbackagainsthisprecioushead。Youwillneverneedtobeashamedofhisears，Mrs。Doctor，dear。"

Anne’sconvalescencewasrapidandhappy。Folkscameandworshippedthebaby，aspeoplehavebowedbeforethekingshipofthenew-bornsincelongbeforetheWiseMenoftheEastkneltinhomagetotheRoyalBabeoftheBethlehemmanger。Leslie，slowlyfindingherselfamidthenewconditionsofherlife，hoveredoverit，likeabeautiful，golden-crownedMadonna。MissCornelianurseditasknackilyascouldanymotherinIsrael。CaptainJimheldthesmallcreatureinhisbigbrownhandsandgazedtenderlyatit，witheyesthatsawthechildrenwhohadneverbeenborntohim。

"Whatareyougoingtocallhim？"askedMissCornelia。

"Annehassettledhisname，"answeredGilbert。

"JamesMatthew——afterthetwofinestgentlemenI’veeverknown——notevensavingyourpresence，"saidAnnewithasaucyglanceatGilbert。

Gilbertsmiled。

"IneverknewMatthewverywell；hewassoshyweboyscouldn’tgetacquaintedwithhim——butIquiteagreewithyouthatCaptainJimisoneoftherarestandfinestsoulsGodeverclothedinclay。Heissodelightedoverthefactthatwehavegivenhisnametooursmalllad。Itseemshehasnoothernamesake。"

"Well，JamesMatthewisanamethatwillwearwellandnotfadeinthewashing，"saidMissCornelia。"I’mgladyoudidn’tloadhimdownwithsomehighfalutin，romanticnamethathe’dbeashamedofwhenhegetstobeagrandfather。Mrs。WilliamDrewattheGlenhascalledherbabyBertieShakespeare。Quiteacombination，isn’tit？AndI’mgladyouhaven’thadmuchtroublepickingonaname。Somefolkshaveanawfultime。WhentheStanleyFlaggs’firstboywasborntherewassomuchrivalryastowhothechildshouldbenamedforthatthepoorlittlesoulhadtogofortwoyearswithoutaname。Thenabrothercamealongandthereitwas——`BigBaby’and`LittleBaby。’

FinallytheycalledBigBabyPeterandLittleBabyIsaac，afterthetwograndfathers，andhadthembothchristenedtogether。Andeachtriedtoseeifitcouldn’thowltheotherdown。YouknowthatHighlandScotchfamilyofMacNabsbackoftheGlen？They’vegottwelveboysandtheoldestandtheyoungestarebothcalledNeil——BigNeilandLittleNeilinthesamefamily。Well，Is’posetheyranoutofnames。"

"Ihavereadsomewhere，"laughedAnne，"thatthefirstchildisapoembutthetenthisveryprosyprose。

PerhapsMrs。MacNabthoughtthatthetwelfthwasmerelyanoldtalere-told。"

"Well，there’ssomethingtobesaidforlargefamilies，"saidMissCornelia，withasigh。"IwasanonlychildforeightyearsandIdidlongforabrotherandsister。Mothertoldmetoprayforone——andprayIdid，believeME。Well，onedayAuntNelliecametomeandsaid，`Cornelia，thereisalittlebrotherforyouupstairsinyourma’sroom。Youcangoupandseehim。’IwassoexcitedanddelightedIjustflewupstairs。AndoldMrs。Flaggliftedupthebabyformetosee。Lord，Anne，dearie，Ineverwassodisappointedinmylife。Yousee，I’dbeenprayingforABROTHERTWOYEARSOLDERTHANMYSELF。"

"Howlongdidittakeyoutogetoveryourdisappointment？"askedAnne，amidherlaughter。

"Well，IhadaspiteatProvidenceforagoodspell，andforweeksIwouldn’tevenlookatthebaby。Nobodyknewwhy，forInevertold。Thenhebegantogetrealcute，andheldouthisweehandstomeandIbegantogetfondofhim。ButIdidn’tgetreallyreconciledtohimuntilonedayaschoolchumcametoseehimandsaidshethoughthewasawfulsmallforhisage。I

justgotboilingmad，andIsailedrightintoher，andtoldhershedidn’tknowanicebabywhenshesawone，andourswasthenicestbabyintheworld。AndafterthatIjustworshippedhim。MotherdiedbeforehewasthreeyearsoldandIwassisterandmothertohimboth。Poorlittlelad，hewasneverstrong，andhediedwhenhewasn’tmuchovertwenty。SeemstomeI’dhavegivenanythingonearth，Anne，dearie，ifhe’donlylived。"