第8章

MissCorneliasighed。GilberthadgonedownandLeslie，whohadbeencrooningoverthesmallJamesMatthewinthedormerwindow，laidhimasleepinhisbasketandwentherway。Assoonasshewassafelyoutofearshot，MissCorneliabentforwardandsaidinaconspirator’swhisper:

"Anne，dearie，I’daletterfromOwenFordyesterday。

He’sinVancouverjustnow，buthewantstoknowifI

canboardhimforamonthlateron。YOUknowwhatthatmeans。Well，Ihopewe’redoingright。"

"We’venothingtodowithit——wecouldn’tpreventhimfromcomingtoFourWindsifhewantedto，"saidAnnequickly。Shedidnotlikethefeelingofmatch-makingMissCornelia’swhispersgaveher；andthensheweaklysuccumbedherself。

"Don’tletLeslieknowheiscominguntilheishere，"

shesaid。"IfshefoundoutIfeelsureshewouldgoawayatonce。Sheintendstogointhefallanyhow——shetoldmesotheotherday。SheisgoingtoMontrealtotakeupnursingandmakewhatshecanofherlife。"

"Oh，well，Anne，dearie，"saidMissCornelia，noddingsagely"thatisallasitmaybe。YouandIhavedoneourpartandwemustleavetheresttoHigherHands。"

CHAPTER35

POLITICSATFOURWINDS

Whenannecamedownstairsagain，theIsland，aswellasallCanada，wasinthethroesofacampaignprecedingageneralelection。Gilbert，whowasanardentConservative，foundhimselfcaughtinthevortex，beingmuchindemandforspeech-makingatthevariouscountyrallies。MissCorneliadidnotapproveofhismixingupinpoliticsandtoldAnneso。

"Dr。Daveneverdidit。Dr。Blythewillfindheismakingamistake，believeME。Politicsissomethingnodecentmanshouldmeddlewith。"

"Isthegovernmentofthecountrytobeleftsolelytotheroguesthen？"askedAnne。

"Yes——solongasit’sConservativerogues，"saidMissCornelia，marchingoffwiththehonorsofwar。"Menandpoliticiansarealltarredwiththesamebrush。

TheGritshaveitlaidonthickerthantheConservatives，that’sall——CONSIDERABLYthicker。ButGritorTory，myadvicetoDr。Blytheistosteerclearofpolitics。Firstthingyouknow，he’llberunninganelectionhimself，andgoingofftoOttawaforhalftheyearandleavinghispracticetogotothedogs。"

"Ah，well，let’snotborrowtrouble，"saidAnne。"Therateofinterestistoohigh。Instead，let’slookatLittleJem。ItshouldbespelledwithaG。Isn’theperfectlybeautiful？Justseethedimplesinhiselbows。We’llbringhimuptobeagoodConservative，youandI，MissCornelia。"

"Bringhimuptobeagoodman，"saidMissCornelia。

"They’rescarceandvaluable；though，mindyou，I

wouldn’tliketoseehimaGrit。Asfortheelection，youandImaybethankfulwedon’tliveoverharbor。

Theairthereisbluethesedays。EveryElliottandCrawfordandMacAllisterisonthewarpath，loadedforbear。Thissideispeacefulandcalm，seeingthere’ssofewmen。CaptainJim’saGrit，butit’smyopinionhe’sashamedofit，forhenevertalkspolitics。Thereisn’tanyearthlydoubtthattheConservativeswillbereturnedwithabigmajorityagain。"

MissCorneliawasmistaken。OnthemorningaftertheelectionCaptainJimdroppedinatthelittlehousetotellthenews。Sovirulentisthemicrobeofpartypolitics，eveninapeaceableoldman，thatCaptainJim’scheekswereflushedandhiseyeswereflashingwithallhisold-timefire。

"MistressBlythe，theLiberalsareinwithasweepingmajority。AftereighteenyearsofTorymismanagementthisdown-troddencountryisgoingtohaveachanceatlast。"

"Ineverheardyoumakesuchabitterpartisanspeechbefore，CaptainJim。Ididn’tthinkyouhadsomuchpoliticalvenominyou，"laughedAnne，whowasnotmuchexcitedoverthetidings。LittleJemhadsaid"Wow-ga"thatmorning。Whatwereprincipalitiesandpowers，theriseandfallofdynasties，theoverthrowofGritorTory，comparedwiththatmiraculousoccurrence？

"It’sbeenaccumulatingforalongwhile，"saidCaptainJim，withadeprecatingsmile。"IthoughtI

wasonlyamoderateGrit，butwhenthenewscamethatwewereinIfoundouthowGrittyIreallywas。"

"YouknowthedoctorandIareConservatives。"

"Ah，well，it’stheonlybadthingIknowofeitherofyou，MistressBlythe。CorneliaisaTory，too。I

calledinonmywayfromtheGlentotellherthenews。"

"Didn’tyouknowyoutookyourlifeinyourhands？"

"Yes，butIcouldn’tresistthetemptation。"

"Howdidshetakeit？"

"Comparativelycalm，MistressBlythe，comparativelycalm。Shesays，saysshe，`Well，Providencesendsseasonsofhumiliationtoacountry，sameastoindividuals。YouGritshavebeencoldandhungryformanyayear。Makehastetogetwarmedandfed，foryouwon’tbeinlong。’`Well，nowCornelia，’Isays，`mebbeProvidencethinksCanadaneedsareallongspellofhumiliation。’Ah，Susan，haveYOUheardthenews？

TheLiberalsarein。"

Susanhadjustcomeinfromthekitchen，attendedbytheodorofdelectabledisheswhichalwaysseemedtohoveraroundher。

"Now，arethey？"shesaid，withbeautifulunconcern。

"Well，InevercouldseebutthatmybreadrosejustaslightwhenGritswereinaswhentheywerenot。Andifanyparty，Mrs。Doctor，dear，willmakeitrainbeforetheweekisout，andsaveourkitchengardenfromentireruination，thatisthepartySusanwillvotefor。Inthemeantime，willyoujuststepoutandgivemeyouropiniononthemeatfordinner？Iamfearingthatitisverytough，andIthinkthatwehadbetterchangeourbutcheraswellasourgovernment。"

Oneevening，aweeklater，AnnewalkeddowntothePoint，toseeifshecouldgetsomefreshfishfromCaptainJim，leavingLittleJemforthefirsttime。Itwasquiteatragedy。Supposehecried？SupposeSusandidnotknowjustexactlywhattodoforhim？Susanwascalmandserene。

"Ihavehadasmuchexperiencewithhimasyou，Mrs。

Doctor，dear，haveInot？"

"Yes，withhim——butnotwithotherbabies。Why，I

lookedafterthreepairsoftwins，whenIwasachild，Susan。Whentheycried，Igavethempeppermintorcastoroilquitecoolly。It’squitecuriousnowtorecallhowlightlyItookallthosebabiesandtheirwoes。"

"Oh，well，ifLittleJemcries，Iwilljustclapahotwaterbagonhislittlestomach，"saidSusan。

"Nottoohot，youknow，"saidAnneanxiously。Oh，wasitreallywisetogo？

"Donotyoufret，Mrs。Doctor，dear。Susanisnotthewomantoburnaweeman。Blesshim，hehasnonotionofcrying。"

AnnetoreherselfawayfinallyandenjoyedherwalktothePointafterall，throughthelongshadowsofthesun-setting。CaptainJimwasnotinthelivingroomofthelighthouse，butanothermanwas——ahandsome，middle-agedman，withastrong，clean-shavenchin，whowasunknowntoAnne。Nevertheless，whenshesatdown，hebegantotalktoherwithalltheassuranceofanoldacquaintance。Therewasnothingamissinwhathesaidorthewayhesaidit，butAnneratherresentedsuchacooltaking-for-grantedinacompletestranger。

Herreplieswerefrosty，andasfewasdecencyrequired。Nothingdaunted，hercompaniontalkedonforseveralminutes，thenexcusedhimselfandwentaway。

Annecouldhavesworntherewasatwinkleinhiseyeanditannoyedher。Whowasthecreature？Therewassomethingvaguelyfamiliarabouthimbutshewascertainshehadneverseenhimbefore。

"CaptainJim，whowasthatwhojustwentout？"sheasked，asCaptainJimcamein。

"MarshallElliott，"answeredthecaptain。

"MarshallElliott！"criedAnne。"Oh，CaptainJim——itwasn’t——yes，itWAShisvoice——oh，CaptainJim，I

didn’tknowhim——andIwasquiteinsultingtohim！WHY

didn’thetellme？HemusthaveseenIdidn’tknowhim。"

"Hewouldn’tsayawordaboutit——he’djustenjoythejoke。Don’tworryoversnubbinghim——he’llthinkitfun。Yes，Marshall’sshavedoffhisbeardatlastandcuthishair。Hispartyisin，youknow。Ididn’tknowhimmyselffirsttimeIsawhim。HewasupinCarterFlagg’sstoreattheGlenthenightafterelectionday，alongwithacrowdofothers，waitingforthenews。Abouttwelvethe’phonecamethrough——theLiberalswerein。Marshalljustgotupandwalkedout——hedidn’tcheerorshout——helefttheotherstodothat，andtheynearlyliftedtheroofoffCarter’sstore，Ireckon。Ofcourse，alltheTorieswereoverinRaymondRussell’sstore。NotmuchcheeringTHERE。

MarshallwentstraightdownthestreettothesidedoorofAugustusPalmer’sbarbershop。Augustuswasinbedasleep，butMarhallhammeredonthedooruntilhegotupandcomedown，wantingtoknowwhatalltheracketwasabout。

"Comeintoyourshopanddothebestjobyoueverdidinyourlife，Gus，’saidMarshall。`TheLiberalsareinandyou’regoingtobarberagoodGritbeforethesunrises。’

"Guswasmadashops——partlybecausehe’dbeendraggedoutofbed，butmorebecausehe’saTory。Hevowedhewouldn’tshaveanymanaftertwelveatnight。

"`You’lldowhatIwantyoutodo，sonny，’saidMarshall，`orI’lljestturnyouovermykneeandgiveyouoneofthosespankingsyourmotherforgot。’

"He’dhavedoneit，too，andGusknewit，forMarshallisasstrongasanoxandGusisonlyamidgetofaman。SohegaveinandtowedMarshallintotheshopandwenttowork。`Now，’sayshe，`I’llbarberyouup，butifyousayonewordtomeabouttheGritsgettinginwhileI’mdoingitI’llcutyourthroatwiththisrazor，’sayshe。Youwouldn’thavethoughtmildlittleGuscouldbesobloodthirsty，wouldyou？Showswhatpartypoliticswilldoforaman。Marshallkeptquietandgothishairandbearddisposedofandwenthome。

Whenhisoldhousekeeperheardhimcomeupstairsshepeekedoutofherbedroomdoortoseewhether’twashimorthehiredboy。Andwhenshesawastrangemanstridingdownthehallwithacandleinhishandshescreamedbluemurderandfainteddeadaway。Theyhadtosendforthedoctorbeforetheycouldbringherto，anditwasseveraldaysbeforeshecouldlookatMarshallwithoutshakingallover。"

CaptainJimhadnofish。Heseldomwentoutinhisboatthatsummer，andhislongtrampingexpeditionswereover。Hespentagreatdealofhistimesittingbyhisseawardwindow，lookingoutoverthegulf，withhisswiftly-whiteningheadleaningonhishand。Hesattheretonightformanysilentminutes，keepingsometrystwiththepastwhichAnnewouldnotdisturb。

PresentlyhepointedtotheirisoftheWest:

"That’sbeautiful，isn’t，it，MistressBlythe？ButI

wishyoucouldhaveseenthesunrisethismorning。Itwasawonderfulthing——wonderful。I’veseenallkindsofsunrisescomeoverthatgulf。I’vebeenallovertheworld，MistressBlythe，andtakeitallinall，I’veneverseenafinersightthanasummersunriseoverthegulf。Amancan’tpickhistimefordying，MistressBlythe——jestgottogowhentheGreatCaptaingivesHissailingorders。ButifIcouldI’dgooutwhenthemorningcomesacrossthatwater。I’vewatcheditmanyatimeandthoughtwhatathingitwouldbetopassoutthroughthatgreatwhiteglorytowhateverwaswaitingbeyant，onaseathatain’tmappedoutonanyairthlychart。Ithink，MistressBlythe，thatI’dfindlostMargaretthere。"

CaptainJimhadoftentalkedtoAnneoflostMargaretsincehehadtoldhertheoldstory。Hisloveforhertrembledineverytone——thatlovethathadnevergrownfaintorforgetful。

"Anyway，IhopewhenmytimecomesI’llgoquickandeasy。Idon’tthinkI’macoward，MistressBlythe——I’velookedanuglydeathinthefacemorethanoncewithoutblenching。Butthethoughtofalingeringdeathdoesgivemeaqueer，sickfeelingofhorror。"

"Don’ttalkaboutleavingus，dear，DEARCaptain，Jim，"pleadedAnne，inachokedvoice，pattingtheoldbrownhand，oncesostrong，butnowgrownveryfeeble。

"Whatwouldwedowithoutyou？"

CaptainJimsmiledbeautifully。

"Oh，you’dgetalongnicely——nicely——butyouwouldn’tforgettheoldmanaltogether，MistressBlythe——no，I

don’tthinkyou’lleverquiteforgethim。TheraceofJosephalwaysremembersoneanother。Butit’llbeamemorythatwon’thurt——Iliketothinkthatmymemorywon’thurtmyfriends——it’llalwaysbekindofpleasanttothem，Ihopeandbelieve。Itwon’tbeverylongnowbeforelostMargaretcallsme，forthelasttime。I’llbeallreadytoanswer。Ijestspokeofthisbecausethere’salittlefavorIwanttoaskyou。Here’sthispooroldMateyofmine"——CaptainJimreachedoutahandandpokedthebig，warm，velvety，goldenballonthesofa。TheFirstMateuncoiledhimselflikeaspringwithanice，throaty，comfortablesound，halfpurr，halfmeow，stretchedhispawsinair，turnedoverandcoiledhimselfupagain。"HE’llmissmewhenI

startontheV’yage。Ican’tbeartothinkofleavingthepoorcrittertostarve，likehewasleftbefore。

IfanythinghappenstomewillyougiveMateyabiteandacorner，MistressBlythe？"

"IndeedIwill。"

"ThenthatisallIhadonmymind。YourLittleJemistohavethefewcuriousthingsIpickedup——I’veseentothat。AndnowIdon’tliketoseetearsinthoseprettyeyes，MistressBlythe。I’llmebbehangonforquiteaspellyet。Iheardyoureadingapieceofpoetryonedaylastwinter——oneofTennyson’spieces。

I’dsorterliketohearitagain，ifyoucouldreciteitforme。"

Softlyandclearly，whiletheseawindblewinonthem，AnnerepeatedthebeautifullinesofTennyson’swonderfulswansong——"CrossingtheBar。"Theoldcaptainkepttimegentlywithhissinewyhand。

"Yes，yes，MistressBlythe，"hesaid，whenshehadfinished，"that’sit，that’sit。Hewasn’tasailor，youtellme——Idunnohowhecouldhaveputanoldsailor’sfeelingsintowordslikethat，ifhewasn’tone。Hedidn’twantany`sadnesso’farewells’andneitherdoI，MistressBlythe——forallwillbewellwithmeandminebeyantthebar。"

CHAPTER36

BEAUTYFORASHES

"AnynewsfromGreenGables，Anne？"

"Nothingveryespecial，"repliedAnne，foldingupMarilla’sletter。"JakeDonnellhasbeenthereshinglingtheroof。Heisafull-fledgedcarpenternow，soitseemshehashadhisownwayinregardtothechoiceofalife-work。Yourememberhismotherwantedhimtobeacollegeprofessor。IshallneverforgetthedayshecametotheschoolandratedmeforfailingtocallhimSt。Clair。"

"Doesanyoneevercallhimthatnow？"

"Evidentlynot。Itseemsthathehascompletelyliveditdown。Evenhismotherhassuccumbed。IalwaysthoughtthataboywithJake’schinandmouthwouldgethisownwayintheend。DianawritesmethatDorahasabeau。Justthinkofit——thatchild！"

"Doraisseventeen，"saidGilbert。"CharlieSloaneandIwerebothmadaboutyouwhenyouwereseventeen，Anne。"

"Really，Gilbert，wemustbegettingoninyears，"

saidAnne，withahalf-ruefulsmile，"whenchildrenwhoweresixwhenwethoughtourselvesgrownupareoldenoughnowtohavebeaux。Dora’sisRalphAndrews——Jane’sbrother。Irememberhimasalittle，round，fat，white-headedfellowwhowasalwaysatthefootofhisclass。ButIunderstandheisquiteafine-lookingyoungmannow。"

"Dorawillprobablymarryyoung。She’softhesametypeasCharlottatheFourth——she’llnevermissherfirstchanceforfearshemightnotgetanother。"

"Well；ifshemarriesRalphIhopehewillbealittlemoreup-and-comingthanhisbrotherBilly，"musedAnne。

"Forinstance，"saidGilbert，laughing，"letushopehewillbeabletoproposeonhisownaccount。Anne，wouldyouhavemarriedBillyifhehadaskedyouhimself，insteadofgettingJanetodoitforhim？"

"Imighthave。"Annewentoffintoashriekoflaughterovertherecollectionofherfirstproposal。

"Theshockofthewholethingmighthavehypnotizedmeintosomesuchrashandfoolishact。Letusbethankfulhediditbyproxy。"

"IhadaletterfromGeorgeMooreyesterday，"saidLeslie，fromthecornerwhereshewasreading。

"Oh，howishe？"askedAnneinterestedly，yetwithanunrealfeelingthatshewasinquiringaboutsomeonewhomshedidnotknow。

"Heiswell，buthefindsitveryhardtoadapthimselftoallthechangesinhisoldhomeandfriends。Heisgoingtoseaagaininthespring。It’sinhisblood，hesays，andhelongsforit。Buthetoldmesomethingthatmademegladforhim，poorfellow。BeforehesailedontheFourSistershewasengagedtoagirlathome。HedidnottellmeanythingaboutherinMontreal，becausehesaidhesupposedshewouldhaveforgottenhimandmarriedsomeoneelselongago，andwithhim，yousee，hisengagementandlovewasstillathingofthepresent。Itwasprettyhardonhim，butwhenhegothomehefoundshehadnevermarriedandstillcaredforhim。Theyaretobemarriedthisfall。

I’mgoingtoaskhimtobringheroverhereforalittletrip；hesayshewantstocomeandseetheplacewherehelivedsomanyyearswithoutknowingit。"

"Whatanicelittleromance，"saidAnne，whoselovefortheromanticwasimmortal。"Andtothink，"sheaddedwithasighofself-reproach，"thatifIhadhadmywayGeorgeMoorewouldneverhavecomeupfromthegraveinwhichhisidentitywasburied。HowIdidfightagainstGilbert’ssuggestion！Well，Iampunished:IshallneverbeabletohaveadifferentopinionfromGilbert’sagain！IfItrytohave，hewillsquelchmebycastingGeorgeMoore’scaseuptome！"

"Asifeventhatwouldsquelchawoman！"mockedGilbert。"Atleastdonotbecomemyecho，Anne。A

littleoppositiongivesspicetolife。IdonotwantawifelikeJohnMacAllister’sovertheharbor。Nomatterwhathesays，sheatonceremarksinthatdrab，lifelesslittlevoiceofhers，`Thatisverytrue，John，dearme！’"

AnneandLeslielaughed。Anne’slaughterwassilverandLeslie’sgolden，andthecombinationofthetwowasassatisfactoryasaperfectchordinmusic。

Susan，cominginontheheelsofthelaughter，echoeditwitharesoundingsigh。

"Why，Susan，whatisthematter？"askedGilbert。

"There’snothingwrongwithlittleJem，isthere，Susan？"criedAnne，startingupinalarm。

"No，no，calmyourself，Mrs。Doctor，dear。Somethinghashappened，though。Dearme，everythinghasgonecatawampuswithmethisweek。Ispoiledthebread，asyouknowtoowell——andIscorchedthedoctor’sbestshirtbosom——andIbrokeyourbigplatter。Andnow，onthetopofallthis，comeswordthatmysisterMatildahasbrokenherlegandwantsmetogoandstaywithherforaspell。"

"Oh，I’mverysorry——sorrythatyoursisterhasmetwithsuchanaccident，Imean，"exclaimedAnne。

"Ah，well，manwasmadetomourn，Mrs。Doctor，dear。

ThatsoundsasifitoughttobeintheBible，buttheytellmeapersonnamedBurnswroteit。Andthereisnodoubtthatweareborntotroubleasthesparksflyupward。AsforMatilda，Idonotknowwhattothinkofher。Noneofourfamilyeverbroketheirlegsbefore。

Butwhatevershehasdonesheisstillmysister，andI

feelthatitismydutytogoandwaitonher，ifyoucansparemeforafewweeks，Mrs。Doctor，dear。"

"Ofcourse，Susan，ofcourse。Icangetsomeonetohelpmewhileyouaregone。"

"IfyoucannotIwillnotgo，Mrs。Doctor，dear，Matilda’slegtothecontrarynotwithstanding。Iwillnothaveyouworried，andthatblessedchildupsetinconsequence，foranynumberoflegs。"

"Oh，youmustgotoyoursisteratonce，Susan。Icangetagirlfromthecove，whowilldoforatime。"

"Anne，willyouletmecomeandstaywithyouwhileSusanisaway？"exclaimedLeslie。"Do！I’dloveto——anditwouldbeanactofcharityonyourpart。

I’msohorriblylonelyoverthereinthatbigbarnofahouse。There’ssolittletodo——andatnightI’mworsethanlonely——I’mfrightenedandnervousinspiteoflockeddoors。Therewasatramparoundtwodaysago。"

Annejoyfullyagreed，andnextdayLesliewasinstalledasaninmateofthelittlehouseofdreams。MissCorneliawarmlyapprovedofthearrangement。

"ItseemsProvidential，"shetoldAnneinconfidence。

"I’msorryforMatildaClow，butsinceshehadtobreakherlegitcouldn’thavehappenedatabettertime。

LesliewillbeherewhileOwenFordisinFourWinds，andthoseoldcatsupattheGlenwon’tgetthechancetomeow，astheywouldifshewaslivingovertherealoneandOwengoingtoseeher。Theyaredoingenoughofitasitis，becauseshedoesn’tputonmourning。I

saidtooneofthem，`IfyoumeansheshouldputonmourningforGeorgeMoore，itseemstomemorelikehisresurrectionthanhisfuneral；andifit’sDickyoumean，Iconfess_I_can’tseetheproprietyofgoingintoweedsforamanwhodiedthirteenyearsagoandgoodriddancethen！’AndwhenoldLouisaBaldwinremarkedtomethatshethoughtitverystrangethatLeslieshouldneverhavesuspecteditwasn’therownhusband_I_said，`YOUneversuspecteditwasn’tDickMoore，andyouwerenext-doorneighbortohimallhislife，andbynatureyou’retentimesassuspiciousasLeslie。’Butyoucan’tstopsomepeople’stongues，Anne，dearie，andI’mrealthankfulLesliewillbeunderyourroofwhileOweniscourtingher。"

OwenFordcametothelittlehouseoneAugusteveningwhenLeslieandAnnewereabsorbedinworshippingthebaby。Hepausedattheopendoorofthelivingroom，unseenbythetwowithin，gazingwithgreedyeyesatthebeautifulpicture。Lesliesatonthefloorwiththebabyinherlap，makingecstaticdabsathisfatlittlehandsasheflutteredthemintheair。

"Oh，youdear，beautiful，belovedbaby，"shemumbled，catchingoneweehandandcoveringitwithkisses。

"Isn’thimzedarlingestittysing，"croonedAnne，hangingoverthearmofherchairadoringly。"Demittyweepadsarezeverytweetesthandiesinzewholebigworld，isn’tdey，youdarlingittyman。"

Anne，inthemonthsbeforeLittleJem’scoming，hadporeddiligentlyoverseveralwisevolumes，andpinnedherfaithtooneinespecial，"SirOracleontheCareandTrainingofChildren。"SirOracleimploredparentsbyalltheyheldsacrednevertotalk"babytalk"totheirchildren。Infantsshouldinvariablybeaddressedinclassicallanguagefromthemomentoftheirbirth。SoshouldtheylearntospeakEnglishundefiledfromtheirearliestutterance。"How，"

demandedSirOracle，"canamotherreasonablyexpectherchildtolearncorrectspeech，whenshecontinuallyaccustomsitsimpressionablegraymattertosuchabsurdexpressionsanddistortionsofournobletongueasthoughtlessmothersinflicteverydayonthehelplesscreaturescommittedtotheircare？Canachildwhoisconstantlycalled`tweetittyweesingie’everattaintoanyproperconceptionofhisownbeingandpossibilitiesanddestiny？"

Annewasvastlyimpressedwiththis，andinformedGilbertthatshemeanttomakeitaninflexiblerulenever，underanycircumstances，totalk"babytalk"toherchildren。Gilbertagreedwithher，andtheymadeasolemncompactonthesubject——acompactwhichAnneshamelesslyviolatedtheveryfirstmomentLittleJemwaslaidinherarms。"Oh，thedarlingittyweesing！"shehadexclaimed。Andshehadcontinuedtoviolateiteversince。WhenGilbertteasedhershelaughedSirOracletoscorn。

"Heneverhadanychildrenofhisown，Gilbert——Iampositivehehadn’torhewouldneverhavewrittensuchrubbish。Youjustcan’thelptalkingbabytalktoababy。Itcomesnatural——andit’sRIGHT。Itwouldbeinhumantotalktothosetiny，soft，velvetylittlecreaturesaswedotogreatbigboysandgirls。Babieswantloveandcuddlingandallthesweetbabytalktheycanget，andLittleJemisgoingtohaveit，blesshisdearittyheartums。"

"Butyou’retheworstIeverheard，Anne，"protestedGilbert，who，notbeingamotherbutonlyafather，wasnotwhollyconvincedyetthatSirOraclewaswrong。"I

neverheardanythinglikethewayyoutalktothatchild。"

"Verylikelyyouneverdid。Goaway——goaway。Didn’tIbringupthreepairsofHammondtwinsbeforeIwaseleven？YouandSirOraclearenothingbutcold-bloodedtheorists。Gilbert，JUSTlookathim！

He’ssmilingatme——heknowswhatwe’retalkingabout。

Andoodestagweeswifevywordmuzzersays，don’too，angel-lover？"

Gilbertputhisarmaboutthem。"Ohyoumothers！"hesaid。"Youmothers！GodknewwhatHewasaboutwhenHemadeyou。"

SoLittleJemwastalkedtoandlovedandcuddled；andhethroveasbecameachildofthehouseofdreams。

LesliewasquiteasfoolishoverhimasAnnewas。WhentheirworkwasdoneandGilbertwasoutoftheway，theygavethemselvesovertoshamelessorgiesoflove-makingandecstasiesofadoration，suchasthatinwhichOwenFordhadsurprisedthem。

Lesliewasthefirsttobecomeawareofhim。EveninthetwilightAnnecouldseethesuddenwhitenessthatsweptoverherbeautifulface，blottingoutthecrimsonoflipandcheeks。

Owencameforward，eagerly，blindforamomenttoAnne。

"Leslie！"hesaid，holdingouthishand。Itwasthefirsttimehehadevercalledherbyhername；butthehandLesliegavehimwascold；andshewasveryquietalltheevening，whileAnneandGilbertandOwenlaughedandtalkedtogether。Beforehiscallendedsheexcusedherselfandwentupstairs。Owen’sgayspiritsflaggedandhewentawaysoonafterwithadowncastair。

GilbertlookedatAnne。

"Anne，whatareyouupto？There’ssomethinggoingonthatIdon’tunderstand。Thewholeairheretonighthasbeenchargedwithelectricity。Lesliesitslikethemuseoftragedy；OwenFordjokesandlaughsonthesurface，andwatchesLesliewiththeeyesofhissoul。

Youseemallthetimetobeburstingwithsomesuppressedexcitement。Ownup。Whatsecrethaveyoubeenkeepingfromyourdeceivedhusband？"

"Don’tbeagoose，Gilbert，"wasAnne’sconjugalreply。"AsforLeslie，sheisabsurdandI’mgoinguptotellherso。"

AnnefoundLeslieatthedormerwindowofherroom。

Thelittleplacewasfilledwiththerhythmicthunderofthesea。Lesliesatwithlockedhandsinthemistymoonshine——abeautiful，accusingpresence。

"Anne，"shesaidinalow，reproachfulvoice，"didyouknowOwenFordwascomingtoFourWinds？"

"Idid，"saidAnnebrazenly。

"Oh，youshouldhavetoldme，Anne，"Lesliecriedpassionately。"IfIhadknownIwouldhavegoneaway——Iwouldn’thavestayedheretomeethim。Youshouldhavetoldme。Itwasn’tfairofyou，Anne——oh，itwasn’tfair！"

Leslie’slipsweretremblingandherwholeformwastensewithemotion。ButAnnelaughedheartlessly。ShebentoverandkissedLeslie’supturnedreproachfulface。

"Leslie，youareanadorablegoose。OwenForddidn’trushfromthePacifictotheAtlanticfromaburningdesiretoseeME。NeitherdoIbelievethathewasinspiredbyanywildandfrenziedpassionforMissCornelia。Takeoffyourtragicairs，mydearfriend，andfoldthemupandputthemawayinlavender。You’llneverneedthemagain。Therearesomepeoplewhocanseethroughagrindstonewhenthereisaholeinit，evenifyoucannot。Iamnotaprophetess，butIshallventureonaprediction。Thebitternessoflifeisoverforyou。Afterthisyouaregoingtohavethejoysandhopes——andIdaresaythesorrows，too——ofahappywoman。TheomenoftheshadowofVenusdidcometrueforyou，Leslie。Theyearinwhichyousawitbroughtyourlife’sbestgiftforyou——yourloveforOwenFord。Now，gorighttobedandhaveagoodsleep。"

Leslieobeyedordersinsofarthatshewenttobed:

butitmaybequestionedifshesleptmuch。Idonotthinkshedaredtodreamwakingly；lifehadbeensohardforthispoorLeslie，thepathonwhichshehadhadtowalkhadbeensostrait，thatshecouldnotwhispertoherownheartthehopesthatmightwaitonthefuture。Butshewatchedthegreatrevolvinglightbestarringtheshorthoursofthesummernight，andhereyesgrewsoftandbrightandyoungoncemore。Nor，whenOwenFordcamenextday，toaskhertogowithhimtotheshore，didshesayhimnay。

CHAPTER37

MISSCORNELIAMAKESASTARTLINGANNOUNCEMENT

MissCorneliasaileddowntothelittlehouseonedrowsyafternoon，whenthegulfwasthefaint，bleachedblueoftheAugustseas，andtheorangeliliesatthegateofAnne’sgardenhelduptheirimperialcupstobefilledwiththemoltengoldofAugustsunshine。NotthatMissCorneliaconcernedherselfwithpaintedoceansorsun-thirstylilies。Shesatinherfavoriterockerinunusualidleness。Shesewednot，neitherdidshespin。Nordidshesayasinglederogatorywordconcerninganyportionofmankind。Inshort，MissCornelia’sconversationwassingularlydevoidofspicethatday，andGilbert，whohadstayedhometolistentoher，insteadofgoinga-fishing，ashehadintended，felthimselfaggrieved。WhathadcomeoverMissCornelia？Shedidnotlookcastdownorworried。Onthecontrary，therewasacertainairofnervousexultationabouther。

"WhereisLeslie？"sheasked——notasifitmatteredmucheither。

"Owenandshewentraspberryinginthewoodsbackofherfarm，"answeredAnne。"Theywon’tbebackbeforesuppertime——ifthen。"

"Theydon’tseemtohaveanyideathatthereissuchathingasaclock，"saidGilbert。"Ican’tgettothebottomofthataffair。I’mcertainyouwomenpulledstrings。ButAnne，undutifulwife，won’ttellme。

Willyou，MissCornelia？"

"No，Ishallnot。But，"saidMissCornelia，withtheairofonedeterminedtotaketheplungeandhaveitover，"Iwilltellyousomethingelse。Icametodayonpurposetotellit。Iamgoingtobemarried。"

AnneandGilbertweresilent。IfMissCorneliahadannouncedherintentionofgoingouttothechannelanddrowningherselfthethingmighthavebeenbelievable。

Thiswasnot。Sotheywaited。OfcourseMissCorneliahadmadeamistake。

"Well，youbothlooksortofkerflummexed，"saidMissCornelia，withatwinkleinhereyes。Nowthattheawkwardmomentofrevelationwasover，MissCorneliawasherownwomanagain。"DoyouthinkI’mtooyoungandinexperiencedformatrimony？"

"Youknow——itISratherstaggering，"saidGilbert，tryingtogatherhiswitstogether。"I’veheardyousayascoreoftimesthatyouwouldn’tmarrythebestmanintheworld。"

"I’mnotgoingtomarrythebestmanintheworld，"

retortedMissCornelia。"MarshallElliottisalongwayfrombeingthebest。"

"AreyougoingtomarryMarshallElliott？"exclaimedAnne，recoveringherpowerofspeechunderthissecondshock。

"Yes。IcouldhavehadhimanytimethesetwentyyearsifI’dliftedmyfinger。ButdoyousupposeIwasgoingtowalkintochurchbesideaperambulatinghaystacklikethat？"

"Iamsureweareveryglad——andwewishyouallpossiblehappiness，"saidAnne，veryflatlyandinadequately，asshefelt。Shewasnotpreparedforsuchanoccasion。ShehadneverimaginedherselfofferingbetrothalfelicitationstoMissCornelia。

"Thanks，Iknewyouwould，"saidMissCornelia。"Youarethefirstofmyfriendstoknowit。"

"Weshallbesosorrytoloseyou，though，dearMissCornelia，"saidAnne，beginningtobealittlesadandsentimental。

"Oh，youwon’tloseme，"saidMissCorneliaunsentimentally。"Youdon’tsupposeIwouldliveoverharborwithallthoseMacAllistersandElliottsandCrawfords，doyou？`FromtheconceitoftheElliotts，theprideoftheMacAllistersandthevain-gloryoftheCrawfords，goodLorddeliverus。’Marshalliscomingtoliveatmyplace。I’msickandtiredofhiredmen。

ThatJimHastingsI’vegotthissummerispositivelytheworstofthespecies。Hewoulddriveanyonetogettingmarried。Whatdoyouthink？Heupsetthechurnyesterdayandspilledabigchurningofcreamovertheyard。Andnotonewhitconcernedaboutitwashe！Justgaveafoolishlaughandsaidcreamwasgoodfortheland。Wasn’tthatlikeaman？ItoldhimI

wasn’tinthehabitoffertilisingmybackyardwithcream。"

"Well，Iwishyouallmannerofhappinesstoo，MissCornelia，"saidGilbert，solemnly；"but，"headded，unabletoresistthetemptationtoteaseMissCornelia，despiteAnne’simploringeyes，"Ifearyourdayofindependenceisdone。Asyouknow，MarshallElliottisaverydeterminedman。"

"Ilikeamanwhocansticktoathing，"retortedMissCornelia。"AmosGrant，whousedtobeaftermelongago，couldn’t。Youneversawsuchaweather-vane。Hejumpedintothepondtodrownhimselfonceandthenchangedhismindandswumoutagain。Wasn’tthatlikeaman？Marshallwouldhavestucktoitanddrowned。"

"Andhehasabitofatemper，theytellme，"

persistedGilbert。

"Hewouldn’tbeanElliottifhehadn’t。I’mthankfulhehas。Itwillberealfuntomakehimmad。Andyoucangenerallydosomethingwithatemperymanwhenitcomestorepentingtime。Butyoucan’tdoanythingwithamanwhojustkeepsplacidandaggravating。"

"Youknowhe’saGrit，MissCornelia。"

"Yes，heIS，"admittedMissCorneliarathersadly。

"AndofcoursethereisnohopeofmakingaConservativeofhim。ButatleastheisaPresbyterian。SoIsupposeIshallhavetobesatisfiedwiththat。"

"WouldyoumarryhimifhewereaMethodist，MissCornelia？"

"No，Iwouldnot。Politicsisforthisworld，butreligionisforboth。"

"Andyoumaybea`relict’afterall，MissCornelia。"

"NotI。Marshallwilllivemeout。TheElliottsarelong-lived，andtheBryantsarenot。"

"Whenareyoutobemarried？"askedAnne。

"Inaboutamonth’stime。Myweddingdressistobenavybluesilk。AndIwanttoaskyou，Anne，dearie，ifyouthinkitwouldbeallrighttowearaveilwithanavybluedress。I’vealwaysthoughtI’dliketowearaveilifIevergotmarried。MarshallsaystohaveitifIwantto。Isn’tthatlikeaman？"

"Whyshouldn’tyouwearitifyouwantto？"askedAnne。

"Well，onedoesn’twanttobedifferentfromotherpeople，"saidMissCornelia，whowasnotnoticeablylikeanyoneelseonthefaceoftheearth。"AsIsay，Idofancyaveil。Butmaybeitshouldn’tbewornwithanydressbutawhiteone。Pleasetellme，Anne，dearie，whatyoureallythink。I’llgobyyouradvice。"

"Idon’tthinkveilsareusuallywornwithanybutwhitedresses，"admittedAnne，"butthatismerelyaconvention；andIamlikeMr。Elliott，MissCornelia。

Idon’tseeanygoodreasonwhyyoushouldn’thaveaveilifyouwantone。"

ButMissCornelia，whomadehercallsincalicowrappers，shookherhead。

"Ifitisn’ttheproperthingIwon’twearit，"shesaid，withasighofregretforalostdream。

"Sinceyouaredeterminedtobemarried，MissCornelia，"saidGilbertsolemnly，"Ishallgiveyoutheexcellentrulesforthemanagementofahusbandwhichmygrandmothergavemymotherwhenshemarriedmyfather。"

"Well，IreckonIcanmanageMarshallElliott，"saidMissCorneliaplacidly。"Butletushearyourrules。"

"Thefirstoneis，catchhim。"

"He’scaught。Goon。"

"Thesecondoneis，feedhimwell。"

"Withenoughpie。Whatnext？"

"Thethirdandfourthare——keepyoureyeonhim。"

"Ibelieveyou，"saidMissCorneliaemphatically。

CHAPTER38

REDROSES

ThegardenofthelittlehousewasahauntbelovedofbeesandreddenedbylaterosesthatAugust。Thelittlehousefolklivedmuchinit，andweregiventotakingpicnicsuppersinthegrassycornerbeyondthebrookandsittingaboutinitthroughthetwilightswhengreatnightmothssailedathwartthevelvetgloom。

OneeveningOwenFordfoundLesliealoneinit。AnneandGilbertwereaway，andSusan，whowasexpectedbackthatnight，hadnotyetreturned。

Thenorthernskywasamberandpalegreenoverthefirtops。Theairwascool，forAugustwasnearingSeptember，andLeslieworeacrimsonscarfoverherwhitedress。Togethertheywanderedthroughthelittle，friendly，flower-crowdedpathsinsilence。

Owenmustgosoon。Hisholidaywasnearlyover。

Lesliefoundherheartbeatingwildly。Sheknewthatthisbelovedgardenwastobethesceneofthebindingwordsthatmustsealtheirasyetunwordedunderstanding。

"Someeveningsastrangeodorblowsdowntheairofthisgarden，likeaphantomperfume，"saidOwen。"I

haveneverbeenabletodiscoverfromjustwhatfloweritcomes。Itiselusiveandhauntingandwonderfullysweet。IliketofancyitisthesoulofGrandmotherSelwynpassingonalittlevisittotheoldspotshelovedsowell。Thereshouldbealotoffriendlyghostsaboutthislittleoldhouse。"

"Ihavelivedunderitsroofonlyamonth，"saidLeslie，"butIloveitasIneverlovedthehouseovertherewhereIhavelivedallmylife。"

"Thishousewasbuildedandconsecratedbylove，"saidOwen。"Suchhouses，MUSTexertaninfluenceoverthosewholiveinthem。Andthisgarden——itisoversixtyyearsoldandthehistoryofathousandhopesandjoysiswritteninitsblossoms。Someofthoseflowerswereactuallysetoutbytheschoolmaster’sbride，andshehasbeendeadforthirtyyears。Yettheybloomoneverysummer。Lookatthoseredroses，Leslie——howtheyqueenitovereverythingelse！"

"Ilovetheredroses，"saidLeslie。"Annelikesthepinkonesbest，andGilbertlikesthewhite。ButI

wantthecrimsonones。Theysatisfysomecravinginmeasnootherflowerdoes。"

"Theserosesareverylate——theybloomafteralltheothershavegone——andtheyholdallthewarmthandsoulofthesummercometofruition，"saidOwen，pluckingsomeoftheglowing，half-openedbuds。

"Theroseisthefloweroflove——theworldhasacclaimeditsoforcenturies。Thepinkrosesarelovehopefulandexpectant——thewhiterosesarelovedeadorforsaken——buttheredroses——ah，Leslie，whataretheredroses？"

"Lovetriumphant，"saidLeslieinalowvoice。

"Yes——lovetriumphantandperfect。Leslie，youknow——youunderstand。Ihavelovedyoufromthefirst。AndIKNOWyouloveme——Idon’tneedtoaskyou。ButIwanttohearyousayit——mydarling——mydarling！"

Lesliesaidsomethinginaverylowandtremulousvoice。Theirhandsandlipsmet；itwaslife’ssuprememomentforthemandastheystoodthereintheoldgarden，withitsmanyyearsofloveanddelightandsorrowandglory，hecrownedhershininghairwiththered，redroseofalovetriumphant。

AnneandGilbertreturnedpresently，accompaniedbyCaptainJim。Annelightedafewsticksofdriftwoodinthefireplace，forloveofthepixyflames，andtheysatarounditforanhourofgoodfellowship。

"WhenIsitlookingatadriftwoodfireit’seasytobelieveI’myoungagain，"saidCaptainJim。

"Canyoureadfuturesinthefire，CaptainJim？"askedOwen。

CaptainJimlookedatthemallaffectionatelyandthenbackagainatLeslie’svividfaceandglowingeyes。

"Idon’tneedthefiretoreadyourfutures，"hesaid。

"Iseehappinessforallofyou——allofyou——forLeslieandMr。Ford——andthedoctorhereandMistressBlythe——andLittleJem——andchildrenthatain’tbornyetbutwillbe。Happinessforyouall——though，mindyou，Ireckonyou’llhaveyourtroublesandworriesandsorrows，too。They’reboundtocome——andnohouse，whetherit’sapalaceoralittlehouseofdreams，canbar’emout。Buttheywon’tgetthebetterofyouifyouface’emTOGETHERwithloveandtrust。Youcanweatheranystormwiththemtwoforcompassandpilot。"

TheoldmanrosesuddenlyandplacedonehandonLeslie’sheadandoneonAnne’s。

"Twogood，sweetwomen，"hesaid。"Trueandfaithfulandtobedependedon。Yourhusbandswillhavehonorinthegatesbecauseofyou——yourchildrenwillriseupandcallyoublessedintheyearstocome。"

Therewasastrangesolemnityaboutthelittlescene。

AnneandLesliebowedasthosereceivingabenediction。Gilbertsuddenlybrushedhishandoverhiseyes；OwenFordwasraptasonewhocanseevisions。Allweresilentforaspace。Thelittlehouseofdreamsaddedanotherpoignantandunforgettablemomenttoitsstoreofmemories。

"Imustbegoingnow，"saidCaptainJimslowlyatlast。Hetookuphishatandlookedlingeringlyabouttheroom。

"Goodnight，allofyou，"hesaid，ashewentout。

Anne，piercedbytheunusualwistfulnessofhisfarewell，rantothedoorafterhim。

"Comebacksoon，CaptainJim，"shecalled，ashepassedthroughthelittlegatehungbetweenthefirs。

"Ay，ay，"hecalledcheerilybacktoher。ButCaptainJimhadsatbytheoldfiresideofthehouseofdreamsforthelasttime。

Annewentslowlybacktotheothers。

"It’sso——sopitifultothinkofhimgoingallalonedowntothatlonelyPoint，"shesaid。"Andthereisnoonetowelcomehimthere。"

"CaptainJimissuchgoodcompanyforothersthatonecan’timaginehimbeinganythingbutgoodcompanyforhimself，"saidOwen。"Buthemustoftenbelonely。

Therewasatouchoftheseerabouthimtonight——hespokeasonetowhomithadbeengiventospeak。Well，Imustbegoing，too。"

AnneandGilbertdiscreetlymeltedaway；butwhenOwenhadgoneAnnereturned，tofindLesliestandingbythehearth。

"Oh，Leslie——Iknow——andI’msoglad，dear，"shesaid，puttingherarmsabouther。

"Anne，myhappinessfrightensme，"whisperedLeslie。

"Itseemstoogreattobereal——I’mafraidtospeakofit——tothinkofit。ItseemstomethatitmustjustbeanotherdreamofthishouseofdreamsanditwillvanishwhenIleavehere。"

"Well，youarenotgoingtoleavehere——untilOwentakesyou。Youaregoingtostaywithmeuntilthattimescomes。DoyouthinkI’dletyougoovertothatlonely，sadplaceagain？"

"Thankyou，dear。ImeanttoaskyouifImightstaywithyou。Ididn’twanttogobackthere——itwouldseemlikegoingbackintothechillanddrearinessoftheoldlifeagain。Anne，Anne，whatafriendyou’vebeentome——`agood，sweetwoman——trueandfaithfulandtobedependedon’——CaptainJimsummedyouup。"

"Hesaid`women，’not`woman，’"smiledAnne。"PerhapsCaptainJimseesusboththroughtherose-coloredspectaclesofhisloveforus。Butwecantrytoliveuptohisbeliefinus，atleast。"

"Doyouremember，Anne，"saidLeslieslowly，"thatI

oncesaid——thatnightwemetontheshore——thatIhatedmygoodlooks？Idid——then。ItalwaysseemedtomethatifIhadbeenhomelyDickwouldneverhavethoughtofme。Ihatedmybeautybecauseithadattractedhim，butnow——oh，I’mgladthatIhaveit。It’sallIhavetoofferOwen，——hisartistsouldelightsinit。IfeelasifIdonotcometohimquiteempty-handed。"

"Owenlovesyourbeauty，Leslie。Whowouldnot？Butit’sfoolishofyoutosayorthinkthatthatisallyoubringhim。HEwilltellyouthat——Ineedn’t。AndnowImustlockup。IexpectedSusanbacktonight，butshehasnotcome。"

"Oh，yes，hereIam，Mrs。Doctor，dear，"saidSusan，enteringunexpectedlyfromthekitchen，"andpuffinglikeahendrawingrailsatthat！It’squiteawalkfromtheGlendownhere。"

"I’mgladtoseeyouback，Susan。Howisyoursister？"

"Sheisabletositup，butofcourseshecannotwalkyet。However，sheisverywellabletogetonwithoutmenow，forherdaughterhascomehomeforhervacation。AndIamthankfultobeback，Mrs。Doctor，dear。Matilda’slegwasbrokenandnomistake，buthertonguewasnot。Shewouldtalkthelegsoffanironpot，thatshewould，Mrs。Doctor，dear，thoughIgrievetosayitofmyownsister。Shewasalwaysagreattalkerandyetshewasthefirstofourfamilytogetmarried。ShereallydidnotcaremuchaboutmarryingJamesClow，butshecouldnotbeartodisobligehim。

NotbutwhatJamesisagoodman——theonlyfaultIhavetofindwithhimisthathealwaysstartsintosaygracewithsuchanunearthlygroan，Mrs。Doctor，dear。

Italwaysfrightensmyappetiteclearaway。Andspeakingofgettingmarried，Mrs。Doctor，dear，isittruethatCorneliaBryantisgoingtobemarriedtoMarshallElliott？"

"Yes，quitetrue，Susan。"

"Well，Mrs。Doctor，dear，itdoesNOTseemtomefair。

Hereisme，whoneversaidawordagainstthemen，andIcannotgetmarriednohow。AndthereisCorneliaBryant，whoisneverdoneabusingthem，andallshehastodoistoreachoutherhandandpickoneup，asitwere。Itisaverystrangeworld，Mrs。Doctor，dear。"

"There’sanotherworld，youknow，Susan。"

"Yes，"saidSusanwithaheavysigh，"but，Mrs。

Doctor，dear，thereisneithermarryingnorgivinginmarriagethere。"

CHAPTER39

CAPTAINJIMCROSSESTHEBAR

OnedayinlateSeptemberOwenFord’sbookcameatlast。CaptainJimhadgonefaithfullytotheGlenpostofficeeverydayforamonth，expectingit。Thisdayhehadnotgone，andLesliebroughthiscopyhomewithhersandAnne’s。

"We’lltakeitdowntohimthisevening，"saidAnne，excitedasaschoolgirl。

ThelongwalktothePointonthatclear，beguilingeveningalongtheredharborroadwasverypleasant。

Thenthesundroppeddownbehindthewesternhillsintosomevalleythatmusthavebeenfulloflostsunsets，andatthesameinstantthebiglightflashedoutonthewhitetowerofthepoint。

"CaptainJimisneverlatebythefractionofasecond，"saidLeslie。

NeitherAnnenorLeslieeverforgotCaptainJim’sfacewhentheygavehimthebook——HISbook，transfiguredandglorified。Thecheeksthathadbeenblanchedoflatesuddenlyflamedwiththecolorofboyhood；hiseyesglowedwithallthefireofyouth；buthishandstrembledasheopenedit。

ItwascalledsimplyTheLife-BookofCaptainJim，andonthetitlepagethenamesofOwenFordandJamesBoydwereprintedascollaborators。ThefrontispiecewasaphotographofCaptainJimhimself，standingatthedoorofthelighthouse，lookingacrossthegulf。OwenFordhad"snapped"himonedaywhilethebookwasbeingwritten。CaptainJimhadknownthis，buthehadnotknownthatthepicturewastobeinthebook。

"Justthinkofit，"hesaid，"theoldsailorrightthereinarealprintedbook。Thisistheproudestdayofmylife。I’mliketobust，girls。There’llbenosleepformetonight。I’llreadmybookcleanthroughbeforesun-up。"

"We’llgorightawayandleaveyoufreetobeginit，"

saidAnne。

CaptainJimhadbeenhandlingthebookinakindofreverentrapture。Nowhedecidedlycloseditandlaiditaside。

"No，no，you’renotgoingawaybeforeyoutakeacupofteawiththeoldman，"heprotested。"Icouldn’theartothat——couldyou，Matey？Thelife-bookwillkeep，I

reckon。I’vewaitedforitthismanyayear。IcanwaitalittlelongerwhileI’menjoyingmyfriends。"

CaptainJimmovedaboutgettinghiskettleontoboil，andsettingouthisbreadandbutter。Despitehisexcitementhedidnotmovewithhisoldbriskness。Hismovementswereslowandhalting。Butthegirlsdidnotoffertohelphim。Theyknewitwouldhurthisfeelings。

"Youjustpickedtherighteveningtovisitme，"hesaid，producingacakefromhiscupboard。"LeetleJoe’smothersentmedownabigbasketfullofcakesandpiestoday。Ablessingonallgoodcooks，saysI。

Lookatthispurtycake，allfrostingandnuts。

’Tain’toftenIcanentertaininsuchstyle。Setin，girls，setin！We’ll`takacupo’kindnessyetforauldlangsyne。’"

Thegirls"setin"rightmerrily。TheteawasuptoCaptainJim’sbestbrewing。LittleJoe’smother’scakewasthelastwordincakes；CaptainJimwastheprinceofgracioushosts，neverevenpermittinghiseyestowandertothecornerwherethelife-booklay，inallitsbraveryofgreenandgold。ButwhenhisdoorfinallyclosedbehindAnneandLeslietheyknewthathewentstraighttoit，andastheywalkedhometheypicturedthedelightoftheoldmanporingovertheprintedpageswhereinhisownlifewasportrayedwithallthecharmandcolorofrealityitself。

"Iwonderhowhewillliketheending——theendingI

suggested，"saidLeslie。

Shewasnevertoknow。EarlythenextmorningAnneawakenedtofindGilbertbendingoverher，fullydressed，andwithanexpressionofanxietyonhisface。

"Areyoucalledout？"sheaskeddrowsily。

"No。Anne，I’mafraidthere’ssomethingwrongatthePoint。It’sanhouraftersunrisenow，andthelightisstillburning。YouknowithasalwaysbeenamatterofpridewithCaptainJimtostartthelightthemomentthesunsets，andputitoutthemomentitrises。"

Annesatupindismay。Throughherwindowshesawthelightblinkingpalelyagainsttheblueskiesofdawn。

"Perhapshehasfallenasleepoverhislife-book，"shesaidanxiously，"orbecomesoabsorbedinitthathehasforgottenthelight。"

Gilbertshookhishead。

"Thatwouldn’tbelikeCaptainJim。Anyway，I’mgoingdowntosee。"

"WaitaminuteandI’llgowithyou，"exclaimedAnne。

"Oh，yes，Imust——LittleJemwillsleepforanhouryet，andI’llcallSusan。Youmayneedawoman’shelpifCaptainJimisill。"

Itwasanexquisitemorning，fulloftintsandsoundsatonceripeanddelicate。Theharborwassparklinganddimplinglikeagirl；whitegullsweresoaringoverthedunes；beyondthebarwasashining，wonderfulsea。

Thelongfieldsbytheshoreweredewyandfreshinthatfirstfine，purely-tintedlight。Thewindcamedancingandwhistlingupthechanneltoreplacethebeautifulsilencewithamusicmorebeautifulstill。

HaditnotbeenforthebalefulstaronthewhitetowerthatearlywalkwouldhavebeenadelighttoAnneandGilbert。Buttheywentsoftlywithfear。

Theirknockwasnotrespondedto。Gilbertopenedthedoorandtheywentin。

Theoldroomwasveryquiet。Onthetableweretheremnantsofthelittleeveningfeast。Thelampstillburnedonthecornerstand。TheFirstMatewasasleepinasquareofsunshinebythesofa。

CaptainJimlayonthesofa，withhishandsclaspedoverthelife-book，openatthelastpage，lyingonhisbreast。Hiseyeswereclosedandonhisfacewasalookofthemostperfectpeaceandhappiness——thelookofonewhohaslongsoughtandfoundatlast。

"Heisasleep？"whisperedAnnetremulously。

Gilbertwenttothesofaandbentoverhimforafewmoments。Thenhestraightenedup。

"Yes，hesleeps——well，"headdedquietly。"Anne，CaptainJimhascrossedthebar。"

Theycouldnotknowpreciselyatwhathourhehaddied，butAnnealwaysbelievedthathehadhadhiswish，andwentoutwhenthemorningcameacrossthegulf。Outonthatshiningtidehisspiritdrifted，overthesunriseseaofpearlandsilver，tothehavenwherelostMargaretwaited，beyondthestormsandcalms。

CHAPTER40

FAREWELLTOTHEHOUSEOFDREAMS

CaptainJimwasburiedinthelittleover-harborgraveyard，veryneartothespotwheretheweewhiteladyslept。Hisrelativesputupaveryexpensive，veryugly"monument"——amonumentatwhichhewouldhavepokedslyfunhadheseenitinlife。Buthisrealmonumentwasintheheartsofthosewhoknewhim，andinthebookthatwastoliveforgenerations。

LesliemournedthatCaptainJimhadnotlivedtoseetheamazingsuccessofit。

"Howhewouldhavedelightedinthereviews——theyarealmostallsokindly。Andtohaveseenhislife-bookheadingthelistsofthebestsellers——oh，ifhecouldjusthavelivedtoseeit，Anne！"

ButAnne，despitehergrief，waswiser。

"Itwasthebookitselfhecaredfor，Leslie——notwhatmightbesaidofit——andhehadit。Hehadreaditallthrough。Thatlastnightmusthavebeenoneofthegreatesthappinessforhim——withthequick，painlessendinghehadhopedforinthemorning。IamgladforOwen’ssakeandyoursthatthebookissuchasuccess——butCaptainJimwassatisfied——IKNOW。"

Thelighthousestarstillkeptanightlyvigil；asubstitutekeeperhadbeensenttothePoint，untilsuchtimeasanall-wisegovernmentcoulddecidewhichofmanyapplicantswasbestfittedfortheplace——orhadthestrongestpull。TheFirstMatewasathomeinthelittlehouse，belovedbyAnneandGilbertandLeslie，andtoleratedbyaSusanwhohadsmalllikingforcats。

"IcanputupwithhimforthesakeofCaptainJim，Mrs。Doctor，dear，forIlikedtheoldman。AndIwillseethathegetsbiteandsup，andeverymousethetrapsaccountfor。Butdonotaskmetodomorethanthat，Mrs。Doctor，dear。Catsiscats，andtakemywordforit，theywillneverbeanythingelse。Andatleast，Mrs。Doctor，dear，dokeephimawayfromtheblessedweeman。Picturetoyourselfhowawfulitwouldbeifhewastosuckthedarling’sbreath。"

"ThatmightbefitlycalledaCAT-astrophe，"saidGilbert。

"Oh，youmaylaugh，doctor，dear，butitwouldbenolaughingmatter。"

"Catsneversuckbabies’breaths，"saidGilbert。

"Thatisonlyanoldsuperstition，Susan。"

"Oh，well，itmaybeasuperstitionoritmaynot，doctor，dear。AllthatIknowis，ithashappened。Mysister’shusband’snephew’swife’scatsuckedtheirbaby’sbreath，andthepoorinnocentwasallbutgonewhentheyfoundit。Andsuperstitionornot，ifIfindthatyellowbeastlurkingnearourbabyIwillwhackhimwiththepoker，Mrs。Doctor，dear。"

Mr。andMrs。MarshallElliottwerelivingcomfortablyandharmoniouslyinthegreenhouse。Lesliewasbusywithsewing，forsheandOwenweretobemarriedatChristmas。AnnewonderedwhatshewoulddowhenLesliewasgone。

"Changescomeallthetime。Justassoonasthingsgetreallynicetheychange，"shesaidwithasigh。

"TheoldMorganplaceupattheGlenisforsale，"

saidGilbert，aproposofnothinginespecial。

"Isit？"askedAnneindifferently。

"Yes。NowthatMr。Morganhasgone，Mrs。MorganwantstogotolivewithherchildreninVancouver。Shewillsellcheaply，forabigplacelikethatinasmallvillageliketheGlenwillnotbeveryeasytodisposeof。"

"Well，it’scertainlyabeautifulplace，soitislikelyshewillfindapurchaser，"saidAnne，absently，wonderingwhethersheshouldhemstitchorfeather-stitchlittleJem’s"short"dresses。Hewastobeshortenedthenextweek，andAnnefeltreadytocryatthethoughtofit。

"Supposewebuyit，Anne？"remarkedGilbertquietly。

Annedroppedhersewingandstaredathim。

"You’renotinearnest，Gilbert？"

"IndeedIam，dear。"

"Andleavethisdarlingspot——ourhouseofdreams？"

saidAnneincredulously。"Oh，Gilbert，it’s——it’sunthinkable！"

"Listenpatientlytome，dear。Iknowjusthowyoufeelaboutit。Ifeelthesame。Butwe’vealwaysknownwewouldhavetomovesomeday。"

"Oh，butnotsosoon，Gilbert——notjustyet。"

"Wemaynevergetsuchachanceagain。Ifwedon’tbuytheMorganplacesomeoneelsewill——andthereisnootherhouseintheGlenwewouldcaretohave，andnootherreallygoodsiteonwhichtobuild。Thislittlehouseis——well，itisandhasbeenwhatnootherhousecaneverbetous，Iadmit，butyouknowitisout-of-the-waydownhereforadoctor。Wehavefelttheinconvenience，thoughwe’vemadethebestofit。

Andit’satightfitforusnow。Perhaps，inafewyears，whenJemwantsaroomofhisown，itwillbeentirelytoosmall。"

"Oh，Iknow——Iknow，"saidAnne，tearsfillinghereyes。"Iknowallthatcanbesaidagainstit，butI

loveitso——andit’ssobeautifulhere。"

"YouwouldfinditverylonelyhereafterLesliegoes——andCaptainJimhasgonetoo。TheMorganplaceisbeautiful，andintimewewouldloveit。Youknowyouhavealwaysadmiredit，Anne。"

"Oh，yes，but——but——thishasallseemedtocomeupsosuddenly，Gilbert。I’mdizzy。TenminutesagoIhadnothoughtofleavingthisdearspot。IwasplanningwhatImeanttodoforitinthespring——whatImeanttodointhegarden。Andifweleavethisplacewhowillgetit？ItISout-of-the-way，soit’slikelysomepoor，shiftless，wanderingfamilywillrentit——andover-runit——andoh，thatwouldbedesecration。Itwouldhurtmehorribly。"

"Iknow。Butwecannotsacrificeourownintereststosuchconsiderations，Anne-girl。TheMorganplacewillsuitusineveryessentialparticular——wereallycan’taffordtomisssuchachance。Thinkofthatbiglawnwiththosemagnificentoldtrees；andofthatsplendidhardwoodgrovebehindit——twelveacresofit。Whataplayplaceforourchildren！There’safineorchard，too，andyou’vealwaysadmiredthathighbrickwallaroundthegardenwiththedoorinit——you’vethoughtitwassolikeastory-bookgarden。AndthereisalmostasfineaviewoftheharborandthedunesfromtheMorganplaceasfromhere。"

"Youcan’tseethelighthousestarfromit。"

"Yes，Youcanseeitfromtheatticwindow。THERE’S

anotheradvantage，Anne-girl——youlovebiggarrets。"

"There’snobrookinthegarden。"

"Well，no，butthereisonerunningthroughthemaplegroveintotheGlenpond。Andtheponditselfisn’tfaraway。You’llbeabletofancyyouhaveyourownLakeofShiningWatersagain。"

"Well，don’tsayanythingmoreaboutitjustnow，Gilbert。Givemetimetothink——togetusedtotheidea。"

"Allright。Thereisnogreathurry，ofcourse。

Only——ifwedecidetobuy，itwouldbewelltobemovedinandsettledbeforewinter。"

Gilbertwentout，andAnneputawayLittleJem’sshortdresseswithtremblinghands。Shecouldnotsewanymorethatday。Withtear-weteyesshewanderedoverthelittledomainwhereshehadreignedsohappyaqueen。TheMorganplacewasallthatGilbertclaimed。

Thegroundswerebeautiful，thehouseoldenoughtohavedignityandreposeandtraditions，andnewenoughtobecomfortableandup-to-date。Annehadalwaysadmiredit；butadmiringisnotloving；andshelovedthishouseofdreamssomuch。ShelovedEVERYTHING

aboutit——thegardenshehadtended，andwhichsomanywomenhadtendedbeforeher——thegleamandsparkleofthelittlebrookthatcreptsoroguishlyacrossthecorner——thegatebetweenthecreakingfirtrees——theoldredsandstonestep——thestatelyLombardies——thetwotinyquaintglasscupboardsoverthechimney-pieceintheliving-room——thecrookedpantrydoorinthekitchen——thetwofunnydormerwindowsupstairs——thelittlejoginthestaircase——why，thesethingswereapartofher！Howcouldsheleavethem？

Andhowthislittlehouse，consecratedaforetimebyloveandjoy，hadbeenre-consecratedforherbyherhappinessandsorrow！Hereshehadspentherbridalmoon；hereweeJoycehadlivedheronebriefday；herethesweetnessofmotherhoodhadcomeagainwithLittleJem；hereshehadheardtheexquisitemusicofherbaby’scooinglaughter；herebelovedfriendshadsatbyherfireside。Joyandgrief，birthanddeath，hadmadesacredforeverthislittlehouseofdreams。

Andnowshemustleaveit。Sheknewthat，evenwhileshehadcontendedagainsttheideatoGilbert。Thelittlehousewasoutgrown。Gilbert’sinterestsmadethechangenecessary；hiswork，successfulthoughithadbeen，washamperedbyhislocation。Annerealisedthattheendoftheirlifeinthisdearplacedrewnigh，andthatshemustfacethefactbravely。Buthowherheartached！

"Itwillbejustliketearingsomethingoutofmylife，"shesobbed。"Andoh，ifIcouldhopethatsomenicefolkwouldcomehereinourplace——oreventhatitwouldbeleftvacant。Thatitselfwouldbebetterthanhavingitoverrunwithsomehordewhoknownothingofthegeographyofdreamland，andnothingofthehistorythathasgiventhishouseitssoulanditsidentity。

Andifsuchatribecomeheretheplacewillgotorackandruininnotime——anoldplacegoesdownsoquicklyifitisnotcarefullyattendedto。They’lltearupmygarden——andlettheLombardiesgetragged——andthepalingwillcometolooklikeamouthwithhalftheteethmissing——andtheroofwillleak——andtheplasterfall——andthey’llstuffpillowsandragsinbrokenwindowpanes——andeverythingwillbeout-at-elbows。"

Anne’simaginationpicturedforthsovividlythecomingdegenerationofherdearlittlehousethatithurtherasseverelyasifithadalreadybeenanaccomplishedfact。Shesatdownonthestairsandhadalong，bittercry。Susanfoundherthereandenquiredwithmuchconcernwhatthetroublewas。

"Youhavenotquarrelledwiththedoctor，haveyounow，Mrs。Doctor，dear？Butifyouhave，donotworry。Itisathingquitelikelytohappentomarriedcouples，I

amtold，althoughIhavehadnoexperiencethatwaymyself。Hewillbesorry，andyoucansoonmakeitup。"

"No，no，Susan，wehaven’tquarrelled。It’sonly——GilbertisgoingtobuytheMorganplace，andwe’llhavetogoandliveattheGlen。Anditwillbreakmyheart。"

SusandidnotenterintoAnne’sfeelingsatall。Shewas，indeed，quiterejoicedovertheprospectoflivingattheGlen。Heronegrievanceagainstherplaceinthelittlehousewasitslonesomelocation。

"Why，Mrs。Doctor，dear，itwillbesplendid。TheMorganhouseissuchafine，bigone。"

"Ihatebighouses，"sobbedAnne。

"Oh，well，youwillnothatethembythetimeyouhavehalfadozenchildren，"remarkedSusancalmly。"Andthishouseistoosmallalreadyforus。Wehavenospareroom，sinceMrs。Mooreishere，andthatpantryisthemostaggravatingplaceIevertriedtoworkin。

Thereisacornereverywayyouturn。Besides，itisout-of-the-worlddownhere。Thereisreallynothingatallbutscenery。"

"Outofyourworldperhaps，Susan——butnotoutofmine，"saidAnnewithafaintsmile。

"Idonotquiteunderstandyou，Mrs。Doctor，dear，butofcourseIamnotwelleducated。ButifDr。BlythebuystheMorganplacehewillmakenomistake，andthatyoumaytieto。Theyhavewaterinit，andthepantriesandclosetsarebeautiful，andthereisnotanothersuchcellarinP。E。Island，soIhavebeentold。Why，thecellarhere，Mrs。Doctor，dear，hasbeenaheart-breaktome，aswellyouknow。"

"Oh，goaway，Susan，goaway，"saidAnneforlornly。

"Cellarsandpantriesandclosetsdon’tmakeaHOME。

Whydon’tyouweepwiththosewhoweep？"

"Well，Ineverwasmuchhandforweeping，Mrs。Doctor，dear。Iwouldratherfalltoandcheerpeopleupthanweepwiththem。Now，donotyoucryandspoilyourprettyeyes。Thishouseisverywellandhasservedyourturn，butitishightimeyouhadabetter。"

Susan’spointofviewseemedtobethatofmostpeople。

LesliewastheonlyonewhosympathisedunderstandinglywithAnne。Shehadagoodcry，too，whensheheardthenews。Thentheybothdriedtheirtearsandwenttoworkatthepreparationsformoving。

"Sincewemustgoletusgoassoonaswecanandhaveitover，"saidpoorAnnewithbitterresignation。

"YouknowyouwilllikethatlovelyoldplaceattheGlenafteryouhavelivedinitlongenoughtohavedearmemorieswovenaboutit，"saidLeslie。"Friendswillcomethere，astheyhavecomehere——happinesswillglorifyitforyou。Now，it’sjustahousetoyou——buttheyearswillmakeitahome。"

AnneandLesliehadanothercrythenextweekwhentheyshortenedLittleJem。Annefeltthetragedyofituntileveningwheninhislongnightieshefoundherowndearbabyagain。

"Butitwillberompersnext——andthentrousers——andinnotimehewillbegrown-up，"shesighed。

"Well，youwouldnotwanthimtostayababyalways，Mrs。Doctor，dear，wouldyou？"saidSusan。"Blesshisinnocentheart，helookstoosweetforanythinginhislittleshortdresses，withhisdearfeetstickingout。

Andthinkofthesaveintheironing，Mrs。Doctor，dear。"

"Anne，IhavejusthadaletterfromOwen，"saidLeslie，enteringwithabrightface。"And，oh！Ihavesuchgoodnews。Hewritesmethatheisgoingtobuythisplacefromthechurchtrusteesandkeepittospendoursummervacationsin。Anne，areyounotglad？"

"Oh，Leslie，`glad’isn’tthewordforit！Itseemsalmosttoogoodtobetrue。Isha’n’tfeelhalfsobadlynowthatIknowthisdearspotwillneverbedesecratedbyavandaltribe，orlefttotumbledownindecay。Why，it’slovely！It’slovely！"

OneOctobermorningAnnewakenedtotherealisationthatshehadsleptforthelasttimeundertheroofofherlittlehouse。Thedaywastoobusytoindulgeregretandwheneveningcamethehousewasstrippedandbare。AnneandGilbertwerealoneinittosayfarewell。LeslieandSusanandLittleJemhadgonetotheGlenwiththelastloadoffurniture。Thesunsetlightstreamedinthroughthecurtainlesswindows。

"Ithasallsuchaheart-broken，reproachfullook，hasn’tit？"saidAnne。"Oh，IshallbesohomesickattheGlentonight！"

"Wehavebeenveryhappyhere，haven’twe，Anne-girl？"

saidGilbert，hisvoicefulloffeeling。

Annechoked，unabletoanswer。Gilbertwaitedforheratthefir-treegate，whileshewentoverthehouseandsaidfarewelltoeveryroom。Shewasgoingaway；buttheoldhousewouldstillbethere，lookingseawardthroughitsquaintwindows。Theautumnwindswouldblowarounditmournfully，andthegrayrainwouldbeatuponitandthewhitemistswouldcomeinfromtheseatoenfoldit；andthemoonlightwouldfalloveritandlightuptheoldpathswheretheschoolmasterandhisbridehadwalked。Thereonthatoldharborshorethecharmofstorywouldlinger；thewindwouldstillwhistlealluringlyoverthesilversand-dunes；thewaveswouldstillcallfromtheredrock-coves。

"Butwewillbegone，"saidAnnethroughhertears。

Shewentout，closingandlockingthedoorbehindher。

Gilbertwaswaitingforherwithasmile。Thelighthousestarwasgleamingnorthward。Thelittlegarden，whereonlymarigoldsstillbloomed，wasalreadyhoodingitselfinshadows。

Annekneltdownandkissedthewornoldstepwhichshehadcrossedasabride。

"Good-bye，dearlittlehouseofdreams，"shesaid。

End