第1章

Mrs。RachelLyndeisSurprisedMrs。RachelLyndelivedjustwheretheAvonleamainroaddippeddownintoalittlehollow，fringedwithaldersandladies’eardropsandtraversedbyabrookthathaditssourceawaybackinthewoodsoftheoldCuthbertplace；

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

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

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

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

ShewassittingthereoneafternooninearlyJune。Thesunwascominginatthewindowwarmandbright；theorchardontheslopebelowthehousewasinabridalflushofpinky-

whitebloom，hummedoverbyamyriadofbees。ThomasLynde——

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

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

Now，wherewasMatthewCuthbertgoingandwhywashegoingthere？

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

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

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

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

GreenGableswasbuiltatthefurthestedgeofhisclearedlandandthereitwastothisday，barelyvisiblefromthemainroadalongwhichalltheotherAvonleahousesweresosociablysituated。Mrs。RachelLyndedidnotcalllivinginsuchaplaceLIVINGatall。

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mrs。Rachel，beforeshehadfairlyclosedthedoor，hadtakenamentalnoteofeverythingthatwasonthattable。

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

\"Areyouinearnest，Marilla？\"shedemandedwhenvoicereturnedtoher。

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

Mrs。Rachelfeltthatshehadreceivedaseverementaljolt。

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

\"Whatonearthputsuchanotionintoyourhead？\"shedemandeddisapprovingly。

Thishadbeendonewithouthereadvicebeingasked，andmustperforcebedisapproved。

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

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

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

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

sayingtheywerecomingonthefive-thirtytraintonight。

SoMatthewwenttoBrightRivertomeethim。Mrs。Spencerwilldrophimoffthere。OfcourseshegoesontoWhiteSandsstationherself\"

Mrs。Rachelpridedherselfonalwaysspeakinghermind；

sheproceededtospeakitnow，havingadjustedhermentalattitudetothisamazingpieceofnews。

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

ThisJob’scomfortingseemedneithertooffendnortoalarmMarilla。Sheknittedsteadilyon。

\"Idon’tdenythere’ssomethinginwhatyousay，Rachel。

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

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

\"Well，Ihopeitwillturnoutallright，\"saidMrs。

Rachelinatonethatplainlyindicatedherpainfuldoubts。

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

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

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

\"Well，ofallthingsthateverwereorwillbe！\"

ejaculatedMrs。Rachelwhenshewassafelyoutinthelane。

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

SosaidMrs。Racheltothewildrosebushesoutofthefulnessofherheart；butifshecouldhaveseenthechildwhowaswaitingpatientlyattheBrightRiverstationatthatverymomentherpitywouldhavebeenstilldeeperandmoreprofound。

CHAPTERII

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

Matthewenjoyedthedriveafterhisownfashion，exceptduringthemomentswhenhemetwomenandhadtonodtothem——

forinPrinceEdwardislandyouaresupposedtonodtoallandsundryyoumeetontheroadwhetheryouknowthemornot。

MatthewdreadedallwomenexceptMarillaandMrs。

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

WhenhereachedBrightRivertherewasnosignofanytrain；hethoughthewastooearly，sohetiedhishorseintheyardofthesmallBrightRiverhotelandwentovertothestationhouse。Thelongplatformwasalmostdeserted；

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

Matthewencounteredthestationmasterlockinguptheticketofficepreparatorytogoinghomeforsupper，andaskedhimifthefive-thirtytrainwouldsoonbealong。

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

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

Thestationmasterwhistled。

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

That’sallIknowaboutit——andIhaven’tgotanymoreorphansconcealedhereabouts。\"

\"Idon’tunderstand，\"saidMatthewhelplessly，wishingthatMarillawasathandtocopewiththesituation。

\"Well，you’dbetterquestionthegirl，\"saidthestation-

mastercarelessly。\"Idaresayshe’llbeabletoexplain——

she’sgotatongueofherown，that’scertain。Maybetheywereoutofboysofthebrandyouwanted。\"

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

Matthewgroanedinspiritasheturnedaboutandshuffledgentlydowntheplatformtowardsher。

Shehadbeenwatchinghimeversincehehadpassedherandshehadhereyesonhimnow。Matthewwasnotlookingatherandwouldnothaveseenwhatshewasreallylikeifhehadbeen，butanordinaryobserverwouldhaveseenthis:

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

Herfacewassmall，whiteandthin，alsomuchfreckled；hermouthwaslargeandsowerehereyes，whichlookedgreeninsomelightsandmoodsandgrayinothers。

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

thattheforeheadwasbroadandfull；inshort，ourdiscerningextraordinaryobservermighthaveconcludedthatnocommonplacesoulinhabitedthebodyofthisstraywoman-

childofwhomshyMatthewCuthbertwassoludicrouslyafraid。

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

\"IsupposeyouareMr。MatthewCuthbertofGreenGables？\"

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

AndIwasquitesureyouwouldcomeformeinthemorning，ifyoudidn’tto-night。\"

Matthewhadtakenthescrawnylittlehandawkwardlyinhis；

thenandtherehedecidedwhattodo。Hecouldnottellthischildwiththeglowingeyesthattherehadbeenamistake；hewouldtakeherhomeandletMarilladothat。

Shecouldn’tbeleftatBrightRiveranyhow，nomatterwhatmistakehadbeenmade，soallquestionsandexplanationsmightaswellbedeferreduntilhewassafelybackatGreenGables。

\"I’msorryIwaslate，\"hesaidshyly。\"Comealong。

Thehorseisoverintheyard。Givemeyourbag。\"

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

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

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

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

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

Thechildputoutherhandandbrokeoffabranchofwildplumthatbrushedagainstthesideofthebuggy。

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

\"Wellnow，Idunno，\"saidMatthew。

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

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

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

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

NeitherwasMrs。Spenceralthoughshegenerallyis。Shesaidshehadn’ttimetogetsick，watchingtoseethatI

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

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

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

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

\"Wellnow，Idunno，\"saidMatthew。

\"Well，thatisoneofthethingstofindoutsometime。

Isn’titsplendidtothinkofallthethingstherearetofindoutabout？Itjustmakesmefeelgladtobealive——

it’ssuchaninterestingworld。Itwouldn’tbehalfsointerestingifweknowallabouteverything，wouldit？

There’dbenoscopeforimaginationthen，wouldthere？ButamItalkingtoomuch？PeoplearealwaystellingmeIdo。

WouldyouratherIdidn’ttalk？IfyousaysoI’llstop。I

canSTOPwhenImakeupmymindtoit，althoughit’sdifficult。\"

Matthew，muchtohisownsurprise，wasenjoyinghimself。

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

\"Oh，youcantalkasmuchasyoulike。Idon’tmind。\"

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

I’vehadthatsaidtomeamilliontimesifIhaveonce。

AndpeoplelaughatmebecauseIusebigwords。Butifyouhavebigideasyouhavetousebigwordstoexpressthem，haven’tyou？\"

\"Wellnow，thatseemsreasonable，\"saidMatthew。

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

Mrs。SpencersaidyourplacewasnamedGreenGables。I

askedherallaboutit。Andshesaidthereweretreesallaroundit。Iwasgladderthanever。Ijustlovetrees。

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

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

Youdogetsoattachedtothingslikethat，don’tyou？

IsthereabrookanywherenearGreenGables？IforgottoaskMrs。Spencerthat。\"

\"Wellnow，yes，there’sonerightbelowthehouse。\"

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

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

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

\"It’sred，ain’tit？\"hesaid。

Thegirlletthebraiddropbackwithasighthatseemedtocomefromherverytoesandtoexhaleforthallthesorrowsoftheages。

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

can’tbeperfectlyhappy。Nobodycouldwhohasredhair。I

don’tmindtheotherthingssomuch——thefrecklesandthegreeneyesandmyskinniness。Icanimaginethemaway。I

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

Itwillbemylifelongsorrow。Ireadofagirlonceinanovelwhohadalifelongsorrowbutitwasn’tredhair。

Herhairwaspuregoldripplingbackfromheralabasterbrow。

Whatisanalabasterbrow？Inevercouldfindout。

Canyoutellme？\"

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

roundatapicnic。

\"Well，whateveritwasitmusthavebeensomethingnicebecauseshewasdivinelybeautiful。Haveyoueverimaginedwhatitmustfeelliketobedivinelybeautiful？\"

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

\"Ihave，often。Whichwouldyouratherbeifyouhadthechoice——divinelybeautifulordazzlinglycleverorangelicallygood？\"

\"Wellnow，I——Idon’tknowexactly。\"

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

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

Oh，Mr。Cuthbert！！！\"

ThatwasnotwhatMrs。Spencerhadsaid；neitherhadthechildtumbledoutofthebuggynorhadMatthewdoneanythingastonishing。Theyhadsimplyroundedacurveintheroadandfoundthemselvesinthe\"Avenue。\"

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

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

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

\"Iguessyou’refeelingprettytiredandhungry，\"

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

Shecameoutofherreveriewithadeepsighandlookedathimwiththedreamygazeofasoulthathadbeenwonderingafar，star-led。

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

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

\"Pretty？Oh，PRETTYdoesn’tseemtherightwordtouse。

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

\"Wellnow，Ijustcan’trecollectthatIeverhad。\"

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

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

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

Oh，isn’tthatpretty！\"

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

\"That’sBarry’spond，\"saidMatthew。

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

Matthewruminated。

\"Wellnow，yes。Italwayskindofgivesmeathrilltoseethemuglywhitegrubsthatspadeupinthecucumberbeds。

Ihatethelookofthem。\"

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

\"IreckonbecauseMr。Barrylivesupthereinthathouse。

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

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

\"He’sgotoneabouteleven。HernameisDiana。\"

\"Oh！\"withalongindrawingofbreath。\"Whataperfectlylovelyname！\"

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

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

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

alwayssaygoodnighttothethingsIlove，justasIwouldtopeopleIthinktheylikeit。Thatwaterlooksasifitwassmilingatme。\"

WhentheyhaddrivenupthefurtherhillandaroundacornerMatthewsaid:

\"We’reprettynearhomenow。That’sGreenGablesover——\"

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

Sheopenedhereyesandlookedabouther。Theywereonthecrestofahill。Thesunhadsetsometimesince，butthelandscapewasstillclearinthemellowafterlight。Tothewestadarkchurchspireroseupagainstamarigoldsky。

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

\"That’sit，isn’tit？\"shesaid，pointing。

Matthewslappedthereinsonthesorrel’sbackdelightedly。

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

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

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

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

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

Theyardwasquitedarkastheyturnedintoitandthepoplarleaveswererustlingsilkilyallroundit。

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

Then，holdingtightlytothecarpet-bagwhichcontained\"allherworldlygoods，\"shefollowedhimintothehouse。

CHAPTERIII

MarillaCuthbertisSurprisedMarillacamebrisklyforwardasMatthewopenedthedoor。

Butwhenhereyesfelloftheoddlittlefigureinthestiff，uglydress，withthelongbraidsofredhairandtheeager，luminouseyes，shestoppedshortinamazement。

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

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

Henoddedatthechild，rememberingthathehadneverevenaskedhername。

\"Noboy！ButthereMUSThavebeenaboy，\"insistedMarilla。

\"WesentwordtoMrs。Spencertobringaboy。\"

\"Well，shedidn’t。ShebroughtHER。Iaskedthestation-

master。AndIhadtobringherhome。Shecouldn’tbeleftthere，nomatterwherethemistakehadcomein。\"

\"Well，thisisaprettypieceofbusiness！\"ejaculatedMarilla。

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

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

Imighthaveknownnobodyreallydidwantme。Oh，whatshallIdo？I’mgoingtoburstintotears！\"

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

Neitherofthemknewwhattosayordo。FinallyMarillasteppedlamelyintothebreach。

\"Well，well，there’snoneedtocrysoaboutit。\"

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

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

Somethinglikeareluctantsmile，ratherrustyfromlongdisuse，mellowedMarilla’sgrimexpression。

\"Well，don’tcryanymore。We’renotgoingtoturnyouout-

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

Thechildhesitatedforamoment。

\"WillyoupleasecallmeCordelia？\"shesaideagerly。

\"CALLyouCordelia？Isthatyourname？\"

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

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

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

\"Unromanticfiddlesticks！\"saidtheunsympatheticMarilla。

\"Anneisarealgoodplainsensiblename。You’venoneedtobeashamedofit。\"

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

\"Whatdifferencedoesitmakehowit’sspelled？\"askedMarillawithanotherrustysmileasshepickeduptheteapot。

\"Oh，itmakesSUCHadifference。ItLOOKSsomuchnicer。

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

Ifyou’llonlycallmeAnnespelledwithanEIshalltrytoreconcilemyselftonotbeingcalledCordelia。\"

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

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

\"Whatonearthdoesshemean？\"demandedMarilla，staringatMatthew。

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

\"DidMrs。Spencerbringanybodyoverbesidesyou？\"

continuedMarillawhenMatthewhadgoneout。

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

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

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

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

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

\"I’veneverbeeninthedepthsofdespair，soIcan’tsay，\"

respondedMarilla。

\"Weren’tyou？Well，didyouevertrytoIMAGINEyouwereinthedepthsofdespair？\"

\"No，Ididn’t。\"

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

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

MarillahadbeenwonderingwhereAnneshouldbeputtobed。

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

Marillasetthecandleonathree-legged，three-corneredtableandturneddownthebedclothes。

\"Isupposeyouhaveanightgown？\"shequestioned。

Annenodded。

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

Butonecandreamjustaswellinthemasinlovelytrailingones，withfrillsaroundtheneck，that’soneconsolation。\"

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

WhenMarillahadgoneAnnelookedaroundherwistfully。

Thewhitewashedwallsweresopainfullybareandstaringthatshethoughttheymustacheovertheirownbareness。

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

turnedposts。Intheothercornerwastheaforesaidthree-

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

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

\"Goodnight，\"shesaid，alittleawkwardly，butnotunkindly。

Anne’swhitefaceandbigeyesappearedoverthebedclotheswithastartlingsuddenness。

\"HowcanyoucallitaGOODnightwhenyouknowitmustbetheveryworstnightI’veeverhad？\"shesaidreproachfully。

Thenshediveddownintoinvisibilityagain。

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

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

\"Yes，Isupposeso，\"saidMatthewreluctantly。

\"YouSUPPOSEso！Don’tyouknowit？\"

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

\"MatthewCuthbert，youdon’tmeantosayyouthinkweoughttokeepher！\"

Marilla’sastonishmentcouldnothavebeengreaterifMatthewhadexpressedapredilectionforstandingonhishead。

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

\"Isuppose——wecouldhardlybeexpectedtokeepher。\"

\"Ishouldsaynot。Whatgoodwouldshebetous？\"

\"Wemightbesomegoodtoher，\"saidMatthewsuddenlyandunexpectedly。

\"MatthewCuthbert，Ibelievethatchildhasbewitchedyou！

Icanseeasplainasplainthatyouwanttokeepher。\"

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

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

didsheisn’tthestyleI’dpickout。There’ssomethingI

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

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

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

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

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

CHAPTERIV

MorningatGreenGablesItwasbroaddaylightwhenAnneawokeandsatupinbed，staringconfusedlyatthewindowthroughwhichafloodofcheerysunshinewaspouringandoutsideofwhichsomethingwhiteandfeatherywavedacrossglimpsesofbluesky。

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

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

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

Therewasscopeforimaginationhere。

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

Belowthegardenagreenfieldlushwithcloverslopeddowntothehollowwherethebrookranandwherescoresofwhitebirchesgrew，upspringingairilyoutofanundergrowthsuggestiveofdelightfulpossibilitiesinfernsandmossesandwoodsythingsgenerally。Beyonditwasahill，greenandfeatherywithspruceandfir；therewasagapinitwherethegraygableendofthelittlehouseshehadseenfromtheothersideoftheLakeofShiningWaterswasvisible。

Offtotheleftwerethebigbarnsandbeyondthem，awaydownovergreen，low-slopingfields，wasasparklingblueglimpseofsea。

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