"It's time Anne was in to do
her sewing," said Marilla, glancing
at the clock and then out into
the yellow August afternoon where
everything drowsed in the heat. "She
stayed playing with Diana more
than half an hour more'n I gave
her leave to; and now she's perched
out there on the woodpile talking
to Matthew, nineteen to the dozen,
when she knows perfectly well
she ought to be at her work.
And of course he's listening
to her like a perfect ninny.
I never saw such an infatuated
man. The more she talks and the
odder the things she says, the
more he's delighted evidently.
Anne Shirley, you come right
in here this minute, do you hear
me!"
A series of staccato taps on
the west window brought Anne
flying in from the yard, eyes
shining, cheeks faintly flushed
with pink, unbraided hair streaming
behind her in a torrent of brightness.
"Oh, Marilla," she exclaimed
breathlessly, "there's going
to be a Sunday-school picnic
next week--in Mr. Harmon Andrews's
field, right near the lake of
Shining Waters. And Mrs. Superintendent
Bell and Mrs. Rachel Lynde are
going to make ice cream--think
of it, Marilla--ICE CREAM! And,
oh, Marilla, can I go to it?"
"Just look
at the clock, if you please,
Anne. What time did
I tell you to come in?"
"Two o'clock--but
isn't it splendid about the
picnic, Marilla?
Please can I go? Oh, I've never
been to a picnic--I've dreamed
of picnics, but I've never--"
"Yes, I told
you to come at two o'clock.
And it's a quarter
to three. I'd like to know why
you didn't obey me, Anne."
"Why, I meant
to, Marilla, as much as could
be. But you
have no idea how fascinating
Idlewild is. And then, of course,
I had to tell Matthew about the
picnic. Matthew is such a sympathetic
listener. Please can I go?"
"You'll have
to learn to resist the fascination
of Idlewhatever-
you-call-it. When I tell you
to come in at a certain time
I mean that time and not half
an hour later. And you needn't
stop to discourse with sympathetic
listeners on your way, either.
As for the picnic, of course
you can go. You're a Sunday-school
scholar, and it's not likely
I'd refuse to let you go when
all the other little girls are
going."
"But--but," faltered Anne, "Diana
says that everybody must take
a basket of things to eat. I
can't cook, as you know, Marilla,
and--and--I don't mind going
to a picnic without puffed sleeves
so much, but I'd feel terribly
humiliated if I had to go without
a basket. It's been preying on
my mind ever since Diana told
me."
"Well, it needn't
prey any longer. I'll bake
you a basket."
"Oh, you dear
good Marilla. Oh, you are so
kind to me. Oh,
I'm so much obliged to you."
Getting through
with her "ohs" Anne
cast herself into Marilla's arms
and rapturously kissed her sallow
cheek. It was the first time
in her whole life that childish
lips had voluntarily touched
Marilla's face. Again that sudden
sensation of startling sweetness
thrilled her. She was secretly
vastly pleased at Anne's impulsive
caress, which was probably the
reason why she said brusquely:
"There, there,
never mind your kissing nonsense.
I'd sooner
see you doing strictly as you're
told. As for cooking, I mean
to begin giving you lessons in
that some of these days. But
you're so featherbrained, Anne,
I've been waiting to see if you'd
sober down a little and learn
to be steady before I begin.
You've got to keep your wits
about you in cooking and not
stop in the middle of things
to let your thoughts rove all
over creation. Now, get out your
patchwork and have your square
done before teatime."
"I do NOT like patchwork," said
Anne dolefully, hunting out her
workbasket and sitting down before
a little heap of red and white
diamonds with a sigh. "I think
some kinds of sewing would be
nice; but there's no scope for
imagination in patchwork. It's
just one little seam after another
and you never seem to be getting
anywhere. But of course I'd rather
be Anne of Green Gables sewing
patchwork than Anne of any other
place with nothing to do but
play. I wish time went as quick
sewing patches as it does when
I'm playing with Diana, though.
Oh, we do have such elegant times,
Marilla. I have to furnish most
of the imagination, but I'm well
able to do that. Diana is simply
perfect in every other way. You
know that little piece of land
across the brook that runs up
between our farm and Mr. Barry's.
It belongs to Mr. William Bell,
and right in the corner there
is a little ring of white birch
trees--the most romantic spot,
Marilla. Diana and I have our
playhouse there. We call it Idlewild.
Isn't that a poetical name? I
assure you it took me some time
to think it out. I stayed awake
nearly a whole night before I
invented it. Then, just as I
was dropping off to sleep, it
came like an inspiration. Diana
was ENRAPTURED when she heard
it. We have got our house fixed
up elegantly. You must come and
see it, Marilla--won't you? We
have great big stones, all covered
with moss, for seats, and boards
from tree to tree for shelves.
And we have all our dishes on
them. Of course, they're all
broken but it's the easiest thing
in the world to imagine that
they are whole. There's a piece
of a plate with a spray of red
and yellow ivy on it that is
especially beautiful. We keep
it in the parlor and we have
the fairy glass there, too. The
fairy glass is as lovely as a
dream. Diana found it out in
the woods behind their chicken
house. It's all full of rainbows--just
little young rainbows that haven't
grown big yet--and Diana's mother
told her it was broken off a
hanging lamp they once had. But
it's nice to imagine the fairies
lost it one night when they had
a ball, so we call it the fairy
glass. Matthew is going to make
us a table. Oh, we have named
that little round pool over in
Mr. Barry's field Willowmere.
I got that name out of the book
Diana lent me. That was a thrilling
book, Marilla. The heroine had
five lovers. I'd be satisfied
with one, wouldn't you? She was
very handsome and she went through
great tribulations. She could
faint as easy as anything. I'd
love to be able to faint, wouldn't
you, Marilla? It's so romantic.
But I'm really very healthy for
all I'm so thin. I believe I'm
getting fatter, though. Don't
you think I am? I look at my
elbows every morning when I get
up to see if any dimples are
coming. Diana is having a new
dress made with elbow sleeves.
She is going to wear it to the
picnic. Oh, I do hope it will
be fine next Wednesday. I don't
feel that I could endure the
disappointment if anything happened
to prevent me from getting to
the picnic. I suppose I'd live
through it, but I'm certain it
would be a lifelong sorrow. It
wouldn't matter if I got to a
hundred picnics in after years;
they wouldn't make up for missing
this one. They're going to have
boats on the Lake of Shining
Waters--and ice cream, as I told
you. I have never tasted ice
cream. Diana tried to explain
what it was like, but I guess
ice cream is one of those things
that are beyond imagination."
"Anne, you have talked even
on for ten minutes by the clock," said
Marilla. "Now, just for curiosity's
sake, see if you can hold your
tongue for the same length of
time."
Anne held her tongue as desired.
But for the rest of the week
she talked picnic and thought
picnic and dreamed picnic. On
Saturday it rained and she worked
herself up into such a frantic
state lest it should keep on
raining until and over Wednesday
that Marilla made her sew an
extra patchwork square by way
of steadying her nerves.
On Sunday Anne confided to
Marilla on the way home from
church that she grew actually
cold all over with excitement
when the minister announced the
picnic from the pulpit.
"Such a thrill
as went up and down my back,
Marilla! I don't
think I'd ever really believed
until then that there was honestly
going to be a picnic. I couldn't
help fearing I'd only imagined
it. But when a minister says
a thing in the pulpit you just
have to believe it."
"You set your heart too much
on things, Anne," said Marilla,
with a sigh. "I'm afraid there'll
be a great many disappointments
in store for you through life."
"Oh, Marilla, looking forward
to things is half the pleasure
of them," exclaimed Anne. "You
mayn't get the things themselves;
but nothing can prevent you from
having the fun of looking forward
to them. Mrs. Lynde says, `Blessed
are they who expect nothing for
they shall not be disappointed.'
But I think it would be worse
to expect nothing than to be
disappointed."
Marilla wore her amethyst brooch
to church that day as usual.
Marilla always wore her amethyst
brooch to church. She would have
thought it rather sacrilegious
to leave it off--as bad as forgetting
her Bible or her collection dime.
That amethyst brooch was Marilla's
most treasured possession. A
seafaring uncle had given it
to her mother who in turn had
bequeathed it to Marilla. It
was an old-fashioned oval, containing
a braid of her mother's hair,
surrounded by a border of very
fine amethysts. Marilla knew
too little about precious stones
to realize how fine the amethysts
actually were; but she thought
them very beautiful and was always
pleasantly conscious of their
violet shimmer at her throat,
above her good brown satin dress,
even although she could not see
it.
Anne had been smitten with
delighted admiration when she
first saw that brooch.
"Oh, Marilla,
it's a perfectly elegant brooch.
I don't know
how you can pay attention to
the sermon or the prayers when
you have it on. I couldn't, I
know. I think amethysts are just
sweet. They are what I used to
think diamonds were like. Long
ago, before I had ever seen a
diamond, I read about them and
I tried to imagine what they
would be like. I thought they
would be lovely glimmering purple
stones. When I saw a real diamond
in a lady's ring one day I was
so disappointed I cried. Of course,
it was very lovely but it wasn't
my idea of a diamond. Will you
let me hold the brooch for one
minute, Marilla? Do you think
amethysts can be the souls of
good violets?"
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