“Oh, the boy may be well enough, but he’ll
be different from Avonlea children,” said Mrs.
Rachel, as if that clinched the matter. Mrs.
Rachel’s opinions concerning any person, place,
or thing, were always warranted to wear. “What’s
this I hear about your going to start up a Village
Improvement Society, Anne?”
“I was just talking it over with some of the
girls and boys at the last Debating Club,” said
Anne, flushing. “They thought it would be
rather nice . . . and so do Mr. and Mrs. Allan.
Lots of villages have them now.”
“Well, you’ll get into no end of hot water
if you do. Better leave it alone, Anne, that’s
what. People don’t like being improved.”
“Oh, we are not going to try to improve the
people. It is Avonlea itself. There
are lots of things which might be done to make it
prettier. For instance, if we could coax Mr. Levi
Boulter to pull down that dreadful old house on his
upper farm wouldn’t that be an improvement?”
“It certainly would,” admitted Mrs. Rachel.
“That old ruin has been an eyesore to the settlement
for years. But if you Improvers can coax Levi
Boulter to do anything for the public that he isn’t
to be paid for doing, may I be there to see and hear
the process, that’s what. I don’t
want to discourage you, Anne, for there may be something
in your idea, though I suppose you did get it out
of some rubbishy Yankee magazine; but you’ll
have your hands full with your school and I advise
you as a friend not to bother with your improvements,
that’s what. But there, I know you’ll
go ahead with it if you’ve set your mind on it.
You were always one to carry a thing through somehow.”
Something about the firm outlines of Anne’s
lips told that Mrs. Rachel was not far astray in this
estimate. Anne’s heart was bent on forming
the Improvement Society. Gilbert Blythe, who was
to teach in White Sands but would always be home from
Friday night to Monday morning, was enthusiastic about
it; and most of the other folks were willing to go
in for anything that meant occasional meetings and
consequently some “fun.” As for what
the “improvements” were to be, nobody had
any very clear idea except Anne and Gilbert.
They had talked them over and planned them out until
an ideal Avonlea existed in their minds, if nowhere
else.
Mrs. Rachel had still another item of news.
“They’ve given the Carmody school to a
Priscilla Grant. Didn’t you go to Queen’s
with a girl of that name, Anne?”
“Yes, indeed. Priscilla to teach at Carmody!
How perfectly lovely!” exclaimed Anne, her gray
eyes lighting up until they looked like evening stars,
causing Mrs. Lynde to wonder anew if she would ever
get it settled to her satisfaction whether Anne Shirley
were really a pretty girl or not.
Selling in Haste and Repenting at Leisure
Anne drove over to Carmody on a shopping expedition
the next afternoon and took Diana Barry with her.
Diana was, of course, a pledged member of the Improvement
Society, and the two girls talked about little else
all the way to Carmody and back.
