sighed Anne—and was straightway much comforted
by the romance in the idea of the world being denuded
of romance!
A Book of Revelation
The Irvings came back to Echo Lodge for the summer,
and Anne spent a happy three weeks there in July.
Miss Lavendar had not changed; Charlotta the Fourth
was a very grown-up young lady now, but still adored
Anne sincerely.
“When all’s said and done, Miss Shirley,
ma’am, I haven’t seen any one in Boston
that’s equal to you,” she said frankly.
Paul was almost grown up, too. He was sixteen,
his chestnut curls had given place to close-cropped
brown locks, and he was more interested in football
than fairies. But the bond between him and his
old teacher still held. Kindred spirits alone
do not change with changing years.
It was a wet, bleak, cruel evening in July when Anne
came back to Green Gables. One of the fierce
summer storms which sometimes sweep over the gulf
was ravaging the sea. As Anne came in the first
raindrops dashed against the panes.
“Was that Paul who brought you home?”
asked Marilla. “Why didn’t you make
him stay all night. It’s going to be a wild
evening.”
“He’ll reach Echo Lodge before the rain
gets very heavy, I think. Anyway, he wanted to
go back tonight. Well, I’ve had a splendid
visit, but I’m glad to see you dear folks again.
‘East, west, hame’s best.’
Davy, have you been growing again lately?”
“I’ve growed a whole inch since you left,”
said Davy proudly. “I’m as tall as
Milty Boulter now. Ain’t I glad. He’ll
have to stop crowing about being bigger. Say,
Anne, did you know that Gilbert Blythe is dying?”
Anne stood quite silent and motionless, looking at
Davy. Her face had gone so white that Marilla
thought she was going to faint.
“Davy, hold your tongue,” said Mrs. Rachel
angrily. “Anne, don’t look like that—don’t
look like that! We didn’t
mean to tell you so suddenly.”
“Is—it—true?” asked
Anne in a voice that was not hers.
“Gilbert is very ill,” said Mrs. Lynde
gravely. “He took down with typhoid fever
just after you left for Echo Lodge. Did you never
hear of it?”
“No,” said that unknown voice.
“It was a very bad case from the start.
The doctor said he’d been terribly run down.
They’ve a trained nurse and everything’s
been done. Don’t look like that, Anne.
While there’s life there’s hope.”
“Mr. Harrison was here this evening and he said
they had no hope of him,” reiterated Davy.
Marilla, looking old and worn and tired, got up and
marched Davy grimly out of the kitchen.
“Oh, don’t look so, dear,”
said Mrs. Rachel, putting her kind old arms about
the pallid girl. “I haven’t given
up hope, indeed I haven’t. He’s got
the Blythe constitution in his favor, that’s
what.”
