Picture Dictionary & Books : Free for English Learner!

I cannot ever live without her.

But I know very well when we grow up that Diana will get married and go away and leave me.

And oh, what shall I do? I hate her husband-I just hate him furiously.

I've been imagining it all out-the wedding and everything-Diana dressed in snowy garments, with a veil, and looking as beautiful and regal as a queen; and me the bridesmaid, with a lovely dress too, and puffed sleeves, but with a breaking heart hid beneath my smiling face.

And then bidding Diana goodbye-e-e-" Here Anne broke down entirely and wept with increasing bitterness.

Marilla turned quickly away to hide her twitching face; but it was no use; she collapsed on the nearest chair and burst into such a hearty and unusual peal of laughter that Matthew, crossing the yard outside, halted in amazement. When had he heard Marilla laugh like that before?

"Well, Anne Shirley," said Marilla as soon as she could speak, "if you must borrow trouble, for pity's sake borrow it handier home. I should think you had an imagination, sure enough."

OCTOBER was a beautiful month at Green Gables, when the birches in the hollow turned as golden as sunshine and the maples behind the orchard were royal crimson and the wild cherry trees along the lane put on the loveliest shades of dark red and bronzy green, while the fields sunned themselves in aftermaths.

Anne reveled in the world of color about her.

"Oh, Marilla," she exclaimed one Saturday morning, coming dancing in with her arms full of gorgeous boughs, "I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.

It would be terrible if we just skipped from September to November, wouldn't it? Look at these maple branches.

Don't they give you a thrill-several thrills? I'm going to decorate my room with them."

"Messy things," said Marilla, whose aesthetic sense was not noticeably developed. "You clutter up your room entirely too much with out-of-doors stuff, Anne. Bedrooms were made to sleep in."

"Oh, and dream in too, Marilla. And you know one can dream so much better in a room where there are pretty things. I'm going to put these boughs in the old blue jug and set them on my table."

"Mind you don't drop leaves all over the stairs then.

I'm going on a meeting of the Aid Society at Carmody this afternoon, Anne, and I won't likely be home before dark.

You'll have to get Matthew and Jerry their supper, so mind you don't forget to put the tea to draw until you sit down at the table as you did last time."

"It was dreadful of me to forget," said Anne apologetically, "but that was the afternoon I was trying to think of a name for Violet Vale and it crowded other things out.

Matthew was so good.

He never scolded a bit.

He put the tea down himself and said we could wait awhile as well as not.

And I told him a lovely fairy story while we were waiting, so he didn't find the time long at all.

It was a beautiful fairy story, Marilla.

I forgot the end of it, so I made up an end for it myself and Matthew said he couldn't tell where the join came in."

CHAPTER XVI. Diana Is Invited to Tea with Tragic Results

Table of Contents