Chapter XXII
Spring and Anne Return to Green Gables
The firelight shadows were dancing over the kitchen walls at GreenGables, for the spring evening was chilly; through the open east windowdrifted in the subtly sweet voices of the night. Marilla was sitting bythe fire--at least, in body. In spirit she was roaming olden ways, withfeet grown young. Of late Marilla had thus spent many an hour, when shethought she should have been knitting for the twins.
"I suppose I'm growing old," she said.
Yet Marilla had changed but little in the past nine years, save to growsomething thinner, and even more angular; there was a little more grayin the hair that was still twisted up in the same hard knot, with twohairpins--WERE they the same hairpins?--still stuck through it. But herexpression was very different; the something about the mouth which hadhinted at a sense of humor had developed wonderfully; her eyes weregentler and milder, her smile more frequent and tender.
Marilla was thinking of her whole past life, her cramped but not unhappychildhood, the jealously hidden dreams and the blighted hopes of hergirlhood, the long, gray, narrow, monotonous years of dull middle lifethat followed. And the coming of Anne--the vivid, imaginative, impetuouschild with her heart of love, and her world of fancy, bringing with hercolor and warmth and radiance, until the wilderness of existence hadblossomed like the rose. Marilla felt that out of her sixty years shehad lived only the nine that had followed the advent of Anne. And Annewould be home tomorrow night.
The kitchen door opened. Marilla looked up expecting to see Mrs. Lynde.Anne stood before her, tall and starry-eyed, with her hands full ofMayflowers and violets.
"Anne Shirley!" exclaimed Marilla. For once in her life she wassurprised out of her reserve; she caught her girl in her arms andcrushed her and her flowers against her heart, kissing the bright hairand sweet face warmly. "I never looked for you till tomorrow night. Howdid you get from Carmody?"
"Walked, dearest of Marillas. Haven't I done it a score of times inthe Queen's days? The mailman is to bring my trunk tomorrow; I just gothomesick all at once, and came a day earlier. And oh! I've had such alovely walk in the May twilight; I stopped by the barrens and pickedthese Mayflowers; I came through Violet-Vale; it's just a big bowlfulof violets now--the dear, sky-tinted things. Smell them, Marilla--drinkthem in."
Marilla sniffed obligingly, but she was more interested in Anne than indrinking violets.
"Sit down, child. You must be real tired. I'm going to get you somesupper."
"There's a darling moonrise behind the hills tonight, Marilla, and oh,how the frogs sang me home from Carmody! I do love the music of thefrogs. It seems bound up with all my happiest recollections of oldspring evenings. And it always reminds me of the night I came herefirst. Do you remember it, Marilla?"
"Well, yes," said Marilla with emphasis. "I'm not likely to forget itever."
"They used to sing so madly in the marsh and brook that year. I wouldlisten to them at my window in the dusk, and wonder how they could seemso glad and so sad at the same time. Oh, but it's good to be home again!Redmond was splendid and Bolingbroke delightful--but Green Gables isHOME."
"Gilbert isn't coming home this summer, I hear," said Marilla.
"No." Something in Anne's tone made Marilla glance at her sharply, butAnne was apparently absorbed in arranging her violets in a bowl. "See,aren't they sweet?" she went on hurriedly. "The year is a book, isn'tit, Marilla? Spring's pages are written in Mayflowers and violets,summer's in roses, autumn's in red maple leaves, and winter in holly andevergreen."
"Did Gilbert do well in his examinations?" persisted Marilla.
"Excellently well. He led his class. But where are the twins and Mrs.Lynde?"
"Rachel and Dora are over at Mr. Harrison's. Davy is down at Boulters'.I think I hear him coming now."
Davy burst in, saw Anne, stopped, and then hurled himself upon her witha joyful yell.
"Oh, Anne, ain't I glad to see you! Say, Anne, I've grown two inchessince last fall. Mrs. Lynde measured me with her tape today, and say,Anne, see my front tooth. It's gone. Mrs. Lynde tied one end of a stringto it and the other end to the door, and then shut the door. I sold itto Milty for two cents. Milty's collecting teeth."
"What in the world does he want teeth for?" asked Marilla.
"To make a necklace for playing Indian Chief," explained Davy, climbingupon Anne's lap. "He's got fifteen already, and everybody's else'spromised, so there's no use in the rest of us starting to collect, too.I tell you the Boulters are great business people."
"Were you a good boy at Mrs. Boulter's?" asked Marilla severely.
"Yes; but say, Marilla, I'm tired of being good."
"You'd get tired of being bad much sooner, Davy-boy," said Anne.
"Well, it'd be fun while it lasted, wouldn't it?" persisted Davy. "Icould be sorry for it afterwards, couldn't I?"
"Being sorry wouldn't do away with the consequences of being bad, Davy.Don't you remember the Sunday last summer when you ran away from SundaySchool? You told me then that being bad wasn't worth while. What wereyou and Milty doing today?"
"Oh, we fished and chased the cat, and hunted for eggs, and yelled atthe echo. There's a great echo in the bush behind the Boulter barn. Say,what is echo, Anne; I want to know."
"Echo is a beautiful nymph, Davy, living far away in the woods, andlaughing at the world from among the hills."
"What does she look like?"
"Her hair and eyes are dark, but her neck and arms are white as snow.No mortal can ever see how fair she is. She is fleeter than a deer, andthat mocking voice of hers is all we can know of her. You can hear hercalling at night; you can hear her laughing under the stars. But youcan never see her. She flies afar if you follow her, and laughs at youalways just over the next hill."
"Is that true, Anne? Or is it a whopper?" demanded Davy staring.
"Davy," said Anne despairingly, "haven't you sense enough to distinguishbetween a fairytale and a falsehood?"
"Then what is it that sasses back from the Boulter bush? I want toknow," insisted Davy.
"When you are a little older, Davy, I'll explain it all to you."
The mention of age evidently gave a new turn to Davy's thoughts forafter a few moments of reflection, he whispered solemnly:
"Anne, I'm going to be married."
"When?" asked Anne with equal solemnity.
"Oh, not until I'm grown-up, of course."
"Well, that's a relief, Davy. Who is the lady?"
"Stella Fletcher; she's in my class at school. And say, Anne, she's theprettiest girl you ever saw. If I die before I grow up you'll keep aneye on her, won't you?"
"Davy Keith, do stop talking such nonsense," said Marilla severely.
"'Tisn't nonsense," protested Davy in an injured tone. "She's mypromised wife, and if I was to die she'd be my promised widow, wouldn'tshe? And she hasn't got a soul to look after her except her oldgrandmother."
"Come and have your supper, Anne," said Marilla, "and don't encouragethat child in his absurd talk."