ANNEOF THE ISLANDPART – 2
CHAPTER 22SPRING AND ANNE RETURNS TOGREEN GABLES
The firelight shadows were dancing over the kitchen wallsat Green Gables, for the spring evening was chilly; throughthe open east window drifted in the subtly sweet voices of the night. Marilla was sitting by the fire -- at least, in body.In spirit she was roaming olden ways, with feet grownyoung. Of late Marilla had thus spent many an hour, whenshe thought 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 grow something thinner, and even more angular;there was a little more gray in the hair that was still twistedup in the same hard knot, with two hairpins -- WERE theythe same hairpins? -- still stuck through it. But her expression was very different; the something about themouth which had hinted at a sense of humor haddeveloped wonderfully; her eyes were gentler and milder,her smile more frequent and tender.Marilla was thinking of her whole past life, her cramped butnot unhappy childhood, the jealously hidden dreams andthe blighted hopes of her girlhood, the long, gray, narrow,monotonous years of dull middle life that followed. And thecoming of Anne -- the vivid, imaginative, impetuous childwith her heart of love, and her world of fancy, bringing withher color and warmth and radiance, until the wilderness of existence had blossomed like the rose. Marilla felt that out
of her sixty years she had lived only the nine that hadfollowed the advent of Anne. And Anne would be hometomorrow night.The kitchen door opened. Marilla looked up expecting tosee Mrs. Lynde. Anne stood before her, tall and starry-eyed, with her hands full of Mayflowers and violets."Anne Shirley!" exclaimed Marilla. For once in her life shewas surprised out of her reserve; she caught her girl in her arms and crushed her and her flowers against her heart,kissing the bright hair and sweet face warmly. "I never looked for you till tomorrow night. How did you get fromCarmody?""Walked, dearest of Marillas. Haven't I done it a score of times in the Queen's days? The mailman is to bring mytrunk tomorrow; I just got homesick all at once, and came aday earlier. And oh! I've had such a lovely walk in the Maytwilight; I stopped by the barrens and picked theseMayflowers; I came through Violet-Vale; it's just a bigbowlful of violets now -- the dear, sky-tinted things. Smellthem, Marilla -- drink them in."Marilla sniffed obligingly, but she was more interested inAnne than in drinking violets."Sit down, child. You must be real tired. I'm going to get yousome supper.""There's a darling moonrise behind the hills tonight, Marilla,and oh, how the frogs sang me home from Carmody! I dolove the music of the frogs. It seems bound up with all myhappiest recollections of old spring evenings. And it alwaysreminds me of the night I came here first. Do you remember it, Marilla?""Well, yes," said Marilla with emphasis. "I'm not likely toforget it ever."
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CHAPTER 34 JOHN DOUGLAS SPEAKS AT LAST for Anne of Island Part 2
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