. . .and there would be no Hester Gray and no little vine-hung house,

and no roses. . .only an old waste garden starred with June lilies amid the



grasses, and the wind sighing, oh, so sorrowfully in the cherry trees. And

I would not know whether it had been real or if I had just imagined it all."



Diana crawled up and got her back against the headboard of the bed.

When your companion of twilight hour said such spooky things it was



just as well not to be able to fancy there was anything behind you.

"I'm afraid the Improvement Society will go down when you and



Gilbert are both gone," she remarked dolefully.

"Not a bit of fear of it," said Anne briskly, coming back from



dreamland to the affairs of practical life. "It is too firmly

established for that, especially since the older people are



becoming so enthusiastic about it. Look what they are doing this

summer for their lawns and lanes. Besides, I'll be watching for



hints at Redmond and I'll write a paper for it next winter and

send it over. Don't take such a gloomy view of things, Diana.



And don't grudge me my little hour of gladness and jubilation now.

Later on, when I have to go away, I'll feel anything but glad."



"It's all right for you to be glad. . .you're going to college and

you'll have a jolly time and make heaps of lovely new friends."



"I hope I shall make new friends," said Anne thoughtfully.

"The possibilities of making new friends help to make life very



fascinating. But no matter how many friends I make they'll never

be as dear to me as the old ones. . .especially a certain girl



with black eyes and dimples. Can you guess who she is, Diana?"

"But there'll be so many clever girls at Redmond," sighed Diana,



"and I'm only a stupid little country girl who says `I seen'

sometimes. . .though I really know better when I stop to think.



Well, of course these past two years have really been too pleasant

to last. I know SOMEBODY who is glad you are going to Redmond anyhow.



Anne, I'm going to ask you a question. . .a serious question. Don't be

vexed and do answer seriously. Do you care anything for Gilbert?"



"Ever so much as a friend and not a bit in the way you mean," said Anne

calmly and decidedly; she also thought she was speaking sincerely.



Diana sighed. She wished, somehow, that Anne had answered differently.

"Don't you mean EVER to be married, Anne?"



"Perhaps. . .some day. . .when I meet the right one," said Anne,

smiling dreamily up at the moonlight.



"But how can you be sure when you do meet the right one?" persisted Diana.

"Oh, I should know him. . .SOMETHING would tell me. You know what my



ideal is, Diana."

"But people's ideals change sometimes."



"Mine won't. And I COULDN'T care for any man who didn't fulfill it."

"What if you never meet him?"



"Then I shall die an old maid," was the cheerfulresponse. "I daresay

it isn't the hardest death by any means."



"Oh, I suppose the dying would be easy enough; it's the living an

old maid I shouldn't like," said Diana, with no intention of being



humorous. "Although I wouldn't mind being an old maid VERY much if

I could be one like Miss Lavendar. But I never could be. When I'm



forty-five I'll be horribly fat. And while there might be some

romance about a thin old maid there couldn't possibly be any about



a fat one. Oh, mind you, Nelson Atkins proposed to Ruby Gillis

three weeks ago. Ruby told me all about it. She says she never



had any intention of taking him, because any one who married him

will have to go in with the old folks; but Ruby says that he made



such a perfectly beautiful and romantic proposal that it simply

swept her off her feet. But she didn't want to do anything rash so



she asked for a week to consider; and two days later she was at a

meeting of the Sewing Circle at his mother's and there was a book



called `The Complete Guide to Etiquette,' lying on the parlor

table. Ruby said she simply couldn't describe her feelings when in



a section of it headed, `The Deportment of Courtship and Marriage,'

she found the very proposal Nelson had made, word for word. She



went home and wrote him a perfectly scathing refusal; and she says

his father and mother have taken turns watching him ever since for



fear he'll drown himself in the river; but Ruby says they needn't

be afraid; for in the Deportment of Courtship and Marriage it told



how a rejected lover should behave and there's nothing about

drowning in THAT. And she says Wilbur Blair is literally pining



away for her but she's perfectlyhelpless in the matter."

Anne made an impatient movement.



"I hate to say it. . .it seems so disloyal. . .but, well, I don't

like Ruby Gillis now. I liked her when we went to school and



Queen's together. . .though not so well as you and Jane of course.

• promptly [´prɔmptli] ad.敏捷地；即时地 (初中英语单词)


• enthusiasm [in´θju:ziæzəm] n.热心；狂热；爱好 (初中英语单词)


• stupid [´stju:pid] a.愚蠢的；糊涂的 (初中英语单词)


• gratefully [´greitfuli] ad.感激地 (初中英语单词)


• lively [´laivli] a.活泼的；热烈的 (初中英语单词)


• abroad [ə´brɔ:d] ad.海外；到处；广泛 (初中英语单词)


• shaken [´ʃeikən] shake的过去分词 (初中英语单词)


• distinct [di´stiŋkt] a.清楚的；独特的 (初中英语单词)


• lawyer [´lɔ:jə] n.律师；法学家 (初中英语单词)


• thirst [θə:st] n.渴，口渴；渴望 (初中英语单词)


• character [´kæriktə] n.特性；性质；人物；字 (初中英语单词)


• dreadful [´dredful] a.可怕的；讨厌的 (初中英语单词)


• moonlight [´mu:nlait] n.&a.月光(的) (初中英语单词)


• vacant [´veikənt] a.空虚的，无表情的 (初中英语单词)


• preach [pri:tʃ] v.宣扬；鼓吹 n.训诫 (初中英语单词)


• minister [´ministə] n.部长；大臣 v.伺候 (初中英语单词)


• whatever [wɔt´evə] pron.&a.无论什么 (初中英语单词)


• strangely [´streindʒli] ad.奇怪地；陌生地 (初中英语单词)


• softly [´sɔftli] ad.软化地；柔和地 (初中英语单词)


• frighten [´fraitn] vt.吓唬，使惊惧 (初中英语单词)


• companion [kəm´pæniən] n.同伴；同事；伴侣 (初中英语单词)


• twilight [´twailait] n.黎明；黄昏 (初中英语单词)


• improvement [im´pru:vmənt] n.改进，改善，进步 (初中英语单词)


• seriously [´siəriəsli] ad.严肃；严重，重大 (初中英语单词)


• cheerful [´tʃiəful] a.快乐的；高兴的 (初中英语单词)


• intention [in´tenʃən] n.意图；打算；意义 (初中英语单词)


• romantic [rəu´mæntik] a.传奇(式)的；浪漫的 (初中英语单词)


• circle [´sə:kəl] n.圆圈 v.环绕；盘旋 (初中英语单词)


• behave [bi´heiv] v.举止；表现；举止端正 (初中英语单词)


• helpless [´helpləs] a.无助的，无依靠的 (初中英语单词)


• rainbow [´reinbəu] n.彩虹 (高中英语单词)


• naughty [´nɔ:ti] a.顽皮的；下流的 (高中英语单词)


• resignation [,rezig´neiʃən] n.辞职(书)；放弃；顺从 (高中英语单词)


• gossip [´gɔsip] n.&vi.说闲话；聊天 (高中英语单词)


• meddle [´medl] vi.干涉(预)；乱弄 (高中英语单词)


• reliable [ri´laiəbl] a.可靠的；可信赖的 (高中英语单词)


• grandma [´grænmɑ:] n.奶奶；外婆 (高中英语单词)


• lonesome [´ləunsəm] a.孤独的；冷清清的 (高中英语单词)


• cherry [´tʃeri] n.樱桃(树) (高中英语单词)


• decidedly [di´saididli] ad.坚决地，果断地 (高中英语单词)


• heartily [´hɑ:tili] ad.衷心地；亲切地 (高中英语单词)


• enthusiastic [inθju:zi´æstik] a.热情的，热心的 (高中英语单词)


• gloomy [´glu:mi] a.昏暗的；忧郁的 (高中英语单词)


• grudge [grʌdʒ] vt.&n.吝啬；怨恨 (高中英语单词)


• response [ri´spɔns] n.回答；响应 (高中英语单词)


• perfectly [´pə:fiktli] ad.理想地；完美地 (高中英语单词)


• sewing [´səuiŋ] n.缝纫；(书的)装订 (高中英语单词)


• refusal [ri´fju:zəl] n.拒绝；优先取舍权 (高中英语单词)


• literally [´litərəli] ad.逐字地；实际上 (高中英语单词)


• impatient [im´peiʃənt] a.不耐烦的，急躁的 (高中英语单词)


• meditation [,medi´teiʃən] n.熟虑；默想 (英语四级单词)


• unexpectedly [´ʌniks´pektidli] ad.意外地；突然地 (英语四级单词)


• conjure [´kʌndʒə] v.祈求；召(鬼)；变魔术 (英语四级单词)


• speedily [´spi:dili] ad.迅速地 (英语四级单词)


• respective [ri´spektiv] a.各自的，各个的 (英语四级单词)


• catastrophe [kə´tæstrəfi] n.大灾难；(悲剧)结局 (英语四级单词)


• radiance [´reidjəns] n.发光；光彩；辐射 (英语四级单词)


• theology [θi´ɔlədʒi] n.神学 (英语四级单词)


• tiptoe [´tiptəu] n.脚尖 vi.踮着脚走 (英语四级单词)


• beautifully [´bju:tifəli] ad.美丽地；优美地 (英语四级单词)


• briskly [´briskli] ad.轻快地；活泼地 (英语四级单词)


• gladness [´glædnis] n.愉快，高兴，喜悦 (英语四级单词)


• doleful [´dəulful] a.悲哀的；忧郁的 (英语六级单词)


• grapple [´græpəl] vt.抓住 (英语六级单词)


• horribly [´hɔrəbli] ad.恐怖地 (英语六级单词)


• lifelong [´laiflɔŋ] a.终生的 (英语六级单词)


• speaking [´spi:kiŋ] n.说话 a.发言的 (英语六级单词)


• taking [´teikiŋ] a.迷人的 n.捕获物 (英语六级单词)


• deportment [di´pɔ:tmənt] n.举止，风度；品行 (英语六级单词)


• courtship [´kɔ:tʃip] n.求爱(时期) (英语六级单词)