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第37章

anne of the island-第37章

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half so interesting when we have learned that language is given

us to enable us to conceal our thoughts。〃



〃But it isn't  it is given us to exchange our thoughts;〃 said

Mrs。 Irving seriously。  She had never heard of Tallyrand and did

not understand epigrams。



Anne spent a fortnight of halcyon days at Echo Lodge in the

golden prime of August。  While there she incidentally contrived

to hurry Ludovic Speed in his leisurely courting of Theodora Dix;

as related duly in another chronicle of her history。'1'  Arnold

Sherman; an elderly friend of the Irvings; was there at the same

time; and added not a little to the general pleasantness of life。



('1' Chronicles of Avonlea。)



〃What a nice play…time this has been;〃 said Anne。  〃I feel like a

giant refreshed。  And it's only a fortnight more till I go back

to Kingsport; and Redmond and Patty's Place。  Patty's Place

is the dearest spot; Miss Lavendar。  I feel as if I had two homes

 one at Green Gables and one at Patty's Place。  But where has the

summer gone?  It doesn't seem a day since I came home that spring

evening with the Mayflowers。  When I was little I couldn't see from

one end of the summer to the other。  It stretched before me like

an unending season。  Now; ‘'tis a handbreadth; 'tis a tale。'〃



〃Anne; are you and Gilbert Blythe as good friends as you used to be?〃

asked Miss Lavendar quietly。



〃I am just as much Gilbert's friend as ever I was; Miss Lavendar。〃



Miss Lavendar shook her head。



〃I see something's gone wrong; Anne。  I'm going to be impertinent

and ask what。  Have you quarrelled?〃



〃No; it's only that Gilbert wants more than friendship and I can't

give him more。〃



〃Are you sure of that; Anne?〃



〃Perfectly sure。〃



〃I'm very; very sorry。〃



〃I wonder why everybody seems to think I ought to marry Gilbert Blythe;〃

said Anne petulantly。



〃Because you were made and meant for each other; Anne  that is why。

You needn't toss that young head of yours。  It's a fact。〃









Chapter XXIV



Enter Jonas





                                     〃PROSPECT POINT;

                                          〃August 20th。



〃Dear Anne  spelled  with  an  E;〃 wrote Phil; 〃I must

prop my eyelids open long enough to write you。  I've neglected

you shamefully this summer; honey; but all my other correspondents

have been neglected; too。  I have a huge pile of letters to answer;

so I must gird up the loins of my mind and hoe in。  Excuse my

mixed metaphors。  I'm fearfully sleepy。  Last night Cousin Emily

and I were calling at a neighbor's。  There were several other

callers there; and as soon as those unfortunate creatures left;

our hostess and her three daughters picked them all to pieces。

I knew they would begin on Cousin Emily and me as soon as the door

shut behind us。  When we came home Mrs。 Lilly informed us that the

aforesaid neighbor's hired boy was supposed to be down with scarlet

fever。  You can always trust Mrs。 Lilly to tell you cheerful things

like that。  I have a horror of scarlet fever。  I couldn't sleep when

I went to bed for thinking of it。  I tossed and tumbled about;

dreaming fearful dreams when I did snooze for a minute; and at

three I wakened up with a high fever; a sore throat; and a

raging headache。  I knew I had scarlet fever; I got up in a

panic and hunted up Cousin Emily's 'doctor book' to read up

the symptoms。  Anne; I had them all。  So I went back to bed;

and knowing the worst; slept like a top the rest of the night。

Though why a top should sleep sounder than anything else I

never could understand。  But this morning I was quite well;

so it couldn't have been the fever。  I suppose if I did catch

it last night it couldn't have developed so soon。  I can remember

that in daytime; but at three o'clock at night I never can be logical。



〃I suppose you wonder what I'm doing at Prospect Point。  Well; I

always like to spend a month of summer at the shore; and father

insists that I come to his second…cousin Emily's ‘select

boardinghouse' at Prospect Point。  So a fortnight ago I came as

usual。  And as usual old ‘Uncle Mark Miller' brought me from the

station with his ancient buggy and what he calls his ‘generous

purpose' horse。  He is a nice old man and gave me a handful of

pink peppermints。  Peppermints always seem to me such a religious

sort of candy  I suppose because when I was a little girl

Grandmother Gordon always gave them to me in church。  Once I

asked; referring to the smell of peppermints; ‘Is that the odor

of sanctity?' I didn't like to eat Uncle Mark's peppermints

because he just fished them loose out of his pocket; and had to

pick some rusty nails and other things from among them before he

gave them to me。  But I wouldn't hurt his dear old feelings for

anything; so I carefully sowed them along the road at intervals。

When the last one was gone; Uncle Mark said; a little rebukingly;

‘Ye shouldn't a'et all them candies to onct; Miss Phil。  You'll

likely have the stummick…ache。'



〃Cousin Emily has only five boarders besides myself  four old

ladies and one young man。  My right…hand neighbor is Mrs。 Lilly。

She is one of those people who seem to take a gruesome pleasure

in detailing all their many aches and pains and sicknesses。

You cannot mention any ailment but she says; shaking her head; ‘Ah;

I know too well what that is'  and then you get all the details。

Jonas declares he once spoke of locomotor ataxia in hearing and

she said she knew too well what that was。  She suffered from it

for ten years and was finally cured by a traveling doctor。



〃Who is Jonas?  Just wait; Anne Shirley。  You'll hear all about

Jonas in the proper time and place。  He is not to be mixed up

with estimable old ladies。



〃My left…hand neighbor at the table is Mrs。 Phinney。  She always

speaks with a wailing; dolorous voice  you are nervously expecting

her to burst into tears every moment。  She gives you the impression

that life to her is indeed a vale of tears; and that a smile; never

to speak of a laugh; is a frivolity truly reprehensible。  She has a

worse opinion of me than Aunt Jamesina; and she doesn't love me hard

to atone for it; as Aunty J。 does; either。



〃Miss Maria Grimsby sits cati…corner from me。  The first day I

came I remarked to Miss Maria that it looked a little like rain

 and Miss Maria laughed。  I said the road from the station was

very pretty  and Miss Maria laughed。  I said there seemed to be

a few mosquitoes left yet  and Miss Maria laughed。  I said that

Prospect Point was as beautiful as ever  and Miss Maria laughed。

If I were to say to Miss Maria; ‘My father has hanged himself;

my mother has taken poison; my brother is in the penitentiary;

and I am in the last stages of consumption;' Miss Maria would laugh。

She can't help it  she was born so; but is very sad and awful。



〃The fifth old lady is Mrs。 Grant。  She is a sweet old thing;

but she never says anything but good of anybody and so she is a

very uninteresting conversationalist。



〃And now for Jonas; Anne。



〃That first day I came I saw a young man sitting opposite me at

the table; smiling at me as if he had known me from my cradle。

I knew; for Uncle Mark had told me; that his name was Jonas Blake;

that he was a Theological Student from St。 Columbia; and that he had

taken charge of the Point Prospect Mission Church for the summer。



〃He is a very ugly young man  really; the ugliest young man

I've ever seen。  He has a big; loose…jointed figure with absurdly

long legs。  His hair is tow…color and lank; his eyes are green;

and his mouth is big; and his ears  but I never think about his

ears if I can help it。



〃He has a lovely voice  if you shut your eyes he is adorable 

and he certainly has a beautiful soul and disposition。



〃We were good chums right way。  Of course he is a graduate of

Redmond; and that is a link between us。  We fished and boated

together; and we walke

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