Chapter 20 Chapter 19: An Interlude After the Concert

One night in February, Annie ran in panting from the east wing. "Marilla, I'll be back as soon as I see Diana, okay?" "The sun is already setting, why are you so anxious that you have to go out?" Marilla asked coldly, "Didn't you come back from school with Diana, and you were standing in the snow on the way?" After talking on and on for 30 minutes, I don't see any need to go any further." "But, Diana wants to ask me to meet." Anne begged, "She said she has something important to ask me." "How do you know she has something important to ask you?"

"She sent a signal from the window. She sent the signal with a candle and a cardboard, that is, put the candle by the window, and then let the cardboard cover the candle light for a while, and move it away for a while, so that it flickers and flickers through the flash. The number of times you understand the meaning of the signal. It's an idea I've come up with, Marilla." "Yes, yes," said Marilla loudly, "with that kind of signal, sooner or later the curtains will be lit." "No way, just be careful. It's a very fun game, Marilla. Twice is 'yes', three is 'yes', four is 'no' and five is 'want to tell You have an important matter, come here immediately'. Diana lit the candle five times just now. I was so anxious that I wanted to know what she was looking for me as soon as possible."

"Now you don't have to itch," Marilla said sarcastically. "You can go, but you have to be back in ten minutes, okay?" Anne did come back ten minutes later.Discussing things with Diana in such a short period of time was more uncomfortable for Anne than making her stand on her head, but she still made the most of the time to get back. "Marilla, guess what? Tomorrow is Diana's birthday, and her mother said to me that I could stay at her place after school if I wanted to. And that Diana's cousins ​​would also Going to come by sleigh from Newbridge. There's a concert by the Discussion Club at the Civic Hall tomorrow night. They're here for the concert, and Diana and I are going too. Is that all right, Marilla? , I was very nervous."

"It's useless to be nervous. I said you can't go. It's better to stay in your own room and sleep on your own bed. Besides, the concerts hosted by the club are very boring and meaningless, kid You can't go there." "I think the club's activities are very serious, and there is nothing boring or boring." Annie said pitifully. "It's not that it's bad, but going to a concert at night and going out all night is really worrying me. What's going on in a child's head? Mrs. Barry doesn't know what she's thinking. Let Diana go."

"However, tomorrow is a very special day." Anne was almost crying in anxiety. "Diana's birthday comes only once a year, and her birthday is no ordinary event. Prissy Andrews says to recite 'The Evening Bells Do Not Toll Tonight,' which is a psalm of high morality, It is very beneficial to listen to, and then the chorus will sing four songs, like hymns, I heard that the pastor will also participate, I will not lie, he will also give a speech on the stage, it must be similar to when he was preaching. Please. Come on, Marilla, let me go." "I said I can't go, but I can't go. Hurry up, and go to bed after wiping your boots. It's already past eight o'clock."

"Also, Marilla, there is one more thing." Anne still didn't give up, and wanted to try one last time. "Mrs. Barry told me I could sleep in the drawing room. I begged her to let me sleep in the drawing room bed. Isn't it respectable to sleep there?" "It's you begging others, and they are too embarrassed to shirk it. Come on, Anne, go to sleep quickly, and stop nagging." Anne sadly went up to the second floor.At this moment, Marshall, who had been dozing off on the long chair just now, opened his eyes and said to Marilla, "Marilla, it's better to let Anne go."

"I don't think so," Marilla retorted. "Who disciplines the children, you or me?" "No, it's not me, of course it's you." Marshall had to admit. "So, please don't meddle in your own business." "No, this, I didn't meddle in any business at all, let alone interfere with your opinion, but I just meant to let Annie go." "Brother, it seems that if Annie wants to go to the moon according to your intention, you will also agree." Marilla sneered, "I may still agree to live only at Diana's house, but if I want to go to a concert, I can't agree to it." Could not agree.

Then she would catch a cold, and in the end she would be so overwhelmed with excitement that she wouldn't be able to calm down for a week.Compared with my brother, I am very familiar with that child's character, and I understand the child's strengths and weaknesses. " "I still think it's better to let Anne go." Marshall stubbornly insisted repeatedly.Although he is not good at arguing, what he is proud of is that he never changes his opinion and can be consistent.Marilla sighed, lost in thought. The next morning, Anne was clearing the breakfast table in the kitchen, and Marshall got up after breakfast to go to work in the barn, and before going out, he said to Marilla, "Marilla, I think it's better to let Anne go. "

For a moment, various thoughts flashed through Marilla's mind, but she couldn't say it out. Finally, she dismissed the idea and replied sharply, "Got it, brother insists on letting her go no matter what. There is no way, then let her go." After hearing this, Annie ran out of the kitchen immediately, the rag in her hand was still dripping water. "Marilla, Marilla, please repeat that beautiful sentence just now." "Suffice it to say it once! This is all Marshall's idea, and I'll let it go. You sleep in someone else's bed, and you have to come out of the sizzling Civic Hall in the middle of the night in the cold. Even if you have pneumonia, you will die." It's nothing to do with me, it's all Marshall's fault. You're still a kid, and you're sure to ignore it outside."

"Oh, Marilla, I've made you all the trouble," said Anne apologetically. "I try to get the stains off with scouring powder before I go to school. Oh, Marilla, I just want to go to the concert, and the more I can't make it, the harder it gets. I haven't been to a concert yet, and when everyone talked about concerts at school, I always felt isolated and isolated.Marilla, you couldn't understand my mood at that time, but Marshall could understand me, and I was willing to tell him what was on my mind, how wonderful it is, Marilla. " Annie was too excited, so she relaxed her study that day, her copying fell behind Gilbert, and her mental arithmetic was greatly exceeded, but when she thought of the concert and the bed in the living room, the sense of humiliation also somewhat faded away.Anne and Diana talked about it all day, and if Mr. Phillips found out, they would definitely be punished.

The Discussion Club in Yarbanli meets every fortnight in winter, and has previously hosted several free entertainment events.The evening's concert was held in support of the library.Each ticket costs 10 cents, and the scale is quite large. The youths in Yabanli have been practicing for several weeks.The students are twice as concerned about the concert as their older brothers or sisters are going to perform.Almost all children over the age of nine want to go to the concert, only Charlie Sloan's father, like Marilla, thinks it is not good for children to go to the concert, so he will not let them go.Charlie Sloan cried a lot while covering his face with his grammar book in the afternoon class, and said several times that he didn't want to live. After school, Annie became more and more excited, and her emotions almost reached a climax.Annie and Diana enjoyed the best tea, and then went to Diana's room on the second floor to get ready for the evening concert. Both of them couldn't restrain their inner joy.Diana rolled Anne's bangs up into a high, puffy latest style, and Anne used her hair to tie Diana in a beautiful knot that no one else would.Then, the two tried to comb the hair at the back into various styles, and after a long time of busy work, they finally finished grooming.Their faces were flushed, and their eyes were sparkling with excitement. Anne wore a simple black hat and a handmade gray cloth coat with tight sleeves and ill-fitting sleeves.Diana wore a stylish fur hat and a beautiful top.Compared with Diana, Anne always felt a little shabby, and she felt very uncomfortable, but she decided to use imagination to solve this gap. While she was dreaming, Diana's cousins, the Millers, arrived from Newbridge.So, everyone boarded a box sleigh covered with straw and blankets and set off to the concert. As soon as the sled started on the way to the Civic Hall, the snow on the ground creaked and creaked.The sunset glow in the sky is extraordinarily colorful.The snow-covered hills and the deep blue waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence are gilded by the sunset, like a huge bowl made of pearls and sapphires, filled with a lot of wine and fire. The sound of sleigh bells and laughter echoed from every corner of the roadside like dwarves playing in the forest. While appreciating the masterpieces of nature along the way, Anne sighed and said to Diana, "Diana, I don't know why, I always feel like I am dreaming. Can you tell that I am the same as usual? I seem to feel the same It's not the same as usual, and it's reflected on your face, right?" "Really, you have become quite beautiful today, and the color of your skin seems to be particularly beautiful." Diana, who had just been praised by her cousins, also wanted to praise others. The concert that night conquered every audience present, and Anne and Diana were more excited than before the concert. Puri Chief Andrews was wearing a newly made pink silk skirt, a pearl necklace around his white neck, and real carnations in his hair. It is said that Mr. Phillips mail-ordered it from the city. Prissy first went on stage and recited "Climbing the Slippery Ladder in the Darkness".The wonderful recitation made Annie so intoxicated that she couldn't help trembling with excitement.Then, the chorus sang "The Gentle and Elegant Daisy Above the Nine Heavens".Anne's eyes were fixed on the ceiling of the synagogue, as if there were frescoes of angels painted there.Then Sam Slawn explained the characters in "How Sugali Made the Hen Brood", this work is also outdated and unacceptable in a remote village like Yabangli.But because Anne was so good at laughing, the audience around her laughed too.Next, Mr. Phillips came on stage and impassionedly performed Mark Anthony's speech in front of Caesar's body[Note].Every time there was a pause in a paragraph, he always took a few glances at Prissy Andrews, which made Anne feel that if someone took the lead, she could do a handstand in public. However, there was only one program that did not interest Anne, and that was Gilbert's reading.When Gilbert Bryce began to perform Beacon on the Rhine, Anne held up Rhoda Mare's book from the library and kept reading until Gilbert finished reading .After the performance, Diana's hands were sore from the clapping, but Anne didn't move as if she had become stiff. It was already 11 o'clock at night when I got home.Everyone was exhausted, but excited, and there was an indescribable sense of satisfaction, and the rest could only be entertained by memories.Everything in the room seemed to be asleep, and it was dark and silent, and Anne and Diana tiptoed into the drawing-room, which was a long, thin drawing-room which led into the drawing-room, which was warm and warm. Yes, very comfortable.The glow of the smoldering fire in the fireplace was still faintly visible. "Let's undress here, it's warm and comfortable," said Diana. "Hey, let me say, today's concert is really enjoyable. It must be a great feeling to stand on the stage and perform. When will we try it too, Diana?" "Of course. However, if we want to try, we must have the appreciation and recommendation of the senior students. Gilbert Bryce and the others often perform, not just because they are two years older than us. Why is Anne always right? Why did Gilbert turn a blind eye? When the recitation came to 'one more person is needed, but not my sister', Gilbert paused and stared straight at Annie." "Diana, you and I are bosom friends, I don't want you to tell me about that person." Annie said with a serious look. "Are you ready for bedtime? How about we compete to see who jumps into bed first." Diana also thought it was a good idea, so the two people in white pajamas walked through the long and thin living room, entered the door of the reception room, and jumped onto the bed at the same time.I don't know what moved on the bed, and let out a cry as if struggling, and then heard someone say indistinctly: "Oh, God!" Anne and Diana didn't even know how they got out of bed, and ran out of the room. After a little soberness, the two of them tiptoed down to the second floor while trembling. "Hey, who is it? What's the matter?" Annie lowered her voice, her lower and upper teeth creaked loudly due to the cold and fear. "It must be Grandma Josephine." Diana laughed so hard that she couldn't breathe. "Annie, why did you provoke her? She's Josephine's grandmother. She must be very angry. I didn't expect such a bad thing to happen." "Who was Grandma Josephine?" "It's my father's aunt. She lives in Charlottesville now. She is a very remarkable grandmother. She is about 70 years old. Grandma once said she would come to my house for a few days, but she didn't expect to come so soon. Grandma is very nice. She is very particular and always picks faults, and tonight's incident will definitely make her angry. Ah——, I had to sleep with Minnie Moy, and Minnie Moy's sleeping appearance is always so casual." Miss Josephine Barry was not present at breakfast the next morning.Mrs. Barry smiled kindly and said, "Did you have a good time last night? I originally planned to wait for you to come back before going to bed. Later, Grandma Josephine came and let her go up to the second floor. After a while, I got sleepy." , fell asleep unconsciously, you didn't wake up grandma, did you, Diana?" Diana didn't say anything, just smiled knowingly with Anne on the lower half of the table.After breakfast, Anne took her leave and went home, not knowing anything about the troubles that had happened to the Barry family since then. In the evening, Anne was sent by Marilla to Mrs. Linde's house to do some errands, only then did she realize that she had gotten into trouble again. "I heard that you and Diana almost scared Barry's aunt to death last night. Is that true?" Mrs. Linde asked in a stern tone, with a mysterious light in her eyes. "Mrs. Barry stopped by my house on her way to Carmody just now, and she was very embarrassed. When we came together this morning, Barry's aunt lost her temper. If Josephine Barry is upset, But nothing good has come of it, and she has now said nothing to Diana." "It's not Diana's fault, it's all my fault." Anne said guiltily, "I said to have a contest and see who jumps into bed first." "Sure enough." Mrs. Linde was really proud, because everything was as she expected. "I thought it was your idea, and that's what caused all the trouble. Well, Barry's aunt was supposed to stay here for a month, but in this way, she will only stay for another day. Tomorrow I'm going back, and I'm threatening to go back today if possible. It was agreed that she would pay for Diana's music lessons for a semester, but she can't give anything without a serious girl like this , this was a serious blow to Barry. Barry's aunt was very rich, so Barry always tried his best not to offend her. Of course, Mrs. Barry didn't say that, but I could see that one has to be reasonable. " "I'm so unlucky," sighed Anne. "I always mess things up and get myself and my friends into trouble, I would gladly give my life for my friends, but why did it happen?" "You child, you are so reckless and impulsive, you don't even think about anything, you have an idea in your mind, you don't even think about it, you have to act immediately, you will definitely suffer if you act recklessly, As the saying goes, 'Before the bird flies, look left and right, and before you fall, you must prepare the crutches', especially before jumping on the bed in the reception room, you should pay attention to it." Mrs. Linde was a little proud of her witty comparison, and a smile appeared on her face.But Annie kept a straight face with a serious expression.For her, how could she laugh when things got to this point? As soon as she came out of Mrs. Lynde's house, Anne crossed the field covered with frost pillars, went straight to Orchard Slope, and met Diana who had just come out at the back door. "Is Grandma Josephine angry?" Annie asked quietly. "Yes." Annie suppressed her laughter, shrugged her shoulders, and looked a little uneasy at the direction of the living room where the door was closed. "Grandmother was furious, and she gave me a good reprimand. She said she had never seen such a rude child like me, and said that parents should be ashamed to raise a girl like me, Arguing that she has to go back no matter what. She can say whatever she wants, but she can't let my parents be involved with me." "It's all my fault, why didn't you tell her." Annie said as if pressing. "You thought I would do that kind of thing?" Diana was a little upset. "Annie, I never do things like informers and gossip behind my back, so I take all the responsibility on myself." "The purpose of my coming is to explain the reason of that incident by myself." Annie said resolutely. Diana stared at Anne with staring eyes. "Annie, are you still awake? Looking at your posture, it seems that you are going to eat me." "Don't scare people. Although I am very timid, I can't watch you suffer for me. This is my fault. I have come to confess. Fortunately, I am used to confession." "Grandmother is in the room. If you have to go in, please go ahead. If it were me, I wouldn't go in anyway, and I don't think going in will have any effect." Although Diana signaled Anne not to fall into the trap, Anne walked to the living room with firm steps, stood in front of the door and knocked on the door tremblingly. "Come in!" came a terrible voice from inside. Miss Josephine Barry, a thin, serious-faced old lady, sat before the fire, knitting with a resentful, rough movement, apparently not at all out of temper, with gold rims Behind the glasses, a pair of bright eyes stared at the visitor. Miss Barry thought it was Diana at first, and her face was a little unhappy, but when she looked carefully, it was a girl with a blue face and big eyes standing there.There was a mixture of determined courage and terror in her eyes. "Who is it?" Miss Josephine Barry asked abruptly, without ceremony. "I'm Annie from Green Gybrutz." Annie clasped her hands tightly and replied tremblingly, "I'm here to confess." "frank?" "Yes, frankly. I am to blame for what happened last night. It was my idea. Diana would never have thought of it. Diana is innocent, and it is not fair for you to blame her. Do you understand?" "No! When you jumped up, Diana jumped up without even thinking about it. That can happen in a decent house!" "We were just joking around." Annie continued to argue, not to be outdone, "I have apologized and apologized, please forgive us. Especially you should forgive Diana, please let her go Take music lessons. Diane said she wanted to learn music very, very much. The more she thought about it, the more distressed she became. I know how painful it is to not be able to achieve what I have been thinking about day and night. If you have to vent your anger, you can speak to me Come on, I get criticized a lot, I'm more used to it than Diana." From the look in Miss Barry's eyes, her anger had almost disappeared, her eyes twinkling amusingly, but her voice was still stern. "It's not a good reason to play around. I didn't play around like you when I was young. Think about it. I was exhausted after a long journey, and I finally lay down and wanted to have a good rest. When I was sleeping soundly , two girls jumped up, what kind of feeling is that, don't you know?" "I can imagine that you must be shocked and very angry, right? But, please listen to our opinions, grandma, if you have imagination, please try it from our standpoint. At that time, we did not The thought of someone sleeping on the bed made us feel like our hearts stopped beating when you yelled, and our mood suddenly became very bad, and even though we were allowed to sleep in the guest room, we actually didn't sleep at all, grandma I am used to resting in the guest room, and if I, an orphan, cannot enjoy this honor that I have never had before, how will I feel? Please imagine." When Anne said this, Miss Barry's anger had completely disappeared, and she even laughed out loud.Diana, who was wandering around the balcony, had been worried all the time, when she heard the laughter, a stone fell from her heart, and she let out a long sigh of relief. "It's been useless for a few years. My imagination is mostly rusted. Even you guys think I'm pathetic. It's said to be a matter of opinion. Come, sit here, and tell me about you." .” "I'm sorry, grandma, you seem to be a very interesting person. Although I want to say it, but I can't do it now, I should go back quickly. It seems that you and I can talk. "Miss Marilla Cuthbart adopted me and brought me up. She was a very kind and warm person. She did her best to educate me, so please don't blame me for my mistakes Miss Cuthbart. Also, before you leave, can you tell me whether you have forgiven Diana and whether you have stayed in Albany as planned." "If you can come and chat often, I will do as you say." Miss Barry promised cheerfully. That night, Miss Barry gave Diana a silver bracelet as a gift, and told Diana's parents to open the packed travel bag and take out the luggage inside. "I really want to make friends with that child named Annie, but unfortunately I only stayed for a while today." Miss Barry said frankly: "That child is very interesting. Once he gets old, very few interesting people come to see him. me." Miss Barry extended her scheduled one-month stay.Because of Anne, her mood was much better, and her dissatisfaction, complaints and fallacies were less than usual. Anne and Miss Barry turned out to be good friends who were like-minded. Before returning to the city, Miss Barry said to Anne, "Annie, if you come to the city in the future, you must come to my house as a guest. If that happens, I will let you live in my house and let you sleep in the guest room." "Miss Barry is essentially my heart-to-heart." Anne said to Marilla afterwards. "I thought that in this world, there are not many people who can communicate heart-to-heart, but it is not the case. There are too many people who can communicate with me spiritually. How beautiful this world is!"