Another section from Anne of the island

This is after Anne has refused Gilbert (two years ago - last blog post) and is basically engaged to another person (he actually asks her to marry him and at that moment she realizes she loves Gilbert, but he is supposedly getting engaged to Christine sometime soon (so says everyone at college)).  Anne graduates and goes home to Avonlea and then goes to visit some friends for three weeks.  When she returns she finds out that Gilbert was sick the entire time and has almost died.  She spends the whole night crying until she sees the hired man and asks him how Gilbert is. To which she thinks, "Weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning."

"I've come up to ask you to go for one of our old-time rambles through September woods and over hills where spices grown this afternoon," said Gilbert, coming suddenly around the porch corner. "Suppose we vist Hester Gray's garden."

Anne, sitting on the stone step with her lab full of pale, filmy, green stuff looked up rather blankly. "Oh, I wish I could,"  she said slowly, "but I really can't Gilbert. I'm going to Alice Penhallow's wedding this evening, you know.  I've got to do something to this dress, and by the time it's finished I'll have to get ready.  I'm so sorry. I'd love to go."

"Well, can you go tomorrow afternoon, then?"

"Yes, I think so."

"In that case I shall hie me home at one to do something I should otherwise have to do tomorrow. So Alice Penhallow is to be married tonight.  Three weddings for you, in one summer, Anne - Phil's, Alice's, and Jane;s.  I'll never forgive Jane for not inviting me to her wedding."

"You really can't blame her when you think of the tremendous Andrews connection who had to be invited. The house could hardly hold them all.  I was only bidden by grace of being Jane's old chum - at least on Jame's part.  I think Mrs. Harmon's motive for inviting me was to let me see Jane's surpassing gorgeeousness.

"Is it true that she wore so many diamonds that you couldn't tell where the diamonds left off and Jane began?"

Anne laughed. "She certainly wore a good many. what with all the diamonds and white satin and tulle and lace and roses and orange blossoms, prim little Jane was almost lost to sight. But she was  very happy and so was Mr. Inglis - and so was Mrs. Harmon."

"Is that the dress you're going to wear tonight?" asked Gilbert looking down at the fluffs and frills.

"Yes, isn't it pretty? And I shall wear starflowers in my hair. The haunted woods is full of them this summer."

Gilbert had a sudden vision of Anne, arrayed in a frilly green gown, with the virginal curves of arms and throat slipping out of it, and white stars shining against the coils of her ruddy hair. The vision made him catch his breath. But he turned lightly away. "Well, I'll be up tomorrow. Hope you'll have a nice time tonight."

Anne looked after him as he strode away, and sighed. Gilbert was friendly - very friendly - far too friendly.  He had come quite often to Green Gables after his recovery, and something of their old comradeship had returned.  But Anne no longer found it satisfying.  The rose of love made the blossom of friendship pale and scentless by contrast.  And Anne had again begun to doubt if Gilbert now felt anything for her but friendship. In the common light of common day her radiant certainty of the rapt morning had faded. She was haunted by a miserable fear that her mistake could never be rectified.  It was quite likely that it was Christine whom Gilbert loved after all. Perhaps he was even engaged to her.  Anne tried to put all unsettling hopes out of her heart, and reconcile herself to a future where work and ambition must take the place of love. She could do good, if not noble, work as a teacher; and the success her little sketches were beginning to meet with in certain editorial sanctums augured well for her budding literary dreams.  But - but - Anne picked up her green dress and sighed again.