book Diana lent me. That was a thrilling book, Marilla. The heroine

had five lovers. I’d be satisfied with one, wouldn’t you? She was very

handsome and she went through great tribulations. She could faint as

easy as anything. I’d love to be able to faint, wouldn’t you, Marilla?

It’s so romantic. But I’m really very healthy for all I’m so thin. I

believe I’m getting fatter, though. Don’t you think I am? I look at my

elbows every morning when I get up to see if any dimples are coming.

Diana is having a new dress made with elbow sleeves. She is going to

wear it to the picnic. Oh, I do hope it will be fine next Wednesday. I

don’t feel that I could endure the disappointment if anything happened

to prevent me from getting to the picnic. I suppose I’d live through it,

but I’m certain it would be a lifelong sorrow. It wouldn’t matter if

I got to a hundred picnics in after years; they wouldn’t make up for

missing this one. They’re going to have boats on the Lake of Shining

Waters--and ice cream, as I told you. I have never tasted ice cream.

Diana tried to explain what it was like, but I guess ice cream is one of

those things that are beyond imagination.”

“Anne, you have talked even on for ten minutes by the clock,” said

Marilla. “Now, just for curiosity’s sake, see if you can hold your

tongue for the same length of time.”

Anne held her tongue as desired. But for the rest of the week she talked

picnic and thought picnic and dreamed picnic. On Saturday it rained and

she worked herself up into such a frantic state lest it should keep

on raining until and over Wednesday that Marilla made her sew an extra

patchwork square by way of steadying her nerves.

On Sunday Anne confided to Marilla on the way home from church that she

grew actually cold all over with excitement when the minister announced

the picnic from the pulpit.

“Such a thrill as went up and down my back, Marilla! I don’t think I’d

ever really believed until then that there was honestly going to be

a picnic. I couldn’t help fearing I’d only imagined it. But when a

minister says a thing in the pulpit you just have to believe it.”

“You set your heart too much on things, Anne,” said Marilla, with a

sigh. “I’m afraid there’ll be a great many disappointments in store for

you through life.”

“Oh, Marilla, looking forward to things is half the pleasure of them,”

exclaimed Anne. “You mayn’t get the things themselves; but nothing can

prevent you from having the fun of looking forward to them. Mrs.

Lynde says, ‘Blessed are they who expect nothing for they shall not be

disappointed.’ But I think it would be worse to expect nothing than to

be disappointed.”

Marilla wore her amethyst brooch to church that day as usual. Marilla

always wore her amethyst brooch to church. She would have thought it

rather sacrilegious to leave it off--as bad as forgetting her Bible or

her collection dime. That amethyst brooch was Marilla’s most treasured

possession. A seafaring uncle had given it to her mother who in turn

had bequeathed it to Marilla. It was an old-fashioned oval, containing

a braid of her mother’s hair, surrounded by a border of very fine

amethysts. Marilla knew too little about precious stones to realize how

fine the amethysts actually were; but she thought them very beautiful

and was always pleasantly conscious of their violet shimmer at her

throat, above her good brown satin dress, even although she could not

see it.

Anne had been smitten with delighted admiration when she first saw that

brooch.

“Oh, Marilla, it’s a perfectly elegant brooch. I don’t know how you

can pay attention to the sermon or the prayers when you have it on. I

couldn’t, I know. I think amethysts are just sweet. They are what I used

to think diamonds were like. Long ago, before I had ever seen a diamond,

I read about them and I tried to imagine what they would be like. I

thought they would be lovely glimmering purple stones. When I saw a

real diamond in a lady’s ring one day I was so disappointed I cried. Of

course, it was very lovely but it wasn’t my idea of a diamond. Will you

let me hold the brooch for one minute, Marilla? Do you think amethysts

can be the souls of good violets?”