Anne of Green Gables

Chapter 16: Diana Is Invited to Tea with Tragic Results

October was a beautiful month at Green Gables, when the birches in the hollow turned as golden as sunshine and the maples behind the orchard were royal crimson and the wild cherry trees alone the lane put on the loveliest shades of dark red and bronzy green, while the fields sunned themselves in aftermaths.

Anne reveled in the world of color about her.

Oh, Marilla, she exclaimed one Saturday morning, coming dancing in with her arms full of gorgeous boughs, Im so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers. It would be terrible if we just skipped from September to November, wouldnt it? Look at these maple branches. Dont they give you a thrill-several thrills? Im going to decorate my room with them.

Messy things, said Marilla, whose aesthetic sense was not noticeably developed. You clutter up your room entirely too much with out-of-doors stuff, Anne. Bedrooms were made to sleep in.

Oh, and dream in too, Marilla. And you know one can dream so much better in a room where there are pretty things. Im going to put these boughs in the old blue jug and set them on my table.

Mind you dont drop leaves all over the stairs then. Im going on a meeting of the Aid Society at Carmody this afternoon, Anne, and I wont likely be home before dark. Youll have to get Matthew and Jerry their supper, so mind you dont forget to put the tea to draw until you sit down at the table as you did last time.

It was dreadful of me to forget, said Anne apologetically, but that was the afternoon I was trying to think of a name for Violet Vale and it crowded other things out. Matthew was so good. He never scolded a bit. He put the tea down himself and said we could wait awhile as well as not. And I told him a lovely fairy story while we were waiting, so he didnt find the time long at all. It was a beautiful fairy story, Marilla. I forgot the end of it, so I made up an end for it myself and Matthew said he couldnt tell where the join came in.

Matthew would think it all right, Anne, if you took a notion to get up and have dinner in the middle of the night. But you keep your wits about you this time. And-I dont really know if Im doing right-it may make you more addlepated than ever-but you can ask Diana to come over and spend the afternoon with you and have tea here.

Oh, Marilla! Anne clasped her hands. How perfectly lovely! You are able to imagine things after all or else youd never have understood how Ive longed for that very thing. It will seem so nice and grown-uppish. No fear of my forgetting to put the tea to draw when I have company. Oh, Marilla, can I use the rosebud spray tea set?

No, indeed! The rosebud tea set! Well, what next? You know I never use that except for the minister or the Aids. Youll put down the old brown tea set. But you can open the little yellow crock of cherry preserves. Its time it was being used anyhow-I believe its beginning to work. And you can cut some fruit cake and have some of the cookies and snaps.

I can just imagine myself sitting down at the head of the table and pouring out the tea, said Anne, shutting her eyes ecstatically. And asking Diana if she takes sugar! I know she doesnt but of course Ill ask her just as if I didnt know. And then pressing her to take another piece of fruit cake and another helping of preserves. Oh, Marilla, its a wonderful sensation just to think of it. Can I take her into the spare room to lay off her hat when she comes? And then into the parlor to sit?

No. The sitting room will do for you and your company. But theres a bottle half full of raspberry cordial that was left over from the church social the other night. Its on the second shelf of the sitting-room closet and you and Diana can have it if you like, and a cooky to eat with it along in the afternoon, for I daresay Matthew ll be late coming in to tea since hes hauling potatoes to the vessel.

Anne flew down to the hollow, past the Dryads Bubble and up the spruce path to Orchard Slope, to ask Diana to tea. As a result just after Marilla had driven off to Carmody, Diana came over, dressed in her second-best dress and looking exactly as it is proper to look when asked out to tea. At other times she was wont to run into the kitchen without knocking; but now she knocked primly at the front door. And when Anne, dressed in her second best, as primly opened it, both little girls shook hands as gravely as if they had never met before. This unnatural solemnity lasted until after Diana had been taken to the east gable to lay off her hat and then had sat for ten minutes in the sitting room, toes in position.