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The Floating Press - Maud Montgomery Lucy

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170 pages

English

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The seventh book in the acclaimed Anne of Green Gables series, Rainbow Valley recounts Anne Shirley's life as a mother to a growing brood of children. When a Presbyterian minister moves in next door, the two families experience some challenges when they begin to interact. Will the boisterous Blythe children be able to make nice? Read Rainbow Valley to find out.

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Children's

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Publié par	The Floating Press
Date de parution	01 février 2012
Nombre de lectures	1
EAN13	9781775456834
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0134€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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RAINBOW VALLEY
* * *
LUCY MAUD MONTGOMERY

*
Rainbow Valley First published in 1919 ISBN 978-1-77545-683-4 © 2012 The Floating Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. While every effort has been used to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information contained in The Floating Press edition of this book, The Floating Press does not assume liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions in this book. The Floating Press does not accept responsibility for loss suffered as a result of reliance upon the accuracy or currency of information contained in this book. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment. Many suitcases look alike. Visit www.thefloatingpress.com
Contents
*
Chapter I - Home Again Chapter II - Sheer Gossip Chapter III - The Ingleside Children Chapter IV - The Manse Children Chapter V - The Advent of Mary Vance Chapter VI - Mary Stays at the Manse Chapter VII - A Fishy Episode Chapter VIII - Miss Cornelia Intervenes Chapter IX - Una Intervenes Chapter X - The Manse Girls Clean House Chapter XI - A Dreadful Discovery Chapter XII - An Explanation and a Dare Chapter XIII - The House on the Hill Chapter XIV - Mrs. Alec Davis Makes a Call Chapter XV - More Gossip Chapter XVI - Tit for Tat Chapter XVII - A Double Victory Chapter XVIII - Mary Brings Evil Tidings Chapter XIX - Poor Adam! Chapter XX - Faith Makes a Friend Chapter XXI - The Impossible Word Chapter XXII - St. George Knows All About It Chapter XXIII - The Good-Conduct Club Chapter XXIV - A Charitable Impulse Chapter XXV - Another Scandal and Another "Explanation" Chapter XXVI - Miss Cornelia Gets a New Point of View Chapter XXVII - A Sacred Concert Chapter XXVIII - A Fast Day Chapter XXIX - A Weird Tale Chapter XXX - The Ghost on the Dyke Chapter XXXI - Carl Does Penance Chapter XXXII - Two Stubborn People Chapter XXXIII - Carl is—not—Whipped Chapter XXXIV - Una Visits the Hill Chapter XXXV - "Let the Piper Come"
*
"The thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts."—LONGFELLOW
TO THE MEMORY OF
GOLDWIN LAPP, ROBERT BROOKESAND MORLEY SHIER
WHO MADE THE SUPREME SACRIFICE THAT THE HAPPY VALLEYS OF THEIR HOME LAND MIGHT BE KEPT SACRED FROM THE RAVAGE OF THE INVADER
Chapter I - Home Again
*
It was a clear, apple-green evening in May, and Four WindsHarbour was mirroring back the clouds of the golden west betweenits softly dark shores. The sea moaned eerily on the sand-bar,sorrowful even in spring, but a sly, jovial wind came piping downthe red harbour road along which Miss Cornelia's comfortable,matronly figure was making its way towards the village of GlenSt. Mary. Miss Cornelia was rightfully Mrs. Marshall Elliott, andhad been Mrs. Marshall Elliott for thirteen years, but even yetmore people referred to her as Miss Cornelia than as Mrs.Elliott. The old name was dear to her old friends, only one ofthem contemptuously dropped it. Susan Baker, the gray and grimand faithful handmaiden of the Blythe family at Ingleside, neverlost an opportunity of calling her "Mrs. Marshall Elliott," withthe most killing and pointed emphasis, as if to say "You wantedto be Mrs. and Mrs. you shall be with a vengeance as far as I amconcerned."
Miss Cornelia was going up to Ingleside to see Dr. and Mrs.Blythe, who were just home from Europe. They had been away forthree months, having left in February to attend a famous medicalcongress in London; and certain things, which Miss Cornelia wasanxious to discuss, had taken place in the Glen during theirabsence. For one thing, there was a new family in the manse.And such a family! Miss Cornelia shook her head over them severaltimes as she walked briskly along.
Susan Baker and the Anne Shirley of other days saw her coming, asthey sat on the big veranda at Ingleside, enjoying the charm ofthe cat's light, the sweetness of sleepy robins whistling amongthe twilit maples, and the dance of a gusty group of daffodilsblowing against the old, mellow, red brick wall of the lawn.
Anne was sitting on the steps, her hands clasped over her knee,looking, in the kind dusk, as girlish as a mother of many has anyright to be; and the beautiful gray-green eyes, gazing down theharbour road, were as full of unquenchable sparkle and dream asever. Behind her, in the hammock, Rilla Blythe was curled up, afat, roly-poly little creature of six years, the youngest of theIngleside children. She had curly red hair and hazel eyes thatwere now buttoned up after the funny, wrinkled fashion in whichRilla always went to sleep.
Shirley, "the little brown boy," as he was known in the family"Who's Who," was asleep in Susan's arms. He was brown-haired,brown-eyed and brown-skinned, with very rosy cheeks, and he wasSusan's especial love. After his birth Anne had been very illfor a long time, and Susan "mothered" the baby with a passionatetenderness which none of the other children, dear as they were toher, had ever called out. Dr. Blythe had said that but for herhe would never have lived.
"I gave him life just as much as you did, Mrs. Dr. dear," Susanwas wont to say. "He is just as much my baby as he is yours."And, indeed, it was always to Susan that Shirley ran, to bekissed for bumps, and rocked to sleep, and protected fromwell-deserved spankings. Susan had conscientiously spanked allthe other Blythe children when she thought they needed it fortheir souls' good, but she would not spank Shirley nor allow hismother to do it. Once, Dr. Blythe had spanked him and Susan hadbeen stormily indignant.
"That man would spank an angel, Mrs. Dr. dear, that he would,"she had declared bitterly; and she would not make the poor doctora pie for weeks.
She had taken Shirley with her to her brother's home during hisparents' absence, while all the other children had gone toAvonlea, and she had three blessed months of him all to herself.Nevertheless, Susan was very glad to find herself back atIngleside, with all her darlings around her again. Ingleside washer world and in it she reigned supreme. Even Anne seldomquestioned her decisions, much to the disgust of Mrs. RachelLynde of Green Gables, who gloomily told Anne, whenever shevisited Four Winds, that she was letting Susan get to be entirelytoo much of a boss and would live to rue it.
"Here is Cornelia Bryant coming up the harbour road, Mrs. Dr.dear," said Susan. "She will be coming up to unload threemonths' gossip on us."
"I hope so," said Anne, hugging her knees. "I'm starving forGlen St. Mary gossip, Susan. I hope Miss Cornelia can tell meeverything that has happened while we've been away—EVERYTHING—who has got born, or married, or drunk; who has died, or goneaway, or come, or fought, or lost a cow, or found a beau. It'sso delightful to be home again with all the dear Glen folks, andI want to know all about them. Why, I remember wondering, as Iwalked through Westminster Abbey which of her two especial beauxMillicent Drew would finally marry. Do you know, Susan, I have adreadful suspicion that I love gossip."
"Well, of course, Mrs. Dr. dear," admitted Susan, "every properwoman likes to hear the news. I am rather interested inMillicent Drew's case myself. I never had a beau, much less two,and I do not mind now, for being an old maid does not hurt whenyou get used to it. Millicent's hair always looks to me as ifshe had swept it up with a broom. But the men do not seem tomind that."
"They see only her pretty, piquant, mocking, little face, Susan."
"That may very well be, Mrs. Dr. dear. The Good Book says thatfavour is deceitful and beauty is vain, but I should not haveminded finding that out for myself, if it had been so ordained.I have no doubt we will all be beautiful when we are angels, butwhat good will it do us then? Speaking of gossip, however, theydo say that poor Mrs. Harrison Miller over harbour tried to hangherself last week."
"Oh, Susan!"
"Calm yourself, Mrs. Dr. dear. She did not succeed. But Ireally do not blame her for trying, for her husband is a terribleman. But she was very foolish to think of hanging herself andleaving the way clear for him to marry some other woman. If Ihad been in her shoes, Mrs. Dr. dear, I would have gone to workto worry him so that he would try to hang himself instead of me.Not that I hold with people hanging themselves under anycircumstances, Mrs. Dr. dear."
"What is the matter with Harrison Miller, anyway?" said Anneimpatiently. "He is always driving some one to extremes."
"Well, some people call it religion and some call it cussedness,begging your pardon, Mrs. Dr. dear, for using such a word. Itseems they cannot make out which it is in Harrison's case. Thereare days when he growls at everybody because he thinks he isfore-ordained to eternal punishment. And then there are dayswhen he says he does not care and goes and gets drunk. My ownopinion is that he is not sound in his intellect, for none ofthat branch of the Millers were. His grandfather went out of hismind. He thought he was surrounded by big black spiders. Theycrawled over him and floated in the air about him. I hope Ishall never go insane, Mrs. Dr. dear, and I do not think I will,because it is not a habit of the Bakers. But, if an all-wiseProvidence should decree it, I hope it will not take the form ofbig black spiders, for I loathe the animals. As for Mrs. Miller,I do not know whether she really deserves pity or not. There aresome who say she just married Harrison to spite Richard Taylor,which seems to me a very peculiar reason for getting married.But then, of course, I am no judge of things matrimonial, Mrs.Dr. dear. And there is Cornelia Bryant at the gate, so I willput this blessed brown baby on his bed and get my knitting."
Chapter II - Sheer Gossip
*
"Where are the other children?" asked Miss Cornelia, when thefirst greetings—cordial on her side, rapturous on Anne's, anddignified on Susan's—were over.
"Shirley is in bed and Jem and Walter and the twins are down intheir beloved Rainbow Valley," said Anne. "They just came homethis afternoon, you know, and they could hardl