Anne Of Avonlea

“After all,” Anne had said to Marilla once, “I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string.”

For a moment Anne’s heart fluttered queerly and for the first time her eyes faltered under Gilbert’s gaze and a rosy flush stained the paleness of her face. It was as if a veil that had hung before her inner consciousness had been lifted, giving to her view a revelation of unsuspected feelings and realities.

keep him in after school and talk kindly and firmly to him,” said Anne. “There is some good in every person if you can find it. It is a teacher’s duty to find and develop it. That is what our School Management professor at Queen’s told us, you know. Do you suppose you could find any good in a child by whipping him? It’s far more important to influence the children aright than it is even to teach them the three R’s, Professor Rennie says.”

shall never whip a child,” she repeated firmly. “I feel sure it isn’t either right or necessary.”

“Don’t you think it’s a cruel, barbarous thing to whip a child . . . ANY child?” exclaimed Anne, her face flushing with earnestness.

Gilbert, having tried to please both sides, succeeded, as is usual and eminently right, in pleasing neither.

“I could never whip a child,” said Anne with equal decision. “I don’t believe in it at all.

think we’re going to be real good friends if we make plenty of allowances for each other,

“It’s a pretty good world, after all, isn’t it, Marilla?”

Anne, however, was beginning to like the queer, fussy, fidgety little man, and before the meal was over they were quite good friends.