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Anne of Avonlea by Lucy Maud Montgomery, I An Irate Neighbor

I An Irate Neighbor

To

my former teacher HATTIE GORDON SMITH in grateful remembrance of her sympathy and encouragement.

Flowers spring to blossom where she walks The careful ways of duty, Our hard, stiff lines of life with her Are flowing curves of beauty. —WHITTIER

A tall, slim girl, "half-past sixteen," with serious gray eyes and hair which her friends called auburn, had sat down on the broad red sandstone doorstep of a Prince Edward Island farmhouse one ripe afternoon in August, firmly resolved to construe so many lines of Virgil. But an August afternoon, with blue hazes scarfing the harvest slopes, little winds whispering elfishly in the poplars, and a dancing slendor of red poppies outflaming against the dark coppice of young firs in a corner of the cherry orchard, was fitter for dreams than dead languages. The Virgil soon slipped unheeded to the ground, and Anne, her chin propped on her clasped hands, and her eyes on the splendid mass of fluffy clouds that were heaping up just over Mr. J. A. Harrison's house like a great white mountain, was far away in a delicious world where a certain schoolteacher was doing a wonderful work, shaping the destinies of future statesmen, and inspiring youthful minds and hearts with high and lofty ambitions. To be sure, if you came down to harsh facts . which, it must be confessed, Anne seldom did until she had to . it did not seem likely that there was much promising material for celebrities in Avonlea school; but you could never tell what might happen if a teacher used her influence for good. Anne had certain rose-tinted ideals of what a teacher might accomplish if she only went the right way about it; and she was in the midst of a delightful scene, forty years hence, with a famous personage . just exactly what he was to be famous for was left in convenient haziness, but Anne thought it would be rather nice to have him a college president or a Canadian premier . bowing low over her wrinkled hand and assuring her that it was she who had first kindled his ambition, and that all his success in life was due to the lessons she had instilled so long ago in Avonlea school. This pleasant vision was shattered by a most unpleasant interruption.

A demure little Jersey cow came scuttling down the lane and five seconds later Mr. Harrison arrived . if "arrived" be not too mild a term to describe the manner of his irruption into the yard. He bounced over the fence without waiting to open the gate, and angrily confronted astonished Anne, who had risen to her feet and stood looking at him in some bewilderment. Mr. Harrison was their new righthand neighbor and she had never met him before, although she had seen him once or twice.

In early April, before Anne had come home from Queen's, Mr. Robert Bell, whose farm adjoined the Cuthbert place on the west, had sold out and moved to Charlottetown. His farm had been bought by a certain Mr. J. A. Harrison, whose name, and the fact that he was a New Brunswick man, were all that was known about him. But before he had been a month in Avonlea he had won the reputation of being an odd person . "a crank," Mrs. Rachel Lynde said. Mrs. Rachel was an outspoken lady, as those of you who may have already made her acquaintance will remember. Mr. Harrison was certainly different from other people . and that is the essential characteristic of a crank, as everybody knows.

In the first place he kept house for himself and had publicly stated that he wanted no fools of women around his diggings. Feminine Avonlea took its revenge by the gruesome tales it related about his house-keeping and cooking. He had hired little John Henry Carter of White Sands and John Henry started the stories. For one thing, there was never any stated time for meals in the Harrison establishment. Mr. Harrison "got a bite" when he felt hungry, and if John Henry were around at the time, he came in for a share, but if he were not, he had to wait until Mr. Harrison's next hungry spell. John Henry mournfully averred that he would have starved to death if it wasn't that he got home on Sundays and got a good filling up, and that his mother always gave him a basket of "grub" to take back with him on Monday mornings. As for washing dishes, Mr. Harrison never made any pretence of doing it unless a rainy Sunday came. Then he went to work and washed them all at once in the rainwater hogshead, and left them to drain dry.

Again, Mr. Harrison was "close." When he was asked to subscribe to the Rev. Mr. Allan's salary he said he'd wait and see how many dollars' worth of good he got out of his preaching first . he didn't believe in buying a pig in a poke. And when Mrs. Lynde went to ask for a contribution to missions . and incidentally to see the inside of the house . he told her there were more heathens among the old woman gossips in Avonlea than anywhere else he knew of, and he'd cheerfully contribute to a mission for Christianizing them if she'd undertake it. Mrs. Rachel got herself away and said it was a mercy poor Mrs. Robert Bell was safe in her grave, for it would have broken her heart to see the state of her house in which she used to take so much pride.

"Why, she scrubbed the kitchen floor every second day," Mrs. Lynde told Marilla Cuthbert indignantly, "and if you could see it now! I had to hold up my skirts as I walked across it." Finally, Mr. Harrison kept a parrot called Ginger. Nobody in Avonlea had ever kept a parrot before; consequently that proceeding was considered barely respectable. And such a parrot! If you took John Henry Carter's word for it, never was such an unholy bird. It swore terribly. Mrs. Carter would have taken John Henry away at once if she had been sure she could get another place for him. Besides, Ginger had bitten a piece right out of the back of John Henry's neck one day when he had stooped down too near the cage. Mrs. Carter showed everybody the mark when the luckless John Henry went home on Sundays.

All these things flashed through Anne's mind as Mr. Harrison stood, quite speechless with wrath apparently, before her. In his most amiable mood Mr. Harrison could not have been considered a handsome man; he was short and fat and bald; and now, with his round face purple with rage and his prominent blue eyes almost sticking out of his head, Anne thought he was really the ugliest person she had ever seen.

All at once Mr. Harrison found his voice.

"I'm not going to put up with this," he spluttered, "not a day longer, do you hear, miss. Bless my soul, this is the third time, miss . the third time! Patience has ceased to be a virtue, miss. I warned your aunt the last time not to let it occur again . and she's let it . she's done it . what does she mean by it, that is what I want to know. That is what I'm here about, miss." "Will you explain what the trouble is?" asked Anne, in her most dignified manner. She had been practicing it considerably of late to have it in good working order when school began; but it had no apparent effect on the irate J. A. Harrison.

"Trouble, is it? Bless my soul, trouble enough, I should think. The trouble is, miss, that I found that Jersey cow of your aunt's in my oats again, not half an hour ago. The third time, mark you. I found her in last Tuesday and I found her in yesterday. I came here and told your aunt not to let it occur again. She has let it occur again. Where's your aunt, miss? I just want to see her for a minute and give her a piece of my mind . a piece of J. A. Harrison's mind, miss." "If you mean Miss Marilla Cuthbert, she is not my aunt, and she has gone down to East Grafton to see a distant relative of hers who is very ill," said Anne, with due increase of dignity at every word. "I am very sorry that my cow should have broken into your oats . she is my cow and not Miss Cuthbert's . Matthew gave her to me three years ago when she was a little calf and he bought her from Mr. Bell." "Sorry, miss! Sorry isn't going to help matters any. You'd better go and look at the havoc that animal has made in my oats . trampled them from center to circumference, miss." "I am very sorry," repeated Anne firmly, "but perhaps if you kept your fences in better repair Dolly might not have broken in. It is your part of the line fence that separates your oatfield from our pasture and I noticed the other day that it was not in very good condition." "My fence is all right," snapped Mr. Harrison, angrier than ever at this carrying of the war into the enemy's country. "The jail fence couldn't keep a demon of a cow like that out. And I can tell you, you redheaded snippet, that if the cow is yours, as you say, you'd be better employed in watching her out of other people's grain than in sitting round reading yellow-covered novels," . with a scathing glance at the innocent tan-colored Virgil by Anne's feet. Something at that moment was red besides Anne's hair . which had always been a tender point with her.

"I'd rather have red hair than none at all, except a little fringe round my ears," she flashed. The shot told, for Mr. Harrison was really very sensitive about his bald head. His anger choked him up again and he could only glare speechlessly at Anne, who recovered her temper and followed up her advantage.

"I can make allowance for you, Mr. Harrison, because I have an imagination. I can easily imagine how very trying it must be to find a cow in your oats and I shall not cherish any hard feelings against you for the things you've said. I promise you that Dolly shall never break into your oats again. I give you my word of honor on THAT point." "Well, mind you she doesn't," muttered Mr. Harrison in a somewhat subdued tone; but he stamped off angrily enough and Anne heard him growling to himself until he was out of earshot. Grievously disturbed in mind, Anne marched across the yard and shut the naughty Jersey up in the milking pen.

"She can't possibly get out of that unless she tears the fence down," she reflected. "She looks pretty quiet now. I daresay she has sickened herself on those oats. I wish I'd sold her to Mr. Shearer when he wanted her last week, but I thought it was just as well to wait until we had the auction of the stock and let them all go together. I believe it is true about Mr. Harrison being a crank. Certainly there's nothing of the kindred spirit about HIM." Anne had always a weather eye open for kindred spirits.

Marilla Cuthbert was driving into the yard as Anne returned from the house, and the latter flew to get tea ready. They discussed the matter at the tea table.

"I'll be glad when the auction is over," said Marilla. "It is too much responsibility having so much stock about the place and nobody but that unreliable Martin to look after them. He has never come back yet and he promised that he would certainly be back last night if I'd give him the day off to go to his aunt's funeral. I don't know how many aunts he has got, I am sure. That's the fourth that's died since he hired here a year ago. I'll be more than thankful when the crop is in and Mr. Barry takes over the farm. We'll have to keep Dolly shut up in the pen till Martin comes, for she must be put in the back pasture and the fences there have to be fixed. I declare, it is a world of trouble, as Rachel says. Here's poor Mary Keith dying and what is to become of those two children of hers is more than I know. She has a brother in British Columbia and she has written to him about them, but she hasn't heard from him yet." "What are the children like? How old are they?" "Six past . they're twins." "Oh, I've always been especially interested in twins ever since Mrs. Hammond had so many," said Anne eagerly. "Are they pretty?" "Goodness, you couldn't tell . they were too dirty. Davy had been out making mud pies and Dora went out to call him in. Davy pushed her headfirst into the biggest pie and then, because she cried, he got into it himself and wallowed in it to show her it was nothing to cry about. Mary said Dora was really a very good child but that Davy was full of mischief. He has never had any bringing up you might say. His father died when he was a baby and Mary has been sick almost ever since." "I'm always sorry for children that have no bringing up," said Anne soberly. "You know I hadn't any till you took me in hand. I hope their uncle will look after them. Just what relation is Mrs. Keith to you?" "Mary? None in the world. It was her husband . he was our third cousin. There's Mrs. Lynde coming through the yard. I thought she'd be up to hear about Mary." "Don't tell her about Mr. Harrison and the cow," implored Anne. Marilla promised; but the promise was quite unnecessary, for Mrs. Lynde was no sooner fairly seated than she said,

"I saw Mr. Harrison chasing your Jersey out of his oats today when I was coming home from Carmody. I thought he looked pretty mad. Did he make much of a rumpus?" Anne and Marilla furtively exchanged amused smiles. Few things in Avonlea ever escaped Mrs. Lynde. It was only that morning Anne had said,

"If you went to your own room at midnight, locked the door, pulled down the blind, and SNEEZED, Mrs. Lynde would ask you the next day how your cold was!" "I believe he did," admitted Marilla. "I was away. He gave Anne a piece of his mind." "I think he is a very disagreeable man," said Anne, with a resentful toss of her ruddy head. "You never said a truer word," said Mrs. Rachel solemnly. "I knew there'd be trouble when Robert Bell sold his place to a New Brunswick man, that's what. I don't know what Avonlea is coming to, with so many strange people rushing into it. It'll soon not be safe to go to sleep in our beds." "Why, what other strangers are coming in?" asked Marilla.

"Haven't you heard? Well, there's a family of Donnells, for one thing. They've rented Peter Sloane's old house. Peter has hired the man to run his mill. They belong down east and nobody knows anything about them. Then that shiftless Timothy Cotton family are going to move up from White Sands and they'll simply be a burden on the public. He is in consumption . when he isn't stealing . and his wife is a slack-twisted creature that can't turn her hand to a thing. She washes her dishes SITTING DOWN. Mrs. George Pye has taken her husband's orphan nephew, Anthony Pye. He'll be going to school to you, Anne, so you may expect trouble, that's what. And you'll have another strange pupil, too. Paul Irving is coming from the States to live with his grandmother. You remember his father, Marilla . Stephen Irving, him that jilted Lavendar Lewis over at Grafton?" "I don't think he jilted her. There was a quarrel . I suppose there was blame on both sides." "Well, anyway, he didn't marry her, and she's been as queer as possible ever since, they say . living all by herself in that little stone house she calls Echo Lodge. Stephen went off to the States and went into business with his uncle and married a Yankee. He's never been home since, though his mother has been up to see him once or twice. His wife died two years ago and he's sending the boy home to his mother for a spell. He's ten years old and I don't know if he'll be a very desirable pupil. You can never tell about those Yankees." Mrs Lynde looked upon all people who had the misfortune to be born or brought up elsewhere than in Prince Edward Island with a decided can-any-good-thing-come-out-of-Nazareth air. They MIGHT be good people, of course; but you were on the safe side in doubting it. She had a special prejudice against "Yankees." Her husband had been cheated out of ten dollars by an employer for whom he had once worked in Boston and neither angels nor principalities nor powers could have convinced Mrs. Rachel that the whole United States was not responsible for it.

"Avonlea school won't be the worse for a little new blood," said Marilla drily, "and if this boy is anything like his father he'll be all right. Steve Irving was the nicest boy that was ever raised in these parts, though some people did call him proud. I should think Mrs. Irving would be very glad to have the child. She has been very lonesome since her husband died." "Oh, the boy may be well enough, but he'll be different from Avonlea children," said Mrs. Rachel, as if that clinched the matter. Mrs. Rachel's opinions concerning any person, place, or thing, were always warranted to wear. "What's this I hear about your going to start up a Village Improvement Society, Anne?" "I was just talking it over with some of the girls and boys at the last Debating Club," said Anne, flushing. "They thought it would be rather nice . and so do Mr. and Mrs. Allan. Lots of villages have them now." "Well, you'll get into no end of hot water if you do. Better leave it alone, Anne, that's what. People don't like being improved." "Oh, we are not going to try to improve the PEOPLE. It is Avonlea itself. There are lots of things which might be done to make it prettier. For instance, if we could coax Mr. Levi Boulter to pull down that dreadful old house on his upper farm wouldn't that be an improvement?" "It certainly would," admitted Mrs. Rachel. "That old ruin has been an eyesore to the settlement for years. But if you Improvers can coax Levi Boulter to do anything for the public that he isn't to be paid for doing, may I be there to see and hear the process, that's what. I don't want to discourage you, Anne, for there may be something in your idea, though I suppose you did get it out of some rubbishy Yankee magazine; but you'll have your hands full with your school and I advise you as a friend not to bother with your improvements, that's what. But there, I know you'll go ahead with it if you've set your mind on it. You were always one to carry a thing through somehow." Something about the firm outlines of Anne's lips told that Mrs. Rachel was not far astray in this estimate. Anne's heart was bent on forming the Improvement Society. Gilbert Blythe, who was to teach in White Sands but would always be home from Friday night to Monday morning, was enthusiastic about it; and most of the other folks were willing to go in for anything that meant occasional meetings and consequently some "fun." As for what the "improvements" were to be, nobody had any very clear idea except Anne and Gilbert. They had talked them over and planned them out until an ideal Avonlea existed in their minds, if nowhere else.

Mrs. Rachel had still another item of news.

"They've given the Carmody school to a Priscilla Grant. Didn't you go to Queen's with a girl of that name, Anne?" "Yes, indeed. Priscilla to teach at Carmody! How perfectly lovely!" exclaimed Anne, her gray eyes lighting up until they looked like evening stars, causing Mrs. Lynde to wonder anew if she would ever get it settled to her satisfaction whether Anne Shirley were really a pretty girl or not.


I An Irate Neighbor أنا جار غاضب I Ein verärgerter Nachbar Je suis un voisin furieux Um vizinho irritado Ben Öfkeli Bir Komşu 我是一个愤怒的邻居

To

my former teacher  HATTIE GORDON SMITH  in grateful remembrance of her  sympathy and encouragement. أستاذتي السابقة هاتي جوردون سميث في ذكرى ممتنة لتعاطفها وتشجيعها. 我以前的老师哈蒂·戈登·史密斯感谢她的同情和鼓励。

Flowers spring to blossom where she walks  The careful ways of duty,  Our hard, stiff lines of life with her  Are flowing curves of beauty. الزهور تتفتح حيث تمشي. طرق العمل الدقيقة ، خطوط حياتنا القاسية والصلبة معها هي منحنيات متدفقة من الجمال. Die Blumen blühen auf, wo sie geht Die sorgfältigen Wege der Pflicht, Unsere harten, steifen Linien des Lebens sind mit ihr fließende Kurven der Schönheit. 鲜花在她走过的地方绽放 尽职尽责的谨慎方式, 我们与她一起坚硬、僵硬的生活线条 是流动的美丽曲线。 —WHITTIER - ويتيير

A tall, slim girl, "half-past sixteen," with serious gray eyes and hair which her friends called auburn, had sat down on the broad red sandstone doorstep of a Prince Edward Island farmhouse one ripe afternoon in August, firmly resolved to construe so many lines of Virgil. كانت فتاة طويلة ونحيفة ، "في السادسة عشرة والنصف ،" ذات عيون رمادية وشعر جديين ، والتي أطلق عليها أصدقاؤها اسم أوبورن ، جلست على عتبة باب مزرعة من الحجر الرملي الأحمر العريض في مزرعة جزيرة الأمير إدوارد بعد ظهر أحد أيام شهر أغسطس ، وقد عقدت العزم على تفسير الكثير من سطور فيرجيل. Ein großes, schlankes Mädchen, "halbsechzehn", mit ernsten grauen Augen und Haaren, die ihre Freunde kastanienbraun nannten, hatte sich an einem reifen Augustnachmittag auf die breite rote Sandsteinschwelle eines Bauernhauses auf Prince Edward Island gesetzt und war fest entschlossen, so viele Zeilen von Virgil zu deuten. But an August afternoon, with blue hazes scarfing the harvest slopes, little winds whispering elfishly in the poplars, and a dancing slendor of red poppies outflaming against the dark coppice of young firs in a corner of the cherry orchard, was fitter for dreams than dead languages. Aber ein Augustnachmittag, an dem blaue Nebelschwaden die Erntehänge umhüllten, kleine Winde elfenhaft in den Pappeln flüsterten und eine tanzende Pracht roter Mohnblumen vor dem dunklen Dickicht junger Tannen in einer Ecke des Kirschgartens aufflammte, war besser zum Träumen geeignet als tote Sprachen. The Virgil soon slipped unheeded to the ground, and Anne, her chin propped on her clasped hands, and her eyes on the splendid mass of fluffy clouds that were heaping up just over Mr. J. A. Harrison's house like a great white mountain, was far away in a delicious world where a certain schoolteacher was doing a wonderful work, shaping the destinies of future statesmen, and inspiring youthful minds and hearts with high and lofty ambitions. Der Virgil glitt bald unbeachtet zu Boden, und Anne, das Kinn auf die gefalteten Hände gestützt und den Blick auf die prächtige Masse flauschiger Wolken gerichtet, die sich gerade über Mr. J. A. Harrisons Haus wie ein großer weißer Berg auftürmten, war weit weg in einer köstlichen Welt, in der ein gewisser Lehrer ein wunderbares Werk tat, die Geschicke künftiger Staatsmänner formte und jugendliche Gemüter und Herzen mit hohen und erhabenen Ambitionen inspirierte. Le Virgile glissa bientôt sans faire attention au sol, et Anne, son menton appuyé sur ses mains jointes, et ses yeux sur la splendide masse de nuages pelucheux qui s'amoncelaient juste au-dessus de la maison de M. JA Harrison comme une grande montagne blanche, était loin dans un monde délicieux où un certain instituteur faisait un travail merveilleux, façonnant les destinées des futurs hommes d'État et inspirant les esprits et les cœurs jeunes avec de hautes et nobles ambitions. Virgil 很快滑落到地上,无人理会,Anne 双手托着下巴,眼睛盯着 JA Harrison 先生房子上空堆积如山的壮丽蓬松云朵,远远地望去。在一个美好的世界里,某位教师正在做着出色的工作,塑造未来政治家的命运,并以崇高的抱负鼓舞着年轻的思想和心灵。 To be sure, if you came down to harsh facts . Allerdings, wenn man sich auf harte Fakten einlässt. Pour être sûr, si vous en arrivez à des faits durs. 可以肯定的是,如果你归结为严酷的事实。 which, it must be confessed, Anne seldom did until she had to . was Anne zugegebenermaßen nur selten tat, bis sie es musste. ce que, il faut l'avouer, Anne faisait rarement jusqu'à ce qu'elle y soit obligée. 必须承认,除非不得已,安妮很少这样做。 it did not seem likely that there was much promising material for celebrities in Avonlea school; but you could never tell what might happen if a teacher used her influence for good. Es schien nicht wahrscheinlich, dass es in der Schule von Avonlea vielversprechendes Material für Berühmtheiten gab; aber man konnte nie wissen, was passieren würde, wenn eine Lehrerin ihren Einfluss zum Guten nutzte. il ne semblait pas probable qu'il y ait beaucoup de matériel prometteur pour les célébrités à l'école d'Avonlea; mais vous ne pourriez jamais dire ce qui pourrait arriver si un enseignant utilisait son influence pour le bien. Avonlea 学校似乎不太可能有太多有前途的名人材料;但是你永远无法预知如果一位老师永远地利用她的影响会发生什么。 Anne had certain rose-tinted ideals of what a teacher might accomplish if she only went the right way about it; and she was in the midst of a delightful scene, forty years hence, with a famous personage . Anne hatte gewisse rosige Vorstellungen davon, was eine Lehrerin erreichen könnte, wenn sie nur den richtigen Weg einschlüge; und sie befand sich inmitten einer reizvollen Szene, vierzig Jahre später, mit einer berühmten Persönlichkeit. 安妮对一位教师只要采取正确的方式就可以取得成就抱有某些乐观的理想。四十年后,她和一位名人正处在一个愉快的场景中。 just exactly what he was to be famous for was left in convenient haziness, but Anne thought it would be rather nice to have him a college president or a Canadian premier . Wofür genau er berühmt werden sollte, blieb im Dunkeln, aber Anne fand es ganz nett, ihn als College-Präsidenten oder als kanadischen Premierminister zu sehen. exactement ce pour quoi il devait être célèbre était laissé dans un flou pratique, mais Anne pensait que ce serait plutôt bien de l'avoir un président d'université ou un premier ministre canadien. 只是他究竟因何而出名,现在还不清楚,但安妮认为让他担任大学校长或加拿大总理会相当不错。 bowing low over her wrinkled hand and assuring her that it was she who had first kindled his ambition, and that all his success in life was due to the lessons she had instilled so long ago in Avonlea school. Er verbeugte sich tief über ihre faltige Hand und versicherte ihr, dass sie es war, die seinen Ehrgeiz geweckt hatte, und dass er seinen ganzen Erfolg im Leben den Lektionen verdankte, die sie ihm vor so langer Zeit in der Schule von Avonlea beigebracht hatte. s'inclinant au-dessus de sa main ridée et l'assurant que c'était elle qui avait le premier allumé son ambition, et que tout son succès dans la vie était dû aux leçons qu'elle avait inculquées il y a si longtemps à l'école d'Avonlea. 在她布满皱纹的手上低下头,向她保证是她首先点燃了他的野心,他一生的成功都归功于她很久以前在埃文利学校灌输的课程。 This pleasant vision was shattered by a most unpleasant interruption. 这个令人愉快的景象被最不愉快的打扰打破了。

A demure little Jersey cow came scuttling down the lane and five seconds later Mr. Harrison arrived . Eine sittsame kleine Jersey-Kuh kroch die Gasse hinunter, und fünf Sekunden später kam Mr. Harrison. 一头温文尔雅的泽西小母牛从车道上疾驰而过,五秒钟后哈里森先生来了。 if "arrived" be not too mild a term to describe the manner of his irruption into the yard. wenn "angekommen" nicht ein zu mildes Wort ist, um die Art und Weise seines Eindringens in den Hof zu beschreiben. 如果用“到达”来形容他闯入院子的方式,这个词就不太温和了。 He bounced over the fence without waiting to open the gate, and angrily confronted astonished Anne, who had risen to her feet and stood looking at him in some bewilderment. Er sprang über den Zaun, ohne darauf zu warten, das Tor zu öffnen, und stellte sich wütend vor die erstaunte Anne, die sich aufgerichtet hatte und ihn verwirrt ansah. 没等开门,他就蹦蹦跳跳地越过栅栏,愤怒地面对着惊呆了的安妮,安妮站起来,有些困惑地看着他。 Mr. Harrison was their new righthand neighbor and she had never met him before, although she had seen him once or twice.

In early April, before Anne had come home from Queen's, Mr. Robert Bell, whose farm adjoined the Cuthbert place on the west, had sold out and moved to Charlottetown. Anfang April, noch bevor Anne von Queen's nach Hause gekommen war, hatte Mr. Robert Bell, dessen Farm im Westen an das Cuthbert-Grundstück angrenzte, seine Farm verkauft und war nach Charlottetown gezogen. 4 月初,在安妮从皇后学院回家之前,西边毗邻卡斯伯特庄园的罗伯特·贝尔先生已经售罄,搬到了夏洛特敦。 His farm had been bought by a certain Mr. J. A. Harrison, whose name, and the fact that he was a New Brunswick man, were all that was known about him. 他的农场被某位 JA 哈里森先生买下,他的名字和他是新不伦瑞克人这一事实是人们对他的全部了解。 But before he had been a month in Avonlea he had won the reputation of being an odd person . "a crank," Mrs. Rachel Lynde said. "Ein Spinner", sagte Mrs. Rachel Lynde. “一个怪人,”雷切尔林德夫人说。 Mrs. Rachel was an outspoken lady, as those of you who may have already made her acquaintance will remember. Frau Rachel war eine freimütige Dame, wie sich diejenigen unter Ihnen erinnern werden, die sie vielleicht schon kennengelernt haben. Mme Rachel était une femme franche, comme ceux d'entre vous qui l'ont peut-être déjà connue s'en souviendront. 雷切尔夫人是一位直言不讳的女士,可能已经认识她的人都记得这一点。 Mr. Harrison was certainly different from other people . 哈里森先生当然不同于其他人。 and that is the essential characteristic of a crank, as everybody knows. 众所周知,这是曲柄的基本特征。

In the first place he kept house for himself and had publicly stated that he wanted no fools of women around his diggings. In erster Linie behielt er sein Haus für sich und hatte öffentlich erklärt, dass er in der Nähe seiner Ausgrabungsstätten keine dummen Frauen haben wollte. En premier lieu, il tenait sa maison pour lui-même et avait déclaré publiquement qu'il ne voulait pas d'imbéciles de femmes autour de ses fouilles. 首先,他为自己保留了房子,并公开表示他不希望在他的矿区周围有任何傻瓜。 Feminine Avonlea took its revenge by the gruesome tales it related about his house-keeping and cooking. Das weibliche Avonlea rächte sich durch die grausamen Geschichten, die es über seine Haushaltsführung und seine Küche erzählte. 女性 Avonlea 通过讲述他的家务和烹饪的可怕故事来报复。 He had hired little John Henry Carter of White Sands and John Henry started the stories. Er hatte den kleinen John Henry Carter aus White Sands engagiert, und John Henry begann mit den Geschichten. Il avait embauché le petit John Henry Carter de White Sands et John Henry a commencé les histoires. 他聘请了白沙的小约翰·亨利·卡特,约翰·亨利开始了故事的创作。 For one thing, there was never any stated time for meals in the Harrison establishment. D'une part, il n'y avait jamais d'heure indiquée pour les repas dans l'établissement Harrison. 一方面,哈里森酒店从来没有规定用餐时间。 Mr. Harrison "got a bite" when he felt hungry, and if John Henry were around at the time, he came in for a share, but if he were not, he had to wait until Mr. Harrison's next hungry spell. Mr. Harrison "bekam einen Bissen", wenn er Hunger verspürte, und wenn John Henry zu der Zeit in der Nähe war, kam er, um sich einen Teil zu holen, aber wenn er nicht da war, musste er warten, bis Mr. Harrison das nächste Mal Hunger hatte. 哈里森先生感到饥饿时“会咬一口”,如果约翰·亨利当时在场,他就会进来分享,但如果他不在,他就必须等到哈里森先生下一次饥饿时。 John Henry mournfully averred that he would have starved to death if it wasn't that he got home on Sundays and got a good filling up, and that his mother always gave him a basket of "grub" to take back with him on Monday mornings. John Henry beklagte sich, dass er verhungert wäre, wenn er nicht sonntags nach Hause gekommen wäre und sich satt gegessen hätte, und dass seine Mutter ihm am Montagmorgen immer einen Korb mit "Essen" mitgegeben hätte. John Henry a tristement affirmé qu'il serait mort de faim s'il n'était pas rentré à la maison le dimanche et s'était bien rassasié, et que sa mère lui donnait toujours un panier de "bouffe" à rapporter avec lui le lundi matin. . 约翰·亨利悲伤地断言,如果不是他每周日回家并吃得饱饱的,而且他的母亲总是给他一篮子“食物”,让他周一早上带回去,他就会饿死。 。 As for washing dishes, Mr. Harrison never made any pretence of doing it unless a rainy Sunday came. Was den Abwasch anbelangt, so tat Mr. Harrison nie so, als ob er ihn machen würde, es sei denn, es war ein verregneter Sonntag. 至于洗碗,哈里森先生从来不假装洗碗,除非周日下雨。 Then he went to work and washed them all at once in the rainwater hogshead, and left them to drain dry. Dann machte er sich an die Arbeit und wusch sie alle auf einmal im Regenwasserbehälter und ließ sie abtropfen. 然后他去干活,把它们一次性地放进雨水桶里清洗,然后让它们沥干。

Again, Mr. Harrison was "close." Auch hier war Mr. Harrison "nah dran". Encore une fois, M. Harrison était "proche". 哈里森先生再次“接近”。 When he was asked to subscribe to the Rev. Als er gebeten wurde, den Rev. Lorsqu'on lui a demandé de s'abonner au Rev. 当他被要求订阅牧师时。 Mr. Allan's salary he said he'd wait and see how many dollars' worth of good he got out of his preaching first . Mr. Allan sagte, er wolle erst einmal abwarten, wie viel Geld er mit seinen Predigten verdiene. Le salaire de M. Allan, il a dit qu'il attendrait de voir combien de dollars de bien il retirerait d'abord de sa prédication. 艾伦先生的薪水他说他会先看看他从讲道中得到多少美元的好处。 he didn't believe in buying a pig in a poke. Er glaubte nicht daran, die Katze im Sack zu kaufen. il ne croyait pas qu'il fallait acheter un cochon dans un sac. 他不相信买一头猪是可以的。 And when Mrs. Lynde went to ask for a contribution to missions . Und als Mrs. Lynde um eine Spende für die Missionen bat. 当林德夫人去请求为宣教捐款时。 and incidentally to see the inside of the house . und nebenbei das Innere des Hauses zu sehen. 并顺便看看房子的内部。 he told her there were more heathens among the old woman gossips in Avonlea than anywhere else he knew of, and he'd cheerfully contribute to a mission for Christianizing them if she'd undertake it. erzählte er ihr, dass es in Avonlea mehr Heiden unter den alten Klatschweibern gäbe als irgendwo sonst, und er würde sich gerne an einer Mission zur Christianisierung beteiligen, wenn sie sich dazu bereit erklärte. il lui a dit qu'il y avait plus de païens parmi les vieilles commères d'Avonlea que partout ailleurs à sa connaissance, et qu'il contribuerait joyeusement à une mission pour les christianiser si elle l'entreprenait. 他告诉她,埃文利老妇人中的异教徒比他所知道的任何地方都多,如果她愿意的话,他会很乐意为他们的基督教化使命做出贡献。 Mrs. Rachel got herself away and said it was a mercy poor Mrs. Robert Bell was safe in her grave, for it would have broken her heart to see the state of her house in which she used to take so much pride. Mrs. Rachel entfernte sich und sagte, es sei ein Glück, dass die arme Mrs. Robert Bell sicher im Grab liege, denn es hätte ihr das Herz gebrochen, den Zustand ihres Hauses zu sehen, auf das sie so stolz war. 雷切尔夫人逃脱了,她说可怜的罗伯特·贝尔夫人能安全地躺在坟墓里真是天赐良机,因为如果看到她曾经引以为傲的房子现在的样子,她会心碎的。

"Why, she scrubbed the kitchen floor every second day," Mrs. Lynde told Marilla Cuthbert indignantly, "and if you could see it now! "Sie hat doch jeden zweiten Tag den Küchenboden geschrubbt", empörte sich Mrs. Lynde gegenüber Marilla Cuthbert, "und wenn Sie das jetzt sehen könnten! "Pourquoi, elle nettoyait le sol de la cuisine tous les deux jours", a déclaré Mme Lynde à Marilla Cuthbert avec indignation, "et si vous pouviez le voir maintenant ! “哎呀,她每隔一天就擦洗一次厨房地板,”林德太太愤怒地告诉玛丽拉·卡斯伯特,“要是你现在能看到就好了! I had to hold up my skirts as I walked across it." Ich musste meine Röcke hochhalten, als ich darüber lief." 当我走过它时,我不得不提起裙子。” Finally, Mr. Harrison kept a parrot called Ginger. Enfin, M. Harrison a gardé un perroquet appelé Ginger. 最后,哈里森先生养了一只名叫金杰的鹦鹉。 Nobody in Avonlea had ever kept a parrot before; consequently that proceeding was considered barely respectable. Niemand in Avonlea hatte jemals zuvor einen Papagei gehalten; folglich wurde dieses Vorgehen als kaum respektabel angesehen. 埃文利以前没有人养过鹦鹉。因此,这一诉讼被认为几乎不值得尊重。 And such a parrot! 还有这样的鹦鹉! If you took John Henry Carter's word for it, never was such an unholy bird. Wenn man John Henry Carter Glauben schenken darf, gab es noch nie einen so unheiligen Vogel. Si vous avez cru John Henry Carter sur parole, jamais un oiseau aussi impie n'a été. 如果你相信约翰·亨利·卡特的话,那就从来没有如此邪恶的鸟。 It swore terribly. Er fluchte furchtbar. 它咒骂得很厉害。 Mrs. Carter would have taken John Henry away at once if she had been sure she could get another place for him. Mme Carter aurait immédiatement emmené John Henry si elle avait été sûre de pouvoir lui trouver une autre place. 如果卡特夫人确信能为约翰·亨利找到另一个地方,她就会立即带走他。 Besides, Ginger had bitten a piece right out of the back of John Henry's neck one day when he had stooped down too near the cage. Außerdem hatte Ginger eines Tages John Henry ein Stück aus dem Nacken gebissen, als er sich zu nahe an den Käfig herabbeugte. De plus, Ginger avait mordu un morceau de la nuque de John Henry un jour où il s'était penché trop près de la cage. 此外,有一天,当约翰·亨利弯腰太靠近笼子时,金杰咬下了约翰·亨利脖子后面的一块。 Mrs. Carter showed everybody the mark when the luckless John Henry went home on Sundays. 当倒霉的约翰·亨利星期天回家时,卡特夫人向大家展示了这个标记。

All these things flashed through Anne's mind as Mr. Harrison stood, quite speechless with wrath apparently, before her. All diese Dinge gingen Anne durch den Kopf, als Mr. Harrison, scheinbar sprachlos vor Zorn, vor ihr stand. Toutes ces choses ont traversé l'esprit d'Anne alors que M. Harrison se tenait, tout à fait muet de colère apparemment, devant elle. 当哈里森先生站在她面前时,所有这些事情都在安妮的脑海中闪过,哈里森先生显然因愤怒而说不出话来。 In his most amiable mood Mr. Harrison could not have been considered a handsome man; he was short and fat and bald; and now, with his round face purple with rage and his prominent blue eyes almost sticking out of his head, Anne thought he was really the ugliest person she had ever seen. In seiner besten Laune war Mr. Harrison kein schöner Mann; er war klein und dick und hatte eine Glatze; und jetzt, mit seinem runden, vor Wut purpurroten Gesicht und den hervorstehenden blauen Augen, die ihm fast aus dem Kopf ragten, hielt Anne ihn wirklich für den hässlichsten Menschen, den sie je gesehen hatte. 哈里森先生即使心情最和蔼可亲,也算不上英俊的男人。他又矮又胖,还秃顶。现在,他的圆脸因愤怒而变成紫色,突出的蓝眼睛几乎要从头顶伸出来,安妮觉得他真是她见过的最丑的人。

All at once Mr. Harrison found his voice. Tout à coup, M. Harrison retrouva sa voix. 哈里森先生突然找到了自己的声音。

"I'm not going to put up with this," he spluttered, "not a day longer, do you hear, miss. "Das lasse ich mir nicht gefallen", polterte er, "nicht einen Tag länger, hören Sie, Miss. "Je ne vais pas supporter ça," bredouilla-t-il, "pas un jour de plus, entendez-vous, mademoiselle. “我不会再忍受这样的事情了,”他结结巴巴地说,“一天也不会再忍受了,你听到了吗,小姐。 Bless my soul, this is the third time, miss . 保佑我的灵魂,这是第三次,小姐。 the third time! 第三次了! Patience has ceased to be a virtue, miss. Geduld ist keine Tugend mehr, Miss. 耐心已经不再是一种美德了,小姐。 I warned your aunt the last time not to let it occur again . Ich habe deine Tante das letzte Mal gewarnt, es nicht wieder vorkommen zu lassen. 我上次警告过你姨妈,不要再让这种事发生了。 and she's let it . et elle le laisse faire. 她就这样了。 she's done it . elle l'a fait. 她已经做到了。 what does she mean by it, that is what I want to know. qu'est-ce qu'elle veut dire par là, c'est ce que je veux savoir. 她这是什么意思,这就是我想知道的。 That is what I'm here about, miss." 这就是我来这里的目的,小姐。” "Will you explain what the trouble is?" “你能解释一下到底出了什么问题吗?” asked Anne, in her most dignified manner. 安妮以她最庄严的态度问道。 She had been practicing it considerably of late to have it in good working order when school began; but it had no apparent effect on the irate J. A. Harrison. Sie hatte in letzter Zeit viel damit geübt, damit es bei Schulbeginn gut funktionierte, aber es hatte keine offensichtliche Wirkung auf den wütenden J. A. Harrison. Elle l'avait pratiqué considérablement ces derniers temps pour qu'il soit en bon état de fonctionnement lorsque l'école a commencé; mais cela n'a eu aucun effet apparent sur le furieux JA Harrison. 她最近一直在练习,以便在开学时能够保持良好的工作状态。但这对愤怒的 JA 哈里森并没有产生明显的影响。

"Trouble, is it? “麻烦了,是吗? Bless my soul, trouble enough, I should think. 保佑我的灵魂,我想,麻烦已经够多了。 The trouble is, miss, that I found that Jersey cow of your aunt's in my oats again, not half an hour ago. Das Problem ist, Miss, dass ich die Jersey-Kuh Ihrer Tante vor nicht einmal einer halben Stunde in meinem Hafer gefunden habe. 问题是,小姐,我又在我的燕麦里发现了你姨妈的那头泽西牛,就在不到半小时前。 The third time, mark you. 第三次,标记你。 I found her in last Tuesday and I found her in yesterday. 我在上周二找到了她,在昨天也找到了她。 I came here and told your aunt not to let it occur again. She has let it occur again. Sie hat es wieder geschehen lassen. Where's your aunt, miss? I just want to see her for a minute and give her a piece of my mind . Ich möchte sie nur kurz sehen und ihr meine Meinung sagen. Je veux juste la voir une minute et lui dire ce que je pense. 我只想见她一分钟,向她表达我的想法。 a piece of J. A. Harrison's mind, miss." JA哈里森的思想的一部分,小姐。” "If you mean Miss Marilla Cuthbert, she is not my aunt, and she has gone down to East Grafton to see a distant relative of hers who is very ill," said Anne, with due increase of dignity at every word. “如果你指的是玛丽拉·库斯伯特小姐,她不是我的姨妈,她是去东格拉夫顿看望她病得很重的远亲,”安妮说,每句话都增加了尊严。 "I am very sorry that my cow should have broken into your oats . she is my cow and not Miss Cuthbert's . Matthew gave her to me three years ago when she was a little calf and he bought her from Mr. 三年前,马修把她送给了我,当时她还是个小牛犊,是他从马修先生那里买来的。 Bell." 钟。” "Sorry, miss! Sorry isn't going to help matters any. Eine Entschuldigung hilft nicht weiter. 抱歉对事情没有任何帮助。 You'd better go and look at the havoc that animal has made in my oats . Sieh dir lieber mal an, was das Tier in meinem Hafer angerichtet hat. 你最好去看看那只动物对我的燕麦造成的破坏。 trampled them from center to circumference, miss." sie von der Mitte bis zum Umfang zertrampelt, Miss." 把它们从中心踩到圆周,小姐。” "I am very sorry," repeated Anne firmly, "but perhaps if you kept your fences in better repair Dolly might not have broken in. “我很抱歉,”安妮坚定地重复道,“但是如果你把栅栏保养得更好的话,也许多莉就不会破门而入了。 It is your part of the line fence that separates your oatfield from our pasture and I noticed the other day that it was not in very good condition." Es ist Ihr Teil des Zauns, der Ihr Haferfeld von unserer Weide trennt, und mir ist neulich aufgefallen, dass er in keinem guten Zustand war." 这是你的围栏的一部分,将你的燕麦田和我们的牧场分开,前几天我注意到它的状况不是很好。” "My fence is all right," snapped Mr. Harrison, angrier than ever at this carrying of the war into the enemy's country. "Mein Zaun ist in Ordnung", schnauzte Mr. Harrison, wütender denn je über diese Verlegung des Krieges in das Land des Feindes. “我的栅栏没问题,”哈里森先生厉声说道,他对将战争带入敌国感到比以往任何时候都更加愤怒。 "The jail fence couldn't keep a demon of a cow like that out. “监狱的栅栏无法将这样的牛魔拒之门外。 And I can tell you, you redheaded snippet, that if the cow is yours, as you say, you'd be better employed in watching her out of other people's grain than in sitting round reading yellow-covered novels," . Und ich kann dir sagen, du rothaariger Schnösel, dass du, wenn die Kuh dir gehört, wie du sagst, besser damit beschäftigt wärst, sie aus dem Getreide anderer Leute zu hüten, als herumzusitzen und vergilbte Romane zu lesen". 我可以告诉你,你这个红头发的片段,如果这头牛是你的,正如你所说,你最好专注于看着她从别人的谷物中出来,而不是坐在那儿读黄色封面的小说。” with a scathing glance at the innocent tan-colored Virgil by Anne's feet. mit einem vernichtenden Blick auf den unschuldigen hellbraunen Virgil zu Annes Füßen. avec un regard cinglant sur l'innocent Virgile bronzé aux pieds d'Anne. 严厉地瞥了安妮脚边无辜的棕褐色维吉尔一眼。 Something at that moment was red besides Anne's hair . Quelque chose à ce moment-là était rouge en plus des cheveux d'Anne. 此刻,除了安妮的头发之外,还有什么东西是红色的。 which had always been a tender point with her. was für sie schon immer ein wunder Punkt war. qui avait toujours été un point sensible avec elle. 这一直是她的一个痛点。

"I'd rather have red hair than none at all, except a little fringe round my ears," she flashed. "Ich habe lieber rote Haare als gar keine, außer einem kleinen Pony um die Ohren", blitzte sie. “我宁愿有一头红头发,也不愿没有头发,除了耳朵周围有一点刘海,”她闪现道。 The shot told, for Mr. Harrison was really very sensitive about his bald head. Der Schuss ging nach hinten los, denn Mr. Harrison war wirklich sehr empfindlich, was seine Glatze anging. 镜头说明了这一点,因为哈里森先生对他的光头确实非常敏感。 His anger choked him up again and he could only glare speechlessly at Anne, who recovered her temper and followed up her advantage. Seine Wut verschluckte ihn wieder und er konnte Anne nur sprachlos anstarren, die ihre Fassung wiedererlangte und ihren Vorteil nutzte.

"I can make allowance for you, Mr. Harrison, because I have an imagination. "Ich kann Ihnen entgegenkommen, Mr. Harrison, denn ich habe Fantasie. “哈里森先生,我可以体谅你,因为我有想象力。 I can easily imagine how very trying it must be to find a cow in your oats and I shall not cherish any hard feelings against you for the things you've said. Ich kann mir gut vorstellen, wie schwierig es sein muss, eine Kuh im Hafer zu finden, und ich werde Ihnen das, was Sie gesagt haben, nicht übel nehmen. 我很容易想象,要在你的燕麦中找到一头牛是多么困难,而且我不会因为你所说的话而对你怀有任何怨恨。 I promise you that Dolly shall never break into your oats again. 我向你保证,多莉再也不会侵犯你的燕麦了。 I give you my word of honor on THAT point." 在这一点上我向你保证。” "Well, mind you she doesn't," muttered Mr. Harrison in a somewhat subdued tone; but he stamped off angrily enough and Anne heard him growling to himself until he was out of earshot. "Na ja, wohlgemerkt, nicht", murmelte Mr. Harrison in einem etwas gedämpften Ton; aber er stapfte wütend davon, und Anne hörte ihn vor sich hin knurren, bis er außer Hörweite war. “好吧,请注意,她没有,”哈里森先生用一种有些柔和的语气嘀咕道。但他愤怒地跺脚走开,安妮听见他自言自语,直到听不见为止。 Grievously disturbed in mind, Anne marched across the yard and shut the naughty Jersey up in the milking pen. Völlig verwirrt marschierte Anne über den Hof und sperrte die freche Jersey in den Melkstall. Gravement troublée, Anne traversa la cour et enferma le vilain Jersey dans l'enclos de traite.

"She can't possibly get out of that unless she tears the fence down," she reflected. "Sie kann da unmöglich rauskommen, es sei denn, sie reißt den Zaun ein", überlegte sie. "Elle ne peut pas s'en sortir à moins qu'elle n'abatte la clôture", a-t-elle réfléchi. "She looks pretty quiet now. "Sie sieht jetzt ziemlich ruhig aus. "Elle a l'air plutôt calme maintenant. I daresay she has sickened herself on those oats. Ich wage zu behaupten, dass sie sich an diesem Hafer satt gegessen hat. J'ose dire qu'elle s'est rendue malade avec ces flocons d'avoine. I wish I'd sold her to Mr. Shearer when he wanted her last week, but I thought it was just as well to wait until we had the auction of the stock and let them all go together. Ich wünschte, ich hätte sie an Mr. Shearer verkauft, als er sie letzte Woche haben wollte, aber ich hielt es für besser, bis zur Versteigerung des Bestands zu warten und sie alle zusammen gehen zu lassen. J'aurais aimé la vendre à M. Shearer quand il la voulait la semaine dernière, mais j'ai pensé qu'il valait mieux attendre jusqu'à ce que nous ayons la vente aux enchères du stock et les laisser aller tous ensemble. I believe it is true about Mr. Harrison being a crank. Certainly there's nothing of the kindred spirit about HIM." Anne had always a weather eye open for kindred spirits.

Marilla Cuthbert was driving into the yard as Anne returned from the house, and the latter flew to get tea ready. They discussed the matter at the tea table.

"I'll be glad when the auction is over," said Marilla. « Je serai ravie lorsque les enchères seront terminées », a déclaré Marilla. "It is too much responsibility having so much stock about the place and nobody but that unreliable Martin to look after them. "C'est trop de responsabilité d'avoir tant de choses sur l'endroit et personne d'autre que ce Martin peu fiable pour s'occuper d'eux. He has never come back yet and he promised that he would certainly be back last night if I'd give him the day off to go to his aunt's funeral. I don't know how many aunts he has got, I am sure. That's the fourth that's died since he hired here a year ago. I'll be more than thankful when the crop is in and Mr. Barry takes over the farm. Je serai plus que reconnaissant lorsque la récolte sera rentrée et que M. Barry reprendra la ferme. We'll have to keep Dolly shut up in the pen till Martin comes, for she must be put in the back pasture and the fences there have to be fixed. Nous devrons garder Dolly enfermée dans l'enclos jusqu'à l'arrivée de Martin, car il faut la mettre dans l'arrière-pâturage et y réparer les clôtures. I declare, it is a world of trouble, as Rachel says. Here's poor Mary Keith dying and what is to become of those two children of hers is more than I know. Voici la pauvre Mary Keith mourante et ce qu'il adviendra de ses deux enfants est plus que je ne le sais. She has a brother in British Columbia and she has written to him about them, but she hasn't heard from him yet." "What are the children like? How old are they?" "Six past . they're twins." "Oh, I've always been especially interested in twins ever since Mrs. Hammond had so many," said Anne eagerly. « Oh, j'ai toujours été particulièrement intéressée par les jumeaux depuis que Mme Hammond en a eu tant », dit Anne avec empressement. "Are they pretty?" "Goodness, you couldn't tell . they were too dirty. Davy had been out making mud pies and Dora went out to call him in. Davy était sorti faire des tartes à la boue et Dora est sortie pour l'appeler. Davy pushed her headfirst into the biggest pie and then, because she cried, he got into it himself and wallowed in it to show her it was nothing to cry about. Davy l'a poussée la tête la première dans la plus grosse tarte puis, parce qu'elle pleurait, il s'y est mis lui-même et s'y est vautré pour lui montrer qu'il n'y avait pas de quoi pleurer. Mary said Dora was really a very good child but that Davy was full of mischief. Mary a dit que Dora était vraiment une très bonne enfant mais que Davy était pleine de malice. He has never had any bringing up you might say. Il n'a jamais eu d'éducation me direz-vous. His father died when he was a baby and Mary has been sick almost ever since." "I'm always sorry for children that have no bringing up," said Anne soberly. "You know  I hadn't any till you took me in hand. "Tu sais que je n'en avais pas jusqu'à ce que tu me prennes en main. I hope their uncle will look after them. Just what relation is Mrs. Keith to you?" "Mary? "Marie? None in the world. Aucun au monde. It was her husband . he was our third cousin. There's Mrs. Lynde coming through the yard. I thought she'd be up to hear about Mary." "Don't tell her about Mr. Harrison and the cow," implored Anne. Marilla promised; but the promise was quite unnecessary, for Mrs. Lynde was no sooner fairly seated than she said,

"I saw Mr. Harrison chasing your Jersey out of his oats today when I was coming home from Carmody. I thought he looked pretty mad. Did he make much of a rumpus?" Anne and Marilla furtively exchanged amused smiles. Few things in Avonlea ever escaped Mrs. Lynde. It was only that morning Anne had said,

"If you went to your own room at midnight, locked the door, pulled down the blind, and SNEEZED, Mrs. Lynde would ask you the next day how your cold was!" "I believe he did," admitted Marilla. "I was away. He gave Anne a piece of his mind." "I think he is a very disagreeable man," said Anne, with a resentful toss of her ruddy head. "You never said a truer word," said Mrs. Rachel solemnly. "Vous n'avez jamais dit un mot plus vrai", a déclaré Mme Rachel solennellement. "I knew there'd be trouble when Robert Bell sold his place to a New Brunswick man, that's what. I don't know what Avonlea is coming to, with so many strange people rushing into it. It'll soon not be safe to go to sleep in our beds." "Why, what other strangers are coming in?" asked Marilla.

"Haven't you heard? Well, there's a family of Donnells, for one thing. They've rented Peter Sloane's old house. Peter has hired the man to run his mill. They belong down east and nobody knows anything about them. Then that shiftless Timothy Cotton family are going to move up from White Sands and they'll simply be a burden on the public. He is in consumption . Il est en pleine consommation. when he isn't stealing . quand il ne vole pas. and his wife is a slack-twisted creature that can't turn her hand to a thing. et sa femme est une créature à la torsion lâche qui ne peut pas tourner la main vers quoi que ce soit. She washes her dishes SITTING DOWN. Mrs. George Pye has taken her husband's orphan nephew, Anthony Pye. He'll be going to school to you, Anne, so you may expect trouble, that's what. And you'll have another strange pupil, too. Paul Irving is coming from the States to live with his grandmother. You remember his father, Marilla . Stephen Irving, him that jilted Lavendar Lewis over at Grafton?" "I don't think he jilted her. "Je ne pense pas qu'il l'ait abandonnée. There was a quarrel . I suppose there was blame on both sides." "Well, anyway, he didn't marry her, and she's been as queer as possible ever since, they say . "Eh bien, de toute façon, il ne l'a pas épousée, et depuis, elle est aussi bizarre que possible, dit-on. living all by herself in that little stone house she calls Echo Lodge. Stephen went off to the States and went into business with his uncle and married a Yankee. He's never been home since, though his mother has been up to see him once or twice. His wife died two years ago and he's sending the boy home to his mother for a spell. Sa femme est décédée il y a deux ans et il renvoie le garçon chez sa mère pour un séjour. He's ten years old and I don't know if he'll be a very desirable pupil. You can never tell about those Yankees." Mrs Lynde looked upon all people who had the misfortune to be born or brought up elsewhere than in Prince Edward Island with a decided can-any-good-thing-come-out-of-Nazareth air. They MIGHT be good people, of course; but you were on the safe side in doubting it. She had a special prejudice against "Yankees." Her husband had been cheated out of ten dollars by an employer for whom he had once worked in Boston and neither angels nor principalities nor powers could have convinced Mrs. Rachel that the whole United States was not responsible for it.

"Avonlea school won't be the worse for a little new blood," said Marilla drily, "and if this boy is anything like his father he'll be all right. Steve Irving was the nicest boy that was ever raised in these parts, though some people did call him proud. I should think Mrs. Irving would be very glad to have the child. She has been very lonesome since her husband died." "Oh, the boy may be well enough, but he'll be different from Avonlea children," said Mrs. Rachel, as if that clinched the matter. Mrs. Rachel's opinions concerning any person, place, or thing, were always warranted to wear. "What's this I hear about your going to start up a Village Improvement Society, Anne?" "I was just talking it over with some of the girls and boys at the last Debating Club," said Anne, flushing. "They thought it would be rather nice . and so do Mr. and Mrs. Allan. Lots of villages have them now." "Well, you'll get into no end of hot water if you do. Better leave it alone, Anne, that's what. People don't like being improved." "Oh, we are not going to try to improve the PEOPLE. It is Avonlea itself. There are lots of things which might be done to make it prettier. For instance, if we could coax Mr. Levi Boulter to pull down that dreadful old house on his upper farm wouldn't that be an improvement?" Par exemple, si nous pouvions persuader M. Levi Boulter de démolir cette horrible vieille maison de sa ferme supérieure, cela ne serait-il pas une amélioration ? » "It certainly would," admitted Mrs. Rachel. "That old ruin has been an eyesore to the settlement for years. But if you Improvers can coax Levi Boulter to do anything for the public that he isn't to be paid for doing, may I be there to see and hear the process, that's what. I don't want to discourage you, Anne, for there may be something in your idea, though I suppose you did get it out of some rubbishy Yankee magazine; but you'll have your hands full with your school and I advise you as a friend not to bother with your improvements, that's what. But there, I know you'll go ahead with it if you've set your mind on it. You were always one to carry a thing through somehow." Something about the firm outlines of Anne's lips told that Mrs. Rachel was not far astray in this estimate. Anne's heart was bent on forming the Improvement Society. Le cœur d'Anne était déterminé à former la société d'amélioration. Gilbert Blythe, who was to teach in White Sands but would always be home from Friday night to Monday morning, was enthusiastic about it; and most of the other folks were willing to go in for anything that meant occasional meetings and consequently some "fun." As for what the "improvements" were to be, nobody had any very clear idea except Anne and Gilbert. They had talked them over and planned them out until an ideal Avonlea existed in their minds, if nowhere else.

Mrs. Rachel had still another item of news.

"They've given the Carmody school to a Priscilla Grant. "Ils ont donné l'école Carmody à une Priscilla Grant. Didn't you go to Queen's with a girl of that name, Anne?" "Yes, indeed. Priscilla to teach at Carmody! How perfectly lovely!" exclaimed Anne, her gray eyes lighting up until they looked like evening stars, causing Mrs. Lynde to wonder anew if she would ever get it settled to her satisfaction whether Anne Shirley were really a pretty girl or not. s'exclama Anne, ses yeux gris s'illuminant jusqu'à ressembler à des étoiles du soir, ce qui fit que Mme Lynde se demanda à nouveau si elle réussirait jamais à décider si Anne Shirley était vraiment une jolie fille ou non.