VI All Sorts and Conditions of Men . . . and women VI Hommes de toutes sortes et de toutes conditions ... et femmes VI Toda a espécie e condição dos homens ... e das mulheres VI 男人的各種類型和狀況。 。 。和婦女

A September day on Prince Edward Island hills; a crisp wind blowing up over the sand dunes from the sea; a long red road, winding through fields and woods, now looping itself about a corner of thick set spruces, now threading a plantation of young maples with great feathery sheets of ferns beneath them, now dipping down into a hollow where a brook flashed out of the woods and into them again, now basking in open sunshine between ribbons of golden-rod and smoke-blue asters; air athrill with the pipings of myriads of crickets, those glad little pensioners of the summer hills; a plump brown pony ambling along the road; two girls behind him, full to the lips with the simple, priceless joy of youth and life.

"Oh, this is a day left over from Eden, isn't it, Diana?" and Anne sighed for sheer happiness. "The air has magic in it. Look at the purple in the cup of the harvest valley, Diana. Regarde la pourpre dans la coupe de la vallée de la moisson, Diana. And oh, do smell the dying fir! It's coming up from that little sunny hollow where Mr. Eben Wright has been cutting fence poles. Bliss is it on such a day to be alive; but to smell dying fir is very heaven. C'est un bonheur d'être en vie ce jour-là, mais sentir l'odeur du sapin mourant, c'est vraiment le paradis. That's two thirds Wordsworth and one third Anne Shirley. C'est deux tiers de Wordsworth et un tiers d'Anne Shirley. It doesn't seem possible that there should be dying fir in heaven, does it? And yet it doesn't seem to me that heaven would be quite perfect if you couldn't get a whiff of dead fir as you went through its woods. Et pourtant, il me semble que le paradis ne serait pas tout à fait parfait si l'on ne pouvait pas sentir l'odeur du sapin mort en traversant ses bois. Perhaps we'll have the odor there without the death. Yes, I think that will be the way. That delicious aroma must be the souls of the firs . and of course it will be just souls in heaven." "Trees haven't souls," said practical Diana, "but the smell of dead fir is certainly lovely. I'm going to make a cushion and fill it with fir needles. Je vais faire un coussin et le remplir d'aiguilles de sapin. You'd better make one too, Anne." "I think I shall . and use it for my naps. I'd be certain to dream I was a dryad or a woodnymph then. Je serais certaine de rêver que je suis une dryade ou une nymphe des bois à ce moment-là. But just this minute I'm well content to be Anne Shirley, Avonlea schoolma'am, driving over a road like this on such a sweet, friendly day." "It's a lovely day but we have anything but a lovely task before us," sighed Diana. "C'est une belle journée, mais la tâche qui nous attend est tout sauf belle", soupire Diana. "Why on earth did you offer to canvass this road, Anne? "Pourquoi diable as-tu proposé de faire du démarchage sur cette route, Anne ? Almost all the cranks in Avonlea live along it, and we'll probably be treated as if we were begging for ourselves. Presque tous les grincheux d'Avonlea vivent le long de cette route, et nous serons probablement traités comme si nous mendions pour nous-mêmes. It's the very worst road of all." C'est la pire des routes". "That is why I chose it. Of course Gilbert and Fred would have taken this road if we had asked them. But you see, Diana, I feel myself responsible for the A.V.I.S., since I was the first to suggest it, and it seems to me that I ought to do the most disagreeable things. Mais tu vois, Diana, je me sens responsable de l'A.V.I.S., puisque j'ai été le premier à le suggérer, et il me semble que je devrais faire les choses les plus désagréables. I'm sorry on your account; but you needn't say a word at the cranky places. Je suis désolé pour vous, mais vous n'avez pas besoin de dire un mot dans les endroits grincheux. I'll do all the talking . C'est moi qui parlerai. Mrs. Lynde would say I was well able to. Mrs. Lynde doesn't know whether to approve of our enterprise or not. She inclines to, when she remembers that Mr. and Mrs. Allan are in favor of it; but the fact that village improvement societies first originated in the States is a count against it. Elle y est encline lorsqu'elle se souvient que M. et Mme Allan y sont favorables ; mais le fait que les sociétés d'amélioration des villages aient d'abord vu le jour aux États-Unis joue en sa défaveur. So she is halting between two opinions and only success will justify us in Mrs. Lynde's eyes. Elle hésite donc entre deux opinions et seul le succès nous justifiera aux yeux de Mme Lynde. Priscilla is going to write a paper for our next Improvement meeting, and I expect it will be good, for her aunt is such a clever writer and no doubt it runs in the family. I shall never forget the thrill it gave me when I found out that Mrs. Charlotte E. Morgan was Priscilla's aunt. Je n'oublierai jamais l'émotion que j'ai ressentie lorsque j'ai découvert que Mme Charlotte E. Morgan était la tante de Priscilla. It seemed so wonderful that I was a friend of the girl whose aunt wrote 'Edgewood Days' and 'The Rosebud Garden.'" "Where does Mrs. Morgan live?" "In Toronto. And Priscilla says she is coming to the Island for a visit next summer, and if it is possible Priscilla is going to arrange to have us meet her. That seems almost too good to be true—but it's something pleasant to imagine after you go to bed." The Avonlea Village Improvement Society was an organized fact. Gilbert Blythe was president, Fred Wright vice-president, Anne Shirley secretary, and Diana Barry treasurer. The "Improvers," as they were promptly christened, were to meet once a fortnight at the homes of the members. Les "Improvers", comme ils ont été rapidement baptisés, devaient se réunir une fois tous les quinze jours au domicile des membres. It was admitted that they could not expect to affect many improvements so late in the season; but they meant to plan the next summer's campaign, collect and discuss ideas, write and read papers, and, as Anne said, educate the public sentiment generally. Il était admis qu'ils ne pouvaient espérer apporter beaucoup d'améliorations si tard dans la saison ; mais ils avaient l'intention de planifier la campagne de l'été suivant, de rassembler et de discuter des idées, de rédiger et de lire des articles et, comme Anne l'a dit, d'éduquer le sentiment public en général. There was some disapproval, of course, and . which the Improvers felt much more keenly . que les Améliorateurs ont ressenti beaucoup plus vivement . a good deal of ridicule. de nombreuses moqueries. Mr. Elisha Wright was reported to have said that a more appropriate name for the organization would be Courting Club. M. Elisha Wright aurait déclaré qu'un nom plus approprié pour l'organisation serait Courting Club. Mrs. Hiram Sloane declared she had heard the Improvers meant to plough up all the roadsides and set them out with geraniums. Mme Hiram Sloane a déclaré qu'elle avait entendu dire que les Improvers avaient l'intention de labourer tous les bords de route et d'y planter des géraniums. Mr. Levi Boulter warned his neighbors that the Improvers would insist that everybody pull down his house and rebuild it after plans approved by the society. M. Levi Boulter a prévenu ses voisins que les Improvers insisteraient pour que chacun démolisse sa maison et la reconstruise selon les plans approuvés par la société. Mr. James Spencer sent them word that he wished they would kindly shovel down the church hill. M. James Spencer leur a fait savoir qu'il aimerait bien qu'ils déblayent la colline de l'église à l'aide d'une pelle. Eben Wright told Anne that he wished the Improvers could induce old Josiah Sloane to keep his whiskers trimmed. Eben Wright a dit à Anne qu'il souhaitait que les Improvers puissent inciter le vieux Josiah Sloane à garder ses moustaches bien taillées. Mr. Lawrence Bell said he would whitewash his barns if nothing else would please them but he would NOT hang lace curtains in the cowstable windows. M. Lawrence Bell a déclaré qu'il blanchirait ses granges si rien d'autre ne pouvait leur plaire, mais qu'il n'accrocherait PAS de rideaux en dentelle aux fenêtres des étables. Mr. Major Spencer asked Clifton Sloane, an Improver who drove the milk to the Carmody cheese factory, if it was true that everybody would have to have his milk-stand hand-painted next summer and keep an embroidered centerpiece on it. M. Major Spencer a demandé à Clifton Sloane, un Improver qui conduit le lait à la fromagerie Carmody, s'il était vrai que tout le monde devrait faire peindre à la main son étable à lait l'été prochain et garder une pièce centrale brodée dessus.

In spite of . Malgré . or perhaps, human nature being what it is, because of . this, the Society went gamely to work at the only improvement they could hope to bring about that fall. La Société s'est donc résolument attelée à la seule amélioration qu'elle pouvait espérer apporter à l'automne. At the second meeting, in the Barry parlor, Oliver Sloane moved that they start a subscription to re-shingle and paint the hall; Julia Bell seconded it, with an uneasy feeling that she was doing something not exactly ladylike. Lors de la deuxième réunion, dans le salon Barry, Oliver Sloane proposa de lancer une souscription pour refaire les bardeaux et peindre le hall ; Julia Bell appuya cette proposition, avec le sentiment désagréable de faire quelque chose de pas vraiment digne d'une dame. Gilbert put the motion, it was carried unanimously, and Anne gravely recorded it in her minutes. Gilbert a présenté la motion, elle a été adoptée à l'unanimité, et Anne l'a gravement consignée dans son procès-verbal. The next thing was to appoint a committee, and Gertie Pye, determined not to let Julia Bell carry off all the laurels, boldly moved that Miss Jane Andrews be chairman of said committee. La prochaine chose était de nommer un comité, et Gertie Pye, déterminée à ne pas laisser Julia Bell remporter tous les lauriers, proposa hardiment que Miss Jane Andrews soit présidente dudit comité. This motion being also duly seconded and carried, Jane returned the compliment by appointing Gertie on the committee, along with Gilbert, Anne, Diana, and Fred Wright. Cette motion étant également dûment soutenue et adoptée, Jane a retourné le compliment en nommant Gertie au sein du comité, aux côtés de Gilbert, Anne, Diana et Fred Wright. The committee chose their routes in private conclave. Le comité a choisi ses itinéraires en conclave privé. Anne and Diana were told off for the Newbridge road, Gilbert and Fred for the White Sands road, and Jane and Gertie for the Carmody road.

"Because," explained Gilbert to Anne, as they walked home together through the Haunted Wood, "the Pyes all live along that road and they won't give a cent unless one of themselves canvasses them." "Parce que, expliquait Gilbert à Anne, alors qu'ils rentraient ensemble chez eux en traversant le Bois Hanté, les Pyes vivent tous le long de cette route et ils ne donneront pas un centime à moins que l'un d'entre eux ne les sollicite. The next Saturday Anne and Diana started out. They drove to the end of the road and canvassed homeward, calling first on the "Andrew girls." "If Catherine is alone we may get something," said Diana, "but if Eliza is there we won't." "Si Catherine est seule, nous pouvons obtenir quelque chose, dit Diana, mais si Eliza est là, ce n'est pas le cas. Eliza was there . very much so . and looked even grimmer than usual. Miss Eliza was one of those people who give you the impression that life is indeed a vale of tears, and that a smile, never to speak of a laugh, is a waste of nervous energy truly reprehensible. Mlle Eliza était de ces personnes qui vous donnent l'impression que la vie est effectivement une vallée de larmes, et qu'un sourire, sans parler d'un rire, est un gaspillage d'énergie nerveuse tout à fait répréhensible. The Andrew girls had been "girls" for fifty odd years and seemed likely to remain girls to the end of their earthly pilgrimage. Les filles Andrew avaient été des "filles" pendant une cinquantaine d'années et semblaient susceptibles de rester des filles jusqu'à la fin de leur pèlerinage terrestre. Catherine, it was said, had not entirely given up hope, but Eliza, who was born a pessimist, had never had any. Catherine, disait-on, n'avait pas totalement perdu espoir, mais Eliza, née pessimiste, n'en avait jamais eu. They lived in a little brown house built in a sunny corner scooped out of Mark Andrew's beech woods. Ils vivaient dans une petite maison brune construite dans un coin ensoleillé creusé dans la forêt de hêtres de Mark Andrew. Eliza complained that it was terrible hot in summer, but Catherine was wont to say it was lovely and warm in winter.

Eliza was sewing patchwork, not because it was needed but simply as a protest against the frivolous lace Catherine was crocheting. Eliza cousait du patchwork, non pas parce qu'elle en avait besoin, mais simplement pour protester contre la dentelle frivole que Catherine crochetait. Eliza listened with a frown and Catherine with a smile, as the girls explained their errand. To be sure, whenever Catherine caught Eliza's eye she discarded the smile in guilty confusion; but it crept back the next moment. Certes, chaque fois que Catherine croisait le regard d'Eliza, elle se débarrassait de son sourire dans une confusion coupable, mais il revenait l'instant d'après. "If I had money to waste," said Eliza grimly, "I'd burn it up and have the fun of seeing a blaze maybe; but I wouldn't give it to that hall, not a cent. "Si j'avais de l'argent à gaspiller", dit Eliza d'un ton sinistre, "je le brûlerais et j'aurais peut-être le plaisir de voir un incendie ; mais je ne le donnerais pas à cette salle, pas un centime. It's no benefit to the settlement . just a place for young folks to meet and carry on when they's better be home in their beds." "Oh, Eliza, young folks must have some amusement," protested Catherine. "I don't see the necessity. We didn't gad about to halls and places when we were young, Catherine Andrews. This world is getting worse every day." "I think it's getting better," said Catherine firmly. "YOU think!" Miss Eliza's voice expressed the utmost contempt. "It doesn't signify what you THINK, Catherine Andrews. "Cela ne signifie pas ce que vous PENSEZ, Catherine Andrews. Facts is facts." "Well, I always like to look on the bright side, Eliza." "There isn't any bright side." "Oh, indeed there is," cried Anne, who couldn't endure such heresy in silence. "Why, there are ever so many bright sides, Miss Andrews. It's really a beautiful world." "You won't have such a high opinion of it when you've lived as long in it as I have," retorted Miss Eliza sourly, "and you won't be so enthusiastic about improving it either. How is your mother, Diana? Dear me, but she has failed of late. Cher moi, mais elle a échoué ces derniers temps. She looks terrible run down. Elle a l'air terriblement délabrée. And how long is it before Marilla expects to be stone blind, Anne?" "The doctor thinks her eyes will not get any worse if she is very careful," faltered Anne. Eliza shook her head.

"Doctors always talk like that just to keep people cheered up. I wouldn't have much hope if I was her. It's best to be prepared for the worst." "But oughtn't we be prepared for the best too?" "Mais ne devrions-nous pas aussi être préparés pour le meilleur ?" pleaded Anne. "It's just as likely to happen as the worst." "Il est tout aussi probable que le pire se produise." "Not in my experience, and I've fifty-seven years to set against your sixteen," retorted Eliza. "Going, are you? « Allez-vous ? Well, I hope this new society of yours will be able to keep Avonlea from running any further down hill but I haven't much hope of it." J'espère que votre nouvelle société sera en mesure d'empêcher Avonlea de s'enfoncer davantage, mais je n'ai pas beaucoup d'espoir à ce sujet. Anne and Diana got themselves thankfully out, and drove away as fast as the fat pony could go. As they rounded the curve below the beech wood a plump figure came speeding over Mr. Andrews' pasture, waving to them excitedly. Alors qu'ils prenaient le virage en contrebas de la hêtraie, une silhouette dodue arriva à toute allure dans le pâturage de M. Andrews, leur faisant des signes enthousiastes. It was Catherine Andrews and she was so out of breath that she could hardly speak, but she thrust a couple of quarters into Anne's hand. C'était Catherine Andrews et elle était tellement essoufflée qu'elle pouvait à peine parler, mais elle en glissa quelques quarts dans la main d'Anne. "That's my contribution to painting the hall," she gasped. "I'd like to give you a dollar but I don't dare take more from my egg money for Eliza would find it out if I did. "J'aimerais vous donner un dollar, mais je n'ose pas prendre plus de mon argent de poche, car Eliza le découvrirait si je le faisais. I'm real interested in your society and I believe you're going to do a lot of good. I'm an optimist. I HAVE to be, living with Eliza. I must hurry back before she misses me . she thinks I'm feeding the hens. elle pense que je nourris les poules. I hope you'll have good luck canvassing, and don't be cast down over what Eliza said. J'espère que vous aurez de la chance pour faire du porte-à-porte et que vous ne serez pas abattu par ce qu'Eliza a dit. The world IS getting better . it certainly is." The next house was Daniel Blair's. "Now, it all depends on whether his wife is home or not," said Diana, as they jolted along a deep-rutted lane. "Maintenant, tout dépend si sa femme est à la maison ou non", dit Diana, alors qu'ils s'engagent dans un chemin aux ornières profondes. "If she is we won't get a cent. Everybody says Dan Blair doesn't dare have his hair cut without asking her permission; and it's certain she's very close, to state it moderately. Tout le monde dit que Dan Blair n'ose pas se faire couper les cheveux sans lui demander la permission ; et c'est certain qu'elle est très proche, pour le dire modérément. She says she has to be just before she's generous. Elle dit qu'elle doit être juste avant d'être généreuse. But Mrs. Lynde says she's so much 'before' that generosity never catches up with her at all." Mais Mme Lynde dit qu'elle est tellement "avant" que la générosité ne la rattrape jamais". Anne related their experience at the Blair place to Marilla that evening.

"We tied the horse and then rapped at the kitchen door. Nobody came but the door was open and we could hear somebody in the pantry, going on dreadfully. Personne n'est venu mais la porte était ouverte et nous pouvions entendre quelqu'un dans le garde-manger, qui continuait terriblement. We couldn't make out the words but Diana says she knows they were swearing by the sound of them. Nous n'avons pas pu distinguer les mots, mais Diana dit qu'elle sait qu'ils juraient, à en juger par le son qu'ils produisaient. I can't believe that of Mr. Blair, for he is always so quiet and meek; but at least he had great provocation, for Marilla, when that poor man came to the door, red as a beet, with perspiration streaming down his face, he had on one of his wife's big gingham aprons. Je ne peux pas croire cela de M. Blair, car il est toujours si calme et doux ; mais au moins il avait une grande provocation, car Marilla, quand ce pauvre homme est venu à la porte, rouge comme une betterave, la sueur coulant sur son visage, il avait sur un des grands tabliers vichy de sa femme. 'I can't get this durned thing off,' he said, 'for the strings are tied in a hard knot and I can't bust 'em, so you'll have to excuse me, ladies.' « Je ne peux pas enlever ce truc foutu, dit-il, car les ficelles sont attachées en un nœud dur et je ne peux pas les casser, alors vous devrez m'excuser, mesdames. We begged him not to mention it and went in and sat down. Nous l'avons supplié de ne pas en parler et nous sommes entrés et nous nous sommes assis. Mr. Blair sat down too; he twisted the apron around to his back and rolled it up, but he did look so ashamed and worried that I felt sorry for him, and Diana said she feared we had called at an inconvenient time. M. Blair s'est assis lui aussi ; il a enroulé son tablier dans son dos, mais il avait l'air si honteux et si inquiet que j'ai eu pitié de lui, et Diana a dit qu'elle craignait que nous n'ayons appelé à un moment inopportun. 'Oh, not at all,' said Mr. Blair, trying to smile . you know he is always very polite . 'I'm a little busy . getting ready to bake a cake as it were. My wife got a telegram today that her sister from Montreal is coming tonight and she's gone to the train to meet her and left orders for me to make a cake for tea. She writ out the recipe and told me what to do but I've clean forgot half the directions already. Elle m'a écrit la recette et m'a dit ce qu'il fallait faire, mais j'ai déjà oublié la moitié des instructions. And it says, 'flavor according to taste.' Et il dit, 'saveur selon le goût.' What does that mean? How can you tell? Comment pouvez-vous dire? And what if my taste doesn't happen to be other people's taste? Would a tablespoon of vanilla be enough for a small layer cake?" "I felt sorrier than ever for the poor man. He didn't seem to be in his proper sphere at all. I had heard of henpecked husbands and now I felt that I saw one. J'avais entendu parler de maris henpected et maintenant j'avais l'impression d'en voir un. It was on my lips to say, 'Mr. Blair, if you'll give us a subscription for the hall I'll mix up your cake for you.' But I suddenly thought it wouldn't be neighborly to drive too sharp a bargain with a fellow creature in distress. So I offered to mix the cake for him without any conditions at all. He just jumped at my offer. He said he'd been used to making his own bread before he was married but he feared cake was beyond him, and yet he hated to disappoint his wife. He got me another apron, and Diana beat the eggs and I mixed the cake. Mr. Blair ran about and got us the materials. He had forgotten all about his apron and when he ran it streamed out behind him and Diana said she thought she would die to see it. Il avait oublié son tablier et lorsqu'il a couru, il a jailli derrière lui et Diana a dit qu'elle pensait qu'elle mourrait en le voyant. He said he could bake the cake all right . he was used to that . and then he asked for our list and he put down four dollars. So you see we were rewarded. Vous voyez que nous avons été récompensés. But even if he hadn't given a cent I'd always feel that we had done a truly Christian act in helping him." Mais même s'il n'avait pas donné un centime, j'aurais toujours eu le sentiment que nous avions accompli un acte véritablement chrétien en l'aidant". Theodore White's was the next stopping place. Theodore White's était la prochaine étape. Neither Anne nor Diana had ever been there before, and they had only a very slight acquaintance with Mrs. Theodore, who was not given to hospitality. Ni Anne ni Diana ne s'y étaient jamais rendues auparavant, et elles ne connaissaient que très peu Mme Theodore, qui n'était pas très portée sur l'hospitalité. Should they go to the back or front door? While they held a whispered consultation Mrs. Theodore appeared at the front door with an armful of newspapers. Pendant qu'ils se consultent à voix basse, Mme Theodore apparaît à la porte d'entrée avec une brassée de journaux. Deliberately she laid them down one by one on the porch floor and the porch steps, and then down the path to the very feet of her mystified callers. Elle les a délibérément déposés un par un sur le sol et les marches du porche, puis sur le chemin jusqu'aux pieds de ses interlocuteurs mystifiés.

"Will you please wipe your feet carefully on the grass and then walk on these papers?" she said anxiously. "I've just swept the house all over and I can't have any more dust tracked in. The path's been real muddy since the rain yesterday." "Don't you dare laugh," warned Anne in a whisper, as they marched along the newspapers. "Ne t'avise pas de rire", prévient Anne à voix basse, tandis qu'ils marchent le long des journaux. "And I implore you, Diana, not to look at me, no matter what she says, or I shall not be able to keep a sober face." "Et je t'implore, Diana, de ne pas me regarder, quoi qu'elle dise, ou je ne pourrai pas garder un visage sobre." The papers extended across the hall and into a prim, fleckless parlor. Les papiers s'étendent de l'autre côté du couloir jusqu'à un salon primitif et dépourvu de mouchetures. Anne and Diana sat down gingerly on the nearest chairs and explained their errand. Mrs. White heard them politely, interrupting only twice, once to chase out an adventurous fly, and once to pick up a tiny wisp of grass that had fallen on the carpet from Anne's dress. Mme White les a écoutés poliment, ne les interrompant que deux fois, une fois pour chasser une mouche aventureuse, et une autre fois pour ramasser un petit brin d'herbe qui était tombé de la robe d'Anne sur le tapis. Anne felt wretchedly guilty; but Mrs. White subscribed two dollars and paid the money down . Anne se sentait misérablement coupable ; mais Mme White a souscrit deux dollars et a payé l'argent. "to prevent us from having to go back for it," Diana said when they got away. "pour nous éviter d'avoir à revenir le chercher", a dit Diana lorsqu'ils se sont éloignés. Mrs. White had the newspapers gathered up before they had their horse untied and as they drove out of the yard they saw her busily wielding a broom in the hall. Mme White avait rassemblé les journaux avant que leur cheval ne soit détaché et, alors qu'ils sortaient de la cour, ils la virent s'affairer à manier un balai dans le hall.

"I've always heard that Mrs. Theodore White was the neatest woman alive and I'll believe it after this," said Diana, giving way to her suppressed laughter as soon as it was safe. "I am glad she has no children," said Anne solemnly. "It would be dreadful beyond words for them if she had." "Ce serait épouvantable au-delà des mots pour eux si elle l'avait fait." At the Spencers' Mrs. Isabella Spencer made them miserable by saying something ill-natured about everyone in Avonlea. Chez les Spencer, Mme Isabella Spencer les a rendus malheureux en disant quelque chose de méchant sur tout le monde à Avonlea. Mr. Thomas Boulter refused to give anything because the hall, when it had been built, twenty years before, hadn't been built on the site he recommended. Mrs. Esther Bell, who was the picture of health, took half an hour to detail all her aches and pains, and sadly put down fifty cents because she wouldn't be there that time next year to do it . Mme Esther Bell, qui était l'image même de la santé, a pris une demi-heure pour détailler tous ses maux et douleurs, et a tristement mis cinquante cents parce qu'elle ne serait pas là l'année prochaine à la même époque pour le faire... no, she would be in her grave.

Their worst reception, however, was at Simon Fletcher's. When they drove into the yard they saw two faces peering at them through the porch window. Lorsqu'ils sont entrés dans la cour, ils ont vu deux visages qui les regardaient à travers la fenêtre du porche. But although they rapped and waited patiently and persistently nobody came to the door. Mais bien qu'ils aient frappé et attendu patiemment et obstinément, personne n'est venu à la porte. Two decidedly ruffled and indignant girls drove away from Simon Fletcher's. Deux jeunes filles, décidément très remontées et indignées, sont parties en voiture de chez Simon Fletcher. Even Anne admitted that she was beginning to feel discouraged. But the tide turned after that. Several Sloane homesteads came next, where they got liberal subscriptions, and from that to the end they fared well, with only an occasional snub. Plusieurs fermes Sloane sont venues ensuite, où elles ont obtenu des abonnements libéraux, et de là à la fin, elles se sont bien comportées, avec seulement un camouflet occasionnel. Their last place of call was at Robert Dickson's by the pond bridge. They stayed to tea here, although they were nearly home, rather than risk offending Mrs. Dickson, who had the reputation of being a very "touchy" woman. Ils restèrent ici pour prendre le thé, bien qu'ils fussent presque rentrés chez eux, plutôt que de risquer d'offenser Mme Dickson, qui avait la réputation d'être une femme très "susceptible". While they were there old Mrs. James White called in. Pendant qu'ils étaient là, la vieille Mme James White a appelé.

"I've just been down to Lorenzo's," she announced. "He's the proudest man in Avonlea this minute. What do you think? There's a brand new boy there . and after seven girls that's quite an event, I can tell you." et après sept filles, c'est tout un événement, je peux vous le dire." Anne pricked up her ears, and when they drove away she said.

"I'm going straight to Lorenzo White's." "Je vais directement chez Lorenzo White." "But he lives on the White Sands road and it's quite a distance out of our way," protested Diana. "Mais il habite sur la route de White Sands et c'est assez loin de notre chemin", a protesté Diana. "Gilbert and Fred will canvass him." "They are not going around until next Saturday and it will be too late by then," said Anne firmly. "Ils ne se déplacent pas avant samedi prochain et il sera trop tard", a déclaré Anne avec fermeté. "The novelty will be worn off. "La nouveauté sera usée. Lorenzo White is dreadfully mean but he will subscribe to ANYTHING just now. Lorenzo White est terriblement méchant mais il s'abonnera à N'IMPORTE QUOI en ce moment. We mustn't let such a golden opportunity slip, Diana." The result justified Anne's foresight. Le résultat a justifié la prévoyance d'Anne. Mr. White met them in the yard, beaming like the sun upon an Easter day. When Anne asked for a subscription he agreed enthusiastically.

"Certain, certain. Just put me down for a dollar more than the highest subscription you've got." Il suffit de m'inscrire pour un dollar de plus que l'abonnement le plus élevé que vous avez." "That will be five dollars . Mr. Daniel Blair put down four," said Anne, half afraid. Мистер Дэниел Блэр положил четыре, - сказала Энн, наполовину испугавшись. But Lorenzo did not flinch.

"Five it is . and here's the money on the spot. et voici l'argent sur place. Now, I want you to come into the house. There's something in there worth seeing . Il y a là quelque chose qui vaut la peine d'être vu. something very few people have seen as yet. Just come in and pass YOUR opinion." Il suffit de venir et de donner son avis. "What will we say if the baby isn't pretty?" "Que dirons-nous si le bébé n'est pas beau ?" whispered Diana in trepidation as they followed the excited Lorenzo into the house.

"Oh, there will certainly be something else nice to say about it," said Anne easily. "There always is about a baby." The baby WAS pretty, however, and Mr. White felt that he got his five dollars' worth of the girls' honest delight over the plump little newcomer. Le bébé était joli, cependant, et M. White estimait qu'il avait reçu ses cinq dollars de la joie sincère des filles à l'égard de ce petit nouveau venu dodu. But that was the first, last, and only time that Lorenzo White ever subscribed to anything. Mais c'est la première, la dernière et la seule fois que Lorenzo White s'est abonné à quoi que ce soit.

Anne, tired as she was, made one more effort for the public weal that night, slipping over the fields to interview Mr. Harrison, who was as usual smoking his pipe on the veranda with Ginger beside him. Strickly speaking he was on the Carmody road; but Jane and Gertie, who were not acquainted with him save by doubtful report, had nervously begged Anne to canvass him. A vrai dire, il était sur la route de Carmody ; mais Jane et Gertie, qui ne le connaissaient que par des rapports douteux, avaient nerveusement supplié Anne de le solliciter.

Mr. Harrison, however, flatly refused to subscribe a cent, and all Anne's wiles were in vain. "But I thought you approved of our society, Mr. Harrison," she mourned. "So I do . so I do . but my approval doesn't go as deep as my pocket, Anne." "A few more experiences such as I have had today would make me as much of a pessimist as Miss Eliza Andrews," Anne told her reflection in the east gable mirror at bedtime. "Quelques expériences supplémentaires comme celle que j'ai vécue aujourd'hui feraient de moi une pessimiste au même titre que Miss Eliza Andrews", dit Anne à son reflet dans le miroir du pignon est à l'heure du coucher.