Anne's House of Dreams

There was more excitement in the air of Green Gables than there had ever been before in all itshistory. Even Marilla was so excited that she couldn't help showing it-which was little short ofbeing phenomenal."There's never been a wedding in this house," she said, half apologetically, to Mrs. RachelLynde. "When I was a child I heard an old minister say that a house was not a real home until it hadbeen consecrated by a birth, a wedding and a death. We've had deaths here-my father and motherdied here as well as Matthew; and we've even had a birth here. Long ago, just after we moved intothis house, we had a married hired man for a little while, and his wife had a baby here. But there'snever been a wedding before. It does seem so strange to think of Anne being married. In a way shejust seems to me the little girl Matthew brought home here fourteen years ago. I can't realize thatshe's grown up. I shall never forget what I felt when I saw Matthew bringing in a GIRL. I wonderwhat became of the boy we would have got if there hadn't been a mistake. I wonder what HIS fatewas.""Well, it was a fortunate mistake," said Mrs. Rachel Lynde, "though, mind you, there was a timeI didn't think so-that evening I came up to see Anne and she treated us to such a scene. Manythings have changed since then, that's what."Mrs. Rachel sighed, and then brisked up again. When weddings were in order Mrs. Rachel wasready to let the dead past bury its dead."I'm going to give Anne two of my cotton warp spreads," she resumed. "A tobacco-stripe oneand an apple-leaf one. She tells me they're getting to be real fashionable again. Well, fashion or nofashion, I don't believe there's anything prettier for a spare-room bed than a nice apple-leaf spread, that's what. I must see about getting them bleached. I've had them sewed up in cotton bags eversince Thomas died, and no doubt they're an awful color. But there's a month yet, and dew-bleachingwill work wonders.